Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-01-14

him the business which brought him
to the city, he found himself baffled
at every point by that apparently
dense and unsuspecting person. Then
he turned his attention to the rich
cotton men who were most frequently
in Merivale's society, but they were
evidently as much in the dark rs
Irving, although they assumed an cir
of mystery and pretended to be in the
secret. Irving was not deceived by
the show of mystery, however, and
he dropped his Investigations in this
line.
There was one person in the city
upon whom Merivale called frequent
~, and this was Col. James Franklin.
AS has already been intimated in this
story, Col. Franklin was n man who
dabbled in great many enterprises,
but he had considerable reputation as
chancery lawyer. He was q man
whom it was worth while to consult
about real estate investments, ques-
tions involving titles and intricate is
cVNo SobhVStCd with tilC SCttiClnCut VI
estates and the rights of ownership.
Frequent consultations with Franklin
could only be explained on the ground
that business of considerable import.
ance was contemplated, business re-
quiring the services of an astute law
yer. Warde knew that it would be
useless to try to elicit any informa-
ton from Franklin, but Hillsman
might be induced to become garrul-
Gus and tell what he knew. The
colonel's clerk was n person to keep
his ears open, and who had an inordi-
nate fondness for gossip. Dissipated
and INSCRIPTIONS, he had certain
natural cunning which had developed
in him the peculiar mania of collect.
ing all the discreditable things he
could find against those with whom
he was acquainted or likely to come
in contact. If he could secure the
evidence of anything crooked in the
life of an apparently respectable man,
something that had been hushed up
or forgotten, he was as happy as
stamp collector or an autograph fiend
over fresh find. A clipping from an
old newspaper narrating long-for-
gotten scandal in the life of some
prominent officer or respected citizen,
n letter in which some finically proper
person had "given himself away"
copy of paper which was never in
tended to see the light of day,
gambling l. o. U. that had never been
paid, or the notes in the suppressed
divorce case were objects rs valu-
able III Hillsman's eyes as rare bric-a-
brac to virtuoso. He first began
this collection with the idea that per-
haps some day he might need these
odd bits of information for his own
sclf-protcction, and if any of the peo-
pie on his list undertook to impose
on him or to hold him to account for
any of his vagaries or irregularities,
why, he had the edge on them. No
one knew anything of Hillsman's
strange collection, but people did
know that he had n wonderfully in
quiring mind, and memory of other
mems lapses and peccadillos which
was both appalling and embarrassing.
Warde ut first surmised that the
between Merivale and
Franklin had not taken place in the
latter's Office without Hillsman's
learning something of them, and so
he began quietly to cultivate that
individuals society.
The clerk did not prove very COM
and Warde came to the
that it was because he
knew but little. Hillsman's idea was |
that Il big land purchase Of some |
kind was in, contemplation, but for |
what purpose he could not say.
While Warde was still hoping that |
he would be able to learn something |
from this source, Hillsman was dis
charged from Col. Franklin's employ |
nent on the ground of too frequent
and because he had col
Iected considerable sum of money |
for his employer and while under the
The influence of liquor had gambled it
away. When Wardc heard this he
abandoned any hope of getting any
information from Hills
man.
But singular thing happened that
;ery night. Warde's habit was to
take n light lunch about midnight.
md he usually got it at restaurant
which was then a great resort in the
.ity. This hostclry kept open all
light, and sold everything in the line
If liquors and food, from glass of
beer to a crisply cooked pompano.
There was scarcely an hour of the
iight when it was not filled with
guests. 1t was a great rendezvous
.or actors and persons who had been
% the theater. The fast young men
lbout town and the gentlemen gam
,lers made it their midnight meeting
a 1