Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

SPEAKING OF and it sort of frowns on anything that hasn’t home talent in it. That’s why we thought, as a sort of reward for our true and faithful services, and, of course, for our silence, that you might announce us in on the gound floor, and mark us down for—well, say, about six thousand dollars’ worth of stock.” “That was the amount that Horace Q. had lost with us, and we figured that we weren’t taking any chances. But the ranch buyer from Kianna, Iowa, just stared. “Why, gentlemen,’”’ he managed to get out after a while, ‘ you must understand that I represent big people. Six thousand dollars doesn’t mean anything to us at all. And, besides, what insurance would six thousand dollars be? None; absolutely none, money in a company wouldn’t feel the com-- pulsion of silence. You'd sell it to-morrow for twelve thousand, and the whole town would know it in an hour. I’m sorry, gen- tlemen, but I—I can’t do it.” ‘“ Twenty-five thousand wouldn’t interest you?” Ed kicked me on the ankle and butted in. ‘ We—of course we realize your position. But, much as it hurts me to say so, Mr. Keever, we’ve got you in a hole.” ‘“‘ Perhaps so.”’ He looked at Ed like a wounded dove. ‘“ But if I’m not mistaken, you're the kind of a man I could trust abso- lutely to help me, whether I gave him any reward or not. Do you know, Mr. Steele, I feel sure that if I asked you not to say a word about this, I could rely on it that you wouldn’t ruin the hopes of a corporation, and that you wouldn’t allow your partner, no matter how grasping he may be, to—” “Mr. Keever,” I cut in real quickly, “suppose we make that fifty thousand bucks. That’s a lot of money. A couple of fellows like us aren’t going to take any chances on spilling the beans when we’ve got fifty thousand stuck in it. Now—” “Gentlemen,” Mr. Keever had backed against the bed and stood there rubbing his hands and looking at the ceiling, ‘‘ I think I know my people pretty well. There’s not a man in the company who is not a million- aire. Naturally they don’t want to fool around: with bagatelle. I.can safely say that they would refuse to allow you to come in for that money. I might be able to A person with only that amount of © CONSCIENCE. 569 promise that I could show them the light if you made it—well, say, double the amount.” Three hours later, Ed and I said the word. The next morning we slapped a mortgage on the Palace of Pleasure, bor- rowed fifteen thousand, put the bee on the sheriff for his share of the gross for the last. two months, and drew out our balance at the bank. But we figured it was worth it. By afternoon we’d got all our cash to- gether except that fifteen thousand, and the bank had promised it at three. Accord- ing to our agreement with Mr. Keever, so that no more conferences would be held, and no possible chance of any one overhear- ing our deal, he was to come into the joint at eight o’clock that night, slap down a wad of hundred-dollar bills on the table—in which would be the stock-certificate stuck between the bills, and I was to rake it in and slip it down behind the table and ex- amine it to see that it was all right, while he was counting his chips. Then he was to win on the star number, and I was to pay him a hundred thousand dollars in cash. All of which seemed fine and lovely. But, as I was saying, there was still that fifteen thousand. Along about a quarter of three, Ed and I pulled away from the Palace of Pleasure and slid down to the bank. The _ president did the kotow to us and took us in his private office. Then Ed and I made out the notes and all that bunk and slipped ’em to the guardian of the exchequer. He gave us a bow or two and went out to the cage. Ed and I sat there, lamping around to see what we could pipe off, and sort of absent- mindedly Ed picked up a file of these here “ Wanted—One Hundred Dollars Reward ” things that are always bobbing around to remind you that maybe you're doing a star part in one of ’em. ; But at that I didn’t pay much attention to him and his reading matter. If it ’d been the sheriff’s office, I might have been more interested. But I knew that we hadn’t been cracking any safes or pushing a gun in a cashier’s face or writing phony names on little pieces of paper, and it didn’t fret me in the least. But something about it seemed to get Ed. All of a sudden I saw him sort of jerk up in his chair and look at mM (S| QO) NOOK