New-York tribune., 1912-08-11

enough 90 lose hi, first
really great case, Buck
lcr thought when al the law AMI moral night were
ON his side but hc certain that tins case meant
more than any other first case ever could have meant
to 4 young attorney, for to lose II spelled disaster To
Rector * Company, and there Wa 'ohWc Rector:
Connie va, a very loyablc young person. who had
admitted an unaCcouutablc but wholly satisfactory
prclcctiou for }uchlcr over In, several rivals Ihc
oulv bur among hi, chcstuut-. therefore. was the
cIilliN uuaccOuutablc uurcadIuc-s oi John Rector.
her father to give hi, consent 10 their hctrothdl
Not that hc had refused II He seemed to bc waiting
for something; and Bucklcr had been ON the point OF
Coupll,cuty making up ms mind that 1t VA, Juat
matter OF his making goOl which he considered Il
matter ol course when the }auc ease had come up.
The case Of Rector Company versus Y Has Bane
had come into 3ucklcr's hands 10y accident. IN ac-
clcnt had happened to Alexander FIlcld the old
LAWYER who had handled the RcctorS business tor
quarter Of a century, and incapacitatcd him for the
time being BuCklcr was the only available man at
the moment, and Fhcld had recommended HIM TO
John Rector. There would have been an element OF
humOr the situation, therefore, II Bart flnncy
hadn't disappeared, for. with Bart as witness, the
case looked easy Bucklcr. That why he sus-
pcctcd that Barts present absence might not be
simple case OF lost or straycd
TODAY was the eleventh. The young lawyer sat at
the window OF his office over 81 W Ills drugstore
and watched, curious eyes turn up toward him across
the street while Sheriff Reach told HIM the latest
tale Of failure in the long man hunt
Bucklcr a tall fellow of the bones and wire
type. Ills face little heavy, but oil StullOuS
cast with rather fine brown eyes which were usually
50 pood humOrcd and kind as to deceive people about
their posscSsor 5 stamina He the sort of fellow
that surprises one the kind that works or plans or
takes "A JOYOUS risk with equal fortitude and with
the same smile III his eyes.
There had been a little affair on the river some
three years ago, when they had got wet together
and Bucklcrs long legs had done some tall swim
ming for two. Neither OF them had ever talked much
about it; but that was Of the reasons why Sam
Reach was sorry he could not find Bart Fnney now.
Above the roofs of the two and three story gro
ccrcs and hardware and notion stores opposite the
Office rose the long gray-grccn slopes Of the noun
tain Old Drom. Away back, tNcnty-siX miles by
road, eighteen by railroad, up and round the noun
tain, lay the disputed territory over which the
legal fight was being made The steel way, largely
owned by Villas Bane. was only year old, and its
building had brought the Rector Banc ight to a
head Valuable timber and water rights in
VOWED, and the struggle was bitter almost to the
point Of violence.
Bucklcr's eyes followed the long cash in the green
woods that mapped the railroad 5 right of way like
big iattcned letter s To him it suddenly like
an emblem of the failure he was facing. Sam, he
SAID with little dry smile IS stands for simple
doesn't it? That's me; I'm the dupe in this case. y
Reach was used to him IS stands for Samuel
too, I'm thinkin, he remarked raising his shaggy
brows and turning his gray eyes on the mountainsde
also
Has Bane got US beat, Sam" asked Bucller
again. his lips settling into grave lines with the last
word
Looks lot like it. unless miracle happens" an
swered Reach
I'm make a fight of course" Buckler said; but