The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16


| was commissioned to deliver them-not
The other man started back.
who to, then?" he asked.
Duckworth smiled again.
TO Ba,hgate Of East Donaldson he
returned quietly.
.why-why,' gasped the other man,
-Scarlet procured them for me-"
Duckworth nodded
Il know it, he ipterposed. But the
other man offered the bigger price. Read
| that"
He handed over to the other a letter from
the broker to Bathgate Of East Donaldson
The president read II, turning more purple
at every line.
-The scoundrel" he burst out when
he finished. "scarlett's been my broker
| for twenty years-and to 20 back on me
| like that-the dirty little thief
He got n good price," suggested Duck
| worth in extcnuution 81 the circumstances
"seventy-five thousand IL worth coiisid-
ering'
Il was 70 pay him f'ty!' roared the
| other man, hes sold me for TWENTY-FIVE
thousand dollars-mc. his best friend
l.
puckwort h raised his hand
you forget" he said, in soothing tone
Of voice, that have the proxies with me.
| All is not yet lost.
The other man Gained down at once.
Let me see them" he demanded, hold
ing out his hand
But Duck wort h shook his head
I'm do the holding, and you can look
on" he returned warily. They're the
real thing, you see, he observed wheh
! the other man had finished.
"You will need them at IL o'clock to-day.
ne continued blandly. ITS a pity that
they should go to Bathgate,' he added,
buttonng hem up in his coat.
Brannigan said nothing. He was doing
| a lot of thinking. Finally he pressed the
button on his desk. Then he stepped 10
the telephone,
"Give me o." he said.
Duckworth seized the telephone book
II was a. he supposed. The president
was asking for the number Of the police
| department Of the town.
There was no response to tho bell, and
none from central Brannigan, with his
eye on the door. his ear to the phone,
imp,tiently waited Duckworth smiled
again
We'll, he said. finally, I'm off-to Bath
gate"
you STAY where you are retorted the
! other, firmly, -thoee proxies belong to me
and I'm going to have them He started
' for the door,
aMr. Brannigan." continued Duckworth
| In a mild tone, as he slowly pulled out the
which the other man fell back into his
chair. let Va adjust this matter am an
.Scarlett has betrayed YOU. under
| stand that perfectly. Scarlet EMPLOYS
| me TO deliver these not TO you, but TO BATH
| gate.
ION the way down made myself famil-
| lar with the correspondence. l say l am
honest | am too honest to disre gard
| Scarlett's injunction on the one hand and
| I am too honest to aid him In betraying
| you on the other.
But the only safe course for me Is the
| first one Unjust go 10 Bathgate.
The president thought again for few
minutes. =,
Couldn't YOU he began. with a
| meaning smile
Duckworth shook his head.
| you know what would happen, ne
| replied. its "a much rs my job IL worth
what would you say to a thousand''
| queried the president.
Duckworth leaned over to him confiden-
! italy
iii tell Won what I'll do Mr. Brannigan,
he returned, make 1t seventy-hve' and
| its go,
Seventy five hundred?' asked the presi.
| dent.
The other shook his head vigorously
once more.
"Seventy-flve thousand he said, gent.
w. In the pleasant tone Of voice which had
PLAYED such havoc with the two old ladies',
"Seventy-five thousand-never. yelled
the other man Not cent over five"
The convict arose and looked at the clock
at. II now he remarked.
al must b. AT B,thgate's before half past
This things worth seventy-hve to him.
anyway,
wait. wait" gasped the other man az =,
he started off "I'll do it'll make il
seventy-fve I'll give you fifty in cash now
l had that ready anyway. and you take
| a check for the rest
Il -, int a a. d
over to the phone With one hand he held
the severed wires toget her. With the other
| he placed the receiver to his ear.
This is Brannigans. he said. ia this
the bark? All right Nj Brannigan SAYS
| TO send up another s25 600 in bills for that
r p 4 ". affair. He's struck snag
| Tell the cashier. He'll know. Right away.
There's just one way to do these things,
he said. turning TO the president and
| that's the right way.
IL was Ave minutes after ~ that day
that the cashier entered the meeting room
| Of the X =. 4 ".
Fifteen minutes later he had voted the
| entire set of old directors out and an en-
tire set Of new officials i'll,
By nightfall Mr.. stephen Duckworth,
with his original nest egg OF $4,000 and
his added fortune Of three times that much
was speeding, with seven league boots,
toward the boundless sea.
A tail, spare man passed down one on
side Of n strasse in Berlin. lhere passed
up on the other large stout man.
The latter was 7. p, Brannigan, president
Of two railroads and director in several
others He was an American,
The other was a man OF the name OF
Silas Dalrymple. He also was an Ameri-
can II was not the first time these two
men had passed.
Whenever they had done 40 the railroad
man had invariably looked the other way.
with "A flush Of embarrassment upon his
face This time the first of the two men
crossed over and planted himself directly
In the others way, He held out his hand
MIR Brannigan," he said. i have seen
you often, and ! know that you've often
seen mo. understand how you feel about
it., ami | wanted to explain that ! am not
the messenger or go-between you thought
me.
II never had anything to do with Scarlett
In my life That seventy-hve thousand
that I got from. you was bit OF my legiti-
mate business"
He looked around and lowered his voice.
MY name il Duckworth--Ste Duck
worth" he said I'm an escaped convict.
You will recall me as the man who attempt
ed that NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. scheme that fell
through Now you know that | amount
to something | wanted you to know.
1t may make some difference.
The president extended his hand
1T does make a difference. Mr.. Duck
worth there was a note Of admiration
in his voice "all the difference in the world
Shall We"