Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-12-26
DANGER SIGNALS.

of those states in which | had inter
ests. / trusted that work to my law
yers-and, like every man who ever
absolutely trusted an important divi-
sion of his affairs to another, | was
eye happened to light upon a minor
paragraph in newspaper list of
the small bills yesterday approved
| by the governor" In the list was one
] defining the power of sundry COM
missions" Those words seemed to
me somehow to spell Joker But
why did l call up my lawyers to ask
them about it? It's a mystery to me-
All l know is that, busy as l was,
something inside me compelled me to
drop everything else and hunt that
Joker" down.
L got SaXe-then senior partner in
| Browne, SAKE & Einstein-on the
| phone, and said: Just see and tell
| me, will you, what is the bill defining
the power of sundry COMMISSIONS
the bill the governor signed yester-
| day?"
Certainly, Mr.. Blackjack" came
the answer. My nerves are, and al
ways have been, on the watchout for
the looks and the tones and the ges-
lures that are just a shade off the
natural; and l feel that do SAKE no
injustice when l say his tone was, not
shade, but full color, off the nat
ural. So ! was prepared for what he
said when he returned to the tele-
nj T'r,1c NT,- OIL o41- L,,4
we seem unable to lay our hands on
that bill at this moment"
why not?' said l, in the tone that
makes an employe jump as if whip
lash had cut him on the calves
He had jumped all right, as his
voice showed. Its not in our file"
said he. It's house bill No. 427, and
it's apparently not here.
"The he'll you say!" 1 exclaimed
"Why?"
Il really can't explain" he pleaded,
and the frightened whine confirmed
my suspicion. ii
Il guess not" said l, making the
words significant and suggestive
And you're in my pay to look after
such matters! But you'll have to eX-
plain, if this turns out to be serious"
apparently our file of bills is COM
plete except that one" he went on
Il suppose it was lost in the mail,
and l very stupidity didn't notice the
gap in the numbers
Stupid isn't the word I'd USE said
1, with laugh that wasn't of the
kind that cheers. And l rang off and
asked for the state capitol on the
long distance"
Before l got my connection SAKE,
whose Office was only two blocks
away, came clustering in. THE boy
has been discharged, Mr.. Blackjack"
he began.
What boy?" said l.
"The boy in charge of the bill file
the boy whose business it was to
keep the file complete"
Send him to me, you damned
scoundrel," said 1. III give him
job. What do you take me for any,
way? And what kind of a cowardly
hound Sre you to disgrace an innocent
boy as q cover for your own crooked
work."
Really, Mr.. Blackjack, this is most
extraordinary, he eXpostulated.
Extraordinary? / call it Grim
inal,' l retorted. Listen to me. You
look after the legislation calendars for
me, and for Langdon, and for Roe
buck, and for Melville, and for half
dozen others of the biggest finan-
ciers in the country. It's the most
important work you do for u.s. Ye'
you, as shrewd and careful a lawyer
as there is at the bar, want me to
believe you trusted that work to a
boy! If you did. you're damn fool
If you didn't, you're a damn scoun-
drel. There's no more doubt in my
mind than in yours which of those
horns has you sticking OMIT"
You are letting your quick temper
get away with you, Mr.. Blackjack"
he deprecated.
Stop lying!" l shouted Il knew
you had been doing some skulduggery
when | first heard your voice on the
telephone. And if l needed any proof,
the meek way you've taken my abuse
would furnish it, and to spare"
Just then the telephone bell rang
end l got the right department and
asked the clerk to read house bill 427
It contained five short paragraphs.
The Joker" was in the third, which
gave the state canal commission the
right Ito institute condemnation PRO-
ceedings,. and to condemn, ane to
abolish, any canal not exceeding 80
miles in length and not part or the
connected canal system of the state. !"
When hung up the receiver was
SO absorbed that had forgotten SAKE
was waiting. He made some slight
sound. l wheeled on him. / needed
vent. If he hadn't been there I
should have smashed a, chair. But
there was he-and / kicked him out
of my private Office and would have
kicked him out through the anteroom
into the outer hall. had he not gath