The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-03-25

"Ten Thousand Dollars, or HurI II
at Your Feet"
and made a terrible gesture with the
parcel. Ten thousand dollars. or /
! hurl 1t at your feet!'
Although Otis face had turned
deathly pale he had not grown ex-
cited or betrayed sign of fear. He
sat quite still, his thin hands resting
lightly on the arms Of his chair, his
gray eyes fixed unwaveringly upon
the black ones above him, his mind
working with the cool precision of a
| perfect mechanism. Hes either mad
or an assassin" ran his thought
probably mad; and the only way to
deal with q madman is to humor him.
| Perhaps, though, he's only bluffing. In
any event I'd best take no chances"
otss made a caressing movement
with his fingers along the arm of his
chair: his head rested on the back of
| 1t the better to keep his eyehold on
the supposed maniac.
"Ten thousand. Er-won't you
| please sit DOWN."
81 will not. could not explode the
dynamite sitting down."
"Quite so, quite sol" The caressing
movement increased. His voice was
silky. "Ten thousand-hm. You do
not, of course, suppose l have that
much money in the house?"
mo. You must write me q check"
"Very true, so / must. "But"-he
| held finger beside his eye and smiled
waggshly-"might l not stop pay
ment on the check?"
You might, but you won't. You will
accompany me to the bank; you will
stand at my elbow while | cash 1t;
| you will then enter a motorcar with
me and drive to some deserted spot
outside Chicago; you will leave the
auto, and thus give me a chance to
escape. All this while l shall have
the dynamite; one false move and I'll
blow us to kingdom come. Your life
is worth ten thousand dollars, take
| II. Mines not. Do I make myself
| clearw
Excessively. And now for the
check" Without moving his head
| from the back of the chair Otis pro-
duced private check book and
fountain pen, and, feeling the way
| with his fingers, filled out check
| for ten thousand dollars. "What
manner" he asked.
MAKE 1t payable to bearer"
Every we'll"
Father"
pair Of portieres at the rear OF
the room were held far apart, and In
the aperture stood a girl. Without
| turning-his back was toward her
| Fitzhugh knew who she was. He had
heard her voice before. As she spoke
his uplifted hands dropped swiftly
| and concealed the newspaper package
beneath his coat. Then he turned,
| and, even as he knew he would. looked
into tie pansy-blue eyes Of the girl
with the Titan hair.
There was a dramatic tableau. Fitz-
hugh, every nerve and muscle tense,
stood looking at the girl. Otis. who
had not moved, watched him. The
girl looked from one to the other in
Quiringly. She seemed to know intu-
itively that something very unusual
had occurred.
Otis was nrst to speak.
"Will you excuse US. Kathieen1 This
gentleman and have . little business
| to transact"
II did not intend to interrupt. IA.
ther. ! thought you were alone
She went out, closing the portieres
behind her. Otis wrote bearer" on
the check. shipped 1t from the book
and stood up. He held out the check
without saying q word.
Fitxhugh took the slip Of paper.
studied It reAectively. There was no
questioning Its genuineness. II called
for ten thousand dollars, and the call
was as authoritative as govern
ment bond. Suddenly he drew Q
deep breath. folded the check, and de-,
liberately tore It twice across. He
dropped the pieces on the table,
picked up his hat. and without q fur
ther word walked from the room.
In the hall no found Kathleen Otis.
'Thls Is not the first time." said he
In his best dramatic manner, "ycu
have saved me from myself. I thought
I'd tell you" I.
She stepped back. looking at him
lcuriously. "I--I'm afraid l don't un-