The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-11-01


vanced On me as ! weasel might upon
some larger creature. Then she
turned viciously on the maid. and
cursed her In French, German and
Italian, until. in the Lorraine peas
ants figure Of speech. % ny passing
would not. have lighted.on her.
I CLEANED an explanation from tho
lurid damning. The attorney was ex-
pectihg his associate to come for hip
In a motor, the maid had been direct
ed to admit him at once on his arrival
and, naturally. she had. taken me for
the man.
The Infatuated woman slapped, the
maids face. pushed her out of the
room. locked the door and turned to
me, her eyes again shimmering. bead
lily, like a weasel's.
What do you want?" she said In
English, biting at each word as 1t
came out.
had no wish to be scratched to
pieces, SO I took the paper out Of my
pocket and swiftly explained my or
rand. The pistol, the scalping-knife,
the acid bottle, instantly vanished. A
moments calm fell and then the sun
flooded that theater OF. savagery. Thus
convict escaping from the death-cell
would have acted, If, as he climbed
the wall, guard had touched him,
and, turning about desperately to meet
bullet, he should be handed a re-
prieve. The woman and her attorney
carried the contract to the desk,
spread It out, read it and re-read it
absorbingly, surely as that convict
would have done his pardon. Then
they talked whisperingly together
while waited. Finally, the attorney
spoke to me, holding the contract in
his hand.
IT you will pardon me a moment,
Mr.. Parks" he said, until verify
these signatures, we will conclude
this matter"
He went out into the hall to a tele.
phone. l heard him call the clerk and
the notary. While he talked l had a
little leisure to examine Suzanne Kin.
sky. Her complexion was of that
deep beautiful olive to be found in the
south Of Austria. Her hair was heavy
with the purple-black gloss of dye, al
thought it was certainly not dyed. Her
figure. fallen now into repose. was
sensuous and dainty; her hands were
especially tapering and beautiful, but
her ankles were thick-the ankles of
ballet dancer.
In few minutes the attorney re-
turned.
"Mr. Parks" he said, this contract
seems to have been properly executed.
N.Y. client will accept it. think you
will find the full consideration packed
securities"
went with him to the open trunk
and, In ten minutes, had verified its
contents. The bulk of the fund was
in securities and the remainder in
banknotes OF large denominations.
These securities were difficult to val
ue accurately. 1 thought the trunk
contained some twenty-eight thousand
dollars more than the required sum.
Howell thought it contained forty
thousand more. We compromised f.
nally at thirty-five, and he took out
that sum in currency. l closed the
trunk and carried it myself to the mo-
tor-car.
Then I returned up Long Island to
New York, the first man since Kidd
to travel there with a chest Of treas
ure, albeit to the passer 1 appeared
to be merely one returning to his
town apartment with a rather knocked
up steamer trunk, held together by a
broad leather strap. I wondered, as
went. into what pleasing scene this
changed situation fell at my depar-
ture. l had come evidently. by the
maids blunder, upon fight. I had
entered to the danseuse an instru-
ment of the law with some OBTAINING
writ; and was changed into a friendly
herald of surrender. had brought,
against all hoping, peace, the end Of
narrowing uncertainty-a signed in
strument of settlement. Three mil.
lions to the adventures for one!
That hour was highly colored. and
yet the hour arriving passed, think,
beyond it. At three o'clock had set
the trunk down in the Office of Mrs.
Porter's lawyer, and explained its con-
tents. He called her instantly by tele.
phone, and once more st. George Fair
field Porter came before me with his
retinue, the only ore of us on this
dramatic day gentleman unmoved,
and yet the one whose fortune was
in peril.
Again saw woman cast from one
emotion violently to another-a WON.
an Of higher order, and yet the sit
uation was no less one Of desperate
drama. Mrs. Porter had taken the
message to her for some clean recov.
cry of the money, and came elated as
to victory. When she had the story,
when she knew that the contract of
settlement had been delivered for it,
she fell upon that instant to the very
grave-floor Of despair. By this folly of
Randolph Mason she had lost the ma
jor portion of her boys inheritance.
He had surrendered the paper against
his promise. he had broken his word
Immediately, he had given up for one
million dollars their claim to the es.