BY HOOK OR CROOK.

Lake County Press, Issue 2137, 27 September 1906, Page 2

BY HOOK OR CROOK.

BY E. DALTKOIRT. "It's a beastly shame ! That's whal it is ! The idea of a helpless widow and orphan being turned out of I heir lifelong home because a rascally scoundrel like Kcelos happens to hold a d'-'il to their property. ill payment of nil infernal gambling debt. I »epi lid upon it . old Morrison was blind drunk when he made thai deed for, worthless though he was, I don't believe he was ever i.iad enough to convey that pis perl; away front Mrs. Morrison and Craee unless he had previously reached a stale that he was hey ond all realism i< n of what he had done. "Mill t hat fact . of course, can never I .tablisbcd, since old Morrison has long jigo ..one to a place where I hope he'll get his just deserts. If the men of this country and community propose to sit quietly by and permit Craee Mi rrison and her mother to be dispossessed of [heir oniy shelter. | ( | just like to

.now where -our 1,0a51.-d Southern i ■hi v airy ' conns in." The speaker paused for breath and he \i nng man who sal near him i| i In- w ide \ erandiih of t he j •Southern Maryland home quietly redied : •ited. old man ! I realize quite ited, old man ! 1 realize quite .eenly the painful situation in which wy interesting clients are placed, Hid m; desire lo help them is nat.ll•ally even stronger than yours could >o : but instead of fuming over the natter as you arc doing. I am t ryng l(i concentrate nil my faculties ipon the task of (biding some soluion to t he problem. Have you any ■Uggesl ions to make ?" "I !" answered the other blanklv ; . . . . . . • ' i don I ask tin' lor suggestions. I m lot a la vv y er ; a nil t he case is not II my hands eit her ; |,nt I'll tell •oil frankly . |ient . I hat t his case is foing to !>•■ yi ur crucial test as far is your success in this community is oncenied. Oo in and w in, old hoy! foil have t he sent intent of t he ent ire m pulal ion on your side and you now how often I have t old you I hat • ni n I never hope to succeed tiness you first manage to engage t he ympathetic interest of our people. ince they must be approached hrongh I heir sent intenl s. " '\i'i-y good, Ricky, as far as it i .es ; but in t his case 1 fear I 've ot lots of hustling lo do before I an even think about my prospects f winning out. If only."there existed possibility of picking a (law ill the I, mailers would look less hope- ' •ss for in; clients, but I daresay . hat unprincipled old rascal Kcelos is , ir 100 sharp to allow any technical , •regularities to escape hilll." , "I should say he is." replied , lieky Woodford. •'Like till slippery t •amps of his type, he is three parts i wye", and the fourth part rogue, j .< i the deed is a cast-iron one, you 1 lay lie sure. However. 1 here was I ■ver a chain made thai was wit.lliit one weak link, and you are the ( a li to li ml t ha t one.'' • "I a m nfrn id y on overra t e my i iiiliiy . Dicky . I realize the fact j I ml I'm up against a stiff proposi- j i on, but I mean to checkmate t hat i i d ruffian by fair means, if possible; i | not I shall light him with his own capons." . Mruce Deal had hoarded in the I " >f Dick Woodford ever since s io bit ter had persuaded him to lo- i ite in the .same town where he i mself had set | led ; and so the I icudship which had sprung up in i ■; hood bet ween I he I wo had been li.'llgt belied and cemented |, v their j >se association through mature hj ars. On the morning following the s liversution previously described, S I fori I, upon coming down to d cakfasl found n«mt out on the vendah toiling over a lot of fishing ckle. ' i; " I lello ! " he cried. "I'm just in y e mood for a day 's lishing ; glad P e not ion si ruck yon. I'll gel m; t' 11 in a jiffy !" y I lenl looked up with a qui/./.ii:ul oh- and said -Sorry , old chap, d I I'll have lo decline your com- (1

pany upon this occasion. since | I havr hj previous engagement with fate. Colonel Krc-lps* negro ntan-ser- | van(. and for many reasons, you | would !"• decidedly 'do Imp.' "Whnt kind of a throw-down are j miii trying to give mo," asked Woodford lestily. Then catching

sight of tin- twinkle in Hint's eye, ho laughed comprehendingly as he said : "Aha ! So that's your game. oh ? Well, 1 wish yotj luck, and devoutly hope you'll make an important rapture of the sort of fish you're after."

An hour later I'ent sal is the how of a small rowboal. I lie other end of which was occupied by the sable retainer of the man whose roguish schemes he was bent upon defeating. Monoing all his weight upon an oar, fate held the boa! well in slier,-, while Dent was engaged in—fishing ? Ordinarily. Cat a was inclined to he taciturn, but under (lie subtle influence of a spirit which had been confuted within it Hal bottle that Dent thoughtfully slipped into his pocket, he became extremely loquacious : "Yas, sir," he exclaimed. "K'unncl Kccles sat inly is the most \spicious I ever y-o\Hl : 'deed, sit", he is. You nevah ketch him a Iruss'ii' anybody what's roun' him. 1 just uachilly bleeve that ;ir man don't right, trus' his own self ! He sholy don't. ! If I'Viih I /in' him a trussiii' anybody'

tall I'm goin' right out and buy a

crape ban' l'o' my hat. 1 sholy is, for 1 know when he do dat he's just nnchi'lly gill in ready to pass ovah ; yas, sir, he sholy is. Where he keep his papers, you say ? Why, ritlit in

du top drawali of liis old bureau

what hf have in his bed-room ; one of these yer m'hagerny slab 'pon dc top. Yas. sir, lie always keeps it locked tight, and he wears do key in a chain roun* his neck, jus' as if somebody would steal a lot of old no 'count papers. Huh !" After Gale's tongue had run on in this way for an hour or two Dent suddenly decided he had had enough fishing for the day and ordered Gate to row back to the landing. It was mid-August, and the cas« of Kccles vs. Morrison was to be called at the September term of court. As the precious days slipped rapidly by the soul of Dick Woodford chafed within him at the apparent, indifference displayed by Dent. At, the very time when he ought to have been moving Heaven and earth to obtain some developments in favour of his clients, he seemed to have completely given himself up to the languor of the mid-summer's heat, lounging about with the most nonchalant air of idle ease. Again and again did

Woodford try to arouse him to the necessity of immediate acticn, but his efforts invariably met with no other reward than a light, carelessly good-natured laugh with which Dent dismissed Ihe subject. One evening, during the last, week of August Woodford accompanied Pent upon an informal visit to the ."Morrison's home, and while there he was struck by the implicit trust and confidence which < J race Morrison and her mother seemed to place in Dent, ami the efforts he was making ufj their behalf. Apparently they felt, not the slightest doubt as to the ultimate success of their case, and when he thought of the real hopelessness of their situation, and of Dent's inaction, he swore fiercely under his breath. Once home, he turned fiercely on Dent , and sa id : "Look here. Ilruee, if yon arc deluding Mrs. Morrison and fJracc with false hopes and deceiving them as to the real status of their case never expect me lo take your hand again." Dent regarded him with a queer expression as h«> replied ; "Sorry you think mc such a beastly cad ; I did hop,- vim had a better knowledge of me i ban I hat."

So full ni righteous indignation was his lone thai Dick Woodford hastened to apologise. "Hog pardon, old man : I'm sure I did not mean to foree your confidence. If you have any plan of campaign formed by ;ill means keep it to yourself until your own good lime for revealing it arrives. 1 only meant to condemn your maddening indifference, your apparent unconcern as to tit,' issue of the case, Jput I see that it is only a bluff you are put-

ting up to hide your real game." "Jlight you are!" answered Dent

"There are two or three things that I do not think it wise to mention even to you, old boy, so I must ask you to trust me as wholly as Airs. Morrison and her daughter are doing." And Woodford did.

It is possible that there are a few tbli■-bodied citizens in the community »'lio wen' not crowded i n t n the ourtroom on the day the case of •".cell's vs. Morrison came up for trial nit when those present looked over ho throng they found it hard to eali/.e the fact. After the usual preliminaries and iresome skirmishes between the oplosing counsel for the defendant demanding (hat the "alleged" deed onveying the Morrison homestead to •olonel Kecles be produced in court, 'o I his demand counsel for the lain! iff offered no opposition, and o Colonel Kecles the aristocratic ambler and blackleg, came forward, ml after being sworn, briefly exlained the citeumstanccs under ■hieh the came into his possesion : then, opening a small box he 'irried in his hand, he east, a -iumphant glance across at the laintiffs as they sat with their aunsel, and reached into the box for tie deed. The next instant a blank expression came over his face, which gre-v vid with surprised rage as he con nued fumbling over the contents. Presently, in a half-choked voice ho vclailiKfl : "There has been some uncountable mistake. I Ibid I have ot the paper with me as 1 supposed ni if the court will allow mo, I will •turn home at once, and search for and will produce it as soon as ussihle." A recess was immediately called, id the alarmed and mystified Eccles j irried home to execute a thorough j •arch for the missing deed. In less l tan half an hour he was back, look- ! g graver and more ashy than when I left and fairly foaming at the' until with impotent rage. Rapidly forcing his way to i.he i dge's bench, be cried : "Judge, I ! t\e been robbed ! There has been j une infernal trickery for which I | rear someone will pa.\ dearly. The ed has been stolen from me !" But the .Judge sternly interposed : Have a cure ! Colonel Eccles, this I a grave charge to make unless; hi can back it l.\ satisfactory j oof. Where had yon been keeping: e deed alleged In have been in j nil' possession '.'" i ".Judge, I have always kept it in a ' -patch box which I kept in the lop . awer of the bureau in mj, sleeping j

apartment, which was always secureI ly locked, the key being' carried on a chain round my neck, never putting i it, off either sleeping or waking', yet, j though there is not the slightest ovijdeuce that the U.ck of the bureau I has been tampered with, the deed is j gone !" "Ifave you ever filed a copy of the ! deed ?" asked the judge. "X—No !" replied the baffled i Colonel. j "That." replied the Judge, dryly. j "is most unfortunate, since it leaves 'me no alternative bill to close Ihe lease until the missing deed can be i produced." 1 Then followed a scene that l>eggnrs ilescrip: ion. In an instant the court I room became a pandemonium of .shou*w«a cheering, yelling men. a j forest of waving eaifs, umbrellas. t handkerchiefs. In the midst o'" the confusion Mrs. Morrison and Gr>ir»\ escorted by Dent, slipped quietly out by a roar door and were quickly driven home. ft is safe to conjecture that, l>en! felt amply rewarded by what he read in Grace's lovely eye. for his services in the case, v ii.itever the* might have been. Late that, night Dick Woodford and lieni. sat. talking coar.dentially together, when presently .*>.ek observed : "I say. Dent . I know I've no right to query yn-.. 0,, professional matters, but ;<> ivl : e-e the curiosity that is consuming •>'<•. do tell me, like a good fellow, j-M how you managed to make away with that deed ?" "I!" said Dent, innocently, opening wide eyes of surprise. "Oh ! chuck that," laughed l»i-. k, "I wasn't born yesterday." "Well," answered Dent, reflectively "did you ever notice the construction of an old-fashioned, marble-topped bureau '?" "Oh ! don't go into beastly details," replied the other. "Perfectly revelant, dear boy," answered Dent, "did you ever sec the slab of such a bureau nailed down?" "Of course not," said Dick. "They are so heavy that they arc kept in place by their own weight." "Precisely. Likewise did you ever notice the arms of Gate, Colonel Ecclcs man-servant ?" "Oh, bother Gate's arms." "Don't they look muscular enough to lift the marble top off a bureau if 'twas worth his while ?" Woodford stared a second, then he burst, into a hearty laugh, and, Slapping Dent on the shoulder, ejaculated : "Dent, old man, you a mighty 'warm number.' "