Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 167: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE PIRATE WHO GREW UP. Young Blake looked up from the letter, and said: “Why, mother, I had no idea there was a mortgage on the farm; I always thought that dad was comfortably fixed. How big is this mortgage and when is it due?” “It is for one thousand dollars, and is due to be paid off or renewed on November ist of the present year. I know you had no idea of the mortgage, son, neither have alot of people we know. After you went away your father let a man interest him in an oil stock affair; told him that by investing ten thousand dollars he would get back three times ten in one year’s time. He did not and the mortgage is the result. I wanted your father to get Dr. Lambert to take the mortgage, but he didn’t want the doctor to know of his difficulties, and thought it would be better to go to some one outside our community. I meant to tell you before, son, but never thought of it until you just told me what you have.” “Let me see the mortgage, will you, mother?”’ After reading it carefully over three times, young Blake’s face lighted up. “Tt is true; that clause about leasing any part of the land for the removal of land, timber or stone is here, but there is nothing that says that father couldn’t re- move any of those materials himself. Have you still faith in your farm manager, mother ?”’ ‘¢ All the faith in the world, Sanderson.” “ All right. “We go into operation to- morrow morning. Remember, you have given a lease to no one, your manager is doing whatever is being done.” Til. Noon the next day saw one hundred yards of gravel, at a dollar the yard, carted out of the Blake bank. Four o’clock the same afternoon found Ezra Watson and his lawyer at the Blake home, wanting to know if the Widow Blake had read the mortgage over. She had. So had her manager; she would send for him. He responded on the run. Oh, yes, he had read the clause over three times; had Mr. Watson? O17 Here is Rutherford Stanton, his personal attorney, who had prepared the mortgage; talk to him. Yes, he had prepared the mortgage, and it specifically specified that no land, timber or stone could be removed without the con- sent of the mortgagee. He remembered that particularly, because his client had it incorporated in all of his mortgage holdings. “Well,” said young Blake, “ you may have fully intended to have incorporated that clause in this particular mortgage, but you didn’t.” “Let me see it,” said Stanton, with a flourish of authority. Blake got the document for him, and watched his face cloud as he read it through. “This has been altered or my stenogra- pher has left out a word or two. We will take it back with us and rectify it. I will mail it so that you will get it back in to- morrow’s mail.” “You will like hell, you’ll hand it right back,” said Blake, who, noticing that his mother was temporarily out of the room, thought it well to let both these men see that they weren’t dealing with a woman. “And who may you be?” asked Stanton. ‘“‘ IT may be any one, but just now I hap- pen to be Sanderson Blake, and I want that mortgage back, and back quick.” “Come,” said the lawyer to Ezra Wat- son, as he made to put the mortgage in his inside coat pocket, and strode toward the door. Blake thought for a split second, and deciding that outdoors would be a better place for his purpose, stood back and allowed Watson to pass out after Stanton. Blake was out after them and at Stan- ton’s side in a few seconds. He took the lawyer by the shoulder, swung him about so that they faced each other, and said softly but sternly: “Give me that mortgage!” “‘ Like hell I will,” said Stanton, as his right hand slipped into his overcoat pocket. Blake grabbed Stanton’s left wrist; there was a glint of gun-metal as an automatic shot through the air, and Stanton landed on his back, as Blake took the much-wanted document from his pocket. ~ “You'll suffer for this!” declared Ezra COmMicloooks C@