Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-05-09
THE GRAFTERS
Copyright. 1904. BY TA. BosssM.uill Company.
FRAN cIs LYN D q

81 found 1t so, assure you. SO far
,s any usable evidence was concerned,
was no better off than before; 1t
vas merely my assertion against their
aenial-one man against four. But
have had a full week. and it has no.
seen wasted. needn't bore you with
the mechanical details. One OF my
men followed Bucks messenger to
Chicago-he wouldn't trust the banks
here or the mails-and we know now,
now It in black on white. with the
proper afidavits, that the draft was
for 5000, 900, payable to the order OF
Jasper g. Bucks. The ostersible con-
sideration was the transfer from Bucks
to Rumford of piece of property In
the outskirts Of CASTOR. ] had this
niece Of land appraised for me to-day
by two disinterested citizens OF Gas
,on, and they valued it at possible.
but highly improbable 5000"
"oh, how clumsy!" said Portia, In
ine scorn. Does his excellency i'm
agine for a moment that any one
would be deceived by such 81 primitive
bit of dust-throwing?" and Ormsby
also had something to say about the
fatal mistakes of the shrewdest crimi-
mails.
'It was not 80 bad" said Kent "lf
It should ever be charged that he took
money from Rumford, here is a plain
business transaction to acco int for 1t.
The deed, as recorded, has Othing to
say of the enormous price paid. The
phrasing Is the common form used
when the parties to the transfer do not
wish to make the price public: For
81 to me in hand paid, and other
valuable considerations Luckily, we
are able to establish conclusively
what the 'other valuable considera
tons were."
'Tt seems to me that these docu-
ments arm and equip you for anything
you want to do" said Loring, polish
ing his eyeglasses after his ingrained
habit.
Kent shook his head.
mo; thus far the evidence Is all
circumstantial, or rather inferential.
But picked up the final link in the
chain-the human link--yesterday.
One Of the detectives had been dog
ging Duvall. Two days ago the sena'
tor disappeared, unaccountably. put
two and two together, and late last
evening took the liberty ct breaking
into his houSe."
'Alone?" said Elinor, with the
courage-worshiping light In the blue
gray eyes.
"Yes; It didn't seem worth while to
double the risk. I did it rather clums-
lily, I suppose, and my greeting was a
shot fired at random in the darkness
the senator mistaking ME for q bur-
glar, as he afterward explained. There
was no harm done, and the pistol well
come effectually broke the ice in what
might otherwise have been a rather
difficult interview. We had 1t out In
an upper room, with the gas turned
low and the window ell sains drawn.
To cut a long story short, finally
succeeded in making him understand
what he was in for; that his confed-
crates had used him and thrown him
aside. Then I went out and brought
him some supper"
Ormsby smote softly upon the edge
Of the table with an extended fore
finger.
will he testify?" he asked.
Kent's rejoinder was definite.
HE has put himself entirely in my
hands. He is a ruined man, polite
ally and socially, and he is desperate.
While I couldn't make him give me
any of the details in the Trans-West-
ern affair, he made clean breast OF
the oil field deal. and I have his state
ment locked up with the other papers
In the Security vaults"
I 1t was Penelope who gave David
Kent his due need Of praise.
IT am neither a triumphant politi-
clan nor a successful detective, but
recognize both when they are pointed
out to me-" she said. "Mr. Kent, will
you serve these gentlemen up hot for
dinner, or cold for luncheon?"
YES" Portia chimed in. You have
outrun your pace-setters. and I'm
proud of you. Tell US what you mean
to do next"
Kent laughed.
"You want to make me say some
melodramtic thing about having the
shackles forged and swapping them
upon the gubernatorial wrists, don't
you? 1t will be prosaic enough from
this on. l fancy we shall have no dif-
ficulty now in convincing his excel
lency of the justice OF our proceed
ings to Quash Judge MacFarlane and
his receiver"
But how will you go about 1t?
Surely you cannot go personally and
threaten the governor Of the state!
this from Miss Brentwood.
Cant I?sS said Kent. Having the
score written out and safely commit
ted to memory. that will be quite the
easiest number on the programme, |
assure YOU"
But Loring had something to say
about the risk.
Thus far you have not considered
your personal safety-haven't had to,
perhaps. But you are coming to that
now. You are dealing with a despe-
rate man, David; with gang Of them,
in fact"
THAT is So" said Ormsby. "And,
as chairman of the executive commit
tee, shall have to take steps. We
can't afford to bury you just yet,
Kent"
81 think you needn't select the pail
bearers yet while" laughed the un-
daunted one; and then Miss Van
Brock gave the signal and the "execu-
tive committee" adjourned to the
drawing-room. Here the talk, already
so deeply channeled in the groove po-
litical, ran easily to forecs stings and
predictions for another electoral year;
and when Penelope began to yawn be-
hind her fan, Ormsby took pity on
her and the party broke up.
1t was at the moment of leave-tak-
ing that Elinor sought and found her