The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-25

TO arrange some business matters?"
bent my head, as if in perplexine
thought, conscious all the time of the
sneer on the evil face in front of me.
'Mr. Discoe, said 1, with the meek.
ness of lamb, ''if you will be good
enough to go over as rapidly as you
choose, the transactions we have had
with each other-that is, from the be.
ginning-it will help us TO get on. Un-
less you do so, don't believe it posi-
BILE to arrange things satisfactorily
"Well, I'll be - he growled,
lowering the bent leg and crossing il
with the other. This beats anything
yeti"
1 waited patiently, ard, after some
hesitation, he showed his hat from his
forehead, jammed both hands in his
trousers pockets and leaning back in
his chair said:
"There's so little of it that it won {
take me long. You remember last sum
mer that down at Shoepshead you put
up $1,000 and won So, 900? Jake and
me had our money on the wrong horse
and got it in the neck. While you were
! cashing in your tickets we noticed your
roll of money. You were in high spirits
over your good luck, and Jake remarked
that if You wanted a good thing he
! could put you on to il. You said You
was ready and would divide. That night
we met you at the Brunswick and ex-
planned the game, which was showing
the queer "
'Ah, yes It's all coming back to me
now" l interjected without helping
matters in the least.
Our plan was not to do the work
here III the east, but in the west. Jake
and me were to go ont to Kansas and
the Dakotas, making the Auditorium in
Chicago our headquarters When every
thing was ready, we were TO let you
know -
And / was TO do WHAT"
"Of course in our business we must
have good money to work with, but
there's nothing mean about jake AID
me, and we agreed not TO call Ga yoa for
your share -
Which was how much?'
Ten thousand dollars, until the
thing was Ga its feet and fairly going.
1t took us good deal Logger than we
thought. Jake got pinchod, and it was
tight squeeze. So things drifted along
until this spring -
And you kept me informed?"
"Of course. l called TO see you sew
eral times in New York, and all three
of us had a meeting some months ago
at the stone house. When you came out
TO Chicago last winter, we had long
talk-the three Of us again-and you
pledged your word that when we needed
1t you would let us have the SO, 900,
for which you were to receive one third
of the profits and take no risks at all "
And | have never given it TO you?"
Never given it TO us! / should say
not There's where Jake and me made
- fools of ourselves. You offered it to
US twice, and we refused to take it, -
'Why did you refuse?'
eve were so dead sure of you that
we were content to wait, being as we
did not need it. You set 'em up every
time and acted like the royal fellow we
believed you to be instead of the sneak
you are. "
And Tom Discoe's fingers twitched,
as if he could no longer keep them off
me. was on my guard, but he did not
know it,
Are you sure | have never advanced
you anything on ACCOUNT"
He could hardly restrain his anger.
Not a - cent! Don't set up that
claim. You owe clean so, 600 and not
penny less. Why, l reminded you of
the whole thing in my last letter.
1.-THE one sent before this last note in
answer to my telegram"
Yes; l went over the whole ground,
showing that you hadn't paid dollar,
though you offered to do so when we
didn't want it. You remember that we
agreed to refer to the money as farm
ers, so that no one could get on to it. ~
A mountain rolled from off my heart.
In the eyes of the law Harold Westcott
had committed no crime. He had
thoughtlessly agreed TO do so, when in
the excitement Of his success on the race
course, and, possibly, while under the
influence too, of wine. In his sober
senses he shrank from the dangerous
step, but lacked the courage to back
out. He was afraid of Tom Discoe and
Jake Huke, who no doubt had threaten
ed him, as one had already threatened
me.
Harold was lacking in moral stamina,
for he as much as confessed it when he
f71lared Tat be vas Ter.ered half to
death by the parasites Of society. Most
likely, too, these evil men believed that
in meeting with them and planning
this wicked business he had gone too
far 10 withdraw. If he attempted to do
So they not only meant TO expose him,
but tovisit personal violence upon him.
As the only way out of bad situa-
ton he weakly fed to Europe Aware
that the crisis must come within few
months, he left me 20 meet it, without
giving the slightest intimation of its
nature.
Therein / condemned him, as | had
the right to do, for had he made it clear