The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-07-17
what you've been saying, you talk about
| being fair! Why if YOU"

to Waring. "We're going to get at the
bottom of this sooner or later-and
the sooner the better. I'm waiting for
you to repeat what you just told US,
Rufus" a
There were tears of anger in the
law students eyes-of anger and of
impotence. He gave Angela a look of
superb disdain, shrugged his shoulders.
We'll, that settles that" he said,
and as Angela gave a gasp of under
standing, and turned angrily white, he
laughed metallically.
Cullen moved nearer to him.
Are you going to speak up or not
Because if you aren't :"
Waring folded his arms; but he
still failed of the pose he planned, be-
cause his eyes and his muscles were
traitor to him.
mo, I'm not! Not until I'm ready
to! I'm not afraid of the whole crowd
of you! I'm not going to be bullied
and bulldOZed into" He attempted
to brush past Cullen, the older man
caught him by the arm. Take your
hands off me-"
You stay where you are!' stormed
Cullen. Until you can"
IF you lay your hands on me once
more, Mr.. Cullen, I'll don't you
forget l know what this means! I'll
have you"
"Oh. your Iaw!" Cullen snorted it
contemptuously. For Gods sake,
don't SWIVEL about it stand up
and take it like a man, If you've got
any manhood in you. For law stu
dent you're well, don't try to
run away from it, then. Are
you going to tell him, or am II"
The answer was delayed; Cullen
swung around to billiard. "Then I'll
tell you myself. Know what this boys
been saying about you? Coming up to
us when you're not here, and trying to
knife you when you're not looking?"
Hilliard, who had been standing
paralyzed, found voice
"Why, can guess he said, curious
ly calm. "And don't be harsh with
him. Mr.. Cullen. AS matter of
fact
Angela had sprung between them ;
Hilliard saw that her cheeks were tear
stained.
Its nothing but jealousyw she
cried vehemently. Hes said horrible
things about you He's always say
ing things about you! He said"
angela! Cullen almost fairly
shouted it. 81 tell you, this is my
house. and l won't have any more of
this Internal nonsense in it! Hear
me? I've had all the nonsense I'm 60
ing to stand from anybody! Rufus,
you stay right there! Angela, you
keep quietw He turned to Hilliard.
IF you'd come in half minute soon
err, you'd have heard this young whip
per-snapper trying to make you out a
swindler! Trying to class you with
fake promoters and mining sharks
look at him Look at him! I want to
Yes that's what he did, You! And
tell you, billiard, it'll take more than
his say-so to start anything round
here! Don't you open your mouth,
Rufus you had your chance
and you wouldn't take it! And want
to tell you right here and right now"
''Wait a minute" Hilliard was
deadly quiet; the only quiet member
Of the quartette "Theres no use in
telling all the neighbors just yet" He
regarded Waring kindly. ''Do you mind
repeating precisely what you did say,
Rufus? Don't you think I'm entitled
to that much?"
The boy flushed agonizedly; he was
the accuser, and yet he couldn't meet
billiards eyes. 1t wasn't guilt; it was
mere intellectual inferiority; and yet
it gave exactly the opposite impress
sion.
SWELL" he said desperately. II know
hearsay evidence is no good, so got 1t
first hand-in your own room in the
Onondaga, didn't I? You won't deny
that, will you? I didn't just pick up
rumors-I got it from you. Didn't /
60 there and ask you questions, and
didn't you give me the data? Show me
figures and everything? And 1 told
Mr.. Cullen the very next day, it didn't
look good to me-" His voice rose
stridently. "All right, I'll say to him,
and I'll say it to you, and I'll say it to
anybody thatll listen to me! It didn't
look good to me then, and 1t doesn't
now. I told him you acted darned
funny about 1t. And just now I've been
telling him don't believe it's straight.
You're too blamed sketchy about it,
and it's got all the earmarks of bum
promotion! There j. Cullen !"
The omission Of the prefix to the IA
Their Of his idol was the worst insult
he could conceive.
Cullen's hand was still on billiards
shoulder and it was billiard whom he
explosively. and with that
particular sort Of muffled fury which
rises best from set Of circumstances
not thoroughly understood.
"What this is all about is beyond
me! Only. IL this law minnow has
gone as far as this b. We've got to
get at the bottom of It :. +. You know
that as well as do, billiard, natural
ly. The boys as wild as a hawk
Heaven knows how far he'd go out
side. This has got to be cleared up!
We've got to pound some sense into
him. We"