Middletown transcript., 1908-05-30
COERCION
BY EPEs W. SARGENT

MOSU ulSu 1LC HI UGbtC1 uuIuOT
after their dinner. May I beg
that you think over your decision
of this afternoon and let me know?
I assure you that I mean what l
say.
Elsie. he said solemnly, may I
be eternally jiggered if I let that
young fool, Corness, marry you.
And he tossed the offending
scrawl into the fire.
Twenty minutes later the tele-
phone bell rang, and Pinkham,
forgetful of the afternoon, unsus-
piciously answered the call.
l thought I'd call you up and
ask if you had changed your
mind, said Corness, ingenuously.
He laughed when he heard the
receiver click upon the hook.
Pinkham went back to the Ii
brary and swallowed his coffee
with a gulp. I'm going around
to the club, he said sourly as he
kissed his daughter. Possibly
he would have been a trifie less
affectionate had he known that
she called Corness up five min
utes later and impaired this in
formation.
That was how it happened that
just as Pinkham had begun to
grow interested in a game of bill
liards with one of his cronies a
club servant approached.
Gentleman to see you, sir, he
said, deferentially. Wants to
know if you have come to any
decision about that matter.
| Names Corness, sir.
Kick him into the street,
hoWled Pinkham, and as the SER
want turned away he made a shot
and missed. In ten minutes the
game was broken up. Pinkham,
ordinarily an expert player,
could not execute even the SIM
plest play.
| He lounged in the smoking
room a while, trying to find So
lace in a cigar, but it was not
long before he threw the cigar
away and decided that he would
go home.
There was a telegram for him
in the rack, and as he tore open
the missive he caught one glance
at the signature and threw it in
to the waste basket. 1t was from
Corness.
That was just the beginning.
There was an unsigned letter in
the morning mail at the house,
and another at the Office. There
was a telephone call he would not
answer, and in the forenoon he
nearly lost one of his best custo-
mers because his caller, as he
was about to close an interview
remarked : 7 saw young Corness
just now. He wanted me to re-
mind you of some decision you
were to make.
The caller was innocent, but
Pinkham did not remember that
until afterward. He grew so
nervous that when a package
was delivered for him in the
afternoon, he made the Office boy
open it.
It's just a paper-weight, re-
ported the lad, holding it up for
inspection. Pinkham looked.
1t was a square of onyx with a
metal. ornament IN the center.
The ornament was a gilt question
mark. The Office boy took it
home for a mantel ornament. It
was the first thing Pinkham had
ever given him. He was almost
afraid to take it.
Corness was in the hall as he
left his office and had gotten as
far as How about-before the
elevator came. Pinkham stopped
to complain to the janitor.
I cannot prevent his being in
the hall, explained the official.
You see, Mr.. Corness has taken
the office just across the hall
from you.
Pinkham spluttered, but he
was unable to dislodge his ad-
versary any more than he could
help looking at the black ques.
ton mark Corness had painted
upon the ground glass of the
door.
In his home he found notes w.
ing even on his dressing table,
and the dismissal of his valet
(who, by certain coincidence,
Immediately took service with.
Corness) did not stop the receipt
of these letters. Pinkham never
thought of Elsie.
The final blow was struck one
evening when in the soup the
yermicelli was All nuast;on