The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-09-04
Continued from Last Week.

money and presents out of him and
fooling him. He was entirely cured Of
any infatuation he had felt for her.
Then there was Patsy. who for the
second time had dressed him down, sat
upon him and rubbed it in by putting
him through the disagreeable process
Of being shown up to himself. Finally
there was the low stableman with
whom he had associated, who had bull
lied him and threatened him with
personal violence. With Mallory at
least he would get even, and at once,
BY immediate dissolution of partner
ship and pressure for settlement of
their affairs. This. he knew, would
put Mallory to sore straits, owing to
his lack Of ready money and the oner-
GUS conditions of their contract. NAL
lory. in fact, would be placed in such
position that he would not be able to
carry on the stable. Practically it
would mean ruin for him and, there
fore, fer the whole OBrien family.
From this prospect Crawford derived
some consolation for his wounded feel
ings and ruffled temper.
"I'u teach the whole dirty crowd that
they bucked up against the wrong
man." he muttered. "I'll have those
girls fred from the Long Acre not later
than tomorrow, and 1t won't be my
fault IL they succeed in getting, or at
least In keeping, another engagement
in little old New York"
IA ~Ao noo{nnr nm onH .7n,,,, eor1~
ing In advance the fruit Of revenge,
when Rogers announced that O'Brien
wished to see him.
'"Ten OBrien to 60 to hades and
throw him down the elevator shaft If
he gives you any back talk" he Or
dered.
every good, sir" said the valet.
mo; Let him come in," called Craw-
ford, suddenly changing his mind.
O'Brien, hat in hand, was ushered in.
Crawford received him defiantly.
"What do you want?" he demanded
shortly.
"Oi came after me wolfe, who came
to fetch Nora" replied the old man,
his blue eyes fixing him fearlessly.
"Your wife went away from here
with Mallory some time ago." said
Crawford. "The whole family appears
to be coming here one after the other"
"God knows OF doan't want to trou-
bic ye amy. an OF didn't come here
to pay no social CALL" retorted the old
man, "but Owe a roight to fetch me
own wolfe an a roight to know If it's
true that Nora comes here"
"Ask your wife, ask Mallory. I've
told them all l intend to say. I'm tired
Of answering to one set of fools a pack
Of lies told by other fools, and I'm
through with the whole gang. All l
get for taking an interest in your pre-.
cious girls and being kind to them is
ingratitude and abuse. Here's a note
for $500 lent them to get them out OF
a hole. It's signed with your name
as you can see. Here, take it and give
it to them as souvenir If they or you
haven't the decency to make good"
he handed the note to the old man,
who gazed alternately at him and the
paper, too bewildered to comprehend it
for moment.
"D'ye mean to say me girls Dor.
rowed $500 av ye in my name?" he
asked.
that's what they did," affirmed
Crawford "And it's up to you to pay
"Oi can't payv' said the old man,
aghast. "Oi haven't got $500 in the
world, leave alone in me pocketbook. -
Crawford shrugged his shoulders and
refusing the paper O'Brien held out to
him, turned on his heels.
'Well, being swindled out of $500
more or less won't ruin me-" he said
Il suppose it was only what l ought
to have expected, seeing the class of
people have been fool enough to deal
with"
The old man put his hand on the fel.
lows shoulder and swung him around.
''See here, Mister Crawford" he said
calmly, but with hard glitter in his
eyes. "Oim no swindler an no fool,
but an honest man, Old have We on
derstand. OF can hold up me head be.
fore me Maker an say that no one in
the world or out of it iver lost a
penny owed by me or suffered amy
wrong done by me. OF doan't know
phwat this means. OF doan't know yit
the meanin' av anything Owe heered
this night. But OF will know, an that
noighty soon, an those that disarve it
will git all that's comm to them, who.
ever they may be, We can bank on
that"
"A). right" answered Crawford sar-
castically. There's $500 coming to
me-"
The old man went out without say
ing good night and started downtown,
grimly determined to get at the bottom
Of this matter of the note, of the disap.
pearance Of his daughters and of all
that he had heard. In presence of
Crawford, to whom he had gone with
the idea Of finding out what there was
to the stories that linked Morals name
with his and of ''skinning him alive
as he had mentally expressed it, If he
found even the remotest justification
for the suspicion that Crawford had
been trying to lead her astray, he had
stood COMPOUNDED by the evidence of
the debt contracted. For what posi-
bic purpose could the girls have need
ed $500? For furnishing their fat?
No; this, they had told him, had been
done on the installment plan. and ey-
erything had been paid up. Then for
what? And how had they dared to
atom hSa nomo IN THE nror,,ico ~ nav