Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

f. 6 FRED FEARNOT -—." FOC Ts | UN On On ee, eee AS AN ACTOR. — though a bit astonished. ‘‘Then he skinned me out of a dollar as slick as grease.”’ let a game of that kind be played on you. I want to take the train for Dubuque to-morrow myself, and hope to settle this matter up here, in time to do so. If Messrs. Jones and Rockwell do not appear by three o’clock, I shall apply to the judge to have them both arrested for contempt of court.”’ CHAPTER III. ‘¢ WHEN SHALL THE SHOOTING BEGIN, GENTLEMEN ?”’ FRED’S threat had a magical effect on the lawyer, who glared at him as though he was something he had never seen before. «<You see, sir,’? remarked Fred, very coolly, “I can’t afford to come a thousand miles to settle up this matter and be trified with in that sort of way. I have my instructions, and they will be followed to the letter. The court has ordered certain things to be done, and they must be done without any shirk- ing; so I shall wait here till three o’clock, and if they have not appeared by that time I shall call on Judge Holmes and report the matter to him,” and with that Fred pulled out his watch and looked at it in a cool, quiet, business sort of way. “Well, they are a careless sort of people out here,”’ remarked Cochran, ‘‘so I will send a note out to them, telling them they must be here by three o'clock sure. I didn’t know you were in such a hurry.” “Yes, the matter must be settled up to-day, Mr. Cochran, and the omission in those papers to which I have called your attention must be rectified before anything can be done, so you had better attend to that whilst waiting for them.”’ “Oh, I can’t do that until they come in.’’ **1 don’t see why not,’’ returned Fred, “for they have nothing whatever to say about it. It’ssthe order of the court, and if it is not done I will report the matter to the judge forthwith,’’ His firm attitude somewhat sobered the lawyer, who rose to his feet and told them to keep their seats for a few minutes, and the next moment he left the room, leaving his hat on his table. “It seems tome you’ ve got him, old man,’’ chuckled Terry. ‘Yes, I rather think I have.’’ _ Ten minutes later Cochran returned to the room, accompanied by both Rockwell and Jones. Both of them seemed to be in a rage, and Cochran scarcely less so. ‘Here they are,’’ said the lawyer. come in.”’ “Yes,” replied Fred ; “ but twenty minutes behind time.”’ ‘‘ They’ve just “HANDSOME HARRY.” ‘‘Tam surprised to hear that,’’ laughed Fred, ‘for I thought you Western lawyers were too sharp to ‘“What’s the matter with you ?”’ Rockwell asked of Fred. “Why, there’s nothing the matter with me. not complaining ; never felt better in my life.” «What’s the matter with those papers ?”’ ‘There’s a little omission in them,”’ Fred replied, ‘that is an entire evasion of the court, and it must be rectified before the matter can besettled. Were | to accept the settlement by signing that paper there, my father’s client would lose every dollar of his money.’’ Tm ‘*He wouldn’t lose a penny,’’ said Rockwell, in a brusque kind of way, ‘‘ for Mr. Cochran knows the laws of this State a blamed sight better than any law- yer outside of it.”’ **] don’t know whether he does or not,’’ returned Fred. ‘‘Iam satisfied though, that he does know that ?m right about it. But that’s neither here nor there. If the matter is not rectified before three o’clock, I shall take it before Judge Holmes and ap- ply for your commitment for contempt of court. Then perhaps Mr. Cochran can argue the matter with the judge, but he can’t argue it with me. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Cochran ?’’ **7’ll have to consult with my clients about it,”’ re- plied Cochran. “Allright. We will come back at three /o’clock,”’ and with that he and Terry arose and left the office. Out on the street Fred said to Terry: «We'd better go back to the hotel and get our re- volvers.”’ “The deuce ! you?” ‘“No, but I think it best to be prepared for one, for those two men have their property at stake, and there’s no telling what they might do. They have relied upon Cochran to save them by that little trick, which no one but a lawyer could have thought of. He would have succeeded, had not father been very explicit in his written instructions.’’ So they went to the hotel, got their revolvers and went out upon the street again, where they strolled about until three o’clock. Then they went up to Cochran’s office again, and found the lawyer waiting for them with his two clients. “Say, Fearnot,” said Cochran, ‘suppose you let this matter rest until ten o’clock to-morrow.”? “1 can’t do it, sir,’? promptly returned Fred. ““What’s the matter? Why can’t you?” ‘“Simply because there is no necessity for it. The court has ordered certain things to be done and you must either do it, or flatly refuse. Any delay cannot modify the order at all, as you well know.” “Oh, we could make a different kind of a settle- ment,” remarked Cochran, “and submit it to the judge for his approbation.” Py ““Yes, we could,” said Fred, “but I have no au- thority to do anything of the kind. Hence you must either settle the matter now, or refuse.’’ pas I will apply to the judge myself for a de- lay,’? said Rockwell, in a very angry tone of voice, Eomicbooks co You’re not looking for a fight, are