The Bourbon news., 1897-08-24
XVIII.
A BATTLE ROYAL.


Allacoochee the wonderful was never
more alive to the fact of its own i'm
portance and prosperity than on a GER
tain day in September which had been
set apart and marked with red letter
as the herald of a new epoch in the his
tory of the city. 1t was to be elbow
ing-in" day at the Chiwassee furnace;
and the throbbing pulse of the great
blast-engines would thereupon open
new arteries of industry, flowing with
currents of molten iron to strengthen
and invigorate the thews and sinews of
the many-handed giant of labor.
There was to be an industrial parade
and a monster meeting in the afternoon
at the furnace, where a platform had
the train load of capitalists and ex-
cursionists to arrive at noon would be
welcomed as the guests of the city.
At an early hour in the morning the
streets were thronged with visitors
moving in unique crowds under the
gayly decorated awnings, or stopping
in admiring groups to stare at the
elaborate display of bunting and flags
ornamenting the company's offices in
the Guaranty building. In the anat-
omy of Allacoochee, the Guaranty
building was the brain; and in one of
it's comfortably furnished cells, iso-
lated by thick walls and deadened floors
from the out-of-door turmoil of this
morning of expectation, the twin souls
of the urban monster sat facing each
other in morose silence. Four days
had elapsed since the terrified notary
had burst in upon them with the infor
nation that the forged deed had been
found, and for three days an evil-doer's
providence had given them an oppor-
tunity for which they would have been
willing to pay in the coin of crime; and
yet, in spite of the warning and of the
removal of their chief opponent, they
were still as far as ever from a haven
of safety; the forged deed was still in
existence, and bribery and search-par-
ties had alike failed to reveal the hid
ing-place of the old mountaineer. The
threatened danger cast its shadow upon
the two men each after his kind.
Sharpless sat erect, scowling and in
domitable, while Fench covered in his
chair, clasping and unclasping his lean
fingers in the nervelessness of dismay.
Il tell you, Sharpless, it's no use talk
ing-it never was any use talking; it's
time to run. We might have been in
Mexico by this time if you'd had any
sense"
Fench's voice was queruIOus with
fear, and the last sentence ended in Il
snarl, but the recrimination served
only to deepen the frown on the brow
of the lawyer. In the silence that sue
ceeded, they heard a curious humping
in the corridor, which was explained
when the door opened to admit an un-
announced visitor. 1t was Thorndyke,
on crutches, and he stopped to close the
door carefully before limping to chair
from which he could see both of the
| cOnspirators. In the twinkling of an
eye the scOwl on Sharpless' face melted
into a suave smile of welcome, and his
| greeting was cheerful and genial.
Good morning, Mr.. Thorndyke.
You're quite stranger"
Philip ignored the proffered civility
and went brusquely to the point. Il
| didn't come here to measure polite
phrases with either of you, as you prob
| ably know. l am here as the legal rep
resentative of John Kilgrow, upon
whose farm you have taken the liberty
to build a city"
The smile of welcome on the lawyer
face disappeared as quickly as it had
come, and the thin figure of the man
| ager seemed to shrink into a still
smaller compass.
You'll have to be more explicit, Mr..
Thorndyke," said Sharpless, fitting cas-
lily in his chair.
And 1 will be, simply to show you
what L am prepared to prove. On the
| 9th of February in the present year
| you purchased of James Gates tract
of land which you had good reason to
| suspect was stolen from John Kilgrow.
| To quiet the title, you forged deed
| from Kilgrow to Gates and had it re-
| corded. For some reason which don't t
| pretend to understand you omitted to
| destroy this deed, and, as you know,
it has lately fallen into my hands. The
facts in the case have been carefully col
lected and verified, and it remains for
you to say whether my client shall be
compelled to seek satisfaction in the
! courts
The lawyers face frightened at the
implied alternative. You mean a
COMPROMISED"
Il mean payment in full for what you
| have stolen"
"That is harsh word, Mr.. Thorn
dyke"
Possibly, but it has the merit of
truth
''Are you prepared to act for your
! client in this matter?"
81 am his attorney in fact"
What is your proposition"
81 will execute a quit-claim on the
| part of my client, and L will surrender
the forged deed, upon the payment OF
| 100000 in cash or in bankable funds