The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-06-07
CHATTER III
eRoUIRnMgNrs oF Nh. sarI.

REQUIREMENTS oF Mr. saELl
Sr If2ssaoss Shelf wanted TO dFg.
Caraoel 81 yaere and then 10 his CIV
CUISINE room On the iigst floor 10 GAs
Iuss t&ttSsf tsis sTaat protect whic
oe had s4 his head. Gut Caunbei though
EI 60 remain Nshs.e he MAS. Nj She
aodcec significantly toward the new
ror1Srs- A. z1ucA rs ~ hint that a thtr
person Vfta them would be distinct
So ircoifveaieat third. Cambel turne.
10 them, cue IN hand. and proposed
Thai precisely what we came "
pr said Amy Rivers promptly. Ham
aton, set out The balls. Mr.. Cambel
will you put the billiard balls away
80 that they don't get mixed?"
Ehey played and talked merrily. Thei
conversation turned on the wretcheG
show at the recent Academy, whict
they agreed was a disgrace TO a civil
azed country. ana Cambel made him
sell interesting over the art of paint
ing In Paris, mural. facial and on can
vas When he chose. he could be very
Interesting. this man London had nick
aarned the great traveller, and he gen
traify c1ose. not being III natured.
Mr. theodore Shelf left the billiard
too1n with & feeling beneath his waist
scat Snrch akin 10 seasickness. First
p all that plain spoken Patrick Cam
pei had not oyer-politely limited that
ae was a cantfng ~hyprocrite and had
showed cause for arriving at this CON
Siusion. Ihis was true, but that d;dn't
make 1t II the more digestive. And,
s~scontlly. hs himself in a moment of
excitement had let drop to this same
2Perntcious Camoel (who, after all, was
Z comparative st1anger) a proposal to
make the SUN of G 10000 at one coup.
Erue, he had not mentioned the means,
bet CaInbel had at once concluded 1t
YES to be gained by robbery, and he,
Shelf. had not denied the i'm
parchment.
Consequently Mr.. Shelf went direct
TO his own room, locked the door and
certified his nerves with a liberal two
fingers OF brandy. Then he munched a
ffoffee bean In Difference to the blue rib
you on his coat lapel, replaced the
sosnac bottle in the inner drawer Of
els inner safe and sat down to think.
" only he had understood Cambel,
ind. better still. knew whether he
spsigft trust him! There was a fortune
30 be had. Yes, a fortune. And it was
wanted badly. The great firm of Marin
U Rivers & Shelf, which called it
sss4c Agents to the Oceanic Steam
transport company" but which really
Tan the line of steamers which traded
sa1tler the flag. might work prosperous
20 II outer eye and might still rear
Its head haughtfly among the first
shipping firms Of London port But
xhe man who Dragged aloud that he
owned 1T all, from offices to engine oil,
'sTaew otherwise. He had mortgages
-zt In every direction. mortgages SO
xaznntngly hidden thai only he himself
cES aware of their vast total. He knew
mat the firm was rotten, lock, stock
end barrel. He knew that through n
a1se OF twenty channels a breakup
might come any day, and following on
E7& heels of that n croo oh ,,h}oI -ra,1a
Ne none the pleasanter because from
fSes size and devastating effects 1t would
1--WE Iowa Into history.
He, Theodore Shelf, would assuredIy
NO De In England to face 1t. Since his
commercial barometer had reached
:. stormy and still showed signs of
descent he had been transmit
ENG carefully modulated doles to GER
:ka&n South American banks and had
even gone SO far as to purchase-under
q nom d'escroc-a picturesquely sit
GATED hacienda on the upper waters Of
Che Rio Paraguay.
There, In case the cyclone broke. the
t~xtraaition treaties would cease from
troubling, n the weary swindler
would be at we'll fed rest.
But Mr.. Theodore Shelf had no lust
Tor this tropical retirement. He liked
the powers Of his present pinnacle In
ilne city, and he loved the halo which
SAAAS0 AS AAAlR1ONlIA yOuI1X
: 5raen- And, moreover. that howl Of ex-
acratton from every class Of society
. (Which would make up his paean Of de-
~feat was an opera which he very natur-
ally shrank from sitting through.
AS ne thought Of these things he
tfox terrier which sat upon his lap.
George. old friend" said Mr.. Shelf
IL things do go wrong I believe you're
yfhe only thing living in England which
wont turn against me-
George slid out a red tongue and
licked the angle Of Mr.. Shells square
cain. Then he retired within himself
again and looked sulky. The door had
1spened. and Mrs. Shelf stood on the
snnat--Tllere was a profound mutual dis
stEe between George and Mrs. Theodore
Shelf.
alone. Theodore? 1 thought Mr..
Carnhel was here. However, so much
b better. i have wanted to speak
with ycu all the morning. Do turn
chat nasty dog away"
George was not evicted as Mr.. Shelf
Inquired curtly what his wife was
pleased to mi She seldom invaded
shjs business room Of his, and when
|aS lightning to abhor.
SHE came 10 the point at once by
banding him a letter which was most
ty in copper plate. He read it through
A1tb brief, sour m
"Es'm. Bank! Your private account
da~verdrawn. That's the third time this
gea-, Laura. Warning seems to be no
use. You are determined to know
what Iuin tastes like"
~Yeuin. pshaw! You don't put me off
with that silly tale. To begin with. I
Giant believe it for an instant, and even
Il it were true I'd rather be ruined
shan retrench. You and 1 can afford
70 DE candid between ourselves, Theo-
aaore- You know perfectly well that we
have gained u position in society
purely solely by purchase"
&c my cost l do know it. But, hav-
Ing paid our entrance fee at least
eight times over, l hin you might be
sontent With an ordinary subscription.
1hat bali last night for in%stance"-
Wa necessary. And l couldn't af-
ford 10 do the thing otherwise than
.gorgrogsiy."
"Gorgeously! Do you think I'm
Gsrssasus, Laura, to pay for gearing one
eoo1i with red roses, and another with
s:,ifIk and another room with Marshall
ssSrels sor fools to fit in during one
short aisht? This mornings paper in
fn3Y31ss me that fhosa inyvorc ,,,,,, -