The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-06-24

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
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 refexes had gone
from him; he couldn't be reused. There
was no need Of stethoscope.
Order an ice bag" said the man OF
medicine sharply. He himself was rat
thing among his Walls for the calpmel.
Rufus was at the telephone.
Anything can do?" asked Hilllard
earnestly His suspicious had crys-
talzed; and he was bitterly aware
that the broker had planned not JUS
tice, hut 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 heardT
Heard what?"
Cullen motioned to Waring.
"Give it to him, Rufus Oh,
l see; see"
The law student, without a word,
produced yellow blank and thrust
it at billiard. He flashed glance of
indescribable contempt at the supine
broker; his eyes had lost some of
their anxiety.
"Oh, the big crook" he said boy
ishly. 1.-The big crook!"
"Sh-h-h! Rufus!" Still, Hilliard, at
heart, agreed with him to the letter.
The boy stood close to the
masquerader.
I'm sorry, Hilliard 1t came
at four this afternoon we'd
been hunting for you ever since :"
Hilliard wasn't interested.
"Tll wait until"
Cullen signed to him peremptorily.
Read 1t, tell you! It'll give
you a slant on him !"
Hilliard peered over the foot Of the
bed; Harmon was still lying inert. The
phUciciop nnl1ad ci1anica
Nothing for you to do" he said
grimly; and Hilliard, only partly aware
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 XLNC property ad-
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 evi.
IDENTIFY extends well into Silverbow,
where the greatest values are uLdoubt-
edly lying, and judging from records
of old MING vein it's tremendously
big strike Understand XLNC own
ers offering large sum, said TO be well
over half-million, for controlling in
terest. I strongly advise all of you to
get aboard for as much as Hilliard
will let go. Am sending this from of
flee Of Cooley, Benjamin & Russell,
who will not send separate report un.
less you want 1t. This is wonderful
news and mine is sure winner, even IL
only a fraction as large as reported.
Please show this message to Hilliard.
Sig. ]. ]. ARMSTRONG"
billiard 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, 1t was in
dicative Of happiness so llmitless, so
perfect, that IL was almost foolish. SO
Harmon, knowing from his own sources
Of the sudden strike, had rushed TO
Syracuse TO pose as man uf honor!
SO HARMON had wanted to mset War
ing-and"ind If Waring had Yet heard
the news, and. If he hadn't, STOP the In
vestigati0n by apparent frankness and
ready restitution. SO Harmon haJ
been eager to destroy the contract to
promise Hilliard anything and every
thing. to repay the money that was
subscribed already-and then, az sole
owner, to take an enormous profit for
himself.
No one In the whole world-and |
least of all, Waring and Callen-conld |
have remotely fathomed the thoughts |
that were eddying In billiards. brain. |
They were not for his own aggran-
dizement; they were for the Cullens /
and Durants and for the others who |
Al. NJ