“Well, by gad!” exclaimed the colonel, realizing suddenly what sort of
a lad he had to deal with in Matt King.
“What’s that for, pard?” inquired McGlory.
“It don’t belong to you, or to McGlory, or to any one but me!” said
Levitt. “If you try to keep that document, King, you’re nothing more
nor less than a thief.”
The red ran into Matt’s face.
“Softly, softly,” breathed the colonel. “This talk of thieves, Levitt,
is a little premature. Matt King is a friend of McGlory’s, and he could
not be that if there was any yellow streak in his nature. No, by gad!
We are all gentlemen here. King, sir, if that manila envelope contains
papers belonging to our mutual friend, Levitt, you will return them to
him, will you not?”
“After a while,” said Matt; “not immediately.”
The colonel seemed thunderstruck.
“You hear?” muttered Levitt, between his teeth. “He’s trying to play
double with us, Billings! Those papers mean a whole lot to me, and I’m
going to have them!”
The colonel’s mood underwent a change. Attempts at conciliation having
failed, there now remained nothing but vigorous action. His first move
was to pass rapidly to the door, turn a key in the lock, and drop the
key into his pocket. Then he once more approached Matt.
“May I inquire, young man,” he bristled, “what you mean by this most
remarkable conduct?”
“I’m trying to protect Joe and myself,” Matt answered.
“Protect? Protect yourself and Joe against what, in Heaven’s name?”
“Against being drawn into a criminal act by you and Levitt, and being
compelled to take the consequences.”
“He talks like a fool!” snapped the mining engineer.
“He is misinformed, that’s all,” said the colonel.
“I’m not misinformed,” went on Matt sturdily. “These New York
capitalists hired Levitt to go to Arizona and investigate the ‘Pauper’s
Dream.’ He made two reports, one private and the other for the members
of the Syndicate. One says the mine is no good, and the other, of
course, gives it a glittering recommendation.”
“How do you know,” asked Levitt, his voice shaking with anger, “that
the Syndicate’s report is different from the other?”
“Because Colonel Billings is paying you for making it,” replied Matt.
“Would the colonel give you good money for handing that private report
over to the Syndicate? Hardly. Colonel Billings is here to sell the
mine.”
“How do you know Billings is paying me anything?”
“He has already paid you a little, and you came out here this morning
to receive the rest of it. If that crazy runabout of yours hadn’t
interfered, you’d have been able to turn the private report over to the
colonel, and no one would ever have been the wiser.”
“How do you know all this?” Levitt’s voice was husky.
“There was a letter from the colonel in the envelope along with the
report.”
“By gad!” Billings whirled on the mining engineer. “You don’t mean to
say, Levitt,” he asked, “that you had so little sense as to keep that
letter of mine?”
“Why shouldn’t I keep it? It was the only thing in the way of an
agreement that I had with you.”
“Then”--and the colonel tossed his hands--“that lets in the search
light on the two of us.”
“And we’ve caught a tartar in this meddling young whelp,” ground out
Levitt, waving his hand toward Matt.
“He’s an intelligent youth, Levitt,” declared the colonel, “and
amenable to reason. Let me talk with him. My dear young man,” said the
colonel to Matt, “assuming that what you say about the report is true,
in what way are you legally liable through association with Levitt and
myself?”
“You’re trying to swindle a company of New York capitalists,” answered
Matt, “and Joe and I, not knowing the deal was crooked, have already
been dragged into it. If we allowed the plot to go on we would be
equally guilty with you and Levitt, and we could be arrested and sent
to prison.”
A tolerant smile crossed the colonel’s face.
“Suppose I assure you that there is not the remotest possibility of
any of us going to prison,” said he; “will you give up that report and
letter?”
Matt hesitated, not because his determination was wavering, but because
he wanted to put his thoughts in the right words.
“It means a fortune to McGlory,” urged the colonel; “and what kind of a
fellow are you to euchre a friend out of a fortune?”
“It’s not an honest fortune,” declared Matt, “and Joe can’t afford to
accept it. Besides, what good would it do him if he found himself in
the penitentiary for obtaining money under false pretenses?”
The colonel was beginning to lose patience.
“You’ve got less sense than any cub of your years I ever met up with!”
he cried irritably. “How much money do you want for that report and
letter? That’s your play, I reckon; and I’d rather shell out a hundred
or two than have any trouble with you. How much do I bleed?”
The colonel measured Matt with wrathful and inquiring eyes.
“You haven’t money enough to buy me!” declared Matt.
“Aw, cut it short!” broke in Levitt savagely. “What’s the use of
fooling with him any longer?
“Wait!” cautioned the colonel. “McGlory,” he went on, to the cowboy,
“what do you mean by lugging such a two-faced longhorn into a private
and important council like this?”
“You’re wide of your trail, colonel,” said McGlory, with spirit.
“There’s nothing two-faced about Matt King, and you can spread your
blankets and go to sleep on that. He’s the clear quill from spurs to
sombrero, and the best pard that ever rode sign with me. Don’t you make
any mistake in taking his sizing.”
“Well, what is he trying to rope down and tie your bright prospects
for?”
“He’s got more sense in a minute than I have in a year, and you can bet
your boot straps he knows what he’s doing--even if I don’t.”
“You’re far wide of your trail, Joseph. Matt King is committing an
illegal act this minute. He has property belonging to Levitt and
refuses to give it up. He could be jailed for a thief. But we’re not
going to jail him. We’ll just take that report and letter from him.”
“Then you’ll have to walk over me to do it, colonel!” asserted McGlory.
“By gad!” muttered the colonel. “You’ve got as little sense as he has.”
“Brainwork never was my long suit, but I’ve seen enough of Pard Matt to
feel safe in banking on any notion that he bats up to me.”
“Bah!” gibed the colonel. “I’ll talk with you later, McGlory, and take
pains to show you the error of your way. As for Matt King, he’s a false
friend. He’s jealous because you’re about to come into a fortune, and
he’s doing all he can to shift the cut and leave you stranded.”
“That’s not true!” said Matt. “Joe knows me better than that.”
“Sure I do, pard. Come on, and let’s get out of here.”
The actions of the two men were threatening. McGlory started toward the
door; but happened to remember that it was locked, and that the colonel
had the key in his pocket.
“Cough up the key, colonel,” said the cowboy. “Don’t force me to yell
and have up that fellow with the knee pants and the lilocks.”
“It will be better for you youngsters,” growled the colonel, “if you
don’t raise a commotion. The surest way to see the inside of a lockup
is by calling for help. Are you going to hand over those papers?” And
he turned to Matt. “Last call.”
“I’ll return them,” said Matt, “but not till after that meeting
to-night.”
He slipped the manila envelope into the breast of his coat. Having
planned what he considered was the best move, the young motorist was
never more resolute in seeking to carry it out. Even though he was
retaining Levitt’s property, yet right and justice upheld him in doing
so.
“By Jupiter,” murmured Levitt, his eyes flaming, “he’s intending to
take that private report to the Syndicate meeting to-night! If he
does----” He gulped on his words, finishing with a significant glance
at Billings.
Matt was wondering how he and McGlory could get out of the room
without making too much of a scene. He understood very well that the
colonel could inaugurate a pursuit, in case he and his chum succeeded
in getting away with the envelope and its contents, and that, for a
time at least, any story the colonel and Levitt chose to tell would be
accepted. Temporary advantage was all on the side of the colonel and
the mining engineer.
“He won’t show that paper at the meeting, Levitt,” gritted the colonel,
now thoroughly aroused. “We’re done fooling with him.”
He stepped toward Matt from one side, while Levitt advanced from the
other. The cowboy tried to push closer to his chum, but the colonel
held him back. One of the colonel’s hands went groping in the direction
of a hip pocket. Matt guessed what the hand was after.
“The window, Joe!” he called.
Simultaneously with the words, the king of the motor boys whirled,
pushed through the window, lowered himself swiftly from the sill, and
dropped.
The colonel grabbed at the hands on the sill, but they pulled out from
under his gripping fingers; then, looking downward, he saw the lithe,
agile form of Matt King lift itself from a flower bed and fade from
sight around a corner of the building.
Two young fellows with golf sticks were crossing the lawn and had
witnessed Matt’s drop from the window. Naturally they were surprised at
the peculiar proceeding and stood looking up at the colonel.
“Catch him!” bawled the colonel; “he’s a thief!”
That was enough. The two members of the Country Club darted away after
Matt.
McGlory was making preparations to drop from the other window, but the
colonel grabbed him at the critical moment and forced him into a chair.
“Off with you, Levitt!” the colonel called. “You can catch that young
cub! And when you do overhaul him get the report and the letter at any
cost.”
As he finished the colonel flung the door key toward the engineer.
The latter let himself out of the room and bounded excitedly down the
stairs.