Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-03-02
N EPISODE
LIVING DEAD

I'm opposed to your plan, sir"
Enoch Golden declared with heat, and
l always will be opposed to i'll"
David Manley. as he stared across
the table at the rufled old millionaire,
tried to coHarol himself to patience.
But you acknowledge that you are
equally opposed to Legar's %intrusions
into this house, to having his secret
agents planted about at your elbows.
But when l work out a plan that offers
q reasonable promise Of trapping Le-
gar and his men, you stop the whole
business by declaring it's lacking in
dignity"
Dignity is something which depart
ed from this house the day Legar first
forced his way into IT." was Golden's
bitter retort.
"Precisely!" cried young Manley.
"His whole campaign has been n Of
intimidation, Of threats and assaults
and reprisals. They have been try
ing to fight US with terror. So my
contention is. why not give them a
dose OF their mediclne7 Why not
fight them with their own weapons,
and in doing so. perhaps go them one
better?"
But l can only repeat my convic-
lions that your plan can't succeed"
protested the tremulous-voiced old
hnancier.
why not leave that to me?" cut in
young Manley, with his first touch OF
lmpatience.
I've left a good many things to you,
Davyi but / don't encourage men to
plan their own funerals!"
"Yet I've thought this out, sir, and
I maintain that It's worth a try. You
know az we'll as l do that these men
who work with Legar are an ignorant
and illiterate lot. They're not afraid
OF force. But when you confront them
with the supernatural. you get them
face TO face with something they cant
understand. And what they can't un
derstand they r going to be afraid
of"
"And you think you're going tC
brighten 'em away with a casket!"
I'm going TO make them believe thai
David Manley. having departed thii
life because OF an attack on his per
son by one Mauki. with poisoned ar
rows, is about to be duly inferred II
the Golden ~mausoleum, and"
But you couldn't even get = wal
ngure hat would fool a hye-year-olC
childl You couldn't"
i've already got the figure, inter
rupted Manley. And 1t strikes me al
being an exceptionally perfect one"
But what's all this funeral bushes
to lead TOT" demanded the old fnan
cier.
1T leads to the fact that Legar a n
bis men will be duly informed of m.
death, for I want all the servants II
this house TO pass before the caske
and see me In Il. And Legar's SD!
will be one Of them. So Legar, yol
may be sure. will get the facts as sooi
rs they are known. He will be tippe'
on as I o the day and hour OF thu
funeral. He will also be told that tn,
cortege, say Of three carriages, is 4
proceed to the Golden m~ausoleum, ant
that Margery Golden is to go in on,
OF the carriages. And that lonely spo
will strike him as precisely the righ
SrOt for making a coup"
And what do we gain by that3"
Wen all our big th~lrty-thousant
dollar mausoleum with thirty big police
men. and round up the gang beforI
Legar can even smell a rat"
But Enoch Golden remained unoon
Vinced.
Well. It may be a brilliant plan
but you can please leave me out OF II,
he finally announced.
That's Just what I've been asking
for" explained Manley. IAN | want 4
TO be allowed TO conduct II In my owl
way"
David Manley. however. did not cor
quot that strange funeral altogethe
In his " way. Carefully as ever
detail had been planned, there wer
one or two minor features which a
the time escaped his attention
The most i-nconspiouOus and yet tn
most vital Of these was. perhaps. IN
personality Of the driver Of the thir
aFriage In that small cortege Whic
Vended ia way 20 d~ecorously from III
1oidon home. For under the funerel
iaGnt q AN PlAeid-Syod driver r