LOWERING CLOUDS
Phil gazed gravely at the girl's flushed, excited face; then at the
pale, serious Jimmy Stiles. He could not smile at this startling
statement as an out-and-out absurdity when it was so apparent that both
of them were sincere in their belief that it was the truth.
"That is a pretty serious charge you are making, Miss Lawson," he said
quietly. "You speak of undeniable proof that my uncle is in collusion
with Nickleby. I think we may eliminate Rives as impossible in this
connection. As you know, my uncle was the man who put Rives in jail,
where he belonged. Just what do you mean by 'undeniable proof'?"
"It is true that Rives was jailed through your uncle's efforts, but
that was twelve years ago, Mr. Kendrick. Twelve years is a long
time--in office. Political brooms have an unfortunate tendency of late
years to lose their splinters very rapidly once they are sure of a
place inside the door and it isn't a great while before they no longer
sweep clean."
"'Undeniable proof,' I believe you said," persisted Phil.
"Jimmy overheard Nickleby and Rives calmly discussing the meeting with
the Honorable Milton Waring, which is to take place on the night of the
twenty-seventh, and while he was unable to obtain the full details of
the scheme which is being hatched with your uncle's co-operation, he
learned enough to show that their plans are pretty near maturity.
"If that were all, I would be inclined to say that Jimmy must have been
wool-gathering and have misunderstood what he heard; but, unfortunately
it isn't all--not by any matter of means."
She paused and looked up at him bravely.
"Mr. Kendrick, several times in the past few days our conversation has
wandered to political topics and once or twice you mentioned with some
resentment the personal attacks which are made upon our public men by
political opponents in the heat of electioneering. You said it was
enough to drive all thought of taking part in the government of the
country from the minds of decent citizens. You were pretty severe on
the newspapers, the party organs anyway, for some of the things they
have ventured to say about your uncle from time to time. I endeavored
to change the subject whenever you got going along this line for fear I
would say something which would hurt your feelings. I assure you it is
not easy for me to do that now. I am a newspaper woman, as you know,
and loyalty to my paper demands that I speak plainly. Also the
situation in which we find ourselves requires me to give you facts in
advance of publication--facts which have been very closely guarded by
the _Recorder_--and I am trusting to your discretion under most
difficult circumstances."
"I understand, Miss Lawson. It's scarcely necessary to assure you that
your confidence will be respected."
"I told you the other night that my editor had grown suspicious of the
Alderson Construction Company and that we had been gathering up
evidence for a graft exposure that would shock the country. I regret
very much that the Honorable Milton Waring is involved in these
charges, along with Blatchford Ferguson and Nickleby. Alderson himself
is merely a figurehead of Nickleby's; for, as I told you before, the
Alderson concern is ninety per cent. J. C. Nickleby. It was
immediately after a secret meeting between these four men that the
campaign fund contribution of fifty thousand dollars was made by the
Alderson Construction Company. You know what happened to it.
Photographs of this money are now in the _Recorder's_ possession.
"But before this meeting took place at all we had run down the proof of
a real-estate transaction in connection with the proposed new Deaf and
Dumb Institute that was traceable finally to your uncle and Nickleby
and Ferguson. The three of them secretly formed a little syndicate.
Nickleby advanced the wherewithal to purchase the land, Ferguson bought
it up quietly and shrewdly through different agents at half its value,
and the Honorable Milt's contribution was to engineer the Government's
purchase of the site. In fact, we obtained the proof that it was he
who proposed the whole deal to Nickleby in the first place. The site
was purchased piecemeal, at sacrifice prices, from individual lot
owners for a total of $50,000. Its market value was $100,000. It was
sold to the Government for $200,000. The profit of $150,000 was split
three ways between your uncle, Ferguson and Nickleby. These are facts,
Mr. Kendrick, which have been established beyond question by my editor,
Mr. McAllister, by personal investigation."
She paused and looked away from him to escape evidence of the pain
which she knew her words were giving him. His face seemed haggard in
the feeble flicker of the candle. Stiles had sat silent throughout,
poking some dried pine-needles into a little heap with a stick. He
continued carefully to poke them together and scatter them again, poke
them together and scatter them again.
"You are quite sure--of the proof?"
"I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Kendrick," and he looked up at her sympathetic
tones to find tears in her eyes. "There is no mistake. The _Recorder_
has the sworn affidavits to prove its charges in connection with the
real-estate deal and Mr. McAllister has shown me photos of the cheques."
Phil sat as if dazed. He could not trust himself to speak. He fought
against belief in his uncle's dereliction, but there seemed no loophole
of escape from such evidence and he knew that Cristy Lawson could have
no object in attempting to deceive him. She was telling him the truth.
This, then, was the sort of thing Ben Wade had had in mind when he said
there was nothing to be gained by shutting one's eyes to the fact that
many a good man had found the political game as it was played these
days too many for him. He knew what McAllister had up his sleeve
perhaps. Was it part of the puzzle which the railroad president was
trying to piece together? What had Wade done with the stolen money
that Cristy had given him? He had had it photographed, for one thing,
and turned the photos over to McAllister! He had been helping Cristy
in her work! At the same time he had been trying to save Aunt Dolly
from--what? The suffering she would undergo under the disgrace of the
very exposure which Wade was helping to bring about?
It was a muddle which was hard to penetrate. What a beautiful line of
talk Blatch Ferguson had handed him the other day! According to Blatch
the Honorable Milton Waring was one of the hardest-working, most
conscientious and high-principled men of the day and Blatch had had
greater opportunity of knowing that than most, he had said. He could
say that, knowing the facts, being one of the principals himself in the
graft that was going on!--could say that and follow it up with a homily
upon honesty in public life--say it with an exalted look upon his face!
How completely a bit of unsuspected truth could alter an entire
perspective! How easily he had been fooled when he became too
inquisitive!
And his uncle? Had his uncle talked to him that foggy night only for
the purpose of fooling him too? "Even one man against a pack of wolves
can put up at least some kind of a fight, even though he knows that
sooner or later he is doomed to go down." His uncle knew, then, that
sooner or later discovery must come? He had talked about having tried
to do his duty and wanted his nephew to believe it no matter what
happened. But, as Cristy had pointed out, new brooms had time to
become worn and inefficient in twelve years of use. His uncle had been
talking in the past tense! He _had_ tried to do what he thought was
his duty--at first, when he swept into politics, inspired by the
victory over the Rives crowd. Twelve years apparently was a long time
to expect an inspiration to burn in the face of besetting temptations.
Phil looked up at last, aware that the girl was speaking, tense with
eagerness.
"I wanted you to know the truth, Mr. Kendrick," she was saying, "if
only that it will help you to understand how serious I consider the
news which Jimmy brings--this new deal that is pending, I mean. The
_Recorder_ must act at once to stop it. It is better that your uncle
face the charges as they now stand than to have this last and blackest
mark against him. I hope you agree with me?"
"Decidedly," nodded Kendrick. "What you have told me, Miss Lawson,
has--well, kind of knocked the wind out of me. I can scarcely credit
it. Even yet, I am hoping against hope that it is not as bad as the
evidence seems to indicate. But one thing is certain, there is no use
in attempting to do anything but face the music. If my uncle is
guilty, he will have to pay the price; there can be no compromise
between right and wrong. On the other hand--well, false accusations
never yet downed an honest man."
He was entirely unconscious that he was quoting Blatch Ferguson.
Impulsively Cristy held out her hand, her eyes glowing.
"I am glad to hear you say that," she said softly. "Somehow, I felt
that you would take it--that way."
"There is one thing I cannot force myself to believe," he asserted
confidently, "and that is that Uncle Milt would have any dealings with
this man, Rives. That seems to discredit----"
"I think perhaps you have misunderstood part of it," interrupted
Stiles. "Miss Lawson didn't mean that Rives was mixed up with your
uncle. He's in with Nickleby, but I don't think Mr. Waring knows that
for a minute. From what Rives and Nickleby said I think they're
planning to give the deal away and get Mr. Waring into trouble--after
they get away themselves to a safe place, y'understand. The deal's
between Nickleby and your uncle, Mr. Kendrick. It was Rives who told
Nickleby they'd leave Mr. Waring 'holding the sack.' That was the way
he put it. I don't know whether Rives is going to be at this meeting
or not; but't aint likely."
"And when did you say this meeting was?--the twenty-seventh?"
"About midnight--that was exactly what Nickleby said."
Phil turned quickly to the girl.
"And do you know what day this is?" he demanded.
"Wednesday--the twenty-seventh," she said calmly.
"Then, to-night--Listen, Miss Lawson. Do I understand that you believe
an actual transfer of cash or negotiable securities will take place in
connection with this thing--_to-night_?"
"Unless the date has been changed--yes. Jimmy overheard Nickleby say
he had arranged it that way. It is not likely that the date has been
changed, once Jimmy was safely out of the way; Nickleby and Rives would
be only too keen to get it over with before some hitch occurred."
"Then we're too late!" cried Phil in excitement.
"I do not expect you to help me, Mr. Kendrick, but I do expect that
your sense of fair play will prevent you from attempting to detain me."
"Detain you? I don't understand, Miss Lawson. I am ready to help you
in every way I can to prevent this thing. I would be anyway, but with
these two criminals planning deliberately to get my uncle--why, there's
nothing we can do at this late date----"
"There's the telegraph wire. What time is it now?"
"Not quite ten o'clock," answered Phil, glancing at his watch.
"If I could get away from here immediately, I could make it--wire the
story to the _Recorder_ with instructions to communicate with the
police--to-night, I mean. The paper doesn't go to press until after
three-thirty. But there's no time to lose."
"Hey, 'bo!" called McCorquodale sharply. "Here comes the torchlight
parade. Get a wiggle on. Looks like they was goin' to set the woods
on fire!"
All three sprang to their feet in consternation. For the time being
they had forgotten all about the McIvor gang.