Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-06-16

are under obligations to him are n
bulwark Of strength, but when ones
power is shaken politicians prefer to
take no risks. No news spreads more
rapidly than that Of the impending
fall OF a chieftain. The word was
passing among the wise that Jerry
Durand was to be thrown overheard.
Durand uried TO make an appoint
ment with Whitford. That gentleman
declined to see him. Jerry persisted.
He offered to meet him at II of hts
clubs. file telephoned to the house,
but could not get any result more sat
isfactory than the cold voice of u serv-
ant saying, Mr.. Whitford does not
wish to ak with you, sir" At last
he te~legraphed.
The message read:
"Ill come to your house at eight
this evening. Better see me for mis-
sizes sake"
1t was signed by Durand.
When Jerry called he was admitted.
Whitford met him with chill hos
ttlity. He held the telegram in his
hand. what does this message
mean?' he asked bluntly.
"Your daughters engaged to Brom-
field, amt she?" demanded the ex-
prize fighter, his Dubious eyes full on
his host.
"That's our business, sir"
81 got a reason for asking. She Is
or she amt. Which is it?"
"We1l not discuss my daughters af-
fairs"
"All right, since you're so id par
ticular. Well discuss Bromtield's. 1
warned him to keep his mouth shut
or he'd get into trouble"
"He was released from prison this
afternoon"
ibid 1 say anything about PRISON."
Durand asked. There's other kinds
of grief beside being in stir. I've got
this guy right"
"Just what do you mean, Mr.. Dur
and?'
81 mean that he hired me to get
Lindsay in bad with you and the girl.
He was to be caught at the Omnium
club with a woman when the police
raided the place, and it was to get in
to the papers"
81 don't believe it." said Whitford
promptly.
"You will. 1 had a ~dictagraph in
the room when Bromfield came to see
me. You can hear it all in his own
voice."
"But there wasn't any woman with
Lindsay at Maddock's when the raid
was pulled off"
"Sure there wasn't. 1 threw Brom-
field down."
"You arranged to have Lindsay
killed instead"
Forget that stuff. The point is
that if YOU don't call off the district
attorney, I'll tell all 1 know about
son-in-law Bromfield. He'll be ruined
for life"
ITO hear you tell it"
"AH right. Ask him."
: 81 shall"
r Conspiracy is what the law calls
it. Maybe he can keep Outa stir. But
when his swell friends hear it they'll
2 turn their backs on Bromfield. You
know it,"
| "I1l not know it unless Mr.. Brom-
field tells me so himself. l don't care
anything for your d~ictagraph. I'm
no eavesdropper."
"You tell him what he's up against
and he'll come through all right. I'll
see that every newspaper in New York
carries the story if you don't notify
me today that this attack on me IS
off. I'll learn you silk stockings you
can't make Jerry Durand the goat"
Whitford announced his decision
sharply. "If you'll leave me your tele-
phone number, I'll let you know later
in the day what We'll do"
He had told Durand that he did not
believe his story. He had tried to
reject it because he did not want to
accept it, but after the man had gone
and he thought it over, his judgment
was that it held some germ of truth.
If so, he was bOuSd to protect Brom
field as far as he could. No matte
what Clarendon had done, he coulG
not throw overheard to the sharks
the man who was still engaged to his
daughter. He might not like him. In
point of fact he did not. But he had
to stand by him till he was out of his
trouble.
Colin Whitford went straight TO his
daughter.
Honey, this man Durand has just
brought me a story about Clarendon.
He says he paid him to get Clay into
trouble at the Omnium club in order
to discredit him with us"
"Oh, dad!"
I'm going to see Clarendon. If It's
true 1 don't want you to see him
again. Authorize me to break the en-
gagement for you"
They talked 1t over a Few minutes,
Beatrice slipped the engagement ring
from her finger and gave it 10 her
father with a sigh.
HVo,, o,-tA j. xu.o,r vrifhnr1f naNtnO