"You've started at the wrong end, but it doesn't matter. Frank Woods
has used the money entrusted him by the French Government to gamble
with. He counted on the contracts with the International Biplane
people to bring him clean and leave him a comfortable fortune besides.
The end of the war and the wholesale cancellation of government
contracts killed that. To cover his deficits, he borrowed from the
Capitol Loan and Trust, and they are hunting for their money now."
"How did you find all this out, Jim?" I demanded breathlessly.
"From friends, good friends, Bupps. Men who knew that if I asked for
this unusual information, I had need of it and that I wouldn't abuse
their confidence."
"And now that you've got it, what are you going to do with it?"
"I have sent messages to Woods, to his apartment, to the club and to
the International plant, saying that I want to see him. I know he is
working like the devil to get the contracts to furnish the government
with mail planes for next year. If he gets that contract, he may
possibly pull through, for the bank would probably extend his credit,
but if knowledge of his illegal use of the money entrusted to him by
the French Government ever gets out, he knows it's the stripes without
the stars for him."
"Be careful when you meet him, Jim," I warned. "He'll go to the limit,
you know, to save himself."
"He's all front, Bupps; just like Zalnitch. I'll give him three days
to straighten out his affairs and get away. If he hasn't left by then,
I'll put all the evidence I have into the hands of the Capitol Loan and
Trust."
"Are you going to tell Helen about this?" I asked.
Jim pondered a moment. "I haven't decided that yet. If I was sure
Woods would go away without any trouble, I think I'd leave her in
ignorance; but he might use her to save himself."
"How do you mean?"
"I'm not so blind I can't see that Helen's infatuated with the man. If
he is blackguard enough to ask her again to go with him, I think she
would go, and that would pretty effectively tie my hands."
"You mean that for Helen's sake you wouldn't prosecute Woods?" I
demanded. "That's stupid sentimentality."
"It's for Helen's sake that I'm doing _all_ this," Jim insisted.
"Don't think for a moment I would stop the prosecution just because she
was with him. The reason my hands would be tied is because Helen's
money would pay his obligations."
"Helen's money?" I laughed. "Helen hasn't as much as I have."
Jim flushed. "Helen is quite a wealthy woman, Bupps. When I went into
the army I wanted to leave Helen perfectly easy in a financial way
while I was gone, so I transferred all my railroad stock to her, so
that she might draw the interest. I haven't asked her for it since I
came home, because, in the light of our recent differences, I was
afraid she might think I didn't trust her."
"And do you suppose Woods knows that?"
"Of course he knows it!" Jim burst out. "She must have told him. Why
do you suppose he played around so long before deciding to make love to
Helen? Oh, it's all so simple and clear to me now that I wonder at my
stupidity."