The Huttig news., 1916-06-17

] gress at the last session. appointing committee to investigate this Coronida claim right here on the ground No body seems to have any definite de tails. and it possibly hasn't occurred to anyone that congress hasn't been in session since Mirapolis was born. But that doesn't matter. The committee is coming; you have engaged rooms fer it here in Bongras' You are ex. pecting the private-car special next week"
 "Well?" said the magnate You're a pretty good kindergartner But what of it?"
 "oh, nothing Only think you might have taken me in on the little side play. What if l had gone about town coItradicting the rumor?"
 "Why should you? It's true The congressional party will be here next week, and nobody has made any secret of it."
 Still, might have been taken in," persisted Brouillard suavely You'll surely want to give me my instruc. tions little beforehand, won't you? Just think how easily things might get tangled. Suppose 1 should say to some body-to Garner, for example-that the town was hugely mistaken; that no congressional committee had ever been appointed; that these gentlemen who are about to visit us are mere complaisant friends of yours, coming as your guests, on a junketing trip at your expense. Wouldn't that be rather awkward?"
 The mayor of Mirapolis brought his hands together, fist in palm, and for a fitting instant the young engineer saw in the face of the father the same ex- pression that he had seen in the face of the son when Van Bruce Cartwright was struggling for a second chance to kill man.
 Damn you!" said the magnate saw agely; you always know too muchi You're bargaining with mel"
 Well, you have bargained with me, first, last and all the time," was the cool retort On each occasion I have had my price. and you have paid it. Shall l go over to the Spotlight office and tell Harlan what know?"
 You cant bluff me that way, Brouil- lard, and you ought to sense it by this time. Do you suppose I don't know how you are flxed?-that you've got money-money that you used to say you owed somebody else-tied tip in Mirapolis investments? ?"
 Brouillard rose and buttoned his coat
 There Is one weak link in your chain, MT. Cartwright" he said even- ly; you don't know men. Put on your coat and come over to Harlan's office with me. It will take just about two minutes to satisfy you that I'm not bluffing"
 For moment it appeared that the offer was to be accepted. But when ! he had one arm in a coat sleeve Brouillard's antagonist in the game of hardihood changed his tactics
 Forget it." he growled morosely. What do you want this time"
 T want you to send wire to Red Butte telling the shelter people that you will be glad to have them handle the Little Susan ore"
 And if do?"
 "If you do, two things otherwise due to happen adversely will go over to your side of the market I'll agree to If af h 1l,a No ington delegation, and 1 think I can promise that Harlan won't make a scarehead of the facts concerning the Coronida land titles"
 MT. Cartwright thrust the other arm into the remaining coat sleeve and scowled. But the rebound to the norm of brusque good nature came almost immediately
 You are improving wonderfully, Brouillard, and that's no joke I have large respect for man who can out bid ne in my own corner. You ought to be in business-and you will be, some time I'll send the wire, but warn you in advance that can't make the shelter people take Massingale's ore if they don't want to. All can do is to give the old man a free field"
 That is all he will ask-all I'll ask, except one small personal favor: Don't rub your masquerading Washington delegation into me too hard A fine quality of noninterference is about all you are buying from me-
 Tell me one thing, Brouillard: What is your stake in the Massingale game? Are you silent partner in the Little Susan'?"
 No"
 Then why are you so anxious to make old David a rich man at my ex- pense? Are you going to marry the girl?"
 The engineer did not resent the ques- tion as he would have resented it a few weeks earlier. Instead he smiled and said: "A little while ago, Mir. Cartwright, l told you that you didn't know men; now I'll add that you don't know women"
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