Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-07-13
CHAPTER VI-continued

"And then, of course, you hunted
up AlvaT
"The next morning, before any bank
opened. l thought over it all night
and got up peach of a story I
needed it, too, for this Alva was a
smooth guy. 1t took some nerve to get
him, but | knew, through Horner's
memorandum, some things about him
he never supposed was known up in
this country; so when 1 sprung them
natural-like, he quit being offish, and
gave me the glad hand"
"Who is he? A crank?"
mot by a id sight. He's a cap
tain in the Chilean army, military at
tache to the embassy at Washington,
intrusted with certain work. But he's
really working to overthrow the pres
ent Chilean government-gettin' up
revolution down there. l lice. until
/ was black in the face, but / must
have kept within bounds, for he got
to liking me real we'll He was a
high-roller, and / put him onto some
been steered against before. That
made a hit with him. There wasn't
nothing said about cashing up all day
long, and early the next morning we
breezed into a downtown hotel, and
went TO bed"
''What hotel?"
search me. We'd been tanking up
on champagne and We're drunken in
the morning than when we turned in.
That's the honest truth. All either of
us wanted for breakfast was a cup of
coffee. We got that at little dump
on some side street, so as to brace up
a little" He paused to laugh at the
recollection, helping himself to a third
cigar.
"And you actually retain no knowl-
edge of where you spent the night?'
"Not the faintest glimL1er Can you
beat it? Alva lost part of a letter
somewhere, and a curious sort of box
he had picked up in Chinatown. He
put them both in his pocket, SO he
says, but that was the last he ever
saw of either. Queer looking box that
was; nothing / cared about. but it
cost the guy hundred bucks. and he
was daffy over it. Anyhow, that night
put me solid with Alva."
"But the money? He's never drawn
it?"
"Not a dinky red He claims the
time hasn't come yet, and that it's
safer with Krantz. But I've stuck to
him like a brother and he's took me in
with his gang, so now l know every
move that's going on. I'm on the in
side, all right, and now it's beginning
to get hot"
'They are ready TO act?'
"Sure; that's what the meeting was
about tonight"
what are they after-shipsf"
''Well, they've got to have some, but
mostly arms then there is a guy down
there who's got to be croaked. / don't
care what it is; when the time comes
they won't find a handful of change
to act with. I'm some patriot, | am,
and I'll put a bigger crfmp in their
sails than the whole United States
government secret service"
but see here, Harris" soberly.
show do you know you are going TO
get this? OF course, see the game
the way you've mapped it out. but
suppose Krantz pays in check, or draft.
That spikes your gun
HI, yes; but he won't. I've sized
up this man Krantz. He's in the game
for money He don't care who wins
the d-n revolution, for he gets his |
share out of the pot right away. He's
playing the game secretly on his own
account. Get that? He expects it |
may be a year, or perhaps two. before
he can cash in on the deal, but when |
1t does come his share Of profit viii !
he likely a hundred thousand. That |
beats bank interest, and the old bird /
Is willing TO take the chance
quite likely that's true; no bank /
would finance such a project"
"Of course nOt--the directors would /
gnr0w ft. Wei. now. that kind OK /
guy, In on a raw deal like this, is