Gunter's Magazine, Vol. VIII, No. 5

# Content Summary

"The Payment," serialized in Gunter's Magazine (December 1908, Vol. VIII) by Eleanor M. Ingram, recounts the downfall of two prosperous California brothers. Facing financial ruin, Gerald and Robert discuss committing counterfeiting—one brother will undertake the crime and flee to South America while the other remains to marry Theodora, their mutual beloved. Gerald, determining Robert is Theodora's preference, resolves to depart and execute the plan.

The narrative shifts to a cottage hideaway where an injured Gerald awaits capture, attended by Desmond, an ex-convict accomplice. After a gunshot erupts and voices approach suggesting someone has fallen from a cliff, Gerald seizes a pearl-handled revolver—a gift from Robert. He loses consciousness as authorities discover him. Later scenes show a distinguished foreign visitor and an unnamed prisoner communicating meaningfully at an institution, with the prisoner warning the visitor about a recently released anarchist.