Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-02-04
CHAPTER XI.

Bartelmy, now that he had taken the
final and extremely distasteful plunge
and had come to the Office of the Ad-
vance, waited for Brand to make the
opening remarks about the particular
object Of his visit.
Brand was waiting for tine judge to
do the same. 1t was the newspaper
man who spoke first, after the two had
seated themselves. He was anxious
to get the matter over with as quickly
as possible, for he well knew that, in
spite of all his precautions, affairs in a
newspaper office are so. uncertain that
an interruption OF an unexpected ma
ture might occur to ruin the entire
plan.
Mr. Dupuy was here a short time
ago." ne ventured.
Judge Bartelmy proceeded to explain
the appearance of the lawyer lobbyist
in the affair. While it was plain to
Brand that the judge had sent Dupuy
as a go-between so that 1t would be
impossible to connect Bartelmy with
the payment of any money as bribe,
the jurist did not propose to acknowl-
edge that such had been his laudable
purpose. He gave an entirely differ
ent reason.
Yes, / know" he said. He found
me at the opera with my daughter.
hoped, Mr.. Brand, that by allowing me
to act through him you would spare
me this last humiliation"
Would 1t not be safer for you If no
third party knew of your transaction
with me?" suggested Brand.
The Judge pitied the colossal igno-
rance Of this ameteur in trickery. Did
not he know that in the superior
spheres of crooked practices it became
necessary to employ third persons on
many occasions to put through mat
ters of this sort? And he was news
paper man Of years Of experience too.
No, this peculiar young man would
never finish supplying the judge with
surprises; Of that Bartelmy was posi-
tive. Perhaps it might be in order to
observe at this point that, while Brand
Of course could not know that these
thoughts were passing through his
visitors mind, he at the same time
would have been ready to confess that
he was going to provide several more
surprises for the jurist. But there are
different varieties Of surprises.
"Dupuy is in my confidence" the
Judge pronounced with an air Of final
ity.
HISS not in mine," responded the
managing editor.
You're mistaken in him. 1 know
him intimately"
"Oh, the pity of it," exclaimed Brand,
that you should be intimately ac-
quainted with such a man as Dupuy!"
Bartelmy could not restrain a sarcas-
puy.
Mr.. Brand" he said quickly, your
moral reflections at this juncture i'm
part a certain quaint iumor to the sit
uation."
II am afraid that is the trouble with
me. My humor is nearly always unin-
tentional" Brand sighed as though
sorry for himself.
The judge began to show signs OF
nervousness.
We'll, shall we get on with it?" the
editor asked him.
Yes. l must rejoin my daughter
She's waiting for me at the opera. She
was very anxious that l should no,
come here tonight. 1t was curious
her persistency in the matter"
Brand drew his chair closer to the
desk-closer to the telephone.
Let us get to business" he said
The Judge went on talking about his
daughter.
"She displays an unusual, 1 should
say an extraordinary, curiosity as tc
my mission here" he said. My daugh-
ter would nave made a great cross ex-
aminer if she had been man.
We're wasting time, judge" Now
it was Brand who was becoming i'm
patient.
Am 1 to understand that the pay
ment of this sum"-Bartelmy began.
Brand raised his voice to higf
pitch.
Ten thousand dollars!" he said.
Yes" agreed Bartelmy cautiously
Am / to understand that it-ah-
wipes out Of your recollection not onl!