San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-04

with boldly staggering air, smoking a
CIGAR that gave punSent and unpleasant
olor.
Startling turned slowly and looked at
him cOolly from head to foot, aud his lip
curlcd os he said:
we'll, you sent me note asking 70 see
me here. What did you wantg'
"What do wantf Well, Grst Of all, to
be treated with q little more respect"
"You speak in enigmas."
81 will explain If you like why fee
myself not only your equal, but rathG
your superior. l was your engineer he
fore the fire." This he said with world
of meaning in his face. hut Startling ap.
peared not to notice the implied sneer.
"Do you want another positionp What
is it that has brought you here, anyway"
"That will tell you ut my ease. For
the moment all / have to say is that my
engine needed a trifle of fixing and did
not 20 out to dinner on the day OF the fire.
/ guess was the only one who disobeyed
the rule that you had made so stringent
several months before, that all hands
should leave the mill at noon. And-I
WAS behind the screen near the inclosure
oil the time that you were there talking
Acknowledgements, Wen say, with Mr..
Marvin, and when yon left him to attend
to some other little matters in different
parts of the mill, l stepped from my
hiding place, and. finding things getting
q little warm upon the edges, concluded
to get out and did so. l have made up
my mind I'd like to travel. want to go
to the west and buy me a farm ont there
and settle down."
Startling had struggled hard for the
mastery of his countenance while this con-
vcrsation was going on, hut with all his
strength Of will he could not force himself
to appear unconcerned, and as Randall
paused and looked at him with an in
curing expression his lips twitched, and
he was pale with anger and fear.
al don't see what you want of me-" he
said, with final attempt ut bravado.
"You don'ts You don't know what
want, ehs Well, then, I'll tell you 1
want $4,000 to help me start my farm,
and want you to give it to me without
another asking. If you don't, why you
will take the consequences. l have said
what had to say; now it Ii for you to
act"
For moment Starting looked wildly
around, as If hunting for means OF kill
ing this insolent fellow before him, but he
stood there coolly with his arms folded
over his chest in an attitude OF perfect
security, and yet his beady little eyes
never left Starling's face, and he laughed
scornfully as lie said:
"Ah! you would, would your Now
the sooner you drop that idea the better
for YOU"
but haven't so much money as that
now, and much as would like to help
you, could not raise more than half the
sum-
"Just now, perhaps; but as want to
90 soon, and the sooner the better Tor MS
both, will take that now and you can
send me the rest when you get your in
surance."
'tNo butts about it. You will send II
TO me, and that, too, as soon as You get 1t.
1t is the price Of your safety" d..
81 don't recognize that"
"You don't. What IL tell you Of the
paper you dropped when you took the
deeds back from the hands of your dead
partner, when he revoked the trust he
had given you over his property and his
wife and childN What IL I go to the au-
thorities and give them that with my afa-
davit of the whole matterP" "a
Startling appeared to hesitate and strug-
gle with q desire to strangle the man be-
fore him, or to end his life in some way
at once and for all, but he controlled him.
self by an effort Of will and tried TO say,
carelessly: ..
'NOh, very we'll Since you put it 80
forcibly. will do as you say. But the
paper you speak of suppose you recog-
nize the fact of my ownership"
"Not muchl That paper belongs to me
until think fit to see that It goes into
the proper hands. Come, now. You can
twist and squirm as much as you like,
but It Is just here: You either give me
what ask OF you'll have nothing to give,
and, besides, you'll very soon be where
you couldn't give anything II you would.
Besides, there is one other trific that I
forgot to mention. happened to be near
the house the day Of the sudden taking off
of Mrs M, and / saw-what / saw
Now, once for all, what are going to do
about ity''
~ will do az you wish. Here is all the
money have now. / had kept il by me
for emergencies.
"And this is the emergency"
"There are here $4,000. Where shall
I send you the balanceP'
81 will write when l get there"
Il will give you an additional $1,000
for the paper you have"
'I think | remarked before-not much.
mean what say, but will say this:
will keep faith with you, and no one shall
ever have 1t as long as you are alive. Now
am off," And pocketing his roll of bills