The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1906-08-10
Bly,.
GEORGE
CARY
EGGLESTON


mousse, as ne says you ulu, WlluOuI III
vitation in order to extort a bride. It's
a bad mixup, but for you to go into
politics would only make it worse. We
must find another way out. Keep per
fectly still and leave the matter to me.
I'll plan something" Then suddenly
thought flashed into Captain Will Hal
lams mind.
"By Jove. I've got 1t, believe. Go
down to our bank and ask the cashier,
Mr.. Stafford, how many shares we can
control in the X National-Tandy's
bank. He's president, you know"
Without at all understanding Captain
Hallam's purpose, Duncan went upon
this mission, returning presently with
the information that in one way and
another the Hallam bank controlled
forty eight shares Of the y Nationals
stock. or three shares less than a ma
tority Of the whole. He brought also
the message from Stafford that as Tan
dy himself controlled the remaining
ffty-twO shares 1t would probably be
impossible at present to buy any more.
~ don't know so well about that"
said Hallam reflectively. I've man.
aged in my time to get a good many
impossible things done. I'm not very
firm believer in the impossible" Then
suddenly he turned TO Duncan and
fired q question at him.
"Have you a friend anywhere whom
you can trust-one not known in
CairoY
Eyes, one"
"You are sure you can trust him?"
Eyes, absolutely"
"You wouldn't hesitate to put a pile
OF money into his hands without a
scrap of paper to show that the money
was yours not his? ?"
II would trust him as absolutely as
] would trust you or you me-"
"All right. who is hep"
"Dick Temple, the mining engineer
and superintendent"
Telegraph him at once. Ask him to
come down on the evening train. Tell
him to say nothing about knowing you
or me, but to come to your rooms this
evening. III see him there"
Duncan took up a pad of telegraph
blanks and a pencil He had scarcely
begun to write when Hallam stopped
him.
Never do that" be exclaimed.
"Never write a message on a pad,
especially with pencil"
But why not?"
"Seev answered Hallam, tearing off
the blank on which Duncan had begun
to write and directing attention to the
blank that lay beneath. THE impress
sion made by the pencil on the under
sheet is as legible as the writing above,
1t would be awkward if Tandy should
pick up that pad and find out what
you had teegraphed. Always tear the
top blank off the pad and lay 1t on
the desk before you write on it,"
THANK you! That's another Of your
wise precepts / wonder didn't think
of il before"
"Oh, hardly anybody ever does think
Of such things, but they make trouble"
That night Hallam, Duncan and Tenn
pie met in Duncan's rooms. Hallam
promptly took possession by request
Ing Duncan to ''go away somewhere
while / explain matters to Temple"
When Duncan had taken his leave
Hallam plunged at once into the heart
Of things.
Duncan tells me you're his friend
one who will stand by him.
81 am all that you may be sure,
Captain Hallam."
Every good. Now is the time to
show yourself such. Duncan has got
himself into something worse than a
hole, and his whole career, to say moth
ing of his honorable reputation, is in
danger You and can save him."
would you mind telling me the ex-
act situation? Not that need to know
1t in order to do anything you think
would be helpful. but if fully under
stand the matter | shall know better
what to do in any little emergency that
may come about"
"Of course, of course It's simply
this way: Duncan is so straight him
self that II never occurs TO him that
other people are different There are
some things so utterly mean that he
simply can't imagine any man capable
OF doing them. So he doesn't take nee
essary precautions. 1t was all right
for him to offend Napier Tandy by
doing his own best up there at the
mines, but he ought to have known
enough of human nature not to put
himself in old Napper's power when
he felt bound to offend him worse than
ever"
Then Captain Will told In detail the
story Of the visit to Tandy, the bride
offer, the adverse report and the way
In which Tandy had made the whole
affair appear to have been an effort
on Duncan's part to extort bride
and betray those who had employed
him. Temple readily grasped the sit
uation.
1.-THE worst Of 1t is" he said. "Dun-
can can't even sue the old scoundrel
for libel without making matters
worse. Tandy would stick to his story.
and as there were no witnesses that
story would seem probable to people
who don't know Duncan. What are
we to do. Captain HallamT