Show 4 ov V 0 V 1 1 0 to ft alvaro baj peter it B hyne 0 tr by peter a km service CHAPTER XIV continued 14 youre an oven even dirtier little rat than I 1 gave you credit for being so unless I 1 give you yon ninety thou thousand and dollars you will put the alie experts from rom the internal revenue department on the trall trail of the estate and collect so 0 o anch taxes illegally withheld fine the estate you know they will bunker screamed scream eil they cant do anything to your uncle but they can fine his estate up to one hundred per cent they wont have any pity on you you forget that you are an accessory before the tact fact in the eyes of the law you have committed a felony by alding aiding and abetting my uncle to defraud the government 1 I know but when I 1 turn states evidence they wont do anything to me bunker laughed mirthlessly what immunity baths are for they pay me for my information bunker youre loathsome got get out ot of my room quick I 1 I 1 dont like to roughhouse rough house a little old man like you but it if youre still standing there leering triumphantly at me thirty seconds from now ill manhandle you seat scat you polecat I 1 I 1 following bunkers unceremonious departure elmer clarke sat down to do some solid thinking lie ile had need to for if bunkers threat should not prove drove to be an idle one he was liable to find himself in a most unenviable position well one thing Is certain he decided if the collector of internal revenue egged on by bunker should levy on the total residue of the estate ill be back financially where I 1 was before uncle niram hiram died but with this exception ill be out of a job well ill soon find another my health la Is aone A one again so what the devil do I 1 care for the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune provided I 1 do not have to watt wait too long to marry nellie why I 1 elmo elmot almost t forgot that I 1 am mayor I 1 have got a job after all and it pays me one hundred dollars a month well ive existed on less elmer old settler youre not licked at all ile he decided to awalt await developments it occurred to him that if bunker really had bad such a club to swing he would have swung it roost most profitably on uncle hiram before the latter de parted for that mysterious land where income taxes are not dot ile he certainly would not swing it until he had collected ills his own legacy from the estate for bunker was too cunning cuanang to make such guch a maladroit move perhaps his threat had been a monumental blurt bluff 1 I think tills this Is a matter I 1 should take up with Me Peake he decided and forthwith called upon the lawyer listened to the incredible tale with a growing disgust manifesting itself on his features youre a shrewd judge of human nature mr air clarke he declared when elmer had bad finished his recital bunker Is a rat I 1 am positive however that he Is bluffing you it if lie he bad had such euch a weapon to use on your uncle he would have used lt it consequently 1 I think that the best thing to do Is to ignore him and proceed with ith the distribution trib ution of the estates estate well weli ill FIT not dot accept any money that belong to me sir all very fine but wait until you know for a certainty that it belong to you I 1 have no apprehensions on the matter mr garke remember bunker Is an arrant coward well perhaps youre right but I 1 do not think lie he Is bluffing I 1 dont think he has the courage to bluff I 1 confess im afraid of him well im not and tile the first day he be comes in here ill have him on the carpet and shake him down ill write you the results of my inquisition so elmer went on to new york rive weeks week later wrote him that the real estate had been sold gold that all of tile the debts of the estate hall had been paid and that a final decree of distribution had been signed by the judge of the probate court accles ded that elmers share of the estate would amount to approximately immediately upon receipt of this information elmer came on to Milli catie and the day after his hig arrival he was wag to meet life Peake IQ in the batters lat office not a peep out of our friend bunker he be announced coming at once to the subject abject closest to elmers Elin erB heart 1 I had him in my office and gave him a bad half hour but could oot not get any admission from him he talked vaguely of things he could do but seemed disinclined dis inclined to do them I 1 think lie he was hulling bluffing has he received his bis legacy mr me peake 1 I banded him his check ten tea minutes agu thought I 1 might as well get rid of him blodi before you arrived me letike reached into his dedik and drew out oui a formal typewritten receipt with a check tor for attached to it sign sigm here her be ile ordered and elmer signed and pouched his check then he gathered up all of the papers paper and took his departure the check he be had received was on the first national bank downstairs so BO elmer went into the bank first and approached pro ached the paying tellers teller window ahado w 1 I wish have this check certified he salt bald and handed it through the grill work the paying teller took it and departed five minutes later he returned and handed the check back to elmer uncertified sorry tie ha gald bald but a distraint warrant has haa been served on the bank by the local collector of internal revenue and we are de barred from honoring any further checks on this account 1 I thank you said elmer politely and walked out up to 1 Mc Peakes office he wont went the client the latter had been expecting had bad not yet arrived and elmer went at once into the lawyers private office well bunker has made good lie he announced 1 I told you I 1 thought he bluffing he planned his coup so cleverly that he got his own on check rushed downstairs and cashed it just before tile the collector of internal revenue served warrant arrant on the bank the funds of the estate are all tied up until til tile the government experts have gone over the books holy jumped up I 1 yelled led absalom Me Peake nol no but yes 1 I r dont believe it go co downstairs and ask the teller of the first national bank hell enlighten you I 1 went down there and he enlightened me tile the dirty dog raved the dirty little snake to in the grass to do a tiling thing like this elmer shrugged all im hoping Is that the collector of internal revenue leaves me enough to pay my few debts I 1 owe the Pilar eltos Co commercial romer trust and savings bank twenty thousand it I 1 get that much out of the wreck ill be back where I 1 started and in a month or two ill be just as happy as if I 1 had bad never been a millionaire Ilon lio alre he smiled wanly you see I 1 got terribly accustomed to being a millionaire he added spending money Is a fine art and I 1 have never learned it cheer up mac if id collected all of this inheritance and had got accustomed to living 0 on 7 a million dollar scale bunkers action would have broken my heart you are game declared admiringly and called for his secretary get the collector of internal revenue on the line tor for me he ordered thereafter for five minutes he listened listen ten ed on the line while the collector of internal revenue talked silently hung up licked lie he croaked licked to a frazzle all right im licked elmer retorted calmly what interests rue me Is to know how I 1 was licked bunker went to tile the collector of internal revenue directly after you gave him your ultimatum and turned the real set of books and vouchers over to them and for five weeks a corps of expert accountants has haa been exper exporting ting them the statute of limitations has run against the income tax returns tor for 1013 1914 1015 1915 1016 and 1917 but they have you nailed on the returns from then on they have made up the tax returns tor for those years as they should have been made up had bad your uncle made an honest return and the collector informs me that the estate owes the government two hundred and thirty one thousand nine hundred and four dollars and eight cents they looked at each other and pres antly the slow amused smile crept around elmers mouth mac he asked did you get your fee out of the estate before the crash i shook his bis head wearily then the lokes jokes on you elmer declared and stood up tell you wit what at you du do he continued you get ho hold td of that collector run down his accounting and when you are convinced convince d he Is right and we got a leg to stand on you settle with him ou oil the best basis you can As tor for me im out I 1 have neither the time nor the inclination to tight fight for anything except a living and the longer I 1 delay that assault the oft off ill FIT be im about eight months behind the procession now and ill have to hurry burry to catch up ile he held field out his hand goodby good by mae mac im on my way elmer ral im terribly sorry friendliest of men was as calling him film by his first name dont waste your sympathy mac blac im one bird in this world who hates hate sympathy ive never been able to use any uncle hirama money would have meant a great deal to the happiness of that girl I 1 told you about and tor for her sake I 1 wish bunker had never been born but why repine when the collector of internal revenue proves his case hand him this with my corn com aliments ments and elmer laid on me life peakes desk tile the check the latter had so recently handed him ile he held out his band goodby mae mac hope you get yours youra youve worked tor for it which Is more than I 1 did you might write to a me from time to time and tell me how youre coming along he shook hands and departed back at his bis hotel lie he packed bli trunk and suitcase telephoned downstairs for his bill and then lay doun doan on his bed to wait for or train time at tour he h was homeward bound and three days later lie ho dropped off the dot del monte flyer at and made his bis way on toot foot up to his house he was greeted enthusiastically by benjy his old hunting dog and his colored retainer jasper to the th latter lie be handed the wages flue due him to date ill not need you any more jasper he announced im sorry orry youre a good servant and faithful but I 1 cant afford you ill line dine uptown tonight ile he left the amazed and disappointed jasper staring after him went to the telephone and called up nellie at the bank rimer elmer speaking nellie im home back home and broke id like to take you out to dinner tonight probably for the last time and tell you all about it uncle hirama estate has hag melted like a dish of ice fee cream on a hot stove funniest tale ever listen to nellie brace yourself for a laugh oh elmer dearl im so corryl borry nellies voice was pregnant with tears dont he pleaded please do not feel sorry for me nellie time enough for that when I 1 begin feeling sorry tor for myself ive assimilated the grandest thrashing any man ever assimilated and I 1 can still stand and see and r PYO I 1 I 1 7 ill not need you any more jae japer he announced im sorry think clearly yes fes ive taken a thrashing but im not down and out tor for the count ive got all kinds of fight left in me yet you wait and see well nellie replied its all terribly awful of course but tor for all that im happy you have come back to me and nothing else matters ive come back to you but not for you he answered bitterly im not dog enough to ask you to share my poverty with ith me nellie you must forget that I 1 was ever selfish enough to ask you to marry me well talk that matter over before we decide she retorted pick me up at the house at seven at seven elmer called for nellie and drove her out to joe an roadhouse tor for dinner and there between the soup and the nuts duts he told her the tale of his vanishing million when the story was aas done nellie poked the tablecloth with the tines of her fork and was silent for about a minute then what are you going to do elmer anything at all that I 1 can ond find to do nellie but youre the mayor of PHard Pilar eltos tos now you youre I 1 re a trustee of the union high big school are you going to resign and leave not if I 1 can make a decent living here to resign and leave now would be equivalent to running away but be laughed to death elmer oil oh you any idea how cruelly be twitted twisted by the townspeople hurt terribly I 1 woul dilt blame you tor for leaving the town 1 I know but ive stood some hurts in my day and I 1 can stand more 11 nellie looked up at him with love unutterable in her brown eyes 1 11 I adore you site she whispered her simple heartfelt declaration brought a mist to his eyes please arlease dont say it nellie he pleaded 1 I love you more than ill ever love any woman again but you understand dont you darling I 1 cant expect you to marry a pauper ill probably be a tat fat middle aged man before ill have enough money to support you decently and oh ob please understand nellie 1 I 1 want you go BO but ill not be selfish enough to ask you to wait 1 I understand thoroughly dear I 1 do not expect you to auk ask me to wait and as a matter of tact fact I 1 would not dot consent to wait when I 1 marry you I 1 want some of the sweetness of life not the sacrifice and the drudgery of never ending poverty I 1 have my place la in the bank and I 1 take me out of W here miner clarke rm g going OLD g to erf bere elmer 1 m berder hurriedly gedly paid his bis bill and nd they left the roadhouse five miles down the road they came to the farst farat are arc light on the outskirts of 0 rilar eltos nellie laid her sott soft little hand on elmers arm pull up under that arc tight light she commanded and elmer obeyed from her bag nellie drew a sheaf ot of typewritten papers and handed them to elmer read I 1 she commanded what la Is it nellie its the final accounting of YO your ur uncle Ill illiams rams estate submitted to the court by the executor Abao lotO you take time to read it when he submitted a copy to you so he be sent it on to me to show you how do yon why I 1 know he knew you read it booby 1 1 nellie cried youre so deliberate you drive me crazy rend read it so elmer read it and when he be had done so he was aware that he was riding in an automobile with the next of kin of benedict Cat catheron beron who had bad rece reveled led from the estate of hiram butterworth the sum of in full fall satisfaction of that certain mortgage et cetera his face was very long and solemn as lie he folded the document and returned it to her im happy you happened to be benedict Cat catherone Catlie herons rong granddaughter nellie he said quietly you deserve every cent of it god bless you I 1 I 1 hope conserve it and enjoy it and never know the pinch of poverty again as long as you live 1 I told you I 1 wait to marry you until you had become fat and middle aged and accumulated a few thousand dollars elmer I 1 meant what I 1 said oil oh my dear I 1 knew it fill all the time knew how flow little you were going to have left after everything should have been paid and when I 1 discovered through that you would escape with two hundred and eighteen thousand dollars I 1 had a great curiosity to see how you would stand losing that so I 1 told I 1 wanted you to think oh please forgive me darling but old bunker was bluffing you all the time I 1 so mr fixed it with the bank to tell you that story and then he be pretended to have a long conversation with the collector of internal revenue and beres your two hundred and eighteen thousand dollars and some odd elmer and oh you youre re so brave and simple and unspoiled and I 1 love you so much more now that I 1 know how truly fine you are kiss alss me booby kiss me I 1 say take me in your arms and tell me you love me I 1 want to hear bear you say it over and over again darling and say you forgive me ive bought out old an ame ao moods moodys controlling interest in the bank and youre president and nobody Is going to laugh at you oh darling you ought to know I 1 let anybody do that dont he pleaded you dont know |