The Holbrook news., 1922-09-08
CHAPTER Sk
On the Carpet.

On the Carpet.
 The question at issue was not Wheth- CT Beatrice would break with her 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 10 him plainly the charge made by Jerry and demanded an answer.
 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 man of the world, MT. Whit ford" he explained. "When I meet an ugly fact I look 1t 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 disadvantage with him because he's such a remarkably virile young man and he constantly reminded you both of the West you love. It seem6d fair 10 all of us to try him out-to find out whether at bottom he was a decent fellow or not So l laid 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 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 we'll make an appointment with him for this afternoon and check up by the dictagraph."
 Bromfield laughed uneasily. "Is that necessary, Mir Whitford? Surely my word is good. I have the honor to tell you that I did nothing discred- itable"
 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 to 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. I wouldn't say"
 Don't evade, Bromfield. Yes or no."
 q suppose he can." The words came sulkily after 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. I wanted to get rid of him and send him home."
 ''So you paid a crook scoundrel who hated him to murder his reputation"
 "That's not what call it," defended the clubman.
 Tt doesn't matter what you call 1t. The fact stands"
 q told him eXplicitly-again and again-that there was to be no vio- Ience. I intended only to show him up. had a right to do it."
 Whitford got up and walked up and down the room rie felt like laying hands on this well-dressed scamp and throwing him out of the office He tast. ed something of his daughters sense of degradation at ever having been connected with a man of so little character. The experience was bit. terly 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. I can't have Bees name dragged into all 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 pack"
 "Then it doesn't matter much wheth CT he's tried or not"
 That phase of the subject Whitford 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 I care to have anything more to do with you"
 q 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