Evening star., 1922-11-05

II have" said Geneva. And with
that she departed.
Geneva went straight to the hotel
near the capitol where Ryerson made
his headquarters when in town. Tiilic
Fletcher was expected, and when
Geneva came in, all wells. and asked
for Ryerson. there was no question.
She was taken at once to the boss
sitting room. He was busy with a
box full of papers. his back to the
door, as she came in. and he did not
look around.
"Wen," he growled, did you get
the noble young reformer and his
wife,"
Geneva threw back her wells.
mo-" she said. but I've got you"
The old man wheeled and confront
ed her. "Who the devil are you.
madam" he asked.
I'm Mrs. Cyrus Hooper" said Gene
va, leisurely. standing there with her
back against the door. And l came
to tell you that your games up.
you're caught with the goods this
time, Mr.. Ryerson. 1 know the whole
filthy business. You sent Tillie Fletcher
to my house to tell me the cruelest lie
that can be told to a woman. You've
done the same to other women. But
you got the wrong wife this time. Tillie
Fletcher is at my house. tied, hand and
foot I've got her signed confession as
to why she came there. I've sent for
the head Of the Associated Press bureau,
and for every man who represents a
really big newspaper in Washington.
They're on their way to my house now
and when they get there I'm going to
show Tillie Fletcher to them and give
them her confession to print. I'm going
to have a lawyer there, too, to decide
how you can be most fully prosecuted.
I'm going to run you out Of the state.
you dirty dog. You'll never be able to
go back there, when they know what
you've tried to do to the wife of decent
man. They'd lynch you. Now, you've
got just one chance. Do you want to
hear it, or do you think you can keep
on fighting after this?'
. = q
n YERSON stood there, measuring
IN her with his stony old eyes. He
knew that he'd run up against a new
proposition. At last he dropped his
hand heavily to the table:
Well, what do you WANT" he asked.
First, those forged letters" COM
manded Geneva.
Il haven't got them"
Its a lie. They are locked up in
the table drawer
He sucked in his breath and stared
at her, meditating.
'I'll give you one minute said
Geneva. otherwise go back to show
Tillie Fletcher and her confession to
the newspaper men,"
She put her hand back on the knob
of the door, as If she were going. The
old man slowly brought out a key, un-
locked the table drawer and produced
big stuffed envelope. tied and sealed.
Put it down on the table and stand
back from it," said Geneva. He did so
and she went swiftly forward, picked
it up and retreated again to her place
beside the door.
Now" said Geneva, 'if you want to
save your worthless hide, you sit down
there and write a letter to my husband.
Tell him that you have found yourself
in the wrong about the Ulfland Hills
district; that you had no idea that your
claim would dispossess SO many good
citizens of their holdings, which. though
not theirs according to the full letter of
the law, yet should rightfully belong to
them. Say that later investigations have
proved to you that you are in the
wrong. Tell him that you authorize him
to withdraw your claim before the House
committee, and that you have written
to Senator Titcomb to do the same be.
fore the Senate committee. Tell him
that you honor and respect him for the
brave stand he has taken and that you
feel that every man in the state owes
him a debt of gratitude for the way he
has represented the interests of those
poor settlers, who had no protection be-
fore the law. Put it on thick, d'you heal
me? It's your only chance. And DOM
waste any time about it,
In the end, Ryerson wrote what she
wanted. Then she demanded that
another letter confirming this one be
written to Senator Titcomb She took
both the letters when llc had finished
them
I'll give these to the newspaper
men instead of Titles confession
she said to the old man, who sat in
speechless. glowering rage. "As for
you-listen to me. You lift one finger
against Cyrus Hooper-you dare to
deny one word of these letters-you
put just one small obstacle in the way
of Cyrus Hooper's future-and I'll &c
on the stump myself through the
whole state and tell this story and
show my proofs. You can play poll
tics with the men. and get away with
all sorts of things; but when you
play politics with women you're
UP against high explosive. Tillie
Fletcher's story will be kept ready tc
spring on you until you're dead.
shall see to that. I'll give it to every
| big newspaper in this country with
I directions to print it If you don't keer
to your agreement here. Remember
that"
+ X X X
CHE put one hand behind her, twist.
~ ed the door open and got outside
She got home minute or two before
the end of the hour, and maybe
wasn't glad to see her come in. Tillie
Fletcher had used every word II
language to persuade me to ft hel
go-ranging from cajolery to threat:
and profanity. She made my blooe