Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1909-11-12
CHAPTER l.-continued.

Shortly after his determination to
tell Kate half truth, Darlington left
the office and made an early train into
New Jersey. All the way over to the
Cavenaugh station he was restless and
uneasy The fatal papers still reposed
in his pocket. He had not dared to
leave them in the office safe; his part
ner, who had had no hand in the in
vestigation, might stumble across
them, and that was the last thing In
the world he desired. He knew not
exactly what to do with them; for
they burned like fire in his pocket,
and seemed to scorch his fingers
whenever he touched them to learn
IL they were still there. A thousand |
and one absurd suppositions assailed
him. Supposing, for instance, there
should be wreck; supposing he
should be robbed; supposing he should
| leave his vest on the links; and so
forth and so forth. 1t was very de-
pressing. II only he stood in the open,
Handicapped; If only he might
throw the gauntlet at Cavenaugh's
| feet the moment they met!
| IL
own affairs! But he hadn't; and his
inquisitiveness had plunged him into
a Chinese tangle from which there
seemed to be no exit But there was
an exit; only, If at that moment Cas-
sandra had whispered the secret into
his ear, it would have appealed to him
as the most improbable thing under
the sun. However, there are no trust
worthy Cassandras these sordid days;
single look into the future costs a
dollar; and as for Greek choruses,
they trundle push-carts on the East
side a.3
He had broken bread and eaten salt
at Cavenaughs table and now 1t was
decreed that he must betray him. It
was not a pleasant thought. And still
less pleasant was the thought of tell
ing Kate Tin a roundabout fashion,
it is true) that her father was not an
honest man. According to financial
ethics, what Cayenaugh did was sim
ply keen business instinct; nothing
more. If you or | should happen to
bend an odd cornice of the majestic
pillar of law we'd be hailed off to the
county Jail forthwith; but II we
possessed the skill to smash the whole
fabric, or, rather, to continue the met
aphor, the whole pillar, the great
world would sit up and admire US.
What are old laws for. anyhow? Build
you never SO wisely your law, there
will always be some one to come
4 along and tack on a nice little amend
ment, subtly undoing in a moment
what 1t took years of labor to accom-
|, plish. In this instance Cavenaugh had
= been careless; he had forgotten to in
troduce his amendment. An infnites
- imal grain of sand will stop the best
regulated clock. The infal1ibie invari
] ably die on the heels of their frs
.. victory.
On leaving the train, Darlington es
Is pied the Cavenaugh station carriage
The coachman was talking to LITTLE
d wiry old man. whose gray eyes twin
is kled and whose complexion was mot
tied and withered like "a wind-fall ap
pie. Seeing Darlington draw nigh
"a the coachman touched his hat re
in spectfully, while the little old man
who was rather shabbily dressed
20 stepped quickly around the corner O
10 the platform. Evidently he did no
,e wish to be inspected at close range
G. Darlington threw his suitcase an
golf-bag into the carriage. and TO
lowed them. Thereupon the coacl
man touched the horses lightly, an
~ they started westward at brisk tro
who's your friend?" asked CARING
10 ton, who. though never familiar, wa
. always friendly toward his interiors
:. Hes no friend of mine, sir" al
swered the coachman, with well-bre
contempt Miss Cavenaugh directe
me to drive you straight to the clu
mt SIR"
,ot VERY WELL" replied Carringtol
lighting a cigar and settling bac
among the cushions.
cd Immediately he forgot all about tt
~ shabby old man, and began to inve
~ tory his troubles. He must hide Il
papers somewhere. All the evident
er. he had, together with the names
lid the witnesses, was on his person; Il
IN making the whole he had prudent
lad .estroyed the numerous scraps.
an this document fell into alien hand
the trouble would double itself. I