Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-09-26
CHAPTER xxI.-continued.


to be, John?"
tits 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 1.-THE sweatbox."
''Sit down, Dexter" said the banker
shortly; "sit down a minute while /
look at nay mail"
1t was one of David Kinzie's small
subtleties to make man sit idly thus,
on one pretext or another; IL rarely
failed to put the incomer at disad-
vantage, and on the present occasion
II worked like a charm. Baldwin had
let his cigar go out and had chewed
the end of it into a pulp before Kinzie
swung around in his chair and
launched out abruptly.
you and have always been pretty
good friends. Dexter" he began, land
have called you down here this
morning to prove TO you that I am
still your friend. Where is your man
Smith,"
Baldwin shook his head. 81 don't
know" he answered. Il haven't seen
him since last evening"
HAS he run away, Them
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.
wen tackle your end Of 1t first"
said the banker CURLY. 'Do you know
that you and your crowd>have come to
the bottom of the bag on that dam
propositions"
mo, don't"
"WeI, you have. You've got just
one more day to live"
The Nissourian fell back upon his
native phrase.
81 reckon you'll have to show me,
Dave" asserted Baldwin stoutly. "But
go on. You've got your gun loaded:
what are you aiming it att"
"Just this: told. you weeks ago
that the other people were carrying
too many big guns for you. l don't
want to see you killed off, Dexter"
I'm no gutter; you ought TO know
that, Dave" was the blunt rejoinder.
81 know; but there are times when
1t Is simply foolhardy to hold on. The
compromise proposition that / put up
to you people a while back still holds
good But today is the last day, Dex-
ter. You must accept it now, If you
are going to accept it at ALL"
"And 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
briStling mustache assumed its most
aggressive angle.
There are 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
on his head. We've dug out the whole
story. He is defaulting bank cash
fer. and before he ran away, he tried
to kill his president"
Baldwin was frowning heavily.
"who told you all this? Was it this
Miss Richlander over at the Hophra
House.
mo; Ii was her father. I 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 1t is that wants Smith,
"Not yet. / wanted to give you one
more chance, Dexter. Business comes
first. The Brewster City National is
a bank, not q detective agency. You
go and find Smith and fire him; tell
hlm he is down and out; get rid of
aim, once for all. Then come back
here and Wen fix up that compromise
with Stanton"
Baldwin found a match and tried to
relight the dead cigar. But 1t was
chewed past redemption.
Lets 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. l shouldn't wonder If
there were half million r so John
Smfths-taking the country over. How
do you know you've got the right
OneT'
His middle name Is Montague,
snapped the banker, "and the man
who is wanted called himself y. Mon
tague Smith But we can identify
him positively. Mr.. Richlanders
daughter can tell US if he is the right
Smith. and she probably will if the po-
lice ask her to"
Baldwin may have had his own.
opinion about that. but if so, he kept
IT TO himself and spoke feelingly of
other things.
Dave" he said, rising to stand over
the sauare-built man in the swing
chair, SITS like pulling a sound tooth
TO have to tell you the plain truth.
You've got a mighty b;i case Of
money-rot. The profit account has
grown so big with you that you can't
see over the top of it. You've horsed
back and forth between Stanton's ont
fit and ours until you can't tell the