Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-08-01
IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO.

published by special ARRANGEMENT With The
Chicago Tribune Syndicatel
THE following morning at the office
dragged Unfortunately. Shortly before
= noon Seldridge emerged from Trasks
private Office and passed him with a
curt bow. An underlined nervousness
came over FELTON, as the time passed
and he was unable to eat any lunch.
When he returned to his desk he
found a brief summons from Trask.
Trask greeted him with a malicious
smile.
I've a case here, Felton," he began,
indicating several documents on his
desk, which l particularly want you
to handle. Although. on the surface,
it is merely a suit TO recover moneys
and valuables obtained by unfullfilled
promises, both verbal and written, the
case is really II Of eXtortion. The
items sued for were obtained by de-
liberate deception and fraud. There
is ample evidence, in the shape of
letters, documents and records, to
prove this point; and you are to bring
out the true character of the defendant
and to emphasize the nature of the
fraud perpetrated.
The suit is being brought by Sell
bridge.
Briefly, the facts are these: He
has been mixed up with a woman for
some months. She has been leading
him on under pretense OF affection,
promising marriage, and, in the mean
time, bleeding him. Her parents are
mixed up in it, too. and between them
they've gotten into Seldridge for a
considerable sum-. The woman pre-
tended illness recently, in order to
make a final touch, and left the city
for a while.
"She broke the engagement by mail
so as to avoid a scene, and when Sell
bridge went around to see her people
they laughed at him and practically
told him she had never had any in
tention OF coming across. 1t
seems she has worked the same game
a couple of times before and fortu-
nately we've got the complete records
here in the Office. I'll turn over
everything to you in the morning
Seldridge is bringing in his cancelled
checks then. In the meantime. here's
a copy Of the suit. The wOman'S still
away, but she'll be back in a few days;
and / want you to attend, also, to the
service Of the summons.
you may be interested when I tell
you. who the woman is that has swim
Ruth wallace" And he dismissed
FELTON, with a wave of the hand.
For the remainder Of the afternoon
the boy sat at his desk in a daze, the
document spread out before him. He
did not remember exactly how he got
home, but when his brain began to
clarity he found himself sitting on the
lounge in his study, holding his head
in both hands.
He lived again that twilight in the
park, when he had declared his love.
if she had loved him? Was it be-
cause of her affair with Seldridge?
He pictured her parents and her home
surroundings. Why did she choose to
work in a musical comedy? +.
Above all, why had she gone to Sell
bridges apartment to supper?
One by mi he went over all these
accusing details, each INT of which
was like a link in the chain of the
girls perfidy. Far into the night he
sat there, harassed by these maddening
memories of his association with her.
Though each n in itself might be
explained away. they constituted, when
taken as a whole, a deadly and signif-
cant combination Of circumstancial and
corroboratory evidence. How logically
they fitted in with, and led up to, the
GROWING revelation Of Seldridge's
suit! The recapitulation was
more than the boys love could COM
bat. 1t seemed too ~tragically plain
too overwhelmingly destructive.
A great revulsion swept over him,
and he was caught in the clutches of
n ', 1r,.ncicftl,1n Inr,-p {n NOT nnrCt nh ~
he would never, by any chance, see
the girl again.
The next morning he went directly
to Trask's Office.
Il regret, sir" he announced, calmly,
that l shall not be able to undertake
the case you turned over to me yes
terday. ] am leaving for the west as
soon as | can get ready. . Here
is my resignation"
He laid the paper on Trask's desk,
and before the other could make any
further comment, had turned and
walked away.
On his own desk he found a letter
from the girl. 1t was more tender
and solicitous even than the others,
and it ended. 20, dearest, to think
that IN less than a week l shall again
be with your
FELTON, read it with a grim smile,
but despite the anger in his mind
there was an ache in his heart. Never
theless, he sat down and wrote her this
reply,
Il shall not be here when you re-
turn. 1t may interest you to know
I am fully cognizant of your affair
with S%eldridge. He intends to bring
suit to recover the money you have
obtained from him by promises Of
marriage; and the case was given to
me to prosecute. But I am resigning
from the firm. At least l shall not
be the n to expose your shame,
1t was a cruel, bitter, unforgivable
thing to do; but the boy IA in such
pain he was scarcely rational.
After posting the note he went home
and began putting his affairs in order.
There were many details to be attend
ed to-odds and ends to be straight
ened out-and it was several days be-
fore he was able to get away. He had
not returned to the offlce-there was no
need. His few personal letters had
been forwarded to his apartment.
Nor did he hear from the girl.
The night OF his departure he was
alone in his apartment, putting a few
last things in his handbag. He was
TO go on the early morning Limited"
which left at n o'clock, and it was
now past midnight. A taxicab was
already waiting at the door.
He was standing In the center Of the
living room when the doorbell Of his