Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-06-23

CHAPTER Xxx
On the Carpet.

vi hHC va PChs
The question at issue was not wheth-
er Beatrice would break with her
iance, but in what way it should be
done. If her father found him guilty
of what Durand had said, he was to
dismiss him brusquely if not, Beatrice
wanted to disengage herself gently
and with contrition.
Whitford summoned Bromfield to his
office where the personal equation
would be less pronounced. He put
to him plainly the charge made by
Jerry and demanded an answe
No lie could save him. The only
thing he could do was to sugarcoat
the truth. He set about making out
a case for himself as skillfully as he
could.
"I'm a man of the world, Mr.. Whit
ford" he explained. "When l meet
an ugly fact I look it in the face.
This man Lindsay was making a great
impression on you and Bee. Neither
of you seemed able quite to realize
his-his deficiencies, let us say. |
felt myself at q disadvantage with
him because he's such a remarkably
virile young man and he constantly
reminded you both of the West you
love. 1t seemed fair to all of US to
try him QUITO find out whether at
bottom he was a decent fellow or not.
So 1 laid a little trap to find out"
"Not the way Durand tells it," an
swered the miner bluntly. He says
you paid him a thousand dollars to
arrange a trap to catch Lindsay"
EITHER he misunderstood me or he's
distorting the facts" claimed the club
man with an assumption of boldness.
'That ought to be easy to prove.
Well make an appointment with him
for this afternoon and check up by the
dictagraph."
Bromfield laughed uneasily. as
that necessary, Mr.. Whitford? Surely
my word is good. 1 have the honor
to tell you that 1 did nothing discred-
table"
Whitford leaned back in his swivel
chair and looked steadily at the man
to whom his daughter was engaged.
"Im going to the bottom of this, Brom-
field. That fellow Durand ought to go
to the penitentiary. We're gathering
the evidence tt send him there. Now
he tells me he'll drag you down to ruin
with him if he goes. Come clean. Can
he do it?'
"Well, 1 wouldn't say
"Don't evade, Bromfield. Yes or
no."
81 suppose he can" The words
came sulkily after a long pause.
"You did hire him to destroy Lind
says reputation"
Lindsay had no business here in
New York. He was disturbing Bees
peace of mind. / wanted to get rid
of him and send him home"
$50 you paid a crook scoundrel who
hated him to murder his reputation"
"That's not what I call it," defended
the clubman.
ut doesn't matter what you call it.
The fact stands"
81 told him explicitly-again and
again-that there was to be nc vfo-
lence. I intended only to show him
up. I had a right to do it."
Whitford got up and walked up and
down the room. He felt like laying
hands on this w~ell-dressed scamp and
throwing him out Of the Office. He tast-
ed something of his daughters sense
of degradation at eve having been
connected with a mar of so little
xTA,,notnr TNba o~nnr;onoo Tuoc n hff-
terIy %humiliating one to him. For
Bee was, in his opinion, the cleanest,
truest little thoroughbred under heav-
en-. The only questionable thing he
had ever known her to do was to en-
gage herself to this man..
Colin came to a halt in front of the
other.
We've got to protect you, no mat
ter how little you deserve it. / can't
re Dees name dragged INTO ali the
papers of the country. The case
against Durand will have to be
dropped. He's lost his power anyhow
and he'll never get it back"
Then it doesn't matter much wheth-
er he's tried or not"
That phase of the subject Whltford
did not pursue. He began to feel In
his vest pocket for something.
"Of course you understand that
we're through with you, Bromfield-
Neither Beatrice nor l are to have
anything more to do with you"
II don't see why" protested Brom.
field. "As a man of the world"
IF you don't see the reason I'm
not able to explain it to you" Whit
ford's fingers found what they were
looking for. He fshed a ring from
his pocket and put it on the desk.
Beatrice asked me to give you this"
81 don't think that's fair. If she
wants to throw me over she ought to
tell me her reasons herself"
"She's telling them through me. /
don't want to be more explicit unless