The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-28
CHAPrER ".

CHAPTER XXI.
 @1HE purple had left Congress
 man Atkins' face, but the
 speechmaking habit is not like 1 ly to be broken
 Cyrus Whittaker," he stammered, ''have you been drinking2 Your Ian guage to me is, abominab1aFa, Why I permit myself to ren1aina here and lis- ten to ss8chsAae ssa 2
 'rLf you'll keep stu I'll tell you why. And if I was you I~wouldn't be too anxious to find out This everlastdn' cold don't make me over and above good tempered, and when think of what you've done to that little girl, or what you tried to- do, have to hold myself down t1ght-tight-and don't you forget iti Now you keep quiet and listen Itn be best for you, He man Your cards ain't under the table any longer. I've seen your hand, and I know why yoUve been -playin' it. I know the whole game. I've been west, and EEerdean- and have had talk" As
 MT. Atkins had again risen from the chair. Now he fell heavily back into it His lips moved as if he, meant to speak, but he did not At the mention of the Everdean name he made a
 
 'E know the whole business, He man." went on the captain. '1 know why you was so knocked over when you learned who Bos'nswas gthe night. of the party. I know why ysyou took up with that blackguardET Thomas and why you've spent your good money hir3nT lawyers for him know about the mine. I know the swhole thing from first to last Shall I tell you ? Do you want to hear 1tT'': aaA l,fsf The great man did, notsanswer. Al drop of perspiraEion shone-en, his high forehead, and the veins of his big, white hands stood out as- he clutched the arms ofshls chair. The monument was tottering on its base.
 AsIt's a dirty mess, the whole of it." continued Captain Cy. 'And yet can see-I suppose I can see-some excuse for you at the 1beginntn'. When old man Everdean and his crowd bought you and John Thayer out way back there in '54, after John died, and all the money was put into your hands, I cal'late you was Thonest tfRn. I wouldn't wondersi ii. you meant So hand over the $37, ,5OOtto your partners wid- ow. Butctwas sharder. andemor risky to send money east in sthems days than 'tis now, and so you waited thinH1n' maybe that you'd fetch iteto Emilyi when you come yourself But you didn't come Ihome for some years; you went tradins downs along the SFeeJees and around thatsway. That's how Il reasoned it out these last fewsdays on the train give you credit for betnSI honest first along. ABut never mind whether you was or not-yous haven't been since. You never pafdt over a cent of that poor feIlers moneEhonest money, that be- Iongeds ito his 1heirss and belongs to 'en now. You've Ahung. ons to it, stole it, used it for. yours-I And Emily worked and scratched. for q Twin and died poor. And Maryy eheSdfeds after @bein' abused and deserted by that cussed husbands of hers And you thought you wasrsafe, T. cal'Iate. And then, Bos'n turns up right in your own towns right acrostxfhe road. from youi By the big dlpper. it's enough to make a feIler believe that the Almighty does take a hand jim straightenfn' out such things when us humans 1bungle 'ern-, fit is sol ~Course T ain'ts sure, xHeman, what you meant to do when you found that the child you'd stole that money from was go1n' to be under your face and eyes till y0utOr she e.d1eG. caPiat9 you was afraid I'd find somethin' out, want you2 T presume likely you thought that T, not havfn' quite the reverence<for syou that the rest of the Exporters have. might be sharp. enough or lucHy enough to smell a rat. Perhaps you. suspici0ned that I knew the Everdeans. Anyhow you wanted to get the child as fur out of your sight and out Of my hands as you could Atn'ts that so2 And when .her dad turned up you thought you saw your chance. Heman, you answer me this: Amt 1t part of your bargain with Thomas that when he gets his little girl he shall take her and clear out, away off somewheres, for good? Amt it now-whatP'
 The monument was swayfng, was <winging from side to side, but 1t did not quite fal1-not then. The congress mans cheeks hung fabby, his fore head was wet and he shook from head to foot. But he cIinched his jaws and made one last attempt at defiance.
 1T don't know what you mean" he declared 'SYou-you seem to be ac- cusing me of something-of stealing, I beIieEss Do you understand who I am2 I have some influence and repu- tatson, and it is dangerous to-to try to frighten me. Proofs are required in law and