Show HALL evv aw ey 1 1 ikhel CHAPTER XI continued i ia 1 I dont deny eald armstrong slowly that at first sight this Is a queer thing or me to do to check up your property I 1 mean when you and I 1 have had such an intimate relationship as opponents and I 1 wouldn t for the world have agreed to it if it could have had the slightest connection with with your own private affairs it it cant have I 1 give you my word on that its been settled without the slightest reference to anything else but since it and since rufus me as a favor and promised to tell you about it and its absolutely commercial thata enough im glad youre going to do it voice was gruff it was a tribute to bis compan ions code of ethics know anything about mining ot a thing but im to go to a law firm in butte and of course ito only a formality anyway probably find its better than you ever claimed but rufe asked me 0 1 I sec well now about this other matter armstrong was watching the west bound express as it felt its cautious way through railroad avenue to the yeal was suddenly ashamed of himself he was forced to concede that rival had the advantage of him in poise and altruism he shook himself tree of the savage resentment which was stealing upon him were only human both of us under the circumstances the best thing we can say Is to say nothing except that I 1 wish ou all the luck in the world I 1 dont pretend it ant a hard thing to say but fm trying to mean it aej you certainly deserve it and to you eald armstrong cheer tuny and no ba feelings on either bide and I 1 hvos your mine makes a million doltan for you Th auLi said grimly 1 I II 11 need it but don t be afraid to scud drufua your honest opinion will you no and III send it to you too only fair id better bo starting clity shook hands again across the wheel youre a sport armstrong dont think ive got any resentment left except a bit that I 1 cant quite swallow on short notice 1 I know but you dont need to worry old roan your futures bright enough as I 1 hope to wire rutus about saturday too gatei willlard nill lard perceived eliat they were talking at cross purposes armstrong was evidently thinking about the mine but there was time only for a last gesture of farewell and armstrong had disappeared in the depths of the armstrong the victor and the was ou the road to eutte I 1 work hard wort the panacea and the of those who are sore distressed even this relief was denied lie was left alone with his problem wrestling with it once more in the black darkness of de pon dency and knowing neither a means of simplifying it nor a counselor to whom he could tern for aid lie conceded that there was only one thing tor him to do and he intended to do it but he was harassed because lie had so much time to think about it not bance the first sickening shock of carmons nar mons revelation bad lie doubted bis own purpose it was merely the machinery of it which perplexed him his confidence in gradually returned he was abnormally calm and determined he had no more idea of resisting his impulses than he would have had in flanders of disobeying ahli order the thing was there to be done and he regardless of his own future was there to do it overnight he had occupied himself with some elementary accounting with II armons check his tag balance for expenses and what money he could raise by selling his runabout and a few personal posses artons he bad on hand a matter of rax hundred dollars syracuse had entrusted him with sixty two thou land to compromise pro rata with his was apparently his only resource and yet how insufficient reparation it was I 1 he knew that it had been his duty to investigate the montana property before he began to exploit it he knew that his self introduction to syracuse had been blatantly inexcusable and that not even the fact that he had been carried away by the drama of it could ever be excused ills intricate fabric of deception now that he inspected it from this different viewpoint was flimsy shoddy lie could be trac edIf anyone cared to depend the time and the energy if or rufus waring cared to it tor example of course there was always the refuge of flight but in flanders men learn not to desert their posts aal Hlll lard had learned that lesson among the first loyalty to the cause of fighting had grown automatic flight was simply inconceivable to him yes he could gather his resources and place them together with himself in the bands of his subscribers and their vengeance would be twofold once foi belr loss out of pocket once for the loss out of faith he biad de pen ed no leniency and he expected none but as tor those who without the financial entanglement had respected him and honored him as for carol durant and angela well ns for carol he was at least relieved of the terrific mental convulsion which would surely have fallen upon him if he had had reason to believe that she loved him As it was her shock at his disaster would be tempered by armstrong s sane philosophy at most she would lose in nil hard a friend of only a few months a man she had wanted to retain as a friend but by her own admission as that and no more this was a consolation trifling and fragile to bo sure but something saved out of the wreck As to armstrong marvi ing somewhat at his own wished him jov armstrong wa ane and clean and manly he aft well merited his victory As to M sullen was torn with et but after all cullens gullibility yas what had made the campaign BO childishly simple As to angela who had really lov ed him oh the poor little kedl said nil hard softly the poor little kid i and perhaps he had never loved care so much as when at ten 0 elect that sunny morning he went up the steps of angelas house to destroy a little girl s regard for him before it could be destroyed by others on the doorstep he found strength in th memory of poor alerre butout dutout in a way willlard nill lard felt that he too was giving up his life as butout dutout had given his with n smile for the fate and a blessing for the future because he was afraid unnerved ly afraid that angela after all was in love with him and when he put a stop to that it was the beginning of the end As he crossed the threshold ot the long over decorated drawing room he knew intuitively that he had blundered upon a climax this he sensed from the attitude of the three who turned toward him as he entered sensed it before he saw what was in their bics the atmosphere waa vibrant aa though from sound waves which had passed beyond and yet left traces of the swell behind them the room was silent but of a silence more confounding than a deaf enang turmoil Hlll lard standing on the threshold was himself the center of this atmosphere be felt it partly because his mood was so flexible and partly because the three who faced him had simultaneously thrown their fixed attention on him thrown it directly and including him in the finale of the climax while they stood motionless as statues lie looked at waring whose expression was deafen savely acute he looked at angela flushed and excited he looked at mr cullen tight lipped and frowning and Hlll lard caught his breath as n swimmer who launches himself to a high dive and walked composedly into the drawing room 1 I hope he said gravely iro not intruding am I 1 the trio was galvanized into action cullen fairly leaped at him Hlll lard 1 be said thank the lord I 1 youre the very man we want I 1 smiled straight into callena Cu llena byci ehnts why im here he said waring laughed loudly too loudly and the laugh stopped short for cullen was towering over him cullen with indignant wrath and with a hand resting on Hlll lards shoulder ow go on said cullen command angly we dont want any under banded work around bre rufus ive told you that once already go say it to his face I 1 youre conversational enough behind his back say it to his face 1 either you tell him or I 1 will I 1 the boy wiped his forehead beads of sweat stood out on it mr aullen it it fair fairl angelas soprano had risen to a half scream hufe waring after what youve been baying you talk about being fair I 1 why it you hush 1 angela I 1 her fathers admonition was peremptory enough to quell her instantly he wheeled back to waring were going to get at the bottom of athla sooner or later and the sooner the better I 1 m waiting for ou to repeat what you just told us kufus there were tears 0 anger in the law students eyes of anger and of impotence lie gave angela a look of superb disdain shrugged his shoulders ell that settles that I 1 he said and as angela gave a gasp of understanding and turned angrily white he laughed metallically cuvien moved nearer to him are you going to speak up or not because it you aren t waring folded his arms but be still failed of the pose he planned because his eyes and his muscles were traitor to him 0 o im not I 1 tot until im ready toj I 1 m not afraid of the whole crowd of soul im not going to be bullied and bulldozed into lie attempted to brush past cullen the older man caught him by the arm take our hands off met tiou stay where you are I 1 stormed cullen until yon can if vou lay our hands on me once more mr cullen dont you forget I 1 know what this means 1 III have you oh your cullen snorted it contemptuously tor gods sake dont snivel about it stand up and take it like a man if youve got any manhood in you I 1 for a law student you re well don t try to run away from it then are you going to tell him or am I 1 the answer was delayed cullen swung around to Hlll lard then tell you myself know what this boys been saying about you coming up to us w hen youre not here and trying to knife you when youre not looking Hlll lard who had been standing paralyzed frond voice why I 1 can guess he said curiously calm and don t be harsh with him mr cullen As a matter of fact angela had sprung between them saw that her cheeks were tear ts nothing but jealousy I 1 she tied vehemently lies said horrible things about you I 1 lies always saying things about you I 1 he said angela I 1 cullen almost fairly shouted it 1 I tell you this Is my house and I 1 wont have any more of this infernal nonsense in it I 1 hear roe ive had all the nonsense im going to stand from anybody 1 bufus vou stay right there I 1 angela you keep quiet 1 he turned to Hlll lard if come in a halt minute sooner aoud have heard this young whipper snapper trying to make you out a swindler 1 trying to class you with fake promoters and mining sharks I 1 look at him look at him I 1 I 1 want to ua what he dudl youl ana tell you lilluard it 11 take more than his say so to start anything around here dont you open your mouth rufus you had your chance and ou take it I 1 and I 1 want to tell you right here and right now walt a minute Hlll lard was deadly quiet the only quiet member of the quartette theres no use in telling all the neighbors just yet he regarded waring kindly do you mind repeating precisely what you did say rufus dant you think im entitled to that much the boy flushed he was the accuser and yet he meet Hlll lard s eyes it guilt it was mere intellectual inferiority and yet it gave exactly the opposite impression well he said desperately 1 I know hearsay evidence Is no good so I 1 got it first hand in your own room in the onondaga t I 1 you wont deny that will you I 1 just pick up rumors I 1 got it from you I 1 ita nothing but jealousy hea said horrible about youl go there and ask sou questions and you give me the data show me figures and everything and I 1 told mr cullen the very next day it look bod to me his voice rose all right ril say to him and ril bay it to you and I 1 II 11 say it to anybody listen to mel it look good to me then and it now I 1 told him you acted darned funny about it and just now ive been telling him I 1 dont believe ita straight youre too blamed sketchy about it and its got all the earmarks of a bum promotion there cullen I 1 the omission of ano prefix to the father of his idol was the worst insult he could conceive leaa hand was till on willlard nill lard shoulder and it was willlard nill lard whom he addressed explosively and with that particular sort ot muffled fury which rises best from a set of circumstances not thoroughly understood what ahls Is all about Is beyond mel only if this law minnow has gone as far as this weve got to ket at the bottom of it you know that as well as I 1 do naturally the boys as wild as a hawk heaven knows how far bed go outside tills has got to be cleared cupl weve got to pound some sense into him we was rolling vacuously now that the blow had actually fallen and the complaint officially lodged he felt relaxed content before be could contrive a reply waring was strident again yes the students voice was thin with acerb lt yes you think you re pretty smart all of you don t you I 1 come in here to do you a kindness that anybody else it seems to me would take as a favor and yon and angela jump all over me why doean doesn t he deny it what I 1 want to know I 1 why he say something cullen looked at willlard nill lard and made a swift deduction and spoke it hes waiting for the rest of it go on youre only half through the yarn you told us oh very well waring gathered courage you can have all you want maybe more than you want have had it sooner if you started yelling at me I 1 know what im talking about you people dont seem to realize im in the law I 1 I 1 dont go off half cocked I 1 wrote to a law firm in butte montana what I 1 did I 1 found out what was the biggest firm there and I 1 wrote em a letter they answered it too I 1 got my information right from the ground ive got a letter that says cullen swayed forward his hand outstretched palm upward in a direct challenge of waring s truthfulness where Is the boy withdrew a step and stammered 1 I left it home oh you did I 1 callena Cu llena laugh was stinging likely 1 yes exactly what I 1 dudl think id bring an original letter out of my office let it out of my hands until its time to make it of record not on your life t ive got it all right it says the Sll mining corporation owns some acreage fast enough but there a mine on it cullen vented his abandon of rage on the empty air well who in the devil ever said there was why you the was to Hlll lard and it was made in a tone of astonishment which would have been ludicrous it there badat been tragedy behind it no Hlll lard shook his head you cant accuse me of that at least the only mine we ever mentioned was one in prospect I 1 always said it was a prospect with an old shaft on it it I 1 and so it Is I 1 but an old shaft a producing mine necessarily essa rily and please let him finish mr cullen I 1 well the boy had twin disks of hectic flame in his cheeks only a detail anyway they said it was undeveloped they said the shaft had been abandoned more than two years ago because it worth much of anything cullens bands were closing and un closing apoplectically for nc avens sake who ever said it 1 two years agol we all know that give us some news young man give us some news I 1 waring was breathing hard and his interest had switched to angela who stood adamant indeed he was suddenly transformed to the status of a suppliant rather than that of a prosecuting witness well they said it was offered two years ago to anybody take it for ten thousand dollars and take it as a gift oh good lord I 1 cullen was near to bursting the tool know what a prospect Is be seen the reports and still he and and the land next to it was had a mine on it the mine in pretty fair but that signify anything he paused for a moment and there been any work done on it to speak of for two years and the corporation report I 1 got shows that a fellow named martin harmons the president of it and II armons n cheap wall street man in new york the butte people dont consider him reliable and ive written to him four times and he wont answer ahl said Hlll lard startled well cullen repeated his chal lenge all he gazed beseechingly at angela who sniffed and turned her head away all 1 cullen 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