Evening star., 1909-06-21
CHAPTER XV-Continued.

Is me to the heart" said Caine, speak
ing lightly. though he felt the other s
magnetic domination throughout his en-
tire being. What do YOU want me to
| do
i II want YOU" dictated Conover, Ito go
back to your office and send for your best
reporter. Don't put this up to your man
agin' editor but handle it yourself. The
reporter will work lot better when he
thinks it's story the owners interested
in That's workman-nature, amt it,
! Go ahead, smiled Caine, fighting
against that mercless domination which
found expression in the man himself, not
| in his words.
send for your best, sharpest reporter
resumed Caleb Give him an outline
of this case against old Shevln. Tell
tell him Shevlin an me used to he
| friends, an suggest that he'd better
chase around here first of all an inter-
view me to find out if / ever heard of
the graft trick that was worked on those
two public buildins. | never let report
ers get in here; but III make an exception
in this case. cause he'll bring a pers nal
note from my pers'nal friend. Amzi Mich
olas Caine Esq. I'll talk to him kind
of guarded-lke. But pretty soon III get
ratified under his questions an let out
enough to put him on the right track
Then when | see he's s'picious I'll give
,
onerate OF Shevlin to beat the band.
That reporter'l! feel like the man who
went out for squirrels an brought home
a bear. Then, when he reports back TO
YOU | want YOU should be firm IN your
dooty to the c'moonity. You must decide
til 1t pers nal friendship can't stand in the
way of the publc's sacred right to find
out things that's none of their business.
Print the whole terrible trooth. Don't
spare me. But see that you clear Shev-
Inns name till it shines like it had a
Sat'dy night bath. An Dey-ain't t-to-be
mentioned. Understand?''
Perfectly, answered Caine. And III
do nothing of the sort
| Dye mean you--
II mean this: You are the most con-
scienceless inhuman brute ! ever met
! but ! have sort of morbid liking Tor
you. Besides, as you so often take grace
/ full occasion to remind me, / am in your
debt for certain financial favOrs. Also,
| have some regard for the truth of what
| appears in my own newspaper For all
those reasons-and for several more-fm
not going to help you commit social sui
eide nor to stamp yourself as more of
a highwayman than you really are. Is
that plain?'
so plain that it's plumb ugly" replied
| Caleb. But you'll do it just the same
If it amt the Star it'll be one of the
other papers. That story's goin' to be in
print by tomorrow mornin'. You speak
| bout likin' me an bein in my debt. The
gratitood is by doin I ask now The
Stars the best paper in Granite an it's
read by the best people. Don't you spose
I'd rather have folks get their first idee
of tire story from such a paper as that
than to have 'em see it plastered all over
the front page of some screechin' sheet,
in letters two feet high?"
But" argued Caine What sense is
there in doing it at all?'
From a grown mans point of view"
admitted Caleb, there amt a mite OF
sense in it. It's straight craziness But
if you think I'm going to let Dey go
crook of a father who she worships
you're wrong She thinks he was meas
/ ly saint with tin halo An she gets
pleasure out of thinkn' 1t. An she's goin
to go right on thinkin' it to the end of
the game. What sort Of yellow dog
would be to let her hear things about
him that'd make her cry, an that would
sure break her heart? There's another
She goes to folks houses an has good
time there. Who's goin to invite a
crooks daughter to their house? Or 10
YOU think she'd go to such places, know
her. She'd die first. Why, ev'ry time
! folks looked at her in the street she'd
4 be thinkn' to herself: 1t amt because
I'm SO pretty an cause my eyes look like
two chunks of heaven, an cause when
smile at you it makes you feel as If
some one had lent you money. She
think: They're pointin' me out as the
daughter of Shevln who stole cash from
the city" No, no. son, She amt goin' to
have none of those things happen to her.
Not while Caleb Conovers on deck. But
terfly smashin amt in my line. That's
why | say you've got to help me. An
you'll do it, too.
"Of course. you know suggested
Caine that this will ruin those weird So
cial ambitions of yours?'
Il know nothin' of the sort. Even if I
did. ! spose I'd have it to do just the
same But it won't. I'm too well off to
go to Jail, or to have folks say: Get
OUT. when l say Let me in: Therell be
a, sight of talk in the papers an all
,alkin'. after awhile. An I never get
tired risin. So I'll win out. When
fash on em that merger of the Upstate
r. r. with my c. G. & X. they'll see m
too big man to be sat on. That's comm
off next week. by the way. An bigger
schemes to foller. Oh. folks won't be sore
on me long. So you see ii amt such a
great stunt of heroism !. m doin' for the
little girl after all. Now you'd better
start. For We
But Miss shevlno She will read what
the papers are bound to say of you. She
will hear what her friends"
Yes" ruefully admitted the Fighter.
"she will. I'll have to take my chances
on that. If she drops me. why it's bet
tern If s'ciety dropped her. Better for
everybody concerned. Unless maybe for
me- How's Miss Standish?"
quite well. thank you. She"
1--WE been meanin' to come round and
pay that dinner call. But I've been pretty
busy. An Dey says there's no great
hurry
Just now" answered Caine, remember
ing Lettie's moist appeal, 1.-The Standish
household is little upset. Id call some
time later. if ] were you. They will un-
derstand. Give Standish is down with
mumps. poor little chap
..There's only two kind of kids phi
losophized Conover. Bad ones and sick
ones. But / amt afraid Of catchin' any
thing I'll be round there in day or
two. tell her
by the way" remarked Qaine, to-
change the subject he found vaguely dis
tasteful. Miss Shevlin tells me she has
been invited to spend the summer at the
Hawardens' cottage at the Antlers"
Mrs Hawarden. wasn't it? Dey's as
; pleased as a small boy with revolver
She's been crazy to go to the Adiron-
. dacks. l never knew she wanted to till
. last week. Or
. And Mrs Hawarden providentially in
. vited her the next day." put in Caine, his
. mouth corners twitching.
THAT'S right assented Caleb. II
guess some big-hearted philanthropist
. lust took such fancy to Mrs. Hawarden
. as to pay the whole fam'ly's board bill
there for the season-on condition she
asked Dey But keep that to yourself
for maybe it's just wrong guess. An
| wouldn't have Dey know 1t for a thou
: sand dollars. Now go an send that re-
| har