Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-07-16

-S Bennetts pale,
cold. deadly in
Then quaged the battle its repose.
of aDills, both men And then
standing motionless. waged the bat
tie of wills, both men standing mo-
tionless, tense, vibrant with dynamic
force.
Slowly, little by little, H%orrigan's
eyes dropped. He moved awkwardly
to n side from his position in front
Of the door and Bennett, without so
much as a backward look, passed out.
The boss, like a nan in a daze, sank
heavily into a chair and gazed straight
ahead Of him, his usually red face
gray and pasty.
But he was not to enjoy ever the
scant boon of solitude. From the ante
room Gibbs strolled in.
''They're going over some unimpor-
tant preliminary business" remarked
the broker. 80 I came out for q breath
Of fresh air. How are things going?"
"We're beat grunted Horrigan, not
looking up.
"Beat?" screamed Gibbs, ashen and
inert at the news. you don't mean
it.! You can't mean it! Great heaven!"
The sight Of the others cowardly
emotion seemed to rouse Horrigan
from his apathy.
eff l can stand it, you cant" he snarl-
ed. "You only lose your percentage
on the deal, while I"-
"a percentage?" echoed Gibbs, too
panic stricken to ace his OWL indis-
cretion. Every cent | had in the
world! p
He checked himself an instant too
late.
SOP drawled Horrigan, his keen
little eyes soaring the other with
boundless contempt, S it was you
who were secretly buying up the stock
and failing in on to our game, heyY'
"I'm ruined. Broke. And
"And you've got it coming to you,
you whining traitor, The maj who
goes back on his partners deserves all
the kicking he gets"
I'll didn't mean any harm" mum
bled the crushed Gibbs. ut couldn't
hurt you people to have me buy Bor-
ough stock for myself, and I'd have
cleared up a million and more. Oh,
don't glover like that. Horrigan, but
try to think out some way off,
"Of what. you cur"
isn't there any way ever now to
make Bennett let up on his fght?"
eff there was you couldn't be of use
to us, so why should I talk about II
to you?"
"But I'd do anything in the world
anything
"You would?" cut in Horrigan
sharply. ~sA~-s~~-
Eyes. yes. Only give me a chance,
I'd'-
Horrigan considered, then said re.
1ectively:
mo chance is too slight to take at q
time like this, and nobody's too rotten
to be Of use. I've found there are
three things. one Of which will always
buy any mana woman. ambition or
cash. We've tried Bennett on ambi.
ton; he doesn't need money, so only
the first Of the three remains"
"a woman? don't understand"
Miss Wainwright"
But
Listen here. Benefits in love with
Wainwright's niece. You've cut him
out. Go and tell him if he'll let our
bill alone you'll smash the engagement
and leave her free to marry him
See?"
II can't! hold on, though! After
ward l could deny the whole thing,
couldn't I? It'd be his word against
mine. and she'd never believe 1 could
do such a thing. IL might try"
EYES," growled Horrigan. you might.
A cur that's lost all his nerve can try
things that ever an ordinary crook
would balk at"
But Gibbs did not hear. he had re-
turned to the corridor in search Of
Bennett. The man scarcely deserved
the %opprobrium heaped on him by Hor-
rigan. A brilliant, daring operator. he
was, unknown to himself, a rank cow
ard at heart. For the first time in his
life the cowardice had cropped out,
and, to do Gibbs Justice. it had driven
him temporarily insane. In his nor
NAL senses be would never have stoop-
ed to the plan he was now so eager to
carry out. 1t was a putrid bit Of jet
sam at which a financially drowning
man did not scruple to clutch.
Horrigan followed him from the
! room. his W splendid nerve quite re-
covered from the crushing blow his
hopes had received. He had staked
heavily on the deal. Moreover. It's fail