Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-09-07
CHAPTER xxI.-contlnued.


Will you wait and take met"
"Surest thing on earth"-with
prompt acquiescence. And then: 'Is
1t as bad as you thought 1t was going
TO be- John2
"It's about as bad as 1t 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 tire hour, David Kinzle, at his
desk in the Brewster City National,
telephoned message that presently
Drought 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 minute while l
look at my mail"
II was one of David Kinzie's small
subtleties to make a man sit idly thus,
on one pretext or another; It rarely
failed to put the incOmer at q disad-
vantdge, and on the present occasion
II worked like a charm. Baldwin had
let his cigar go out and had chewed
the end of II into a pulp before Kinzle
swung around In his chair and
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
stlll your friend. Where Is your man
Smith,"
Baldwin shook his head. 81 don't
know" he answered 81 haven't seen
him since last evening"
"Has he run away, then?"
The Missouri colonel squared him
self doggedly In the supplinnt debtors
chair, which was the one Kinzie had
placed for him. "what are yo1 driv-
ing at Dave7" he demanded.
''well tackle your end of 1t first"
said the banker curtly. ado you know
that you and your crowd have come to
the bottom OF the bag on that dam
propositionT
mo, don't"
swell, you have. You've got just
one more day to live"
, The Missourian fell back upon his
native phrase
'I 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 at?"
"Just this: I told you weeks ago
that the other people were carrying
too many big guns for you. I don't
want 10 see you killed Off, Dexter"
"rm no huitter; you ought to know
that. Dave" was the blunt rejolnder.
II know but there are times when
It Is simply fooIhardy to hold on. The
compromise proposition that put up
10 you people a 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 refuseT
you'll go to smash, the whole kit
of you. AS I've said, this is the last
call"
BY this time Boldwin's cigar was a
hopeless wreck.
you've got something, up your
sleeve Dave: what is it7" he inquired.
The banker pursed his lips and the
bristllng mustnche assumed its most
aggressive angle.
"There are q 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 a price
on his head. We've dug out the whole
story. He is a defaulting bank cash
Ter, and before ne ran away, he tried
TO kill his president"
Baldwin was frownlng heavily
''who told you oil thIsY Was It this
Miss Richiander over at the Hophra
House.
"No; II was her fnther. sent one
Of my young men out to the Topaz
10 look him up"
"And you have telegraphed to the
chief Of police, or the sheriff. or who
ever II Is that wants Smith?"
"Not yet. wanted to give you one
more chance, ,Dexter. Business comes
first. The Brewster City National Il
a bank, not a detective agency. Yol
20 and find Smith and fire him; tel
him he is down and out; get rid o
him, once for oil. Then come bacl
here and wen fix up that compromis
with Stanton"
Baldwin found a match and tried t
relight the dead cigar. But 1t wa
chewed past redemption.
Let's get II plumb straight. Dave.
he pleaded, in the quiet tone of on
who will leave no peace-keeping ston
unturned. you say you've got job
dead to rights. Smith is a mighty con
Infk
there we're half a million r so job
Smlths-taking the country over. Ho'
do you know you've got the rigf
oneT'
"His middle name Is Montague,
snapped the banker, "and the ma
who Is wanted called himself u. MOI
tngue Smith, But we can identif
him positively. Mr.. Richlander
daughter can tell us II he Is the rigl
Smith. and she probably will If the p
lice ask her to-"
Baldwin may have had his ov
opinion about that, but If so, he keI
it to himself and spoke feelingly
other things.
Dave" he said, rising to stand ov
the square-built man in the swim
chair, "it's like pulling a sound too
TO have to tell you the plain trut
You've got mighty bad case
money-rot. The profit account h
grown so big with you that you cal
see over the top Of 1t. You've hors
back and forth between Stanton's OF
at and ours until you can't tell [
difference between your old frien
and a bunch of low-down, conscien,
less land-pirates. You pull your g
and 60 to shooting whenever you
ready. Wen stay with you and |
to hold up our end-and Johns. A
you mark my words, Dave: you're I
man that's going to get left in Il
deal, the straddler always gets lef
And with that he cut the lntervi
short and went back to the High Il
offices on the upper floor.
CHAPTER XXI.