Mexico Missouri message., 1917-10-11
CHAPTER XxI.-contlnued.
IA


70 be, Johnw
"It's about as bad as It can be-" was
he sober reply, and with that Smith
vent in to wait for his interview with
he Timanyoni's best-beloved jurist.
At nine o'clock, or a few minutes
before the hour, David Kinzle. 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 /
look at my mall"
It 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
It worked like a charm. Baldwin had
let his cigar go out and had chewed
the end of 1t into pulp before Kinzie
swung around in his chair and
launched out abruptly.
"You and I have always been pretty
good friends, Dexter" he began, "and
I 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. T don't
know" he answered. II haven't seen
him since last evening""
"Has he run away, thenT
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, DaveT he demanded.
"We1l tackle your end Of It first"
said the banker curtly. "Do you know
that you and your crowd have come to
the bottom Of the bag on that dam
proposition"
"No, I don't"
"Well, 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. "But
20 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. I don't
want to see you killed off, Dexter"
I'm no Quitter; 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 1t now, If you
are going to accept 1t at ALL"
"And II we refuse?"
''You1l go to smash, the whole kit
Of you. AS I've said, this is the last
call"
By this time Baldwin's cigar was a
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 a number Of things, but
the one which concerns you most, just
Ow, Is this: we've got Smiths record,
I last. He is an outlaw, with price
n his head. We've dug out the whole
tory. He is a defaulting bank cash
er, and before he ran away, he tried
20 kill his president"
Baldwin was frowning heavily.
"Who told you all this2 Was 1t this
Miss Richlander over at the Hophra
| House.
"No; 1t 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 Smithf"
"Not yet. wanted to give you one
more chance, Dexter. Business comes
first. The Brewster City National is
q bank, not detective agency. You
20 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
rslight the dead cigar. But 1t was
ehewed past redemption.
Lets get 1t plumb straight, Dave,
he 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 mighty com
mon name. I shouldn't wonder II
there were half a million r so John
Smiths-taking the country over. How
do you know you've got the right
onef"
'HIs middle name Is Montague
snapped the banker, "and the mar
who is wanted called himself j. Mon
tague Smith, But we can identify
Linn positively. Mr.. Richlander'i
daughter can tell us IL lie Is the righ
Smith, and she probably viii II the po
lice hHk her to-"
BaldwiG maj have. had his owl
opinion about tint. but II so, he KEEP