Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

THE MILLIONAIRE PIKER. “Object? Look out that I don’t kiss both of you for it.” “ Taimage,”’ Remington remarked, “ we will have to look out for this young lady. She may be dangerous, as Mr. Victor seemed to imply.” - Then he turned to Miss Long. “ Just read that, please. If it is satisfactory, you can sign it there on the last line, and Pil take your acknowledgment, and we'll go and get the thirty-five thousand dollars.” She finished reading it, and said: ‘“ Now, I’ve read it through, what the dickens does it all mean—‘ remise; release and forever quitclaim,’ and all that bunk?” _ “That means, Miss Long, that you sol- emnly give up any and alf claims you ever had against Mr. Garretson.” “Oh, is that all? Give me the pen.” She signed the document while the part- ners looked on in shocked silence. “ You didn’t believe all that bunk I told * you, did you?” she asked. “ Well,” replied Remington, “ we didn’t think it made much difference whether or not it was true.” , They then took the documents out to the young man waiting in the outer office and exchanged them for the check. As he left the office they both returned to Miss Long in Remington’s office. “How do you want your twenty-one thousand dollars, Miss Long?” penegton asked. = Suppose you give me three thousand dollars in cash. There is going to be some spending from 835 Universal Avenue to- day. And give me a check for the rest.” Remington drew two checks on their ac- count at the Traders Bank, one for three thousand dollars payable to bearer, and the other for eighteen thousand dollars payable to Mildred Long. As he finished, his part- ner said to him: “‘ Tom, won’t you step into my office for a minute? I’m sure Miss Long will excuse us.” “ Certainly,” the young lddy replied, “ Tl excuse you if you'll leave that check with me so that I won’t think it is all a dream. But you needn’t go out of the room to talk. With that check in front of me rm deaf, dumb and blind to oes 637 The partners, however, bowed and went into Talmage’s room. As soon as the. door was closed behind them, Talmage asked: “Tom, do you think it wise to put these checks. through the Traders Bank, where John Garretson can scrutinize them?” “I don’t know why not,’”’ Remington an- swered. “ We haven’t anything to hide.” “But won’t he find out that we got a fourteen thousand dollar fee?” “ ‘What do we care if he does, Tal? The whole transaction is perfectly clean and aboveboard, A forty per cent contingent fee in such a case isn’t so large as to be unconscionable. I think even Garretson wil! agree that the efficiency we showed in the collection would entitle us to a substantial payment,” “TIT don’t know, though.” ““You’re wrong this time, Tal. The checks must be put through the Traders Bank this time. I don’t contemplate that this transaction will ever be investigated, but it might be. Suppose we put the money through another bank. How could we ex- plain why we had not put it through our reguiar account? Some one would be sure to -whisper something about ‘ guilty con- sciences.’ No, as I see it, this transaction, more than any other, must be put through Garretson’s bank. Then, if it’s investi- gated, they’ll say, ‘ I guess there was noth- ing wrong with that, or they’d never have put it through that bank.’ ” “You're right, Tom. We'll put the checks through as you have drawn them.” They returned then to Remington’s room, and the three of them went across the street to the Traders Bank. The check for thirty-five thousand dollars was deposited, and then Miss Long cashed her check for three thousand dollars and had the check for eighteen thousand certified. Remington shook hands with the girl at the door of the bank. Long,” he said. ““ Good-by, Mr. Remington,” she said. “Tm not going to forget how you treated me. I often know of girls who want to make use of good respectable lawyers like you and Mr. Talmage, and you'll probably hear from me again.” She turned to Talmage and said: “ Good-by, Mr. Talmage.” _ ‘““Good-by,” Miss 4 COMIEDOO Sj (6)