Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-10-19

aged IN my tlIne W 6eS eooN
impossible things done. I'm not very
firm believer in the impossible" linen
suddenly he turned to Duncan ana
fired a question at him:
.Have you friend anywhere whom
YOU can trust-one not known IN
Cairo?"
"Yes, one."
"You are sure you can trust MIN"
"Yes, absolutely"
"You wouldn't hesitate to put Pile
of money into his hands without
scrap of paper to show that the money
was yours, not his?"
81 would trust him as absolutely as
/ would trust you or you me-"
"All right. who is her. -
"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 TINS
evening. I'll see him there"
Duncan took up a pad of telegraph
blanks and pencil. He had scarcely
begun to write when Hallam stopped
him.
"Neyer do that!" he exclaimed.
"Never write message on a PAD.
especially with pencil"
"But why not?'
"Seer answered Hallam, tearing or
the blank on which Duncan had begun
to write and directing attention to the
blank that lay beneath. 1.-THE impress
sion made by the pencil on the under
sheet Is as legible as the writing above.
IT would be awkward If Tandy should
pick up that pad and find out what
you had telegraphed. Always tear the
top blank off the pad and lay II on
the desk before you write on it."
"Thank you! That's another of your
wise precepts. wonder l didn't think
of 1t 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. Haliam
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."
a 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 q
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
it In order to do anything you think
would be helpful, but if fully under
stand the matter l Snail 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 it never occurs to him that
other people are different. Thee are
some things so utterly mean tn 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 a bride
and betray those who had employed
him. Temple readily grasped the sit
uatiOn.
"The worst of it 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 Hallam?
"Well, 1t all depends upon your
shrewdness and circumspection. Tan
DIV is president of the X National bank,
you know. That's his club to fight me
with. So little by little I've bought IN
there-through other people, you un-
derstand-so that now Stafford and
own forty-eight Of the banks hundred
shares of stock, though on the books
our names do not appear at all. Tan
DIV owns the other fifty-two shares, !
suppose, or at least he controls them.
Indeed. whenever a stockholders meet
ing occurs he votes practically all the
stock, for it has been my policy to hide
my hand by having the men who hold
stock for me give him their proxies as
O blind.
"Now. what I propose is that you
shall manage somehow to get hoid OF
little block Of the stock. Three shares
will be enough to give me the majority
but I'd rather make it four or i've
shares. If we can get the stock I'll
surprise Tandy out Of years growth
by going into the stockholders meet
ing, which occurs about ter days from
now. and proceed to elect board
of directors for the bank. I'll select
the men / want for directors, and the
board will at once make Guilford Dun
can president Of the bank, leaving OLD
Napier a good deal Of leisure In which
to enjoy life. He'll need 1t all TO con-
vince anybody that there's anything
shady in Guilford Duncan's character
after it is known that Will Italian mas
made him president Of bank.