Independence enterprise., June 24, 1910, Page PAGE THREE, Image 3

PACE THREE
CIGHT PAGES
INDEPENDENCE ENTERPRISE. INDEPENDENCE. OREGON. JUNE 24, 1910.
The Fighting
Chance
Copyright, l(6. by tuo
Copyright. 1U"0, ty
(A conlliiU"d gtury )
CHAPTER.
HOLT 4 o'clock on tho following
afternoon Mm. Morthner'g
maid, who Inn I nlimwt llnMiod
A V drying mid dressing her ml
tiv It ji lr. wna culled to tln floor by
a persistent knocking, which ut Aral
pin hail Ihi ii hidden to disregard.
It wua Mortimer until, desiring to
know whether Mth. MorlliniT could re
ceive Mr. Mortimer ut once on mutter
of liiiiortii mo.
"NO." Ml III U'llll petulantly. "Toll
Mulling to any tlint I I'limiot aee nuy
laaly." Ami. catching a glimpse of
the shadowy Mulling dodging about
tho dusky corridor: "Wlia I the mat
ter? U Mr. Mortimer HIT
tut MiiIIIiih con hi uot nay what the
miitti'r mlKlit I. nml lie wont away,
only to return In u few iiioiiii'iitg litmr
Ing it scratchy -note from hi master,
badly blotted nml Htlll wet. iiuil Ij-IIii.
Willi a shrug of resignation, took the
blotched aorawl ihilntlly liotweoli
tliiinili mill forefinger and unfolded It.
Kehlud ber the lunlil, twisting up the
masse of dink, fragrant Imlr. rend the
note very easily over Iicr mistress
boulder. It run. wllhout prellml
liurli'g: I n) fln to talk to yon whether you
Ilka It or not. lu you undomiBiid that?
If you want to know whnt'g the mutter
with mo you'll llnd out fnat enmmli. Klr
that French t(lrl out before 1 arrlvg.
She closed the note thoughtfully,
folding and double folding It Into a
thick wild. The Ink bad come off, dis
coloring ber finger tips. She dropped
the polled paper on the floor and bold
out ber hands, plump fingers upload.
And wbeu the uinld had finished re
moving the bIiiIiih and hud repollsbod
the pretty hand ber mistress glpiied
lier chocolate thoughtfully, nibbled n
bit of dry Mast, then motioned the
uinld to take the tray and ber depar
ture, leaving her the cup.
A few minutes Inter Mortimer came
In. stood a moment blinking arouml
the room, then dropped Into a goat,
sullen. Inert, the folds of his chin
crowded out on his collar, bis heavy
Abdomen cradled on his short, thick
logs. Ho bad been freshly shaved;
linen and cloth
ing were spot
less, yet t b e
man looked un
clean. Save for tho
network of pur
ple veins In bis
face there was
no color there;
none In his lips.
Even bis flabby
bands were the
"Are you tilt" naked hue of clay.
MsuitecooUu- "Are you 111?"
nskod his wife coolly.
"No, not very. I've got tho jumps.
What's that? Tea? Cgh! It's choco
late. Push It out of sight, will you? I
can smell It."
Leila set the delicate cup on a table
behind her.
"What time did you return this
morning?" Bhe asked, stifling n yawn.
"I don't know about 5 or 0. How
the devil should I know what time 1
on me In?"
Sitting there before the mirror of her
dresser she stole a second glance at his
marred features In the glass. The loose
mouth, the smeared eyes, the palsy
like tremors thut twitched the hands
where they tightened on the arms of
his chair, became repulsive to the
verge of fasclnatlou. She tried to look
away, but could not.
"You had better see Dr. Grisby." she
managed to say.
"I'd better see you; that's what I'd
better do," he retorted thickly. "You'll
do all the doctoring I want. And I
want It, all right."
"Very well. What Is It?"
He passed his swollen hand across
his forehead.
"What Is it?" he repeated. "It's the
limit this time, If you want to know.
I'm all hi."
"Roulette?" raising her eyebrows,
without interest
"Yes, roulette too. Everythiug!
They got nie upstairs at Burbank's.
The game's crooked. Every box, ev
ery case, every wheel, every pack is
crooked, crooked, crooked, by God!"
he burst forth In a fever, struggling to
sit upright, his hands always tighten
ing on the arms of the chair. "It's
nothing but a creeping joint, run by a
bunch of handshakers! I I'll"
Stuttering, choking, stammering lm
nrerntlons. his hoarse clamor died
wnv after awhile. She sat there.
away arier nwuue.
bead bent, silent. Impassive, acqules- j
.,Ho'r tho nhvslcal and mental
ROBERT W.
CHAMBERS
C'urtlg Publh hlng Company.
Itoberi W. flmn-bera.
strain to wbli h alio hud never In-come
thoroughly burdened. How niiiiiy mu-li
scene bud alio witnessed! Hie could
not count tin-in. They differed very
Utile hi detail mid not ut nil In their
ultimate object, which whs to get
what iiiiiiiey flic bud. This wim his
method of reimbursing himself for bin
tonnes.
lie iniiili' mi end to hi .ut liurnt aft
er awhile. (Inlv III" dreadful fat
breathing now lllled the alienee nod
aupiMiNlng be luid finished. he found
her voice with an effort
"I am aorrv. It comeg at o bad
time. UN you know"
"A bad time!" he broke out violently
"Mow can It come at any other sort of
time? With us all t linen are bad. If
this la worse than the average It can't
be helped. We ore In It for keep
I bin time:
"We?"
"Yes. we!" be rejiented, but hl foce
bad grown ghastly and hi uncertain
eyeg were fastened on hern In the mir
ror.
"What do von nienii exactly?" she
asked, turning from the dresHer to con
front him.
He made no effort to answer. Au ex
presslou of dull fright was growing
on his visage, as though for the nraf
time ho had begun to realize what had
hnvpeocd.
She saw It and her heart quickened,
but she spoke disdainfully: "Well. I
mi- ready to listen iih usual. How
much do you want?"
lie made no aim Ills lower lip
hung loose, ills eyes blinked tit her.
"What Is It?" she repeated. "What
have you been d ing? Mow much
have you lost? You can't have lust
very much. We hadn't much to lose.
If you have given your note to nuy of
those gambler It is a shame n shame!
I.eroy, look at me! You promised me.
on your honor, never to do that again
Have you lied, after all the times I
have helped you out. stripped myself,
denied myself, put oQ' tradesmen,
fuced down creditors? After all I
have done, do you dare come here and
ask for more ask for what I have not
got with uot one bill settled, not one
servant paid since Iiocemlier"
"I.elln, I I've got-to tell you
"What?" Fhe demanded, appalled by
the change In bis face. If be was
overdoing It, he was overdoing it real
istically enough.
"I I've used Plank'a cheek!" he
mumbled and moistened bis lips with
his tongue.
She stared back ut him. striving
comprehend. "Plunk's!" she repealed
slowly. "Plank's check? What check?
What do you mean?"
"The one be gave you last night to
pay his bridge losses and forgot to fill
In."
"The one he Cut you couldn't!
How could you. It was uot filled in."
"I tilled it."
Her dawning horror was reacting
on blm, as it ulways did. like a tierce
tonic, and bis own courage came back
In a sort of sulleu desperation.
"You you are trying to frighten me,
Leroy," she stammered. "Y'ou are try
ing to make me do something give
you what you want force me to give
you what you want! You can't fright
en me. The check was made out to
me to my order. How could you
have used It, If I had not indorsed It?"
"1 indorsed it. Do you understand
that?" he said savagely.
"No, I don't. Because If you did j
It's forgery."
"I dou't give a what you think
It is!" he broke In fiercely. "All I'm
worried over Is what Plank will th"nk.
I didn't mean to do it. I didn't dream
of doing It. When I saw that check
In my bands 1 thought I'd use It tem
porarily merely as moral collateral to
Hash at ' UurbiMik -something to buck
hit I O L"s. So 1 tilled It in."
"For how much?" she asked, hot dar
ing to believe him, but he ignored the
question and went on. "I filled It and
Indorsed It and"
"How could you ludorse It?" she in
terrupted coolly, now unconvinced
again and suspicious.
"I'll tell you If you'll stop that fool
tongue a moment. The check was
made to 'L. Mortimer.' wasn't It? So
1 wrote 'I-. Mortimer on the back.
Now do you know? If you are L. Mor
timer, so am I. Leila begins with L;
so does Leroy, doesn't it? I didn't Im
itate your two-words-to-a-page auto
graph. I put my own fist to a check
made out to one L. Mortimer, and I
don't care what you think about It as
long as Plank can stand It. Now put
up your nose and howl. If you like."
But under her sudden pallor he was
. , , i . , t u 1 .
bolster up his courage with bluster j
and noise as usual.
tOHing rrigui ugaui. nuu lie ucsuu iv. .
"Howl all J on like." lie Jeer!. "Il
won't alter nialtt-rg or iiuie ac
count wHh I'bink. What uie you
atnrlntf at? Do you (nippice I'm ii"t
aorry? Do you fnncy I dou't know
Him! II fad I've been? Wlml lire j on
turning wbli- f-.r? Whul"-
"Ilow nun li h:ie you Klie chok
ed, then, rcoliitriy, "How much Iiim
yoii-lnketi?"
"Taken!" be broke out wllll an onth.
"What do you mean? I've borrowed
alMit jJu.tNiii. Now yelp! KliT What?
No yi-lpJ I'luliiibly aoiiie weepg thou
Tin ii 'em mi mimI run dry. I'll wall."
And be managed to croaa one bulky
h-g over the oilier and lean back, uf
feeling resignation, while I.elln. holt
upright In her low chair. very curved
outline rigid under the (lowing alik.-n
wrap, atiired at blm as though stun
ned. "Well, we're good for It. aren't we?"
he nii Id threateningly. "If lie's going
to turn ugly about It. here's the
bouse?"
"My house?"
"Yea, your house! I BiippoHe you'd
rather raise goiuethliig ou the bouse
than have the thing come out in the
papers."
"Do you think go?" she naked, stai
lug Into his bloodshot eyen.
"Yes, I do. I'm sure of It!"
"You are wrong."
"You mean that you are not Inclined
to Ktand by me," he demanded.
"Yea, I mean that."
"You don't lutein! to help me out?"
"I do uot Intend to not this time."
lie begun to show his big teeth and
that nervous anlckerlng "tick" twitch
ed Ids upper Up.
"I low alamt the divorce courts?" he
neered. "Io you want to figure Id
them with Plnnk'r"
"I dou't want to." Bhe said stead.y.
"but you cnniiot frighten me by that
threat."
")h! Cau't frighten you! Perhaps
you think you'll marry Plank when I
get a decree? Do you? Well, you
won't for several reasous. First, be
cause I'll name other corespondents
and that will make Plank sick; second,
because Plank wants to marry some
body else and Pin able to assist him.
So where do you come out In the
ahuflle?"
"I don't know," she said under her
breath and rested her head against the
back of the chair, as though suddenly
tl'.vd.
"Well. I know. You'll come out
smirched, and you know It," said Mor
timer, giving Intently at ber. "Look
here. I.ella. '. didn't come here to
threaten you. I'm no blackmailer.
in no criminal. I'm simply n decent
sort of a man. who Is pretty badly
scared over what he's done In a mo
ment of temptation. You know I hud
no thought of anything except to lxr
row enough on my I O U's to make
a killing at Hurbauk's. I had to show
them something big. so I filled in that
check, uot meaning to use it. aud be
fore I knew it I'd Indorsed it and was
plunging against it. Then they stack
ed everything on me by God, they
did, aud If I had not been In the coudi-
tlou I was in I'd have stopped pay
ment. But it was too late when I re
alized what I was against. Leila, yon
know I'm not a bad mau nt heart.
Can't you help a fellow?"
His manner, completely changed.
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3ALEM, OREGON
bud bet-ouie the r-ciitful and fretful
aplM-nl of the victim of phd and clr
iiiiiiataiicii. All I he anvage brutality
had been i-llm hinted Tin' alieer. t'l
t r ii -ti lt-ii t attempt to browta-at. the
pitiful awag.-i-r. the cynical Juatlllcn
lion, nil were g-iiie. It wa really the
inn ii himself iio-.v. normally aom-d mid
repentant; the f i Ic'ili-lie.l. overfed pell
Mli'iicr on bis wI.i-'h bounty, nut the
Im mil ii Ih-iihi maddened by fear and
dlshlpali in. half stunned, half panic
airli ken. driven by sheer tenor Into a
role which i-eu lie xlinink froui-bad
ahriink from all these years. For.
leech mid panit-lte tluit be was. Mor
timer, however much the dirty ncipd
altloii of money mlg!it tempt blm In
theory, had not yet brought himself to
the point of iitte moling the practice.
even when In gorest atrulla ami bitter
est need. He didn't want to do it.
He wished to g-l along wllhout it.
partly because of native Inertia and
au aversion to the mental iilinhlcncHS
that be would la required to show a
a lawbreaker, partly because the word
"blackmail" atood for what he did not
dare suggest that lie hnd come to. even
to himself. HI distaste wag genuine.
1'h..rA n'oru i.r-tulii iliftteil tt-lil'll lift I
didn't want to commit, and extortion
wag one of tbetn. He could at a pinch
lie to hi wife or try to scare her luto
giving him money. Ho could when
necessary "borrow" from such meu
as Plank, but he hud never cheated at
cards, and he had never attempted to
blackmail anybody except his wife
which, of course, was purely a family
matter and concerned nobody else.
His policy of alternately frightening,
dragooning and supplicating Leila bad
carried hlui so far, and though It was
true that this was a more serious situ
ation than ho had ever yet faced he
was convinced that his wife would
pull him out somehow, aud how that
was to be accomplished he did not
very much care as long a be was pull
ed out aafely.
"What this household requires." he
said. "Is economy." lie spread his
legs, denting the Aubusson carpet with
bis boot heels, and glanced askance ut
bis wife. "Economy." he repeated,
furtively wetting his lips with a
heavily coated tongue, "that's the true
solution. Economical administration
in domestic matters. Iietrnchment.
Leila, retrenchment. Fewer folderols."
Leila's head was lowered. He could
not see her expression, but he had nl
ways been confident of bis ahlliry to
talk himself out of trouble, so he rum
bled on in pretense of camaraderie,
currying favor, as be believed. Ingra
tiating himself with the coarse blunt
ness that served him among some
men. even among some women.
"We'll tlx II somehow." he said reas
suringly "Don't you worry. Leila.
I've confidence In you. little girl.
You've got me out of sticky . messes
before, eh? Well, we've weathered a
few. haven't we?"
Even the horrible parody on wedded j
loyalty leH her silent, unmoved, dark
eyes brooding, and he began to grow
a little restless und uuxlous as bis
Jocularity increased without a move
ment In either response or aversiou
from his wife.
"You ueedn-'t be scared if I'm not."
ho said reproachfully. "The house Is
worth two hundred und fifty thousand
aud there's only fifty on it uow. If
ftitilovcfr. (Clothes. I
ji- i-
Ihut fat Dutch W In IT I it t. Plunk, nhowg
hi tuska we can chip on another fifty."
And a be nindt no goiind or move
ment In reply: "Aa Mr a Plunk goeg,
Ihm i-n'l I done enough for ti tin to
.;mire It? What have we ever Kot
nut of Id ii rxcept u lliouaand or two
now mid i hen w hen the card went
i! tr: 1 1 1 1 I me? If I took It. It wn prac
tlccl'y vU.it be owe me. And If be
think !!' too nun ti-lisik '.ere, I ell.
I've a trick -jp my sleeve. I can make
Hil iiuy time I wi ll to. Pin In a
Hi-ltlii to marry thai man to the girl
lie's mini alnxit stark, rnvltig mad."
Mrs Mortimer slowly raised her
bead and locked ut Ir-r husband.
"I-roy. hiv you mad?"
"I! Not much."' he exclaimed glee
fully "I cuii make blm the IiUhIiiiiuI
of I lie luoi.t run after girl In New
York'-if I want to And ut the snin
time I can puncture the moit arrogant,
the most cold blooded, sellish. puratr
proud. Inflated ului-uuipiHip that ever
gat at the bend of a directors' table.
O-ho! Now you're atnrlug. Ixdla. I
cau do It. I can make good. What
are you worrying nlHit? Why, I've
got a hundred ways to square that
check, mid each separate way I a
winner."
He rose, sluaik out the creases In his
trousers and adjusted the squat gold
fob which ornamented bis protruding
waistcoat
"So you'll fix It, won't you, LcIlnT'
be said, apparently oblivious that he
had expressed himself as able to ad
Just the matter in a hundred equally
edifying and satisfactory manners.
She did not answer. He lingered a
moment at the door, looking back with
au Ingratiating leer, but she paid him
no attention and he took himself off,
confident that ber sulkiuess could not
result In anything unpleasant to any
liody except herself.
Nor did It. us far as he could see.
The days brought no noticeable change
In bis wife's demeanor toward blm.
Plank, when be met him. was civil
enough, though it did occur to Morti
mer that he saw very little of Plank
In these days.
Ttigratefnl lieggir." he thov-ght bit
terly. "He's toadying to Belwether
now. I can't do anything more for
him. so 1 don't Interest bim."
And for nwbiie he wore either a
truculent, aggrieved air lu Planl's
presence or the meeker demeanor of a
martyr, sentimentally misunderstood,
but patient under the affliction.
Then there came a time when ha
needed money. During the few days
he spent circling tentatively and ap
prehensively around his wife be learn
ed enough to know that there was
money to be had from her at present
No doubt the money she raised to pla
cate Plank if she had placated him In
that fashion was a strain on her re
sources, whatever those resources
were.
One thing was certain. Plank had
not remained very long in Ignorance
of the check drawn against his bal
ance. If Indeed, as Mortimer feared,
the bank itself had not communicated
with Tlarik as soon as the check was
presented for payment. Therefore
Plank must have been placated by
Leila how. Mortimer was satisfied not
to know.
(To be continued.)
irui uuut f- .