Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

A LETTER OF DISCREDIT. “ Terror would lurk in every mail-bag that came to town. You would never look into the eyes of your new friends without the guilty knowledge that vou were deceiv- ing them. Would you be happy? No! Nor I! Id rather be an acknowledged outcast, as God knows I have been for a year. “That’s why I had that letter written. I was still something of an idealist then. I believed there were men, communities of them, who would give a man a fair show if they knew he was trying to be on the square and hiding nothing. “T think I trusted a little, too, to the sporting instinct of most men. I thought they’d recognize a gamble on human charity and have curiosity enough to give me a fair run for my money. Why, even the honest, vindictive, old dry-as-dust who wrote that letter had some of it. ‘But I haven’t found either charity or good sportsmanship of the sort I needed yet. And, believe me, I’ve had a life while I’ve been looking for it.” “Come up on the porch, my boy, and tell me about it,” invited the judge. “ It’s about my hour for a drink of buttermilk. Do you ever take it?” Bradwell acknowledged gratefully that he did, and over a creamy glass of it, fresh from the churn, told the story with which the reader is already familiar excepting that, as he explained to his listener, he thought wise to withhold the name of the lawyers who had threatened his arrest and against whom he had evidence he was not prepared to take into court. When he came to the point where he fled from Buffalo as deck-hand on the steam-schooner, he hesitated. ‘‘T think I had better not tell the story of that voyage, not now, anyhow,” he went on. ‘In the first place, you might not believe it, and I wouldn’t blame you. It sounds too bad to be true. In the second place it involves grave charges against powerful people, charges to prove which there is nothing but my unsupported word. You might blame me, too, for not going at once to the police with my story. “ The ship went down, and I came near going with it. No thanks to my shipmates that I didn't. ol I landed in a Chicago hospital with pneumonia, and was near death for weeks. I came out a wreck and I haven’t recovered my grip since. I sank to the level of a tramp, as you see me, but I’ve kept honest. If you'll help me onto my feet, some day when I have some standing again I’ll go back and fight those skunks. I'll put them in prison even if I run the risk of going there myself. ‘“ Meanwhile I’m an ex-convict and a tramp. I’m likely at any time to be found by that bunch and sent back to prison on a false charge. So, if you help me, you help me at your own risk. I’ve warned you.” The eyes of Judge Thurston were moist as his caller finished. ‘““ My poor, unfortunate fellow!” he ex- claimed huskily. ‘“‘ Of course, I’ll help you. I believe you Same to me at just the night moment. The first man I ever knew to take a step like this! The right step!” ‘Bully for you!” exploded Bradwell, more heartily than he had spoken before in months. ‘ That is—I mean, thank you! First I’d like a change of clothes and a good scrubbing, then a little money for a haircut and a shave, then a job. If you can do all that for me and give me a berth under your roof till I can earn a little money, I'll pay you back im full. It’s understood, of course, that you are to tell the people the whole story about me right at the start. I wish you’d show this letter to as many of them as possible, so there ‘ll be no chance for gossip and rumor to put on any fancy touches. What do you think? Will the Christian charity of this community stand the strain?” There was a momentary look almost of terror in the old man’s kindly eyes. “The people here are only human. I suppose they gossip some,” he hesitated. ‘“ But I flatter myself, I have considerable influence over them, and I think they will support me in this. Let me warn you of one thing, though. Some men who’ve turned over a new leaf deceive themselves by a false humility into something like pride in their past. I don’t think you are that kind, but I think it wise to say that I will help you on condition that you ECOMmilc|ooo S (C(O)