Mexico Missouri message., 1917-06-28

| ttiehui anu you are StOckn0ider In
his bankrupt company. You took a
chance for your own hand and put the
bank In the hole. Now I'd like to ask
what you are going to do about It,"
Smith looked up quickly. Somewhere
inside W him the carefully erected
walls Of use and custom were tumbllng
In strange ruins and out Of the debris
another structure, formless as yet, but
obstinately sturdy, was rising.
| Il am not going to do what you want
me to do, Mr.. Dunham-step in and be
your convenient scapegoat," he said,
wondering little In his inner recesses
how he was finding the sheer brutal
man-courage to say such thing to the
president of the Lawrenceville Bank
and Trust. II suppose you have rea-
sons Of your own for wishing to shift
the responsibility for this particular
loss to my shoulders. But whether you
have or haven't, decline to accept It,"
The president tilted his chair and
locked his hands over one knee.
ut isn't a question of shifting the
responsibility, Montague" he said,
dropping the bullying weapon to take
up another. ''The loan was made in
my absence. You have taken the banks
money to bolster up a failing concern
in which you are stakeholder. Go to
any lawyer in Lawrenceville-the best
one you can Finland he'll tell you exS
actly where you stand"
While the big clock over the vault
entrance was slowly ticking off a full
half-minute the young man whose fu-
ture had become so suddenly and so
threateningly involved neither moved
nor spoke, but his silence was No meas
ure Of the turmoil of conflicting emo
tons and passions that were rendihS
him.
II may not prove quite the easy
mark that your plan seems to preflg~
ure, Mr.. Dunham," he returned at
length, trying to say 1t calmly. "Just
what are you expecting me to do?"
"Now you are talking more like a
grown man." was the presidents crusty
admission. "You are in q pretty bad
boat, Montague, and that is why sent
for you tonight"
"WellY' said the younger man.
you can see how 1t will be. If
can say to the directors that you have
already resigned-and If you are not
where they can too easily lay hands on
you-they may not care to push the
charge against you. There is a train
west at ten o'clock. If were In your
place, should pack q couple of suit
cases and take 1t. That is the only
safe thing for you to do. If you need
any ready money"
1t was at this point that ]. Montague
Smith rose up out of the stenographer's
chair and buttoned his coat.
aft I need any ready money!" he
repeated slowly, advancing a step to-
ward the presidents desk. "That 10
where you gave yourself away, Mr..
| Durham. You authorized that loan,
and did 1t because you were willing to
use the banks money to put Carter
Westfall In the hole so deep that he
could never climb out. Now, 1t seems,
you are willing to bribe the only dam
gerous witness. / don't need money
badly enough to sell my good name for
It. shall stay right here in Lawrence
Vile and fight it out with you"
The president turned abruptly to his
desk and his hand sought the row Of
electric bell-pushes. With a finger
resting upon the one marked police"
he said: "There isn't any room for
argument, Montague. You can have one
more minute in which to change your
mind. II you stay, you'll begin your
fight from the inside of the county
Jail"
Now there had been nothing In John
Montague Smiths well-ordered quar-
ter century of boyhood, youth, and
business manhood to tell him how to
cope with the crude and savage emer-
gency which he was confronting. But
in the granted minute Of respite some
thing within him, thing as primitive
and elemental as the crisis with which
it was called upon to grapple. shook It.
self awake. He stepped quickly across
the intervening space and stood under
! the shaded desk light within arms
reach of the man in the big swing
chair.
"You have 1t all cut and dried, even
to the setting Of the police trap, haven't
your" he gritted, hardly recognizing
his own voice. "You meant to hang
me first and try your own case with the
directors afterward, Mr.. Durham, I
know you better than you think / do:
you are not only crook--you are o
yellow-livered coward, as WE'LL You
don't dare to press that buttonp
While he was saying 1t. the president
had half risen, and the hand which
had been lowering over the bell-pushes
shot suddenly under the piled papers
in the corner of the desk. When 1t
came out it was gripping the weapon
which is never very far out of reach in
bank.
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