Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-09-23
By CLINTON II. STAGG
Copyrighted by The Frank A. Munsey Co.

would kill suspicion. The girls eyes
went soft again and light of laugh.
| ter came. Her innocent heart accept.
ed that story without question. 1t
was impossible for her to believe
badness even when she saw it.
"Can l beg your pardon?" he asked
in near whisper, meeting her eyes,
then lowering his.
Il must beg yours!" she said i'm
pulsively, thrusting out her little
white hand to meet his dirty fingers.
Why couldn't she understand?
There was no paint on your coat
that saw, and the other seats were
empty" I snapped.
Il don't blame you for not seeing
it."
The girl went bit pink, but there
was absolutely nothing to take offense
at, the way he said it. Oh, he was
smooth--as smooth as-Td been!
The look that Alice gave ME was
curious, new one, and / realized that
the instinct which is in all women had
told her that mans jealousy had come
into her life for>the first time. II her
intuition could only have told her all!
"Mr. Haviland," he went on easily,
pretending not to notice my attitude,
Il was sent up here by Mr.. Rogers,
stockman of the Swelton Company"
l saw the sudden look of interest
come to the old mans face and knew
what was coming. and l knew | had
to play the game-the game l had plt
in Mike Garven's hands years before.
1--WE want YOU to place some stock
for q new power-plant company down
south"
"Too busy" gave him the cd
first lead of the confidence man.
"Oh, this isn't big thing. 1t
hadn't ought to take much of your
time"
"Shmc two hundred and fifty thou
sand proposition, l suppose" l said
sneeringly. "Pve given up botherirg
with that stuff. Million is the small
est l handle"
! l know i sounds like farce comedy
| to YOU, perhaps; but it wasn't. Il was
! Hades for me, and it was tragedy Cor
the little girl who was drinking in
each word with parted lips; and for
her father who had dreamed his
dreams: and for the patient folks
down south who were waiting.
"This is million" he assured lac
so hastily that anvbody'd think vas
the only man in the world wko would
do for the great lrm of j. p. Sweltor
& Co.
OF course It was crude stuff: but It
had to be. The man and girl we were
trying to impress We're so innocent
that they couldn't have understood
anything else.
1--WE want you to place the whole
issue, except ten per cent" he went
on. 1--WE don't expect you to get par;
all we want is a quick turnover Ct
Our money"
Then he seemed to remember that
the girl and her father were still
there. 81 beg your pardon" he apol-
ogized. "I'd really forgotten. You
see, we New Workers are SO chock full
OF business that we can't think of
anything else, waking or sleeping"
"Please go on, do." cried the girl,
giving him look that made me grit
my teeth. If she could only see be.
hind those boozepuffed eyes that
were insulting her every minute they
looked her way!
"I've got "a" began the old man
60 L;
short as though he didn't exist. 1t
wasn't time for him to come in yet.
Turnover" he explained to the
girl-but he was really telling them
both, because they'd have to under
stand every word so that they'd be
primed to hand over the money at the
right time-"really means inverting
capital so that you can pile as much
on the bottom as there is on the top.
Doubling it, you see"
He talked to me again. "Well be
satisfied if you get tlfty-one. No one
seems to want southern power devel-
opment stock nowadays"
Ill come down in the morning and
look into it," / promised grudgingly.
"Fine!" he grinned. Then he turn
ed to face the man and the girl "May
see you again?" he asked in his
smoothest voice. "I've got to hustle
row. Mighty lucky for me that your
father happened to tell me where Mr..
Haviland was likely to be when he
heard me asking for him out in the
cafe"
"Can't you stay. really?" she asked
him. almost wistfully, l thought.
He was dying to stay, but he didn't
dare. He had to play his game, too
and the biggest thing con man ever
learns is that the person who is to be
trimmed must be left alone with the
head worker at the psychological mo
ment. This was his time to go, and he
knew 1t; he knew well Mike Garyer
would know it. too, unless he played
according to rule.
Sorry" he groaned as though he