The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-03-07

why you've spent your good money /
hirin lawyers for him. | know abaut
the mine. / know the whole thing I
from first to last. Shall | tell you!
Do you want 10 hear it,
The great man did not answer. A |
drop of perspiration shone on his high |
forehead and the veins of his big |
white hands stood out as he clutchea
the arms Of his chair The monument
was tottering on its base.
"It's dirty mess, the whole of it,
continued Captain Cy. "And yet can
see-I suppose | can see-some excuse
for you at the beginnin. When old
man Everdean and his crowd bought
you and John Thayer out way back
there in "a. after John died, and all
the money was put into your hands
I callate you was honest then. ]
wouldn't wonder if you meant to hand
over the $37 500 to your partners wild
ow. But twas harder and more risky
to send money east in them days than
/ tits now, and so you waited, thinkin'
maybe that you'd fetch it to Emily
when you come yourself. But you
didn't come home for some years; you
went tradin' down along the Feejees
and around that way. That's how |
reasoned it out these last few days on
the train. / give you credit for bein'
honest first along.
"But never mind whether you was
or not-you haven't been since. You
never paid over a cent of that poor
! fellers money-honest money, that be-
longed to his heirs and belongs to 'em
now. You've hung on to it, stole it,
used it for yours. And Emily worked
and scratched for Twin and died
poor. And Mary, she died after bein'
abused and deserted by that cussed
husband Of hers. And you thought
you was safe l caPlate. And then
Bos'n turns up right in your own town,
right acroSt the road from you! BY
the big dipper, it's enough to make
Teller believe that the Almighty does
take a hand in straightenin' out such
things when us humans bungle EN-
1t is so!
Course | amt sure, Heman, what
you meant to do when you found that
the child you'd stole that money from
r was goin' to be under your face and
ewes till YOU or she died. l caPlate you
was afraid I'd find somethin' out,
want you? l presume likely you
thought that l, not havin' quite the
reverence for you that the rest of the
Bayporters have, might be sharp
enough or lucky enough to smell rat
Perhaps you suspicioned that l knew
the Everdeans. Anyhow you wanted
to get the child as fur out of your
r sight and out of my hands as yoy
could. Amt that SO? And when he1
I dad turned up you thought you saw
your chance. Heman, you answer me
this: Amt it part of your bargain with
Thomas that when he gets his little
girl he shall take her and clear out
q away off somewheres, for good? Aim
: it now-what?"
The monument was swaying, was
d swinging from side to side, but it die
e not quite fall-not then. The congress
e mans cheeks hung f1abby, his fore
head was wet, and he shook from heat
to foot. But he clinched his jaws ant
II made one last attempt at defiance.
a "I-I don't know what you mean,
I he declared. "You-you seem to be &C
cusing me of something of stealing.
believe. Do you understand who
am? have some influence and repu
:. tat;on, and it is dangerous toto try t
frighten me. Proofs are required il
n law. and
"S-s-h-h! You know I've got tn
: proofs. They were easy enough to &c
once | happened on the track of 'en
W Lord sakes. Heman. l amt fool
}, What's the use of your pretendin' t
le be one? There's the deed out in Fris
GO, with yours and Johns name on Il
= There's the records to prove the sale
There's the receipt for the $500
signed by you on behalf Of yourself
M and your partners widow. There's al
man Everdean alive and competent t
testify. There's John Thayer's will O
file over to Orham. Proofs! Why
il you thief If it's proofs you want Tv
I got enough to send you to state prise
II for the rest of your life! Don't 20
dare say proofs to me again! Hema
Atkins. you owe me, as Bos'n's guard
ian, $37 800 with interest since 1885,
What you goin' to do about i? p
il Here was one ray, a feeble ray, @
light.
II You're not her guardian" cried A
kins. "The courts have thrown 20
y out, and your appeal won't stand e
tier If any money is due it belong
to her father She isn't of age! NJ
sir, her father
5 Captain Cy's patience had been gi1
e ing away. Now he lost it altogether
= He strobe across the room and shoe
his forefnger in his victims face.
l. "Sor' he cried That's your tacl
J. Is it? By the big dipper, you go t
l her father-just you go to him and te
s. him! Just hint to him that you ow
bic do11rbfop Sl,i,stuodI fho,,cond do