Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1915-02-17
Copyright A. c. McClurg & Co.. 19lO
CHAPTER xVIII-ContInued

'Wait a minute" he said quietly.
That isn't all. | thank you, Brand.
Tor your solicitious care for me-" He
emphasized the word noticably. But
] have been doing some thinking OF my
own in the last half hour and my plans
don't seem to go on at all where yours
leave off. 1t might interest you to
know, before you go, that | am going
to stay right here and tell the truth
from first to last-from the time you
nolds received letter from you the
other day showing that you had vol
unfairly squared a criminal transac-
ton for me at the bank"
AS he finished Bob's fist came down
on the little center table and almost
shattered 1t. There was the vigor and
determination that Brand had had to
respect once before when he had
loOsed his wiles on a more gullible re-
c1pient. But now, In this crisis. he had
not even considered the chance of OPP
position to his will First astonished,
thOu HIS uOllu
now revealed their old cunning.
You play the game big, Reynolds"
he said at last. Either this is a
holdup right, or you have gone clear
crazy"
"All right. Rave all you want to,
Brand. 1t can't do any harm now. |
told you last week there we're two
ways to get out Of it all: One was
money and the other was to make a
clean breast of it. One can't have all
he wants all the time. You had your
chance ten days ago and you threw 1t
away. l gave YOU my terms and you
took advantage Of my helplessness
and ignored them. You stayed away
and paid that paltry $4,000 at the
bank. You thought you would fright
en- my wife; that your magnanimity
in releasing us from immediate peril
would impress her and that In the end
she would welcome the release you Of
fered. Well you succeeded with her
but not with me. For her sake was
almost inclined to let matters drop,
but this terrible affair has changed 1t
all. We have taken human life, and
lot Of it, and some one has got to pay,
80 If anyone Is going to take the Lusi |
tania, you're the man who had better
hurry and pack his grip"
Brand stepped quickly to Reynolds,
a tower Of indignant rage. Trapped |
or cornered he was always Brand al |
ways ready to put his back to the wall |
and fight--in the open II he couldn't |
fight from ambush. Bearded and al
most beaten now. he quivered in his
wrath and shook threatening fist
straight In Reynolds face.
You're big, blasted baby and an
imbecile!" he cried You play the
gutter now and I'll make you regret it
to the last day Of your life. III fight
and III win as | always have. You
cant keep man with money In Jail.
Those three words cant be grouped
in the same language! But what's the
use of talking" he added disgustedly.
"You can't lay down now if you want
to. You haven't got the nerve to send
that girl there to the penitentiary for
six or eight or ten years, to come out
left to suggest who she was. Do you
know what prison does to. men, Rey-
nolds? Breaks 'em-body, mind and
SOUL Well, what will 1t do to wom-
an, then? To your wife? For II we go
she goes with us. I've told you that
and I mean it, SO l guess my bluffs
about as strong as yours"
He turned partly to Dick and. as II
to cinch his threat, added:
And I'm not sure but that our viz
tuous friend here will be keeping US
That's law and you know
it,"
Bob" cried his wife, creeping to his
side and cuddling against him as II she
saw in Brand some hybrid monster
whom she really feared. 'Ill go. Any
thing you say, dear! I'm not afraid 1
not afraid" Weeping softly, in obvi-
Gus contradiction to her courageous 1
stand, she nestled closer to his side.
We stand upon the brink Of high {
precipice and looking down are OBJ {
sessed with a strange desire to jump.
The thought of life has vanished in a {
Yale Of endless depths-the hold on 1t
q infinitesimal A bird flying over |
head. startled by the strange intruder
n his realms, drops twig he Is carry {
ng to his nest The tiny bit of wood
autters to the mountain top and at s