The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-10-29
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CHAPTER xIl-Continued.

floor" Drummond picked up the wea-
pom and put it in his pocket; then he
rang the bell. Il had hoped" he MUIR
INJURED, ''for larger gathering, but
one cannot have everything"
Save to Peterson, who understood
If only dimly. what had happened, the
thing had come as such a complete
surprise that even the sudden entrance
of twenty masked men. who ranged
themselves in single rank behind their
chairs, failed to stir the meeting. IL
merely seemed in keeping with what
had gone before.
81 shall not detain you long, gentle
men," began Hugh. suavely. Your gen.
eral appearance and the warmth OF the
weather have combined to produce IN
me q desire for sleep. But before
hand you over to the care or the
sportsmen who stand SO patiently be-
hind you, there are one or two remarks
/ wish to make. Let me say at once
that on the subject Of Capital and La
Dor ! am supremely ignorant. you
Will therefore be spared any disserta-
ton on the subject. But from an ex-
haustive study of the ledger which now
lies upon the table. and fairly inti-
mate knowledge of its authors move
ments and my friends have been put
to the inconvenience of treading on
you.
"There are many things, we know.
which are wrong in this jolly old coun-
try Of ours; but given time and the
right methods | am sufficiently op-
timistic to believe that they could be
nut right. That. however, would not
suit your book. You dislike the right
method. because it leaves all of you
much where you were before. Every
single one of you-with the sole pos
sible exception of you, Mr.. Torrance,
and you're maids playing with revo-
luton for his own ends to make mon
ey out Of ito gain power.
LET us start With Peterson--your
leader. How much did you say he de-
manded. Mr.. Potts. as the price Of rev.
olutionT
With a strangled cry Peterson
sprang up as the American millionaire.
removing his mask stepped forward.
1.-TWO hundred and fifty thousand
pounds, you swine, was what you asked
me-" The millionaire stood confront
ing his tormcntOr, who dropped back
In his chair with q groan. "And when
refused, you tortured me. Look at
my thumb"
with a cry of horror the others sit
ting at the table looked at the mangIed
flesh. and then at the man who had
done. it. This, even to their mind, was
going too far.
sThen there was the same sum, .
continued Drummond. ITO come from
Hooking. the American cotton man
half German by birth; Steinemann
the German coal man; Won GratZ, the
German steel man. Is that not so
Peterson?' 1t was an arrow at q
venture, but 1t hit the mark. and Pc
terson nodded.
stake this benefactor Of humanity
was playing for" sneered Drummond
Zone million pounds, as the mere
price Of nations life-blood.
But at any rate he had the merit Of
playing big, whereas the rest Of yot
scum, and the other beauties so abb,
cataiogued in that book. messed thou
at his beck and call for packets o.
bulls eyes, Perhaps you labored un
der the delusion that you we're fool
inc him, but the whole lot Of you arr
So id crooked that you probabl,
thought Of nothing but your own filth,
skins.
aListen to me-" Hugh Drummond'
voice took on dep. cOmmandin
ring, and against their will the fou
men looked at the broad. powerful
soldier, whose sincerity shone clea
in his face. mot by revolutions an
direct action will you make this islam
OF ours right-though am full
aware that that is the last thing 70
would wish to see happen. But wit
your brains, and for, your own VI
scrupulous ends. you gull the worl
ingman into believing 1t. And he. b
cause you can talk with your tongue
IN your cheeks. is led away. He b.
lieves You will give him Utopia
whereas, In reality, you are leadin
him to hi. And you know 1t. Ev
luton Is our only chance-n0t rev
tuition; but you. and others III
you, stand to gain more by Il
latter. &.
His hand dropped to his side, al
he grinned.
"Quite a break for me-" he :
marked. I'm getting hoarse. +
now going to hand you four over
the boys. There's an admirable, b
somewhat muddy pond outside. a
I'm sure you'd like to look for newt
Il any Of you want to summon me
assault and battery, my name
Drummond-C Captain Drummond
Half Neon street. But warn y
that that book will be handed 10
scotland Yard tonight. Out with e
bows. and give EN-. hi.
.And now. Carl Peterson, ne
marked, as the door closed behind
lam of the struggling prophets o.
new world, 1T Is time that you ano
.s,ttind mr. little account, isn't III