The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-07-14
Not more than THAR


Oh. yes; you say the Hillman check IL
In; had overlooked 1t. All right,
thank YOU"
When the waiter had removed the
desk set, the engineer leaned toward
his table companion:
"Mr. Massingale, I'm going to ask
you to tell me frankly what kind of .
deal it was you made with Cartwright
and the bank people"
1T was the biggest tom-fool razzIe
that any Twin live man out of luna.
| tic 'sylum ever went into" confessed
the prisoner of fate. Il was to stock
the Susan for half a million-oh, she's
worth it, every dollar Of It; you might
say the ores in sight for 1t right now"
this in Difference to Brouillard's
brow-lifting of surprise. "They was to
put in hundred thousand cash, and I
was to put in the mine and the ore on
the dump, just as she stood"
The engineer nodded and Massingals
went on.
Il was to have two-thirds OF the
stock and they was to have one-third.
The hundred thousand for develop
ment we'd get at the bank, on my
notes. because was president and the
biggest stakeholder, with John Yves,
as indorser. Then, to protect the bank
accordin' to law, they said, we'd put
the whole bunch O. stock-mine and
their'n-into escrow in the hands of
Judge Williams. When the notes was
| maid fha iI6On'h hand ctn no
to u.s.
Just moment" interrupted Brouil
lard. did you sign those notes per.
sonally, or as president Of the new
company"
That's where they laid for me-"
said the old man shamefacedly Right
/ there is where John Wes' ten-dollar-a
/ bottle sody-pop stuff we was soppin'
up must "a foolished me plumb silly"
so it amounts to this: You have
given them clean third of the Susan
for the mere privilege of borrowing
one hundred thousand dollars on your
own paper And if you don't pay, you
lose the remaining two-thirds as we'll"
That's about the way it stacks up
to sober man. Looks like needed
janitor to look after my upper story,
don't it? And reckon mebby do"
"One thing more" pressed the re-
lentless querist. did you really handle
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. develop.
ment fund yourself, Mr.. Massingale?"
We'll, no; not exactly. Ten thou.
sand dollars Of what they called
contingent fund was put in my name;
but the treasurer handled most Of it
nachurly, we bein' a stock company"
Brouillard took out his pencil and
began to make figures on the back of
the menu card. He knew the equip.
ment Of the Little Susan" and his
speciality was the making of estimates.
Hence he was able to say, after a min.
ute or two of figuring:
IT'S bad business any way you at
tack 1t. What you have really got for
yourself out of the deal is the ten thou.
sand-dollar deposit to your personal &C.
count, and nothing more; and they'll
probably try to make you a debtor for
that. Taking that amount and fair
estimate OF the companys expendi.
lures to date-say thirty-five thousand
in round numbers, which is fairly
chargeable to the company's assets as
whole-they still owe you about fifty.
five thousand of the original hundred
thousand they were to put in. II
there were time-but you say this is
the last day."
1.-THE last half o. the last day." Mas.
singale amended.
THAT being the case, there is no
help for it; you'll have to take your
medicine and pay the notes. Do that,
take an iron-clad receipt from the bank
Ill write 1t out for you-and get the
stock released. After that, we'll give
them whirl for the thirty-three and
a third per cent they have practically
stolen from you"
The old mans face, remindful now
of his daughters, was a picture of dis.
mayed incertitude.
Il reckon you're forgettin' that I
hain't got money enough to lift one
edge o. them notes." he said gently.
Brouillard had found piece of blank
paper in his pocket and was rapidly
writing the "iron-clad" receipt.
mo, hadn't forgotten. have some
thing over hundred thousand dollars
lying idle in the bank. You'll take 1t
and pay the notes."
1t was bolt out Of clear sky for
the old man tottering on the brink OF
his fourth pit Of disaster, and he
evinced his emotion-and the tense
strain of keyed-up nerves-by drop
ping his lifted coffee cup with crash
into his plate. The little accident was
helpful in its way-it made diver
sion-and by the time the TX was
repaired speech was possible.
Are you-are you plumb sure you
can spare it?" asked the debtor husk-
lily. And then: 81 caynt seem TO sort
o. surround it-all in a bunch, that
way. knowed j. Wesley had me