Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-08-19
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 vas Copeland. He had
steady brown eyes in which a keen hui
NOR lurked; and his hair that had once
been black was now white; but he wa
still young and the snowy cap over
his dark features was becoming. In a
frock coat Copeland would have graced
the Senate or the Presidents cabinet
table. He had telephoned Leighton TO
! meet him one day neal the end Of Sep
tember.
Nothing? You reject my offer?''
asked Copeland. Its better so at your
age. When 1 was In the practice
THAT was in the day said Morris,
when a law library in these parts
meant the State decisions and a few
textbooks
Copeland continued to speak with
characteristic crispness.
II 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. Ba1comb does not cultivate peo-
| pie unless he sees something pretty
good in Them
II 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 Balconb Is treas
urer and one thing Inc another. There's
. lawyer up there In his building
War Cleve." suggested Leighton.
That's the chap. His eyes look like
q 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 dowr
here on the river somewhere and is
well-to-do. Balcomb. I understand, is
teaching Van Cleve how things are
done in large cities"
Hes a competent teacher. Go on
"a client of your Office Is also In the
game to q certain extent. I refer tc
Ezra Cameron. that genial, warm
hearted, impulsive old fossil. They
tell me on the quiet that he's beer
monkeying with options. He's selling
this company the old Roger Merriam
property south OF town at half its val
ne and he's given them an option on
his strip OF and out here on the creeh.
You know Balcomb:s 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
treesEit:s a delightful prospect Dam
eron's corne Is a great place for It II
makes no difference whether the
scheme Is practicable or o Bahcomb
makes 1t sounda wfully good. IT'S been
written UP in the newspapers most se-
ducttvely. It's SO good that only the
| elect can get 4FF
Il know Balcomb and his habits OF
thought. Flow much 10 he paying
Dameron for that paoperty.'
sBalcomb has an ap<on at sixty
thousand. Jennings todd me th9t TIA
stockholders had already paid In most
of their o so that thu purchase
could be made at once. Pho price Is
amazingly low. Fs must - hed up.
BaIcemb tells Jennings and the reg OF
them that he bought thsse bs merely
to Be aisle TO get that erssk strip; but
ISIS q bargain and they'll nsa1ae q good
thing cut OF the Lots. But vAsaA ths
matter with Ezra: I thehgiEt psSiaps
Carrs relations with DsanaeA veN
such that Shds information vuod In
terest you. Fbs properly = pAse 0Ahe
Margaret Cameron trustsadhip and. /
hope Miss Dameron Will 80 e. AssA