The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-09-27

girl IN Belmont. and. by God, she'll
have an equal chance"
W hat can | do" asked Gilbert
IL was for this Kerr had waited.
1t was for this moment that he had
called the past TO mind. He had
wanted Gilbert to have before him
the many obligations under which he
rested. IL is true that he could have
commanded but he was too much the
easy boss TO issue orders where he
could hold forth glittering reward
as the price of valuable services. To
the ward heeler the word of the boss
Is fetish to be blindly worshiped.
To his few leading leutenants the
command is coated with sugar which
has negotiable value. Gilbert hav-
ing asked what he could do brought
Kerr al once to the arrangement he
mad planned whereby the lawyer
would profit through the introduction
OF Miss Kerr to society.
I've made bargains all my life.
Amos,-tonight l make one with you,
Prosecuting attorney, Judge, corpora.
tion counsel with all the money
| you've made"
Al this Gilbert made a dsparaging
gesture which caused Kerr to add in
fees with all the money you've made,
you stIll fall short of the riches that'll
purchase real freedom | know how
you stand, and things are pretty much
in the balance.
Think what it means to your
daughter money" AS he spoke he
pointed TO the girls picture It's
! leisure, travel, friends abroad, an as
sured future. | can give them to you,
II, David Kerr. and | will-on one
condition. Gloria Kerr must have the
place she thinks is hers in Belmont" ."
He paused to let the lawyer grasp
the Importance and the value of such
an Undertaking, and then disclosed
the means by which the fortune was
to be secured. If a man should ever
pay another out of his own pocket
for such service he would be a
philanthropist and not political
leader; Kerr was certainly not the
former, and his life training had
never caused him to separate a dollar
|
could extract it without pain-to him
from some one else.
For this one thing" he exclaimed
I"1 give freely into your hands any
franchise you may draw for the stock
yards belt line railway. Disguise it
as street railway line to run down
Maple avenue. Make what bargain
/ n
million dollars, it's worth it, And al
ways remember. I'm back Of you
The possibilities of the scheme
overwhelmed Gilbert. What he was
to do for Kerr, even the fight for the
franchise, did not enter his mind. He
was busy thinking of the freedom he
could purchase in so short time
All that he had ever dreamed of coulo
be brought to pass. Kerr, who knew
almost to a dollar the financial stand
ing of every man in Belmont. wa
we'll aware that Gilbert had been har,
hit in several stock exchange trans
actions, so badly in the last one tina
he had called upon the boss for as
sistance Yet he had just told Ken
dali that he would have nothing NOR,
to do with that kind Of work. He hat
begun to develop conscience-fo
Julia's sake, perhaps, for his daugh
ter's future-and here came Kerr wht
wanted him to go down once more
into the maelstrom of shady politics
for the sake of his daughter.
His gratitude for what Kerr ha(
done for him was great enough tt
cause him to do anything for Kerr:
daughter he could. but since the bosi
had put it up to him and he had bacl
of him all the boss's power, he begaI
to wonder why he should not accep
the opportunity to make a fortune
quickly. 1t had been held out to hin
as meaning leisure, travel, friends
and a roseate future for his Julia. H'
longed for those things for himself
no less, and here was the chance o
his lifetime. He would know how t.
we'll for the legal advice he woult
give them.
ut won't be easy" said Gilber
finally.
Kerr had won his first victory. Th'
lawyer had surrendered.
That's why | came to you," wal
the boSs's answer, reply charged
with subtle fattery. Gilbert really die
represent in his autocracy the bes
element; SNUG set, perhaps. bu
still the best. To- other lieutenant.
were delegated hammer and tont
Jobs; Gilbert was the instrument
when finesse was required.
There's a certain element. Mr.
Kerr, it will be hard to win over
that wholesale clique. You have M
direct dealing with the men, and
well-that is-you see, they don
know you and they might not be in
terested in Gloria. They're a clan
nish lot"
| CTO BE CONTINUEDD