Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

> SOs RO ee So FRED FEARNOT ** Are you Mr. Jones ?”” Fred asked. “Yes, that’s my name,’’ returned Jones. are you ?” *“Tam the. son of Judge Fearnot of New York, out here to see about that mortgage business.”’ **Oh, yes!’ returned Jones, a little bit surprised. **You had better see Mr. Cochran, who is my law- ser,’? **T have seen him,”’ replied Fred, “‘ and of course it is necessary for me to see you also. Can you meet us at his office at two o’clock ?”’ *< Yes, guess | can.’’ “Allright,then. I have an engagement with him at that hour, and if you will be there we can settle up the matter inside of ten minutes.”’ “Allright; I'll be there.’’ And with that Fred and Terry, after looking at and praising some of the cattle, took leave of him and returned to We carriage. ‘Now, driver,’”’ said Fred, “‘ we wl to go to Mr. Rockwell’s residence on Dearborn street.”’ * All right,’’ and in about twenty minutes the car- riage was in front of Rockwell’s residence, where Mrs. Rockwell informed Fred that her husband had gone out to his farm, two miles in the country. “When will he return?”’ Fred asked. ‘Oh, he’ll be back in time for dinner,’’ she replied. «* Will you kindly tell him to be at Mr. Cochran’s office at two o’clock ?”’ *“Yes,’’ said she, and with that Fred bowed po- litely and returned to the carriage. *«Say, driver, do you know where Rockwell’s farm is, out in 4g Country Hs Yes, Sir.” “Well, drive out there and don’t waste any time about it.’’ They reached the farm in due time and found it to be quite an extensive one, with large barns, well filed, and a great many cattle on the place. ** Are you Mr. Rockwell ?”? Fred asked, as the lat- ter came up, on being sent for. ‘Yes, that’s my name,”’ was the reply. “*T am the son of Judge Fearnot, of New York, out here to wind up a little matter in which you are an interested party.”’ ** Oh, yes,’’ returned Rockwell. ‘‘ That’s allright. Glad to see you. My lawyer, Mr. Cochran, will at- tend to that; just see him.”’ «7 have seen him,’”’ returned Fred, appointment with him at two o’clock. essary that you should be there at that hour. you do so ?”’ «Why, yes. Ofcourse I can. Ill go home to din- ner at noon, and will meet you at Cochran’s at two.”’ «‘Thank you,” returned Fred. ‘‘The matter can be settled inten minutes, when we get together. You will be sure to be there, eh ?”’ ‘6 Oh, yes.”’ «Then we’ll return to town and wait for you.”’ “Now, Terry,” said Fred, ‘1’ll wager a dinner ‘hat neither one of those men show up.” <¢Who ‘and have an It’s quite nec- Can Y ee ee ae i ee i Oe AS AN ACTOR. twa ‘¢ Why do you think so, Fred.”’ ‘‘Simply because I am suspicious of that fellow Cochran. I am satisfied that he is trying to balk a settlement, notwithstanding the courts have already passed upon the whole matter.”’ ““ Well, if he is, what are you going to do.”’ ‘‘T’ll wire father for instructions.”’ They returned to the hotel, where they paid the car- riage bill, and then strolled about the town, which they found to be a very thriving, prosperous little city, with a good many very pretty girls in it. There was a breeziness about the people that pleased him very much and Terry remarked that he thought he could enjoy a trip through thecountry very much. “So do I,’’ assented Fred, ‘‘ provided we don’t run up against a blizzard.’’ ‘©Oh, you’re not looking for a blizzard, are you ?”’ ‘*No, I’m not looking for one, and I should dislike very much to have one looking for me, but all the same they have ’em out here once in awhile, when it is so cold that the bottoms of forty-foot wells freeze.”’ “¢Oh, come off,”’ laughed Terry. cold as that.”’ «Well, that’s what I’ve heard. Of course, I don’t believe everything I hear, but I’ve been told that it’s so cold out here sometimes, that a man buys his whisky in blocks and chops it off with a hatchet, and when whisky freezes, you know, it’s mighty cold. They say the thermometer drops so quickly out here sometimes that a red-hot fire freezes in the grate or stove before it can change its color.”’ “What !’? exclaimed Terry, ‘and still keep looking as though it was red-hot.”’ “Yes, that’s what I heard an able-bodied liar say once.”’ ‘«* Well, he must be able-bodied to say a thing like that, and just to find out about it, I don’t know that I would object to running up against a blizzard.”’ “Oh, I’m willing to take other. people’s testimony about it,’ laughed Fred, as they turned to retrace their footsteps back to the hotel. Precisely at two o’clock Fred and Terry appeared at the office of Lawyer Cochran, whom they found waiting for them. He was pretty well loaded and feeling quite comfortable. “Take seats,’’ he said tothem. ‘‘ I’ve sent for both Rockwell and Jones, and learned that Rockwell left last night for Dubuque, to be gone a week, whilst Jones left two days ago for Minneapolis, but his wife said he would.probably be home in a day or two.’’ Fred was actually staggered at the man’s cheek. “Who did you send after them, Mr. Cochran ?” Fred asked. “‘T sent a boy to tell them to be here at two o’clock, and that’s the news he brought back to me.”’ “Td like to see that boy,”’ laughed Fred, ‘‘for he’s certainly an able-bodied liar, for I drove out to see them myself, and both Jones and Rockwell promised me to be here at two o’clock.”’ “Kh, eh, is that so?’ ejacul Comic ‘‘It never gets so ted Cochran, as VOOKSAECOM “HANDSOME HARRY.”