The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-09-02

aging editor.
"All right-certainly," agreed Brand.
taking up a pen.
The Judge began to congratulate
himself on the ease with which he was
handling the young man.
"This is-ah-more businesslike," he
said.
But Brand gave him another shock
when he said
eyes; I'll draw it up in duplicate.
Each of us will keep a copy-signed."
"Ah-ha-ha" The jurist leaned
back and laughed. You're a clever
lad, Brand. Well, we'll; youth will be
served" He pushed the pad away.
Brand glanced at the clock fixed in
the wall opposite him.
"It's getting late, judge" he warned.
Bartelmy reached into the inside
pocket of his evening dress coat and
extracted an oblong package. Slipping
off a rubber band that encircled it. he
unwrapped the yellow paper and laid
before him on the managing editors
desk neat stack of crisp new bank
bills, all of the $500 denomination.
Bartelmy started to count the money,
but he desisted and pushed the bills
over toward Brand.
Count it," he said.
"You count it."
The judge leaned forward and began
he task His head was within four
Jr five inches of the mouthpiece Of
the telephone He picked up the bills,
one at a time, and as he counted them
he laid them in another pile.
give hundred" he said-"one thou
sand, attentive thousand, twenty
fve-three thousand thirty -fve-four
thousand, forty-five - five thousand.
There is half of it." he remarked
Eyes; that's $1,000" assented Brand.
six thousand" said the judge, con-
tinuing with his task-"seven thou
sand, seventy c-eight thousand"
Eight thousand dollars" agreed
Brand.
"Nine thousand" counted the judge.
"Nine thousand dollars" said Brand.
'Ten thousand dollars" the judge
counted.
"Is that correct?" he queried of the
editor.
"Ten thousand dollars correct" was
the reply. THAT will wipe the slate
clean between u.s.
Brand held out his hand to take the
money.
The judge picked up the pile Of bills,
compressed them with his hands and
extended the money across the desk.
"Take it, Brand" he said.
| AS the false Judge said these words
and stood with the money in his hands
and held it out to the editor loud ex-
plosion thrilled every nerve fiber in
his body. A binding glare Of light
| filled the room, and the air was filled
with the choking gaseous fumes of
the smoke of the powder used by pho
tographers in making flashlights.
A pang of terror shot through the
craven heart Of the would be briber.
He started back in his alarm, his eyes
almost blinded by the unexpected flood
Of light that had subsidized as quickly
as it had come.
"My God! What is that?" he cried,
rubbing the back of one of his hands
across his eyes.
Wheeler Brand, who had risen in his
place at his desk when the judge had
| finished counting the money, set his
face into hard, unyielding lines as the
Judge besought him to speak, to ex-
plain He had won. He had com
pletely at his mercy this cold, crafty
betrayer of the public trust he had
sworn to hold sacred. And it was
with unmistakable triumph in his
voice that he gave the reply that was
to be imprinted on the brain of the
false Judge as long as he was to live
a reply that would haunt him while
awake and awake him when he slept:
at is a picture of you in stripes,
Judge Bartelmy," he announced.
The Judge, realizing that he had
been tricked-that he had been photo
| graphed in the very act of handing
bride money to the managing editor of
the Advance-displayed rare presence
of mind for man whose complete
social and professional ruin had be-
come suddenly imminent. He rushed
across the room at the point where
the flash occurred, hoping to obtain
hold of the camera and destroy the
plate Owing to the pail Of smoke he
had been unable to see just in what
manner the camera had been arranged.
But when he reached the side of the
room there was no camera to be seen,
only a round hole extending through
the partition into the next room and
from which the camera had been re-
moved. He stood and gazed in dis
may. He knew now that he was at
the mercy of Brand and the Advance
to a degree that he hardly dared to
estimate.
He turned around and walked back
to the desk. Brand was still standing
In his place, looking fixedly at the
judge.
Bartelmy was not beaten yet. He
knew that he would not be beaten I'M
til the Advance appeared In the streets
spreading forth to all the world the
story of his shame.
Shaking from head to foot in his
rage, he pounded the desk and cried
out:
"You have gone to all your trouble
II n