第99章

"My little niece--you mean Lizzie?...Well and happy, well and happy.I--I got "--he drew a thick bundle of dirty papers from his pocket, envelopes, newspapers, circulars, and the like--" I--I--I got, I got her picture here somewheres.""Yes, yes, I know, I know," cried Jadwin."I've seen it.You showed it to me yesterday, you remember.""I--I got it here somewheres...somewheres," persisted the old man, fumbling and peering, and as he spoke the clerk from the doorway announced:

"Mr.Scannel."

This latter was a large, thick man, red-faced, with white, short whiskers of an almost wiry texture.He had a small, gimlet-like eye, enormous, hairy ears, wore a "sack" suit, a highly polished top hat, and entered the office with a great flourish of manner and a defiant trumpeting "Well, how do, Captain?"Jadwin nodded, glancing up under his scowl.

"Hello!" he said.

The other subsided into a chair, and returned scowl for scowl.

"Oh, well," he muttered, "if that's your style."He had observed Hargus sitting by the other side of the desk, still fumbling and mumbling in his dirty memoranda, but he gave no sign of recognition.There was a moment's silence, then in a voice from which all the first bluffness was studiously excluded, Scannel said:

"Well, you've rung the bell on me.I'm a sucker.Iknow it.I'm one of the few hundred other God-damned fools that you've managed to catch out shooting snipe.

Now what I want to know is, how much is it going to cost me to get out of your corner? What's the figure?

What do you say?"

"I got a good deal to say," remarked Jadwin, scowling again.

But Hargus had at last thrust a photograph into his hands.

"There it is," he said."That's it.That's Lizzie."Jadwin took the picture without looking at it, and as he continued to speak, held it in his fingers, and occasionally tapped it upon the desk.

"I know.I know, Hargus," he answered."I got a good deal to say, Mr.David Scannel.Do you see this old man here?""Oh-h, cut it out!" growled the other.

"It's Hargus.You know him very well.You used to know him better.You and he together tried to swing a great big deal in September wheat once upon a time.

Hargus! I say, Hargus!"

The old man looked up.

"Here's the man we were talking about, Scannel, you remember.Remember Dave Scannel, who was your partner in seventy-eight? Look at him.This is him now.He's a rich man now.Remember Scannel?"Hargus, his bleared old eyes blinking and watering, looked across the desk at the other.

"Oh, what's the game?" exclaimed Scannel."I ain't here on exhibition, I guess.I----"But he was interrupted by a sharp, quick gasp that all at once issued from Hargus's trembling lips.The old man said no word, but he leaned far forward in his chair, his eyes fixed upon Scannel, his breath coming short, his fingers dancing against his chin.

"Yes, that's him, Hargus," said Jadwin."You and he had a big deal on your hands a long time ago," he continued, turning suddenly upon Scannel, a pulse in his temple beginning to beat."A big deal, and you sold him out""It's a lie!" cried the other.

Jadwin beat his fist upon the arm of his chair.His voice was almost a shout as he answered:

"_You--sold--him--out._ I know you.I know the kind of bug you are.You ruined him to save your own dirty hide, and all his life since poor old Hargus has been living off the charity of the boys down here, pinched and hungry and neglected, and getting on, God knows how; yes, and supporting his little niece, too, while you, you have been loafing about your clubs, and sprawling on your steam yachts, and dangling round after your kept women--on the money you stole from him."Scannel squared himself in his chair, his little eyes twinkling.

"Look here," he cried, furiously, "I don't take that kind of talk from the best man that ever wore shoe-leather.Cut it out, understand? Cut it out."Jadwin's lower jaw set with a menacing click;aggressive, masterful, he leaned forward.

"You interrupt me again," he declared, "and you'll go out of that door a bankrupt.You listen to me and take my orders.That's what you're here to-day for.If you think you can get your wheat somewheres else, suppose you try."Scannel sullenly settled himself in his place.He did not answer.Hargus, his eye wandering again, looked distressfully from one to the other.Then Jadwin, after shuffling among the papers of his desk, fixed a certain memorandum with his glance.All at once, whirling about and facing the other, he said quickly:

"You are short to our firm two million bushels at a dollar a bushel.""Nothing of the sort," cried the other."It's a million and a half."Jadwin could not forbear a twinkle of grim humour as he saw how easily Scannel had fallen into the trap.

"You're short a million and a half, then," he repeated.

"I'll let you have six hundred thousand of it at a dollar and a half a bushel.""A dollar and a half! Why, my God, man! Oh well"--Scannel spread out his hands nonchalantly--"I shall simply go into bankruptcy--just as you said.""Oh, no, you won't," replied Jadwin, pushing back and crossing his legs."I've had your financial standing computed very carefully, Mr.Scannel.You've got the ready money.I know what you can stand without busting, to the fraction of a cent.""Why, it's ridiculous.That handful of wheat will cost me three hundred thousand dollars.""Pre-cisely."

And then all at once Scannel surrendered.Stony, imperturbable, he drew his check book from his pocket.

"Make it payable to bearer," said Jadwin.

The other complied, and Jadwin took the check and looked it over carefully.

"Now," he said, "watch here, Dave Scannel.You see this check? And now," he added, thrusting it into Hargus's hands, "you see where it goes.There's the principal of your debt paid off.""The principal?"