The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1898-02-03
A CASE In EQUITY.
By FRANCIS LyNDE.
Copyright. 1895. by J. B. lippineott Col
XVIII.-CoNTINuEp
By FRANCIS LyNDE,

the manager crept BACK 10 his CHAIR
again, and S%harpless sat down. 'That
was n good joke of yours, Mr.. Thorn
dyke" he said, with an unpleasant
smile. "Of course you know that the
original value of tine land was next to
nothing"
II don't rare to argue that point or
any other. The question between us is
simply this; will you pay me 100000,
or shall ! give you in charge for forg-
ery?"
While T~horndyke was speaking,
S%harpless was swaying gently back and
forth in the pivot-chair, with his right
arm lying upon the desk. In the little
interval of silence that followed, the
fingers of the idle hand sought the knob
of a small drawer under the pigeon.
holes. When he began to speak the
lawyers voice was smooth and passion
less. Let us assume, for the sake OF
example, hat what you say of us is
true; that we are the INSCRIPTIONS viii
lains that your indictment presup-
poses" The hand on the desk was me-
chanically opening and closing the
drawer, and Philip saw n CLINT OF
nickel-plating among the papers. "As.
Stunning this, doesn't il strike you that
you are a little rash in coming here to
threaten us?" The idling hand dropped
carelessly into the open drawer and lay
guiescent.
Philip ignored the hypothetical
menace, and kept his eyes fixed upon
the m~otionless hand.
violence is always a dangerous
weapon, Mr.. Sharpless," he said, quiet
ly, land you will agree With me that
when it becomes necessary to employ
it, hesitation is to be too strongly
deprecated. I'll trouble you to close
that drawer"
In the duel Of words Sharpless had
been reiectively measuring the dis
tance between himself and the coat
pocket into which Philip had slipped
his hand at the beginning of the inter
view. The deductions were evidently
upon the side of prudence, for he shut
the drawer with a snapand turned away
from the desk.
"Going back to the original question
your demand is unreasonable; and If
it were not, there is not such an
amount as you lame in all the banks
in the city"
"Probablv not; and, in any event. l
should prefer your draft on New York.
secured by a mortgage on all the prop
erty of the company in Chilmath
county"
"Oh, you would?" Sharpless was los
ing his ~self-control. perhaps you
think I own the property in fee simple.
You ought to know, if you know any
thing at all, that / should have to sub
NIT the matter TO our New York Of
f~icers." o.
Knowing that he had the sword in,
Philip could not refrain from twisting
it a little in the wound. From my
point of view, hat would seem to be
the last thing you'd care to do. You
could scarcely afford to give the facts
in the case, you know, and ! don't see
how anything else would answer How
ever, that is all beside the mark. / know
that you have the authority to sign
papers and to transfer property"-he
looked at his watch-'my time is lin
tied, gentlemen; which is 1t to be, an
amicable settlement or-let us not
mince matters-the chain gang?"
For the first time during the inter-
view Fench reused himself to speak.
For Gods sake, Sharpless, don't trifle
with him; give him what he wantsl"
None the less, Sharpless fought des-
perately, contesting every inch of
ground. 1t would take time to draw
up the parers; he must at least be al
lowed to telegraph New York; he had
no idea that his draft would be honored
without explanations. To all of which
Philip turned a deaf ear and pointed
iDexorably to the alternative. He must
have the draft and the security, or the
law should be allowed to take it's
course. When it finally came down TO
a mere question of the time required
for the preparation of the papers.
Philip produced a draft and mortgage
ready for signature, together with n
quit-claim deed signed by himself as
attorney in fact for John Kilgrow.
You have a notary within call he
said; "have him come in and witness
your signatures"
The managers clerk was summoned,
and when Fench had written his name
with trembling fingers under the
scrawling signature of the attorney,
the clerk filed out the attestation. and
he mortgage aud the draft were hand
ed TO Thorndyke. Sharpless dismissed
the young man CURLY when his duty
was performed and turned irascibly
upon his successful opponent.
"You will remember that this was
your own proposition" he said, angri-
ly; II give you fair warning that you'll
have trouble with the matter yet be-
fore you're through with it. Now give
me that paper that you've made so
much Of"
IL was a rash speech, and il Lawyer
Sharpless had not parted with all his
reserves of shrewdness he would never
have uttered it. Philip calmly ignored
the demand and answered the threat.
81 shall look to you TO smooth away
all difficulties" he said, rising and taxi
ing up his crutches. ION the day your
draft is honored l will release the mort
gage and mail you the forged deed
and not n moment sooner"
Five minutes afterward he was maxi
ing his way across the crowded street
TO where P~rotheroe stood with two
saddled horses.