Show y THE REAL MAN r 1 By IL Copyright Ly by Charles Chartes Scribner Sons A. A I CHAPTER Continued Continued 15 15 i- i Smith did his various errands quick quick- ly y When WIlen he be reached the fourth-floor fourth suite again was out of the J bath was sitting on the edge of ot the bed wrapped in blankets with the steaming pot of coffee sent up on Smiths Smith's hurry order beside him on a tray Its uIt's your turn at the tub he bubbled bubbled bubbled bub bub- bled cheerfully I didn't have haye any glad rags to put on so I swiped some of your bedclothes Go to It old man before you catch cold Smith was already pointing for the bath Your trunk will be up In a afew afew afew few minutes and Ive I've told them to send It li hire rc he said When you ou want to quit HIP me you'll find your our rooms five doors to the right In this same corridor suite number four It was a long hour half-hour before Smith emerged from his bathroom once more clothed and In his right mind In Inthe Inthe Inthe the interval the reclaimed trunk had been sent up and was also clothed He had found one of Smiths Smith's pipes and some tobacco and was 4 smoking with the luxurious enjoyment of f one who had suffered the pangs Imposed Ira Ira- posed by by two two days of total abstinence Just hangin around to say goodnight goodnight goodnight good good- night he hc began when Smith showed himself In the sitting room Then he returned the borrowed pipe to its place on the mantel and said his small say sayto t to the definite end After all nIl that's happened to us two tonight Mont Monty I hope youre you're going to forget my crazy and not lose any sleep about that Lawrenceville business Im I'm sevY seventeen seyen sev sey- I Y- Y en enteen teen different kinds of ot a rotten failure failure fail fall falli i ure theres there's no manner of doubt about that and once in a while while just just once In a while while while-I've Ive I've got sense sense enough to know it ht You saved my life when it would have been all nIl to the good for 4 you to let me go I guess the world i wouldn't have been much of a n loser if I had gone and you ou knew that too Will you you would er would you shake hands with me Monty 1 CHAPTER The Pace Setter s' s Smith made an early breakfast on the morning following the auto drive drivet t to the abandoned mine hoping there thereby y to avoid meeting both Miss and The cafe was practically empty when he went in stud took his accustomed place at one of the alcove tables but he hc had barely given his order when Starbuck appeared appeared ap rip- and came to join him Youre looking a whole lot better this morning John said the mine owner quizzically as he held up a finger for the waiter matter Hows the grouch couch Smiths Smith's answering grin had something something something some some- thing of Its former nature good-nature in it the day Billy BlUy he said Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow To morrow at midnight we must have the 7 water running In the ditches or lose our franchise Its It's chasing around Inthe in inthe the back part of ot my mind that Stanton Y will wiIl make his grandstand play today ft Im I'm not harboring any grouches on the edge ege of the time battle They are a handIcap handicap handi hand cap anyway and find always good medicine talk said the older man e eying ing him keenly And then You had us all guessing yesterday yesterday yesterday yester yester- day and the day before John You sure was acting as If you'd gone plumb v 4 I I was was the quiet adt ad- ad t mission What cured you t Its too long a story to tell over the t. t breakfast table What do you hear bear from Williams All quiet during dOlIng the night but the 7 weather eather reports are scaring him up upa i 1 f a good bit Uli thin morning r. r Storms on the range Yes The river gained four feet I last night and there is flood water and drift coming down to beat the blind band b nd Just the same Bartley says he IsI is going to make malte goodSmith good If I Smith no nodded ded Bartley is all right the right man In the right place Have I. I you seen the colonel since he left the ther r i offices last evening t Yes I drove him and Corona out fl i c r to the ranch in my new car He said hed he'd lost his roadster somebody had sneaked Cd In and borrowed It it I suppose he told you OU about the ther at r latest move our move our mow move move move-In In e-In In the stocks stock- stock s selling lUn game r- r t. t f No he didn't but Stillings did You n pla played edit it pretty fine ne John only I hope fe to gracious we wont won't have to redeem Sr those those options It would bust our little f inside V crowd wide open to have to buy t. w gln yin n all aU that stock at pa par 3 Smith laughed Sufficient unto the da day Billy It was the only way to block Stanton Its It's neck or nothing ti with him now and he has only one Jo- Jo more string that he lie can pull t i The Time railroad way of of way deal enl fi Yes he has been holding that in f- f ii reserve that reserve thai and one other thing 7 t r What was was was' the other thing thin eo Starbuck Starbuck Star Star- i. i buck was absently fishing for a sec sec- Jf x ond and lump of sugar in the sugar boa bowl tit 1 j Has It got anything to do PO with the ther ij f r hunch bunch of news that you wont won't tell t 7 t F us about us-about about yourself John t i It has Two days ago Stanton had V mo rep f f Uly but a 3 friend of mine wine stepped in Last night again he lie stood to win vin out But a man fell into the river and amI Stanton lost out once more more Starbuck glanced up soberly Youre talking In riddles now John I dont don't sabe It isn't necessary for you to sabe Results are what counts Barring accidents acci dents you High Line people can cnn reasonably co count nt on having hayIng me inc with you for the time next few critical days and I may add you never needed mo me more pointedly Starbuck's smile was face I III hope I dont don't feel sorry he remarked re- re re re- marked Some day when you ou can take an hour bour or so off Im I'm going to get you to show me around in your little mu mu of self-conceit self John Maybe I can learn how to gather me up one Smith matched the mine owners owner's natured good-natured smile For some unexplainable unexplainable reason the world his particular mar lar world seemed to have lost its malignance He could even think of Stanton without bitterness and the weapon which had bad been weighing his hip pocket for the pest past few days s 's hind had been carefully buried burled In the bottom of the lower dressing-case dressing drawer before before he came down to breakfast I You may laugh Billy bat but you'll have to admit that Ive I've been Ing the w whole hole bunch of you ou right from the start he hie retorted brazenly But lets let's get down to business This Is practically Stanton's last day of grace If he cant can't get some legal hold upon us before midnight tomorrow night or work some scheme to make snake us lose our franchise his job is gone Show me said the mine owner succinctly suc suc- Its easy With the dam completed and the water running In the ditches we become at once a going concern with assets a long way in advance of our liabilities The day after tomorrow tomor tomor- row row row-If If we pull through through- you through you ou wont won't be able to buy a single share of High nigh Line at any figure As a natural consequence public sentiment sent senti ment which we wo Ola may say is at prest present present pres pres- ent eat a little doubtful will come over overto overto overto to our side in a landslide and Stanton's Stanton's Stanton's Stan- Stan tons ton's outfit if it wants to continue the I fight will have to fight the entire with the city of ot Brewster i thrown in for good measure Am I I making it plain Right Eight you are so far Go on on Billy Ill I'll tell you something that I haven't bavent dared to tell anybody not even Colonel Baldwin Ive I've been spending the company's money like water to keep in touch The minute we fall fail and long before we could hope to reorganize a second time and apply for a new charter Stanton's com company company company com com- pany will be in the field with its charter charter charter char char- ter already granted From that to taking taking tak tak- ing possession of our dam either by means of an enabling acC of the legislature legislature leg leg- or by purchase from the paper paper paper pa pa- per railroad will be only a step And sue j 1 N Nii ii I r i I III I I i f ell Good Glory He Sighed we coul couldn't nt do a thing I 1 Wed We'd have no legal rights and no money to fight with 1 l Starbuck pushed his chair away from the table and drew a long breath Good glory 1 l he sighed I III wish to goodness it was day after tomorrow 1 Can you carry I it t any further J John ohn Yes a step or two For a n week Stanton has been busy on the paper paper- paper paper-I railroad claim and that is what made mado madei i ime me buy a few cases of good rifles and send them out to Williams I was I afraid Stanton might try force He lIe wont won't do that if he lie can help it hell he'll go in ha with some legal show if possible because our force at the dam far outnumbers outnumbers out out- numbers any gang he could hire and he knows we are armed He cant can't work worl the legal game said Starbuck definitively ely Ive known Judge Warner ever since I was knee- knee high to a toad hop and a squarer man doesn't breathe That is all right but youre you're forgetting forgetting forgetting forget forget- ting something The paper railroad Is Isor isor isor or or was once once once-an an interstate corporation corporation corpora corpora- tion and so may ask for relief from flom the federal courts thus going over Judge Var Warners Warner's erB head Im I'm not sa saying ing anything against the federal Judge at Red ned Butte Ive I've met him and andle le hn Is a good Jurist and presumably an I honest man But ho lie is well along in I years and has hns an nn exaggerated notion of his own Importance Stanton o orather or I rather his figurehead ran railroad road people have asked him to intervene and hp he I has taken the case under advIsement I That is where wo vc stand this morning Starbuck was nodding slowly Isee III I see seo what you mean now ho lie said I If Jumps the wrong way for us youre you're looking to see sec a n United States State marshal walk up to Bartley Williams William some time today and tell teU him to quit That would put the final kibosh on us wouldn't It Smith was rising in his bis place Im not dead yet Billy he rejoined rejoined rejoined re re- re- re joined cheerfull cheerfully I III ha haven't ent let it ge get this far without hammering out a few expedients for our side If I can manage manage manage man man- age to stay in the fight today toay and tomorrow tomorrow to toy morrow morrow- morrow morrow- A little new under clerk had come in from the hotel office and was trying to give Starbuck a note in a square envelope envelope envelope en en- and Starbuck was saying No uNo that's Mr Smith over oyer there Smith took the note noto and opened it and he scarcely heard the clerks clerk's explanation explanation ex ex- that it had been put in hi his box the evening before and that th the day clerk had been afraid he would get away without finding it It It wa was from Verda and it had neither superscription nor signature This Is what Smith read My liMy little ruse has failed miserably Mr r. Ks messenger found my father fathe In spite of It and he the lie the messenger messenger- returned this this evening I know because because because be be- cause he lie brought u a no note to from father t to me Come Comae to me as early tomorrow morning as you can and well we'll plan what can cnn be done one Smith crushed the note in his hand and thrust it into his pocket Starbuck Star Starr buck bucl was making a cigarette and was wa studiously refraining refraining- from breaking in But Smith did not keep him waiting That was my knockout Billy BlUy h he said with n. n quietness that was almost almos overdone My ul time has suddenly been shortened to hours perhaps hours perhaps to min min- utes Get a car nr as ag quickly as you ou can and go to to- Judge Warners Warner's house I have an appointment with him at nine Tell him Ill I'll keep it If It I can but that he needn't wait walt for me if I Iam am not there on the minute CHAPTER The Colonels Colonel's Deft Though it was was' only eight o'clock Smith sent his card to Miss Richland- Richland ers er's rooms at once and then had himself himself him hIm- self lifted to the mezzanine floor to wait walt for her She came in a few minutes min min- utes a strikingly beautiful figure of a woman oman in the freshness of her mornIng morning mornIng morn morn- Ing gown red lipped eyed bright-eyed and serenely conscious of her own resplendent resplendent resplendent re re- re- re gifts of face and figure Smith went quickly to meet her and anddrew anddrew anddrew drew her aside into the music parlor Already the need for caution was beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning to make nuke Itself feltI feltI feltI felt I have come he said briefly You got m my note she asked A uA few ew minutes minutE's ag ago just ago just just as I was leaving the breakfast table I You will leave Brewster at once once once- while the way is still open i ilIe He lIe shook hool his head I cant can't do that in common justice to the men who have trusted me and who are arenow arenow I Inow now needing me more than ever eyer I must stay through this one day and possibly another Mr 11 1 Kinzlo Kinzie will not be likely to lose loso any tine time she prefigured thoughtfully He has probably telegraphed to Lawrenceville Lawrenceville Law Law- before this Then with a glance over her shoulder to make male sure that there were no eavesdroppers But Dut not one of these can Identify you OU as ns John Montague Smith of Lawrenceville the La the the m man n who is wanted by Sheriff Macauley My father father fa fa- ther tiler in his letter after telling me that he will b be detained in the moun moun- several days dars longer refers to Mr Kinzie's request and suggests suggests- The fugitive was smiling grimly He suggests that you might help Mr 11 Kinzie Kin Kin- zie out Not quite that tl she rejoined Hc uHe merel merely su suggests bests that I am to be prudent I and and to to qu quote te him exactly not exactly not get mixed up In the affair in any way so that It ht would make malte talk i iI I 1 see said Smith And then You have havo a disagreeable duty ahead of you and und Id I'd relieve you OU of the necessity by l y running away if I could But Dut that thatIs Is impossible as I hn have e explained She was silent for a moment then she said When I tol told you ou a few days ago ngo that you were going to need my help Montague I didn't foresee nn anything like this I shall breakfast with the In a few minutes and amI after nine o'clock if you ou could contrive conn to keep out of the way until I can get wor word to you ou just so they wont won't be able to bring us face to face with each other other- Smith saw what she meant saw also whereunto his wretched fate tate was drugging dragging him It was the newest of all the reincarnations the one which had lad begun with silent handclasp handclasp hand hand- clasp the night before which prompted him ilm to say If It they should ask you about me you ou must tell teU them the truth Verda Her lIer smile was mildly scornful Is Ills that what the plain-faced plain ranch person would do she asked I III dont don't know yes I guess it is is she sho care any more for tor you than that thaU Smith did not reply lIe He was waa standIng standIng standIng stand- stand Ing where he could watch the comings and goings of or the tho elevators Time was waa precious and he was chafing at the the- thede delay delay de de- de lay but Miss 1 r was not yet ready to let him goTell |