Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-05-20

.S29SSe6SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
| get me my . check-book !" All
at once he seemed to collapse; his
head hung low. and his breathing be-
came stertOrous. His cheeks pulled
Queerly.
billiard sprang to him. Rufus
Call the office! Get the house doc
tori"
Cullen had raced to the bathroom
for glass of water; he raced back
again, splling half of it. Hilliard was
chatting the brokers' wrists. The three
men strained at the unwieldy, unresist-
! ing bulk, while leaden fear clutched at
their hearts.
| The house physician hustled in to
find the broker lying on the bed in a
profound coma his reflexes had gone
from him; he couldn't be reused. There
was no need of a stethoscOpe.
Order an ice bag" said the man of
medicine sharply He himself was rat
Ting among his walls for the calomel.
Rufus was at the telephone
Anything l can do?" asked billiard
earnestly His suspicious had crys-
talized; and he was bitterly aware
| that the broker had planned not jus
| tice, but some new brand of perfidy;
nevertheless, the man was unquestion-
ably in danger-and revenge could
wait. #
"Nothing-just give me plenty of
ROOM" .--. ~
AS the three stood watching pain
| fully, Cullen, put out his hand to Hill
lard, and spoke under his breath.
"Henry-when did he Gomez"
"Only just NOW. An hour ago"
Hadn't he told you? Or hadn't
you heard?" ..,
Heard what?" Ia
Cullen mOtioned to Warning.
"Give it to him, Rufus Oh,
| see; see"
| The law student, without word,
produced a yellow blank and thrust
it at billiard. He flashed a glance of
indescribable contempt at the supine
broker; his eyes had lost some of
| thelr anxiety.
"Oh the big crook ~ he said boy
ishly. "The big crook ~
'Sh-h-h! Rufus ~ Still, HiIliard at
heart, agreed with him to the letter.
The boy stood close to the
masquerader
"lm sorry, Hlliard =. it came
at four this afternoon. :. we'd
been hunting for you ever since -
Hilliard wasn't interested.
. 9TH wait until" -, 49,. 81.
Cullen signed to him peremptorily.
"Read it, tell YOU -. It'll give
you a slant ON him ~
Hilliard peered over the foot of the
bed Harmon was still lying inert. The
| physician nodded sidewise.. ~ =
Nothing for you to do" he said
grimly; and billiard, only partlyaware
of what he was doing, gave heed to-
the yellow blank.
The fourth telegram of the day was
from Butte, Mont, addressed to War
ing.
ARRIVED here last night after delay
| in Chicago. This mornings papers con-
| tain information as follows: THE
faulted vein on MING property adj
joining SilverbOw claim number one
has been located about twenty feet
from Silverbow boundary. Indications
are ore body running at least eighty
per cent average and some places high
as twenty. Also some zinc and silver
and traces of manganese. This evil
IDENTIFY extends well into Silverbow,
where the greatest values are undoubt-
eddy lying, and judging from records
of old XLNC vein it's a tremendously
big strike Understand XLNC own
erS offering large sum, said to be well
over half-million, for a controlling In
terest. l strongly advise all of you to
| get aboard for as much as billiard
will let go. Am sending this from Of
fee of Cooley, Benjamin & Russell,
who will not send separate report I'M
less you want it. This is wonderful
news and mine is sure winner, even II
only a fraction as large as reported.
| Please show this message to Hillard.
Sig. J. J. ARMSTRONG"
| Hilliard sat down in the nearest
chair. The lump in his throat was
choking him; the moment was so big
that his feelings were primitive; his
expression of them were very simple.
! He only smiled; the meaningless, vacu-
Gus smile Of an infant That smile en-
braced the entire universe; it was in
dicative of a happiness so limitless, so
perfect, that it was almost foolish. SO
Harmon, knowing from his own sources
of the sudden strike, had rushed to
Syracuse to pose as man of honor!
SO Harmon had wanted to meet War
ing-and find if Waring had yet heard
the news and, if he hadn't, stop the in
vestigatiOn by apparent frankness and
ready restitution. SO Harmon had
been eager to destroy the contract, to
promise Hilliard anything and every
thing, to repay the money that was
subscribed already-and then, as sole
owner, to take an enormous profit for
himself.