The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-12-11

was orphaned, and brought up in
San Francisco by some aunts."
"Well brought up?"
''The family has no distinction
whatever. The girl has been work
ing as a stenographer. Her relation
ship to the island of Alakoa proba-
bly, would never have occurred to
her as offering any possibilities, If
1t had not been for this John Colt"
"And who is this John Colt?"
John Colt Is thirty-six years old
and was born in New York. He is
one of the predatory spectators
who came to light in the boom days
OF the late twenties. He acquired a
considerable fortune through water
developments in California. In 1882
his stock-juggling activities were in
vestigated, but without success"
"You mean he's not in jail?"
No charges were brought. Need
less to say, he has now lost most of
his fortune; and it is entirely possi-
BILE that everything he has left is
tied up in Karen Waterson's project
to seize Alakoa. Undoubtedly, if the
girl succeeds, large portion of the
loot will go to Colt himself. 1t is
pretty plain that Colt is the brains of
the whole fraud-probably the origi-
nator, certainly the developer"
"You SEEM to have snootled
around to very good effect" Tonga
Dick complimented them.
"And now," Willard concluded,
''Karen Waterson, through her at
torneys, and undoubtedly acting on
the advice and direction of John Colt
is bringing suit, on the complaint
that her grandfather's sale of Ala
koa was illegal-that Garrett Water
son, at the time of the sale, was
mentally incompetent. That shows
you the girls unscrupulous type
she is willing to discredit her own
grandfather-prove him to have
been virtually insane-to gain ad-
vantage for herself"
''Same old story" Tonga Dick
murmured. "But not so easy, in
the case of Garrett Waterson, I
should think"
Willard Wayne exploded. ST tell
you it is easy! Unless we find
way out, it is most certainly going
to be donel This is what comes of
dealing with irresponsibles of Gar
rett Waterson's type. Evidence can
be brought in to show that Garrett
Waterson was not only totally ire
sponsible, but eccentric in the ex-
treme. I myself am convinced he
was more or less deranged. Let
me remind you that we've had hun
dreds of such cases in the Islands
mostly successful"
81 always heard" Tonga Dick
said, "that Garrett Waterson was a
great old boy-quite a character"
Character be damned" Willard
fu1med. s'He had no character at
all. He was an outrageous old brawl-
er, always at the center of every
disturbance of any kind. He was
always doing incredible, outlandish
things"
"And he sold Alakoa for fifteen
thousand dollars" Tonga Dick COM
mented. whats it worth today?
Three million?"
Ridiculous" Ernest snapped.
'The assets, as we carry them on
the book
Maybe" Dick said, latter all,
Garrett Waterson was little fuzzy
at the edges, when he did that!"
Fright there" Willard said mo-
rosely, ''is the whole point. If they
can show that Garrett Waterson was
incompetent, it follows that his
granddaughter was left destitute by
this single incompetent act"
"All of his acts were incompe-
tent" Ernest walled.
''To prove that only makes things
worse. I tell you, if something isn't
done, we're utterly ruined. The suit
demands not only restitution of the
entire island to Karen Waterson, but
interest, or rental, for the last twen-
ty years, amounting to more than a
million dollars. Dick, l tell you, I
think she can make it stickl"
what do your attorneys say? Are
they hysterical too?"
"Gravely worried" said Willard.
"They repeatedly urge that Uncle
Jim make an effort to settle out of
court. This Uncle Jim absolutely
refuses to consider; he won't hear
of any form of compromise at all.
So long as he takes that attitude
it is impossible for us, or for our
attorneys to talk to either Karen
Waterson or John Colt at all. Colt
evidently has great faith in her
case; he meets every sort of over
ture with what amounts to silence.
And, by God, I'm afraid he knows
what he's doing!"
Tonga Dick considered; and pres
emily allowed himself a slow grin.
"You know, it's just possible that
the girl really has you'll"
Ernest fiared up. "You have just
as much interest in Alakoa as we
have-or ought to have!"
II guess" Dick said speculative
ly, "Id better have a talk with this
Waterson girl"
"Ridiculous!
Cant see how 1t can hurt any
thing"
"She won't talk to you," Willard
said shortly. ''She won't do any,
thing at all without consulting John
Colt"
"Oh, yes, she will. Tomorrow,
I'm going to take her on a cruise
up the coast-sight-seeing, you
knou -