Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-11-16
CHAPTER xxI.-contlnued.
1t


"Surest thing on earth"--with
prompt acquiescence. And then: as
1t as bad as you thought it was going
to he. John?"
"Its about as bad as it can be-" was
the sober reply, and with that Smith
went In to wait for his interview with
the Timanyoni's best-beloved jurist.
At nine o'clock, or a few minutes
before the hour, David Kinzie, at his
desk in the Brewster City National,
telephoned a message that presently
brought Colonel Dexter Baldwin to the
private room in the bank known to
nervous debtors as "the sweatbox."
"Sit down, Dexter" said the banker
shortly; "sit down a minute while l
look at my mill"
1t was one of David Kinzie's small
subtleties to make q man sit idly thus,
on one pretext or another; 1t rarely
failed to put the incomer at a disad-
vantage, and on the present occasion
1t worked like charm. Baldwin had
let his cigar go out and had chewed
the end of it into pulp before Kinzie
launched out abruptly.
"You and have always been pretty
good friends, Dexter" he began, "and
have called you down here this
morning to prove to you that I am
still your friend. Where is your man
SmithT'
Baldwin shook his head. ST don't
4,
him since last evening"
"Has he run away. then"
The Missouri colonel squared him
self doggedly in the suppliant debtors
chair, which was the one KinZie had
placed for him. "What are you driv-
ing at, Dave?" he demanded.
"We1l tackle your end of it first"
said the banker CURLY. "Do you know
that you ana your crowd have come to
the bottom OF the bag on that dam
propositions"
mo, don't"
swell, you have. You've got just
one more day to live"
The Missourian fell back upon his
native phrase.
II reckon you'll have to show me,
Dave" asserted Baldwin stoutly. ''Put
go on. You've got your gun loaded:
what are you aiming it att"
"Just this: 1 told you weeks ago
that the other people were carrying
too many big guns for you. / don't
want to see you killed off, Dexter"
I'm no gutter; you ought to know
that, Dave" was the blunt rejOinder.
II know; but there are times when
1t is simply foolhardy to hold on. The
compromise proposition that I put up
TO you people while back still holds
good. But today is the last day, Dex-
ter. You must accept it now, If you
are going to accept 1t at all"
Sand if we refuse"
you'll go to smash, the whole kit
of you. AS I've said, this is the last
call"
By this time Baldwin's cigar was
hopeless wreck.
you've got something up your
sleeve, Dave: what is it?" he inquired.
The banker pursed his lips and the
hristling mustache assumed its most
aggressive angle.
There are a number of things, but
the one which concerns you most, just
now, is this: we've got Smiths record,
at last. He is an outlaw, with price
ca his head. We've dug out the whole
st@ry. He is defaulting bank CASH
Ter, and before he ran away, he tried
to kill his president"
Baldwin was f~owning heavily.
"Who told you all this? Was it this
Miss HIGHLANDER over at the Hophra
House.
"No; it was her father. sent one
Of my young men out to the Topaz
to look him up
"And you have telegraphed to the
chief of police, or the sheriff, or who
ever it is that wants Smith,"
mot yet. wanted to give you one
more chance, Dexter. Business comes
FIRST. The Brewster City National is
bank, not q detective agency. You
60 and find Smith and fire him; tell
him he is down and out; get rid of
him, once for all. Then come back
here and Wen fix up that compromise
with Stanton"
Baldwin found a match and tried to
seIight the dead cigar. But it was
chewed past redemption.
Let's get it plumb straight, Dave"
ne pleaded, in the quiet tone of one
who will leave no peace-keeping stone
unturned. "You say you've got John
dead to rights. Smith is a mighty COM
mon name. / shouldn't wonder If
There were half a million r so John
smiths--taking the country over. How
40 you know you've got the right
oneT
His middle name is Montague
snapped the banker "and the man
L. -.