Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-08-13
; Jane Cable
GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON, :
Author Of Beverly of Graustark." Etc
COPYRIGHT. &

from you, SO it must be of business
nature. What is it:'
1T concerns your son. Mr.. Bansemer.
I'm here in the capacity of Il physi-
clan You must. go away for his
health" Harbert smiled as though he
thought it Il good joke. Bansemer
turned red AID then white.
II don't quite appreciate your wit,
SIR"
MY humor, I'd suggest as a sub
stitute. Well. to be perfectly plain,
Sir, your son does not know the true
nature of the malady. He
do l understand you to say that he
really has an ailments? exclaimed
Bansemer seriously
ut isn't hopeless, my dear sir. My
only desire is to keep him from ever
finding out that he has malady. He
Is sure to learn the truth If you remain
here"
"Harbert, understand you now, and
l want to say this to YOU: I'll not
drag that boy away from this city
Hes successful here, and he's one OF
the most promising young men in
town. I'm not going to have him
bounded from town to town by
"You don't quite understand me, sir.
On the contrary, he should remain
here. What 1 do mean to say is this:
He won't feel like staying here If tho
truth about his father is uttered.
That's the brutal way to put it. Ban
Semer, but you've got TO get OUT
The two glared ut each other for a
full minute. Bansemer was as white
| as sheet, but not with fear.
'Harbert." he said in low tones,
1--WE half a mind to kill you"
Don't. You'd hang for it. There
are at least a dozen members of the
bar who know that l have come here
TO see you, and they know why too.
See here, Bansemer. you're a scourdrcl
| to begin with. You've always been i
inaye. How you happen to have a
son like Graydon l can't imagine
Bansemer, l believe that / drove you
out of New York You escaped with
out exposure simply because the wit
nesses lost.their nerve. That won't be
| the case here. You think you've COW
| cred your tracks nicely You haven't.
You've tripped into half dozen traps.
don't know what your game is with
the Cables but you're base enough to
| take advantage of your sons position
| in that home. Don't interrupt! I'll
soon be through. I'm a man of few
words. If it We're not for Your son
| I'd swear out the warrants for You to-
day on five different charges. For his
sake I'm going to give you a chance.
| I've worked on you for three years. ]
! SwOre I'd get you some time. Well
I've got you, and I'm going to cheat
| myself out of Il whole lot of pleasure
I'm not going to smash you as l in
tended. Your sons friends have pre-
| vailed
'To show you that l am not bluffing
| have every bit of evidence in the
| Burkenday case. the FlosSie Bellamy
! job, the Widow Hensmith affair-and
| it was 'damnabie one, too-with two
or three more. You broke that WON
I ans heart. l don't suppose you know
that she died last month. You never
noticed it, Ell? Her precious coach
man is living like lord on the money
you and he took from her. Old Burken
days housemaid has bought little
home in Edgewater-but not from hel
wages. The two jobs you now hav,
| on hand never will be pulled Off The
girl in the Banker Watts case has beeI
eornered and has confessed. She i:
ready to appear against you. McI4en
mans wife has had the courage to defy
your accomplice-that dastardly butle
of theirs, and he has left town. fright
ened out of his wits. Your time .ha
come. The jig is up. 1t won't be as i
was in New York, because we have tn,
proof. There is committee of tire,
down in Rigby's Office now waitin!
for me to report If / take word t.
them that you expect to sail for Eu
rope next week, never to return t,
this country, all well and good. 1t 4
for your sons good health, bear il
mind. If you go, the public may neve
learn the truth about you. If vol
4, stay, you will be in jail before you ar
week older And, Mr.. Bansemer
you've got to decide quick"
Bansemer looked his accuser straigh
IN the eye, q faint smile of derisiol
touching his lips, but not his eyes.
''Mr. Harbert, the first thing yo'
have to learn in connection with you
patients father is that he is not n COW
ard / refuse to run, sir. | am inno
cent of any intentional wrong, ant
I'll stand my ground. My son vii
stand beside me, too. He is that sort
Go back TO your committee and tel
them that Bansemer will not go t
Europe for his sons health. Goo
( day, sir"'
Nonsense. Bansemerr' explode,
exploded Harbert. You know view
got you fast enough. Why be fool a
well as a knave? You haven't q ghos
| of a chance. I'm trying to do you
good turn
"A good turn? Mr.. Harbert, ar
r neither fool nor a knave. If / were
fool, I'd kin you where YOU stand.
3 would be justified in killing the ma
I who represents crowd of blackmai
s ers. That's what you are, sir. / refus
r to pay your price. If We're knavl
I'd pay 1t. l want you to understan
i. ona thing shall ctard nv croup