Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25
CHAPTER XIV.

pbiIodorrbia before Monday. He looked
over all the correspondence whlch ne hau
had with his creditors and FOUND thaN'
while the tone of their letters had been
very friendly, he had nothing which could
by any stretch of imagination. be regarded
as a legal extension of his time of pay
ment although it had undoubtedly been
the intention of the Philadelphians to give
him all the time he wanted. He realized
the situation-saw clearly that Musser had
misrepresented matters to them and gained
control of the obligations through this
INSTRUMENTATION. But that did not help
him any. 1t was a scurvy trick-but 1t was
n clever one Sekirk gave Musser full
credit for his cleverness. Moreover he knew
that Musser kept himself well posted on
the financial affairs of every one in Toms
River. and he must have been reasonably
certain that the money to circumvent him
could not be obtained there on such short
notice. even by Cooper selkirk remem-
bered what the old man had said about
money that very day. Sekirk did not know
where to turn or what to do.
He sat in the little coop with his chin
between his hands and his elbows on his
desk. Regret that he had rejected Musser's
proposal tried to gain foothold In his
mind but he put it away from him. That
would have been, he reflected, almost like
compromising a felony.
Then his temper got the better of him.
Musser could not by any hook or crook,
take possession until the day after cleo
ton, although by the calendar his right
began on the very day of voting; but civil
process would be impossible on a legal hol-
iday. Selkrk resolved that even if he lost
control on the following day he would do
all that he could to hurt Musser in the
Monday afternoons edition, and that he
would issue another extra on election
morning.
At the Cooper House, where Selkirk went,
his appearance caused comment and some
worry. He showed the strain. But he
would say nothing except that he was very
tired. He knew that Cooper could not
help him with ready cash just then, and Ia
saw no good reason for burdening him
with this new trouble.
1t was not until after Selkirk had left
that Betsey Bobbin realized that the young
man had told them nothing of what Mus
ser had wished to see him about She won
Gered if it had anything to do with his evil
dent distress This idea that the petit
logger had been able to do something Sc
rious to Jack worried her she prepared
to go to bed. and. finally. after the others
had disappeared from the sitting room, she
put a shawl over her head and started out
to find him. She would have reused him at
his boarding house if she had not found
him sitting gloomily in the Express Of
flee. And after she had found him she
made him tell her the whole story. She
did not belittle his cause for worry but in
sisted that there must be some way out
of the fog. Just before she turned to go
home at midnight she averred:
Caleb amt got the money. or he'd give
It to you; but this things got to come out
all right" She made this remark with a |
great show of confidence which she did not |
feel. You go home and get some sleep |
and I'll go home and get some sleep. and |
tomorrow We'll find out how. But don't |
you stop worryin. I'll worry too. It'll be |
worryin' that'll show us the way. It'll help |
us think"
Il believe said selkirk gloomily. chat |
he's got me. He can come in here Wednes- |
day morning and take possession
Well" said Betsey Bobbin, II amt goin' |
to offer false comfort to a grown man. |
All ! can say is that you and me will do |
our best. Mebbe we can fix it, If we
can't why well have to make the best Of |
it. that's all. Come along. Well talk it |
over in the mornn'. You've been right IN |
not saying anythin' to Caleb about it. He's |
pretty near down sick from overwork in |
this campaign il is" |
Sunday brought no relief to the situation |
and when he went to the Office early Mon |
day morning Selkirk had decided to go to |
Philadelphia to see if he could not get as |
sistance from the very men who had sold |
the claims to Musser. He did not believe |
of bothering him, and believed that they
would be sorry to have him thrown out of
business. as he would be. by the machina-
tons of Musser. He had a talk with Hub
to look after the paper for the day. Then
Selkirk compressed his lips until they
formed thin. straight line. and handed
the railroad story to the foreman.
Have this put in type and run it in the
last edition" he said. IT'S a great story |
isn't it?' he asked, as Hubbard glanced
the manuscript over.
Yes said Hubbard. thoughtfully.
A plan forming in his mind but his |
face gave no sign of it.
Sekirk then gave Hubbard some explain
atory notes TO the Coopers and Aunt Bet |
sey which he told him TO have Billy take
to them as soon he came to the office |
Then he went TO the station where Frank |
Bernard has just opened up and prepared |
for the days business While he waited |
there for the train, Selkirk bethought him
self that as long as he was to expose Mus
ser he might well do ii thoroughly and
sat down at Bernard's table to write note |
to Hubbard. In this he told him to make
n two-hundred word synopsis of the rail-
road exposure. and give it to Bernard to !
telegraph to the other papers of the dis |
trict. He would have written the synopsis |
hlmSelf II he had had time but he heard |
the warning whistle of the approa ching
train before he thought of it, and so merely |
gave the note to Frank and told him to |
get the copy from Hubbard He was MT |
terly unsuspicious of the foreman mo- |
ment afterward the train came in and he |
hurried out to board it,
In the meantime at the Express office
Hubbard's frown had been deepening as he .
thought about the possibilities of a scheme
which had suggested itself to him when
Selkirk had given him the COPY Billy
came In and began to sweep up, but Hub
bard instead of giving him the notes that
Selklrk wished to have delivered at the
Cooper House gathered them up and slipped
them into his own pocket. Then he left
the office, saying that he would be gone an
hour.
First he went to the station to see that
Selkirk had really left on the train. Satis-
fled with his, he sought Musser at his
house. Briefly he told him of Selkirk's de
parture; briefly he outlined his plan to him
Musser gasped, at first, at the boldness of
it,
Have you got selkirk's article with
your he asked.
Yes" said Hubbard
Let me take it"
mo- said Hubbard "IU take M
more chances with you, Musser You NAV
think that you can get hold of that and de-
stroy 1t before my eyes. but you can't do
it,"
Musser colored and said that he had not
thought of such a thing
That would make 1t too easy for YOU"
said Hubbard. You've tried to cheat me
once. and you won't get another chance
If you'll fix up an article charging ali |
these things on Cooper and saying that Sell
Kirk prints them at the last moment
through feeling of duty I'll run II you,I
N -.