Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-09-29
CHAPTER XVII.

Copeland, the lawyer who never
practiced, reached the Tippecanoe Club
every weekday at exactly thirty min
utes past twelve o'clock. A good fig
ure of a man was Copeland. He had
steady brown eyes In which a keen hu-
NOR lurked; and his hair that had once
been black was now white; but he was
still young and the snowy cap over
his dark features was becoming. In
frock coat Copeland would have graced
the Senate or the Presidents cabinet
table. He had telephoned Leighton 10
meet him one day near the end of Sep
tember.
Nothing? You reject my offer?'
asked Copeland. It's better so at your
age. When 1 was in the practice"
That was in the day." said Norris
when a law library in these parts
meant the State decisions and a few
text books"
Copeland continued to speak with
characteristic crispness.
Il have a customer up in the coun-
try who has made the acquaintance Of
your particular friend Mr.. Jack Bal
comb. DO you follow me?"
Your customer must be a man Of
parts. Balcomb does not cultivate peo-
pie unless he sees something pretty
good in them"
Il believe that is correct. Well, my
customer whose name is Jennings, has
bought some stock in what Is known
as the Patoka Land and Improvement
Company, Of which Balcomb Is treas
urer and one thing and another. There's
a lawyer up there in his building"
Van Cleve," suggested Leighton.
That's the chap. His eyes look like
a bowl of clam broth. He's the attor-
ney for the company. The reason he
holds the Job is not difficult to deter
mine. His father Is a banker down
here on the river somewhere and Is
well-to-d do. Balcomb, I understand, Is
teaching Van Cleve how things are
done in large cities"
He's a competent teacher. Go on"
"a client of your office is also in the
game to a certain extent. I refer to
Ezra Dameron, that genial, warm
hearted, impulsive old fossil They
tell me on the quiet that he's been
monkeying with options. He's selling
this company the old Roger Merriam
property south of town at half its wall
ue and he's given them an option on
his strip Of land out here on the creek.
You know Balcombs scheme. He's go
Ing to build an ideal fiat out here at the
edge of town-fountains playing ev-
erywhere, roof gardens, native forest
trees-it's a delightful prospect Dam
eron's corner is a great place for It 1t
makes no difference whether the
scheme is practicable or not Balcomb
makes It sound awfully good. It's been
written up in the newspapers most Sc
ductively It's so good that only the
elect can get in"
Il know Balcomb and his habits Of
thought. How much is he paying
Dameron for that property?"
"Balcomb has an option at sixty
thousand. Jennings told me that the
stockholders had already paid in most
Of their money so that the purchase
could be made at once. The price Is
amazingly low. He must be hard up
Balcomb tells Jennings and the rest Of
them that he bought these lots merely
to be able to get that creek strip; but
ISIS a bargain and they'll make a good
thing out Of the lots. But what's the
matter with Ezra7 I thought perhaps
Cars relations with Dameron were
sucn that this information would In
terest you. The property Is part Of the
Margaret Dameron trusteeship and
heps Miss Dameron win Eet AL ahs's