Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-09


line, all the way thru I'll chase IN
and throw He'll of good scare into
him. Heb double cross me, If he
dared to, but he don't. He's got to
see me thru this, or by God I'll shove
the old buzzard SO far he won't new
er come back!"
With this choice expression of
filial love he betook himself, still
blackly bordering, thru the heat and
feVerish cleaning of the North Ends
summer night streets. toward Irwin
Stages lodgings. The law ghost
dWelt secluded In a single, Uttered
room on the fifth floor of a cheap
fooming house in the meanest part
of Buffinch street, where close prox-
unity to the underworld brought
many fish to his net from both this
current of society and that which
names itself respectable. Here, pres
entity. Meiny found him.
Irwin Stagg greeted his offspring
with smile Of mingled welcome and
apprehension, when he had cautious
ly opened the door in answer to
Meiny's signal of two double knocks.
The shyster never knew whether his
son was bringing promises of great
graft or tales of impending disaster.
His sh"ewd eye caught signals of
distress in Meinys pasty counte-
nance, with it's bruised mark-souv-
enir OF Bradfords fist-and with a
certain anxiety bade his issue be
| seated. Himself he returned to a
crafty cushioned and padded old
Morris chair beside Uttered table,
where he had been reading letters
under the light of smoky chimney'd
lamp. These letters had come to him
thru devious ways. He had a fairish
packet of them; letters written tota
woman. in time of folly, by a man
now winning prominence in politics.
Stage counted on holding them till
such time as they might extort hush
money The compromising ones he
was laying in pile by themselves.
Two or three of these, he figured,
would lin time be worth thousands.
Meihy's quick eye observed these
letters. and seemed to fathom some
| thing of what was forward, as he
slouched to a chair on the other side
of the table. dropped his hat on the
floor and spat an oath.
TIN in wrong. again, old gent"
said he, without circumlocutions He
lighted cigaret, inhaled deeply and
| cast an evil leer at his progenitor
You always pulled me by. some way
or other. an now It's case of kick
in again., with more of the same"
Whats wong now?" demanded
Stage. who's been handing it to
you, and what is it?"
EverythiH'. 1t may mean pinch,
this time, an I'm liable to go over
damn the luck!"
| That's bad. But never mind, my
son. I'll stand by you. You're all
I've got, Meiny: you're my own flesh
and blood. My own blood. and love
you. You do right to come to me
with everything, Let's have the
facts"
well, it's this way" Meiny ex-
pounded, and launched into an expo
sition of his misadventures Sup
pressing only the naz:.c G: Bradford
Vinton. he told of his raid on the
new mission. his man handling,
Dams captivity, and Muggs Raffer-
tvs detection. Stage. as he listened.
nodded comprehension. He strove to
bring commiseration to his coarse
jowled face: but all the time he Sc
cretly was thinking:
Tn internally glad It's turned this
way! Dangerous game. this dope
proposition. If this breaks it up, I'm
let ont of a big risk. Couldn't be
better!"
Meiny exploded a bomb under his
satisfaction by a final statement and
a question:
"Now here's the raw part, old gent.
This guy frisks me of all the pre-
scriptions, see? An who dyou guess
he ISL" 9
"The prescriptions? demanded
Stage. aghast. 'You don't mean to
say"
That's what! He copied the
whole damn bundle. Puts us In
Dutch, don't it? If he wants to dog
u.s. he can slam us in the big house
with the evidence Dant and Mugs
will spill. Fat chance either of us
has got now, old gent! What d'you
say we do a fadeaway till It's cold 2"
Narrowly he watched his fathers
paling countenance, inwardly smiling
as he realized how deeply his shafts
were hitting home. The law ghost,
in sudden panic, gulped for breath.
Leaning forward he stared at Meiny
with anguished eyes
"You--you laundering boob!" he
stammered. "You let gospel pound
err f-isk you for them? What's in
your head, anyhow, brains. or pap?
Didn't I warn you, when you started
this thing, that under the Harrison
law you might get showed to the
limit? And
"An' you, too" interrupted Meiny,
with a grimace ,of satisfaction. "You
go if I do, old gent. If they pick me
up on this. they peg you, too. Get
that? That's why I'm safe. You
gotta hook up to some kind of alibi
that let's us both out, now, or they'll
slam you in for fair. An the doc,
too, that slipped us the papers SO
it'll be regular family party, won't
IT,"
Iou-you 1 lHNOlFc IIC III
this, you cur?" cried Stage, terrified.
mot after warned you, and"
Wouldn't I, tho?" sneered Meiny.
ooh, wouldn't I? Maybe not! An
say, old gent. can that cur stuff,
see? That don't 60. It'll pay you to
be polite to Meiny, an keep him
clear, if you want to duck it yoll.-
self. tell you there's trouble
comm, in gobs, an it's up to you to
make good an be the lightnin' rod
to stand off the storm that's BLOWN
up"
Silenced by this forceful presenta-
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