The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAN THEY getting me to listen to your veiled proposals. A stranger—an acquaintance of three weeks —does not offer to pay a man’s debts and give him money to get married on, for mere altruism. Do you suppose that I would have listened to you for ten seconds with- out knocking you down if I were not in a desperate situation—so desperate that I no longer have all the fine feelings of an hon- est man? Damn you, Synka! I want the money! I can’t deny it fora moment. But I want to know what I have to do to get it.” Synka compressed his lips and regarded the army officer intently for a minute, with- out speaking. Presently he smiled slowly and inquired irrelevantly: ‘Are your official accounts in good order, Mr. Fosdick? I understand that you have the handling of certain funds in connection with your duties.” Fosdick flushed angrily. “That is no affair of yours!” he ex- claimed sharply. ‘Don’t go too far with your insolence!’ Synka smiled again. “T think that I am answered,” he said. ‘The man whose accounts are in good order is not so sensitive about them. Well, well, I think we understand each other. I ama cautious man, it is true; but, as you say, there must be a show-down before we can do business. See, I have confidence in you, my friend; I place my life and my liberty in your hands, as it were. I have five thou- sand dollars in the currency of your coun- try, ready to hand you, and all that I re- quire in return is a set of careful and accur- ate tracings of the new fortifications, com- plete; a chart of your mine fields, and a working diagram of your fire control.” The lieutenant’s hands dropped to his sides and he bowed his head. “T knew, of course, that it was something like that,” he muttered hoarsely, after a mo- ment of tense silence. ‘Great God! man, do you know what it means? It’s the sale of my soul! I never could look a man in the face again. I have been mentioned as one of the rising engineers of the army. The new fortifications are partly my own work. I helped to design the fire control. My God!” Synka nodded, smiling kindly, with a sort ofsympathy. . “Why think too seriously about it?” he asked. “It means many other things, does it not? It means that you can pay .your flebts and keep your reputation as a gentle- COULDN’T HELP. man. You can marry the young lady and have no worry about the future. A young man must live. You have made for your- self many troublesome debts, and you have chosen to marry a lady of some station in society; so, there you are! “T offer you five thousand dollars. For you it is a fortune, just now. I want the tracings and the diagrams for—for a cer- tain purpose; but what injury shall ever come to your country on account of my having them? Your great nation is at peace with the world, and it is not a mili- tary country. Really, my lieutenant, one might say that your fears and your out- raged loyalty are little more than matters of pretty sentiment.” Fosdick got up and paced the veranda. “T can’t tell you—now,” he muttered brokenly. “I can’t—think; I don’t know what I’m about. You are driving me mad with your fiendish logic and your plati- tudes.”’ ““T shall wait,” replied the little man, with a satisfied smirk. ‘‘You will find me here when you are ready.” “Take care I don’t kill you!” broke out the officer savagely. Synka shrugged. “Young men think twice before killing the golden goose,” he said quietly. ‘Don’t be too agitated about it, my friend. Go away, now, where you can think it over by yourself.” Fosdick regarded him with bitter con- tempt and loathing for an instant, then hur- ried away from the hotel and took the road leading to the fort. Young Captain Waters of the artillery stopped him on the parade ground as he passed through the reservation toward his quarters. “How goes it, Harry?” inquired the cap- tain, putting an arm over the other’s shoul- ders. ‘You look all in.” “Rotten!” answered Fosdick. “Well, something has got to be done,” said Waters pointedly. “You know, Harry, that Benton is merely an ass; but we can’t do anything with him. He says that a gambling debt is as serious as any obliga- tion, and he won’t wait for you any longer. If you don’t settle with him this week, he’ll take the matter up to the K. O., and—well, you know about what will happen.” “Oh, yes, I know!” Fosdick responded miserably. ‘But give me time. Perhaps —perhaps I'll settle with him this week.” CORMICGLOOOKS G TAT © (COM