Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-12-05
have anything to do with you.

y
away
The young man smiled in a way to
show his teeth.
Keep your temper, Mr.. Galbraith,' %
he said, coolly. Il say you shall listen
first and obey afterward. Otherwise
you die. Which is it to be? Choose
quickly-time is precious
The president yielded the first point,
but ungraciously, as one under strict
comLu1sion.
''Well, well, then; out with it. What
have you to say for yourself?"
This. You are rich; you represent
the existing order of things. 1 am
poor, and 1 stand for my necessity,
which is above any man-made law or
custom. You have more money than
you know what to do with; have not
enough to buy the next meal, which is
already twentyfour hours overdue. I
came here this morning with mX life
in my hand to invite you to share with
me a portion of that which is yours
only by the right of possession. If you
do it,~well and good; if not, you die. Do
1 make myself sufficiently clear?"
The president glanced furtively at
the clock. It was nearly eleven, and
M'Farland would surely come in on the
stroke of the hour. If he could only
gain little time. He searched in his
pockets and drew forth a handful of
coin.
"You say you are hungry; we'll, I'm
not that well off that I Gamma remem-
Der the time when 1 knew what it was
to be on short commons myself" he
said; and the relapse into the mother
idiom was measure of his perturba
ton. "Take this now, and be off with
YOU"
The younger man glanced at the
clock in his turn and shook his head.
"You are merely trying to gain time,
and it won't do. My stake in this game
is more than handful of silver; and I
don't do you the injustice to suppose.
that you hold your life so cheaply-
you who have so much silver and gold
and so few years to live"
The president put the little heap of
coins on the desk, but he did not aban-
don the struggle for delay.
Whats your price, then?" he de-
manded, as one who is willing to COM
promise.
Zone hundred thousand dollars-in
money"
"But, man! you're clean daft! Do
we think I have
Il am not here to argue the POSSIBLE
tiles, the interruption was sharp
and incisive. ''Tal1e your pen and
write out check payable to your own
order for one hundred thousand dol
lars, and do it now! If that door opens
before we have concluded, you are
dead mani"
Then Andrew Galbraith saw that his
end was nigh, and gathered himself for
a final effort at time-killing. 1t was
absurd; he had no such balance to his
credit; such check would not be hon
ored; it would ruin him irretrievably.
In the midst of his vehement protest
the stranger stepped back a pace and
raised the weapon.
Il tell you you are trihing with your
life! Do it while there is yet time!"
The sound of subdued voices came
from the anteroom, and the be-
leaguered old man stole glance at
the face OF his prosecutor. There was
NJ mercy in the fierce blue eyes glazing
down upon him, but rather madness
once again.
do it quickly, I say, before we are
interrupted. Do you hear?"
Truly. the president both heard and
understood, but he hesitated yet one
other second.
''You will not? Then may God have
mercy"
The hammer of the leveled pistol
clicked twice. Andrew Galbraith shut
his eyes and made blind grasp for