Work and Win #07: Fred Fearnot as Actor — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

**So will 1,” added Jones. _ Very well, gentlemen,”’ replied Fred; ‘suppose we all go together to see him. Whatever the judge orders goes with me.”’ “Say, young man,”’ blurted out Rockwell, “you _ ¢an’t carry on here like you do in New York. My ) Beoeerty is at stake and this settlement means ruin for me.’ i “Oh, I don’t spropose to discuss the matter with \ you, sir. You have had the moncy that was advanced _ by my father’s clients, and when he seeks to get it back you object. It is now no longer a question be- tween you and him, but between you and the court.”’ t ‘Well, you stay here till I see the judge,”’ said — Rockwell. — ** Qh, no, | intend to see the judge also.’’ Well, if you leave this room before I come back, _ you won’t do it alive,’? and with that both he and Jones drew their revolvers. — Quick asa flash Fred and Terry’yanked out their - guns and covered the two men, getting the drop on them. Both Rockwell and Jones were so astonished that they actually caught their breath, as though a pail of ice water had been dashed over them. *“When shall the shooting begin, gentlemen ?”’ Fred c: asked very coolly, as he aimed at Rockwell. ‘* You see we are willing to oblige you, if you want to settle the matter this way.’ “Gentlemen! gentlemen !’’ called out Cochran, ** we can settle this matter without resort to weap- ons.”’ . “Yes, I think so, too,’? answered Fred, keeping his + eye on Cochran, ‘‘ but since it has gone this far, they must drop those guns, or we'll flre at ‘the word *three;’’’? and with that he began to count. . <Atthe word ‘“ two,”’ both Rockwelland Jones drop- ped their revolvers, the muzzles of which struck the floor at their feet. : ««There! there!’’ said Cochran, ‘that'll do.”’ <‘ Just step back two or three paces, gentlemen,”’’ ordered Fred, and the two men did so, whereupon both he and Terry stepped forward and picked up the two revolvers. «Now, gentlemen,”’ Fred continued, “‘‘ yes’ or ‘no.’ * Tm not going to use any force, but must have an answer. We intend to settle this matter here and now. If yousay ‘no’ I shall report it to the judge, ” if ‘yes,’ we can end it in ten minutes.”’ Jones and Rockwell looked at Cochran, who seemed to be undecided what to do for a few minutes. «« What say you, Mr. Cochran ?”’ Fred asked. «Oh, we'll have to comply with the order of tbe court.”’ «Why, of course, you will,’”’ assented Fred ; ‘‘ there is nothing else to be done, unless you take the con- # sequences of refusal.”’ Cochran turned to his desk, where he wrote a few - jines in one of the papers that had been submitted to 4 Fred, supplying the omission of which the latter had complained. Fred woked over it, saw that it was all inl whereupon Cochran signed it as attorney for “HANDSOME HARRY.” RED FEARNOT AS AN ACTOR. | Rockwell, and Rockwell placed his name underneath it. Then on the other papers, referring to Jones’ case, the same thing was done, after which Fred signed both the documents, and the matter was ended. « Now, give me my gun,”’ said Rockwell to Fred. ‘No, not now, sir. You can go out and [ll leave it here with Mr. Cochran. You’re not afraid to trust it with him, are you ?”’ Rockwell made no reply, but turned and left the office, followed by Jones. Fred then took up the papers, placed them in his pocket, after which he laid Rockwell’s revoiver on the desk, bowed to the lawyer, and went out, followed by Terry. They saw the two men, down on the street, in front of the office, and passed them without speaking. Both Rockwell and Jones hurried back up to the office after their weapons. “Now, Terry,’’ said Fred, ‘‘ let’s wait here till they come down, or we might get it in our backs. There’s no telling what those fellows will do.’’ ‘All right,”’ said Terry; ‘‘Il’mavith you, but it’sa business that I don’t appreciate much.’’ “Neither do I, but since they have forced it upon us, our safety lies in facing it boldly.’’ Rockwell and Jones came down on the street a few minutes later, each with a hand in his pocket; but when they saw the two boys quietly waiting for them, with their hands in their pockets, they passed on up the street without saying or doing a thing. «That’s all right,’? chuckled Terry. “Ves,” laughed Fred, ‘‘ they took us for tender- feet, and I guess they feel like the eagle who swooped down on the cat, thinking she was a rabbit. he got fifty feet upin the air, the cat had raked pretty v Before much all the feathers off of him, forcing him to let go. She dropped back to the ground, lighting on her feet, whilst the eagle flew away to an old tree, where he perched to survey himself, and wondering what kind of a rabbit he had tackled.’’ ‘*Oh, yes,’”’ laughed Terry, ‘‘ I’ve heard that story, and it covers the case exactly.” ‘‘Of course it does. Come on; let’s go to the hotel. If we can take a train for Dubuque to-night, we’d better do so, for it may be that those fellows have friends here, who may seek to give us trouble.’’ On returning to the hotel the two boys found out that a train for Dubuque would leave inside of an hour, so they paid their bills, called a carriage and went to the depot. When the train pulled out of the town, Fred remarked to Terry : “We've given them the slip. If we had stayed over till to-morrow, we would have had trouble with somebody sure. As it is, we have their signatures, and I will write father the particulars from Dubuque and inclose the papers to him.’’ ‘Yes, that’s the best thing to do,”’ ‘‘and I think we got out of the scrape pretty well. If you hadn’t gotten the drop on that fellow, Rock- assented Terry, well, he would have shot you, for he has a bad eye.’” “Yes, I was satisfied of that all the time, and if he nn Gc [\@)) (S@) CS (C@ iim