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Show the eiilt.- 1 don't want any money that way. 1 don't want any hrtta. or exriilput Ion a. or at ate mem e from yuii that you know me lu tit- Innocent. You o me aomtthlng. Ami 1 in litre tonight to-night to uk you for It " 1 thuuaht you aald you dlAn't want anv brtttea." 1 don't. May I aak you what your margin of profit la at your marhlnaiy company?" ' I suppose It runs a round 1! per cent." "Then will you pleaae allow me--tn give you tll.ona In profit.' Im In the lumbrr buln. I have a contract that rum Into the millions; aurly that la good enough security to a man" le couldn't rratat the temptation "Uo knows my absolute limonnri). It lin t good enough for the ban hern, who mill hrlleve me guilty, ao l'v com directly direct-ly to you. 1 nrM $100,000 worth of lumber mill machinery. I can pay for It In Inatallmenta. I guarantee to give you every cent above my current runnlna exDensfa until the hill la dls- iContlnuped from Haturday.) fllAFTKK XIII. Uld Judge Mason, accustomed to seeing see-ing 1-iarry in I tinea of atroae, tried hla best to be Jovial. Well, boy. what la It this timer "Money,' Houston came directly to the point. "What's the money for; running ex-penaeaT" ex-penaeaT" "No. Machinery. I've got to have a good, amooth working plant oih-erw oih-erw lae I won't be able to live up to specifications. " "You re not," and the old lawyer smiled qulsxl4elly, ' golnar to ravor your dearly beloved friend with the order, are yo'iT" "Who?" "Worthington.' "The district attorney?" 'That w.te. Plutocrat now. He came Into hla father a money and bought the Kaat t'oaal Machinery company, lies president.' again the smile, and 1 knw hed be glad to have your order." poaed of. All I want Is to have you lo I what you would do to any reputable bualneea man who came to you with a contract running Into the million of dollar to give me c rod it for tnat machinery. ma-chinery. (ine In with me on it, and we'll forget the roar. Htay out ant 1 ; fight:' I for a long moment. Kilane Worthington Worth-ington paced the floor. Then, at l.mt, he looked up. "All right." (M1AITKK XV. It waa a grinning Harry Hour ton who leaped from tht- train at TnWr-nade TnWr-nade a wtk later and ran open rmel through the anow toward the waiting Ha'ttat. "You got my telegram?" lie akcd It almost brea'thleimly. "Ah. out! on I. out, out! Sarre, and you art the wizard:' A moment he purged with anotlr Ma. '-'But, now, na'te-ne Attve rT H ahail go to Medalne li shall .t-II her to write o ,th district utomey of Bratou that he will tell h r-- i "It was part of my agreement. Ha - Houston continued the sarcaim. "Id be overjoyed to give It to him. In fact. I think Id rfuae to buy any machinery if 1 couldn't get It from Km h a dear friend as Worthington waa It mint hla fault that 1 wasn I snt to tin- penitentiary," No. that's right, hoy" Old Lawyer Law-yer Mnun waa tUltiy reminiscent, "lit tried his best. I.t seemU to ma In those days he waa more ot a joer-ercutor joer-ercutor than prosecutor." 'let's forget it." Houston laughei unesjilly. "A persecutor . . Vouve given me an Idea, judge. I'm going to New York." And the next morning. Barry Houston Hous-ton waa tn Now York, swirling along Hevenih avenue toward UtHetrand hospital. hos-pital. There he sought the executive offices and told hie atory. KKe minutes min-utes later he was looking- at the books of the Institution. Heanhlnsr searching at last to tifle a cry of excliem nt and betid closer to a closely written page. August acond " he rad. "Kllhane Worthington. district attorney, tint-ten. tint-ten. Maae Arc by Mrs. Morton. Meyer and Brensteatn. Investigations Into nBeiif fftct of blow e un akull. Klght rau-avtrt. rau-avtrt. ' With flngtrt that wtrt tlniott frtn- xled. tl.iuttou copied lbs notation, closed tht book, and hurried again for a taxlcab. It yet was only s o'clock. If the traffic were not too thick. If the driver were skillful tie raced through the gat- at flraml fsntral lust as It was closing It ess night when ht reached Hoston. In.t Houston tild not healiMt A glnnce at a telephone book, another ro.kunc ride In a lski-aO. slot llsrr, 011 i the veritida of a tsrg house, m n i"is the answer to his ring at the t'ell finally It esme 'Mr. Worth'nglon " he oVmnncd. Kllbane Worthington was aeat.d at a large table, much In the manner which ht had affected In court. "Well." ht aaked aomtmhal bruscus-ly, bruscus-ly, "may I Inquire " "My nama la Harry Hnuaton, eon of tht lata William K. Houtton. mu nod I met In the ceurtroom. You once did nit the very high honor to accuse nit of murder and then tried your lei el heat to semi me to the penitent t.tiv for life when you knew, absolutely and thorough, that I wss nn itinocert n'snl ' t'lIAPTKirjilV. Tha former district attorney started kit Wlmlramatlr, mrm t von, k kei In mnrrinm tone, -I tint, that n h forrrr! to mak no j t rttt-mentD ra-jraidlnK mv Itirtooi-nc. ' Slowly Ita'tinte iindrli'il ritl nlrippel' the rflim on th tmi-Jt of Hi hone. "na'teeno will not pre MfUahitf." Lama i at lant, ami tKv went on. AKtin th wattlnir A month went t-v, tn brtnj with It the MM of lading which told tnat the machinery waa at laat n tta way, Marrh. anl a few warm rlava, which ml'ed th anowa only tlit they mlarht rruat a vain. Hack ani ftirt'i traveled the hobalfU to Tnlu rn.n li nly to meet with dlaa inoln tent. "I've wired the airent at ,lenvir three tlmoa about that atuff." n.iitl th' Tater-ni't'lt Tater-ni't'lt telt'trrapher a nil vi'nrnl puper-vleor puper-vleor of fretght "Me" a told m" that he'd let me know aa r-ioti ne il rrt In." A week more, and wltnor had re-turned re-turned for n laat fH"BT. I They tried the bohaled, lla'tlete and IToueton, only to Klve It up. The horaea j floundered and plowed about In vain i effort a at locomotion, at luat to nlunx tnlo terror Vf a hottnmleaa road. ' Ket la no uee. came finally. "The horee, he can not pull. We muat make the trip on the anowahoe." Thev turned back for tha hunk houae. to einerar a few momenta later hent. pad. led forma, flKhtln rlumally a rain at the aweep of the atorm. tthoata thev becume almoat Immediately, anow ro. . ered fhinira thit hardly roittd te decerned de-cerned a few; feet away n4 f each hnMtntr t kktht to the atom cor 4 which led from watat belt to waet their only Inaurance ana I net Htna parted from each other In the bllaxl' awjrl of winter. Tha tea fur a rtt arent. aa tared up from the rattllnc key., vera not conducive to relief. "Your atuffa on th way. If tfata llRhtly Then, coming atlll rlimr, h pered Into the tena. anury fraturea of Barrv Houaton. A bit melodramat Ic, aren't you ?' ha aaked In a aneertna; tone. "iVrhapa ao. Rut then murder la alwaya melodramatic. "The point la I hla 1 am h Inking of aulnr tha city of Uoaton for a million mil-lion dollara." "You're talking blnckmall'" "I beg your pardon. Itlackmall la potnething by whtcn one extorta money. I'm here to try to give you money- nr at le net the promlat vt It - -tni at the anme time allow you to make up f r aomethtng that should weih t..t)ur heavily on your conaclence.-' "If you 11 come to the point." "Mr. Worthington. I have convincing Kvklence that you knew ! inno-cent. inno-cent. rirther. that you knew 't ;t tha baglnnlng of tha trial. Hut thsi In aplte of thla knowledge, jou continued con-tinued to pereacute me notice, I don't aay prosecute to peraecute mo iti a hope of gaining a conviction, aim ply that vou might go before tha votra and point to ma In prlaon aa a recommendation recom-mendation of your efficiency aa a district dis-trict attorney. I don't m'nd glln vou the r-amea: lr, Morton, lr. Maye-and Maye-and fr. ltrenateam, all phyalcUn of the hlgheat reputation.. 1 would like. Mr. Worthington to know why you did no -ake up of them In th trlil?' "Why " The former dtatrlrt attorney attor-ney ruddenty changed the auhjact. "You aiioka of a ault you might bring when you came In herT" Houaton waited for a moment, then want on. "aiui -waonally, I tn't want to file any newa to you," came with a worried laug'h. "I i left I enver thia morning Lwbind No. 8. Fight lon't paat Tolllfvr Not past Tolllfer"' Mouaton atarM anxloiiHly. ' W hy, It ahould be at tha top of the range by ivow." "Qood reaaon. They're getting tha now worm- than here. Denver report-l report-l ten iiK-hea at 1 1 o'clock and It's fifteen mtlea from the rane." H rattled and Lunged ui the key for a Ion moitu-nt. cursing aot t ly. Only the di-ad rluck" of a grounded line aiicrt-d him. 'Thinxn :ir enlng to got bad In thla country If iIiIh Keeps up.' cai:n at laat. " There uin'l any t" Kut a aiock Jf food.' At last the wire opened again, and the operator went un'e more to hla dt-ek He bent over tha key. Ills faca went white --teuje, "God" "W hat's wrong?' Tha two men were close beatde him now. "Number. one-eleven's kreked over the hill The re w irlng Denver. from t'restllre. The eocond plows up there In the enowrthed with the 'crew. One f in a dead,. The other's wait a :.ni1nue. I li:vo to piece tt together." Tii'- alienee., ejtreft for the rattling of tha k y. trken. Jagged, a clattering I tobe of the distance, taint In the roar t 1 hiii" '.' the sturm. et -penetrating aa It carrte.l the news of a tr away world world where tha three waiting men knew that all had turned to a white hell of wintry fury. tContlnued In our next Issue ) |
