The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-04-03

utes later Bunker, hat In hand ar
nervously shifting from n TO-
to the other, was standing befol
him. Elmer permitted him to stan
for two minutes; then he decide
that the habit of a lifetime is M
readily broken and that Bunke
was waiting for permission to 8
down.
"Please be seated" he told tn
old clerk. Il see you have some
thing on your mind. You appea
to be somewhat embarrassed"
81 am, Mr.. Clarke. There is
little matter-perhaps Mr.. Peak
spoke to you about it"
HE did," Elmer interrupted
"You refer to my uncle's broker
promise to leave you a hundre'
thousand dollars for the honest an,
faithful service you accorded hin
for more than a quarter of a cen
fury. / understand he let yot
down with a bequest for ten thou
sand, and that you r %grievousl!
disappointed. I would be, too, un
der the circumstances. l can very
well understand your disappoint
ment."
"It's been heart-breaking," Bunk.
er quavered. "After all these years
and my wife building hopes on 1t,
sir, the blow well-nigh killed her.
Elmer nodded. "Still, Uncle HI
ran didn't pay you a niggardly sal
airy, Mr.. Bunker. Many men in
your position carr much less and
do not consider themselves i'll
treated"
"They don't do the work l had to
do" Bunker protested with sudden
vehemence. tits worth four hun
dred dollars a month to lie and
bully and scheme and take advan-
tage of people. That's what I had
to do to earn my four hundred dol
lars a month. 1t was worth four
thousand a month to have to spend
ten hours a day in his society"
ST suppose you knew, from many
years of experience, exactly the
sort of man my uncle was?"
"Oh, yes, indeed!"
'Then why did you believe him
when he promised to leave you a
hundred thousand dollars in his
will?"
81 didn't think he'd cheat me. I'd
done so much for him, you know;
things he couldn't entrust to an
other human being"
"You mean dirty work-confi-
Dental dirty work, don't your"
"Well, it wasn't pleasant, Mr..
Clarke, but ! had to do it,"
"Were these jobs dishonest?"
Eyes"
81 think | understand your view
point. A mar would have to pay
me a fortune to get me to do things
like that for him."
"Quite so, quite so. And he didn't
do It'll" Bunker exclaimed, his
voice, in his excitement and anger,
growing shrill. 1.-The dirty dog be-
.rayed me-"
"And you expect me to remedy
he situation by giving you ninety
thousand dollars when | collect my
n~heritance?" !
"You could we'll afford to sir.
we given my life to help build up
hat fortune you've inherited"
"But I cannot afford it, Bunker.
may have a quarter of a million
left when the estate is pro
ated and all the debts settled.
you wouldn't expect me to
i've you ninety thousand dollars
ut of that sum-"
81 think I've earned it." Bunker
harged doggedly.
Perhaps, perhaps. But it's con-
AIRY to my code to pay anybody
inety thousand dollars for doing
irty, dishonest Jobs, Mr.. Bunker"
"But those dirty. dishonest jobs
ave redounded to your benefit
Mr.. Clarke"
Nothing doing" Elmer declared
ltIy, you lose all along the line,
r. Bunker. You played your ]
Ind very foolishly and If you erred s
Is not up to me to correct your !
ror. I'm not a human Christmas t
ee. The interview is at an end, I
T. 1Ou lose.
Bunker stood up. trembling pitt /
lily. 1t was evident to Elmer that
e man had nerved himself to a '
gree of courage never before ex- =
rienced in all his drab life. you :
We me that ninety thousand dol
IS or something heavy is going to t
OPP on you. I'll bust you wide e
en- If you don't settle with me. Il
:. Clarke" he declared. IL
We'll, don't be so mysterious. !,
me what you've got on me. y
rhaps the knowledge may alter
decision. Until you tell me, !,
wever, III stand pat. I V =
1ge a rock until it's thrown at :
Bunker came close and lowered "
voice. "FOr years l kept a W
set of books for your uncle
me set for him and one for the Is
lector Of internal revenue. l n
de false entries. Whenever I
de a deposit in his bank account !,
deposited the exact total of the {
eipts as shown that day on my (
Sc cashbook. The excess money
put in a safe deposit box, and U
enever there WAS quite a bit Of n
ney on hand | bought bonds for o
q so they couldn't be traced. n
~, the record of schemes we put 81
ough would make a book We ~
rauded the government out OF ~
of hundred thousand dol q,
5 since January first, 1913, and =
an prove 1t, because your uncle h,
Int been dead ten minutes be- 70
l had bis honest set Of books ~