The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-03-01

you, Phil, I've had a devil of good
time. You've treated me we'll and
I have few thousand of my own laid
by. You know I like the law and I'm
going back to it,
''But I don't want to lose YOU"
There, Phil, you and 1 know too
much of each other to be together
after you're married. You can get
another secretary"
What you say is probably true,
O'Brien, but I hate to see you 60.
Well, anyway, We'll have one last
night of it," and out they went.
DR.. Jensen would have given a great
deal not to have had that zone last
night" Certain things had happened
which were dangerous. Neither man
referred to these events, but each
knew the other knew A few months
later DR.. Jensen married and O'Brien
opened up a law Office of his own
downtown. In way O'Brien pros
pered. He became a political lawyer
and some of his clients bordered on
the underworld. He made money, but
his standing wasn't very high. After
Jensen's marriage the two men sell
dom saw each other. The doctor built
a beautiful house and was living q
very respectable life. O'Brien gen.
orally lived at some political club.
DR.. Jensen thought of all these
things as he sat in his den on the
day this story opened.
Damn him." he muttered, :'he's
playing the cinch on me. He hasn't
thing to lose and everything to gain.
l wonder how much he wants.
The next day DR.. Jensen dropped
into O'Brien's Office.
Hello, Phil" said O'Brien, with a
show of cordially. what on earth
brings you here? Any of your pa.
tients who won't pay up, and you
want me to see them, eh?"
DR.. Jensen BOXED hard at O'Brien,
but the lawyer never quailed. He
wasn't the most pleasant looking man
in the world. Unlike DR.. Jensen, he
had not quit sowing his wild oats, and
his affiliations with political gangs did
not tend to help him personally. He
was "shyster" lawyer, pure and sim
pie.
"Cut out all that, O'Brien," said the
doctor. How much money do you
want?"
''Bless my soul, you're getting gen.
erous! How much money do I want?
And for what, pray?"
your innocence doesn't set we'll on
you, O'Brien. How much money do
you want for that?" said Jensen with
great deal of vehemence as he threw
the anonymous letter on the table.
"Oh, that" said O'Brien, with an
exasperating smile. He dropped his
tone of raillery as he leaned toward
the doctor and continued: you've
got plenty of money, Phil, punches of
it, and I've been hard hit lately in the
street. In looking over my assets I
found photograph and negative.
Both are very interesting. 1 think
they would look well in that art gal.
lery of yours O'Brien liked to grill
his man. He waited a minute and
then said quietly: "Have a cigar,
Phil, and we can talk it over"
II don't want cigar, but do want
to get this interview over with.
Again, how much do you want?'
Fifteen thousand dollars, doctor;
just fifteen thousand, that's ALL"
"You damned blackmailer! said
Jensen, taking a step forward, with
uplifted clenched fist. Fifteen thou.
sand dollars. Why"
STEADY, DOCTOR" said O'Brien,
quickly reaching in his desk drawer
and taking from thence a revolver,
STEADY now, my friend, you are get
ting unduly excited. My request is
modest, and you'll be glad enough to
grant it before I'm through with you.
Within two weeks you will bring fif-
teen thousand dollars in money-no
checks-to me, or those few little
documents go to Mrs. Jensen. Wait"
he continued, as he saw Jensen was
about to interrupt him. II know what's
going on in your mind right now, Jen.
sen: 'Blackmail!' Well, that's an
ugly name; If you could prove it,
that's the head it would come under,
But you can't prove it. You receive
typewriter and addressed letter,
and this letter contains reference to
an incident which would not look we'll
to your friends, and you have quite
few. AS only one man knew of
these events in your life, naturally
the inference is correct. I admit !
sent that letter. I admit it to you
but no one else knows it, there is no
one near to hear this conversation.
so I am playing the cinch, my dear
DOCTOR" and the garrulous Irishman
smiled as he contemplated the ui1y.
stefan.
Jensen knew the lawyer stated the
truth; he couldn't be convicted of
blackmail on the anonymous letter
and the doctors testimony. It needed
confederation, and there was none.
But $4,000! He didn't have that
amount of ready cash on hand, and he
didn't want to mortgage his house
rs