The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-02-27


tend she shall She's the equal Of any
girl in Belmont, and, by God, she'll
have an equal chance"
What can do?" asked Gilbert.
1t 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, 1t is true that he could have
commanded, but he was too much the
easy boss to issue orders where he
could hold forth a glittering reward
as the price Of valuable services. To
the ward heller the word Of the boss
is a fetish to be blindly worshiped.
To his few leading lieutenants the
command is coated with sugar which
has a negotiable value. Gilbert haV-
ing asked what he could do brought
Kerr at once to the arrangement he
had planned whereby the lawyer
would profit through the introduction
| Ol MISS heIT 10 society.
/ I've made bargains all my life,
Amos, tonight | make one with you,
Prosecuting attorney, judge, corpora
ton counsel, with all the money
you've made"
At this Gilbert made disparaging
gesture which caused Kerr to add, lin
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. TITS
leisure, travel, friends abroad, an as
sured future. | can give them to you
l, David Kerr; and l wilton 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 II a man should ever
pay another out Of his own pocket
for such a service he would be s
philanthropist and not a politica
leader; Kerr was certainly not the
former, and his life training hac
never caused him to separate dollar
from his own bank account when ht
could extract it without pain-to hin
from some one else.
For this one thing" he exclaimed
II give freely into your hands an.
franchise you may draw for the stock
yards belt line railway. Disguise
as street railway line to run dow
Maple avenue. Make what bargain
you like, five hundred thousand,
million dollars, it's worth it. And a
ways remember, I'm back OF you"
The possibilities of the schem
overwhelmed Gilbert. What he wa
to do for Kerr. even the fight for tn
franchise, did not enter his mind. H
was busy thinking Of the freedom h
could purchase in so short a time
All that he had ever dreamed Of coul
be brought to pass. Kerr, who kne'
almost to a dollar the financial stant
ing of every man in Belmont, wa
= well aware that Gilbert had been har
hit in several stock exchange trans
actions, so badly In the last one the
he had called upon the boss for a.
sistance. Yet he had just told Kel
dali that he would have nothing NOR
to do with that kind of work He ha
| begun to develop conscience-fC
Julia's sake, perhaps, for his daugl
ter's future-and here came Kerr VIII
wanted him to go down once nor
into the maelstrom of shady polite
for the sake of his daughter.
His gratitude for what Kerr ha
! done for him was great enough
cause him to do anything for Kerr
daughter he could, but since the bot
had put it up to him and he had BAG
: of him all the boss's power, he bega
to wonder why he should not accel
the opportunity to make a fortuI
quickly 1t had been held out to hi
as meaning leisure, travel, FRIEND
: and roseate future for his Julia. I
longed for those things for himse
, no less, and here was the chance
his lifetime. He would know how
make those Chicago schemers p'
well for the legal advice he wou
give them
1T won't be easy" said Glide
finally.
Kerr had won his first victory IT
r. lawyer had surrendered.
'e That's why came to you," W
Is the boss's answer, reply charg
e with subtle flattery. Gilbert really q
represent in his autocracy the be
element; SNUG set, perhaps, b
ie still the best. To other lieutenar
n were delegated hammer and to
RI jobs; Gilbert was the instrume
|