The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-08-22

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him into his office and ultimately to
make him a partner in the business.
James Bansemer never forgot the ma
llcious grin that crossed the face Of
Elias broom when the young fellow
made the proposition not more than a
fortnight before the Bansemer estab-
lishment picked itself up and hastily
deserted New York. That grin spoke
palmer than all the words in language.
Take him into the officer Make his
honest, gray eyed boy a partner2 1t
was no wonder that broom grinned,
and it is no wonder that he forgot to
cover his mouth with his huge hand,
as vas his custom,
The proposition, while sincere and
earnest, was too impossible for words.
For once in his life James Bansemer
was at a loss for subterfuge. He
stammered, flushed and writhed in the
effort to show the young man that the
step would be Improbable, and he was
sorely conscious that he had not CON
vinced the eager applicant. He even
urged him to abandon the thought Of
becoming a lawyer and was ably Sec
Onded by Elias broom, whose opinion
Of the law, as he had come to know II.
was far from fattering.
Just at this time Bansemer was en-.
gagged in the most daring as well us
the most prodigious deal Of his long
career. With luck it was bound to en-.
rich him to the extent Of $4,000. The
plans had been so well prepared and
the execution had been so faultless that
there seemed to be no possibility Of
failure. To take his fair minded son.
with the mothers eyes, into the game
would be suicidal. The young fellow
would turn from him forever. Banse.
mer Eve went so far as to wonder
whence came the honest blood In the
boys veins nor to speculate on the orr
gin Of the unquestioned integrity. He
had but to recall the woman who bore
him, the woman whose love was the
only good thing he ever knew, the
wife he had worshiped while he sinned.
For years and years he had piled his
uawholesome trade in regulations,
sometimes evading exposure by the
narrowest of margins, and he had
come to believe that he was secure for
all time to come. But ii was the big
job" that brought disaster. Just when
1t looked as though success was assur.
ed the crash came. He barely had
time to cover his tracks, throw the fig.
urative pepper into the eyes of bis
enemies and get away from the scene
of danger. But he had been clever
and %resourceful enough to avoid the
penalty that looked inevitable and
came off with colors trailing, but un.
captured.
Perhaps no other man could have es.
capped. But James Bansemer was cley.
crest when in a corner. He backed
away, held them at bay until he could
recover his breath and then defed them
to their teeth. Despite their proof be
bafied them, and virtue was not its
own reward-at least in this instance.
In leaving New York be hoped that
Elias broom. who knew too much
might refuse to go into the new terri
tory with him, but the gaunt old clerk
took an unnatural and m%alevolent de
light in clinging to his employer. He
declined to give up his place in the Of.
fee, and although he hated James Ban
semer, be came like an accusing
shadow into the new Offices near the
Chicago river, and there he tolled
grinned and scowled with the same OLD
f|aithfulness.