The Land of Strong Men

by A. M. Chisholm

  CHAPTER XXXV

  BRADEN MISSES SOME PAPERS

  The discovery of coal coming on top of sudden activity in railway surveyfilled the hills with prospectors, amateur and otherwise. But no furtherdiscoveries were made. Indeed, Mr. Braden's discovery had been made byaccident, according to his own account of it, which was more or lessalong historic lines. He proceeded serenely with development. He spokelargely of potential output, refusing to consider tentative proposals.Later he might organize a company and offer shares to the public, butjust then he preferred to keep the entire ownership himself. He became apersonage of more local importance than ever, deferred to, his opinionsquoted. In this notoriety he basked as in the sun. Almost daily hevisited his prospect.

  He was driving back to town one evening when he met Gerald French. Mr.Braden, who for reasons of his own had rather avoided these young mensince their father's death, nodded pleasantly and would have passed on,but Gerald stopped and held up his hand.

  "I'd like to have a little talk with you," he said.

  "Can you come in to-morrow? I'm rather in a hurry. To-night I have topreside at a meeting."

  "What I have to say won't take long," young French told him. "I want tocome to a definite understanding with you about this coal property."

  Mr. Braden, for reasons of his own, experienced a decidedly nervousfeeling. "Huh!" he said. "An understanding! What do you mean?"

  "You know damned well what I mean," Gerald replied. "You and my fatherwere in this thing together. He had an interest--or was to have one. Weexpect to have the same interest. Is that clear enough for you?"

  It could not be much clearer, but nevertheless Mr. Braden if notbewildered gave an excellent imitation of that state of mind.

  "Your father's interest in my coal property!" he exclaimed. "There issome mistake. Your father had no interest."

  "Oh, yes, he had," Gerald maintained.

  "But I tell you you are mistaken," Mr. Braden protested. "I give you myabsolute assurance that he had no interest whatever."

  "Your assurance--hell!" Gerald sneered. "What do you take me for,anyway? Do you think I'm not wise to you?"

  "If you have any evidence of your father's interest, produce it," Mr.Braden returned.

  "So that's the ground you take, is it?" said Gerald. "Well, I guess youknow I haven't any evidence that would hold. But all the same the two ofyou were partners in this deal. I know it, whether I can prove it ornot. And what we want is to be let in on this on a fifty-fifty basiswith you."

  "You do, hey?" Mr. Braden replied sharply. "Well, you won't be. Yourfather had no interest at all. As it is, he owes me money, which--"

  "Forget it!" Gerald interrupted. "He steered a lot of business your way,and I'll bet you broke better than even. As for the coal, I saw a sampleof it on his desk months ago. _You_ weren't giving out samples. Then hewas trying to buy the Winton property. Buy it? He couldn't have boughtanything the way he was fixed at the time, and you know it. You weregoing to put up for it, and you know that, too."

  "What has that to do with the coal?"

  "It had something to do with it. I'm telling you that we want a slice,and we're going to have it--somehow."

  "If you think I'm going to give away property to people who have noright to it, you're much mistaken," Mr. Braden stated emphatically. "Ifyou can bring any evidence--"

  "I told you I couldn't, because I think you know that already. And youprobably know we are broke. Being broke, we're not going to beparticular about how we get money."

  "Are you threatening me?" Mr. Braden asked somewhat nervously.

  "Call it what you like. You're pretty smooth, Braden, but you're also ahog; and you're a fool to hold out on us. You'll lose by it. Do youthink I don't know where the money came from for a lot of things--forblowing Mackay's ditch for instance? Do you suppose I thought Garlandwas putting up himself?"

  "Are you trying to blackmail me?" Mr. Braden demanded.

  "No," Gerald replied. "I'm giving you a chance now to come through."

  "You won't get any money from me," Mr. Braden declared. "I financed yourfather from time to time for reasons of--er--friendship, but I'm notgoing to do the like for you young men. If you want money, earn it likeother people."

  "That's your last word, is it?"

  "Absolutely my last."

  "All right," said Gerald. "Now go ahead, Braden, and be careful youdon't bump into something hard."

  Mr. Braden drove on. At first Gerald's words gave him considerableuneasiness, but as he thought them over he came to the comfortableconclusion that they were principally bluff. Gerald had admitted that hehad no evidence of his father's interest. Also they were broke, as Mr.Braden knew very well. All they had was the ranch, which was mortgagedto the hilt, and the mortgage was far in arrears. Likely they would getout of the country, scatter and go to the devil individually.

  He had seen no more of Angus Mackay, though he knew that the latter hadhad a survey made. There could be no collusion between Mackay and theFrench boys, to embarrass him. The latter were all more or less hostileto Mackay, and especially Blake.

  So Mr. Braden drove home, had supper, presided at his meeting and soughthis own apartments. There, having lighted his lamp, he opened his littlesafe and, taking out a bundle of papers, returned with them to thelight. By rights, the papers which he had abstracted from the safe ofGodfrey French should have been on top of the bundle; but they were not.He stripped off the rubber band which bound the bundle, and ran throughit rapidly. He could not find what he sought.

  Mr. Braden sat up straight, his eyes widening in an expression whichbore a strong family resemblance to fear. Once more, with fingers whichshook a little, he went through the papers. Nothing! And yet he had adistinct recollection of snapping that rubber band around them.

  Catching up the lamp he set it beside the safe and went through itscontents. His movements became more hurried, more nervous as his searchprogressed. But at the end of it, when he had gone through the contentsof the safe half a dozen times, it was absolutely certain that hissearch was in vain. He rose to his feet, but sat down because somethingseemed to have happened to the stiffening of his knees.

  "My God!" he said aloud, "they're gone!"

  It appeared to be a shocking discovery. He had found the safe locked,but somebody must have had access thereto. He felt for the key whichhung behind the safe, and found it. Nobody, to his knowledge, knew ofthat hiding place; but somebody must have known of it. Naturally, hethought of Gerald French. But if French had gone through his safe, hewould have dropped some hint of it during their interview.

  A new thought struck him. Was anything else missing? Engrossed in thesearch for those particular papers he had not thought of that. He had noschedule of the safe's contents, but he had an excellent memory. Oncemore he went through the papers on the floor, and at last hestraightened up from his task with a full-sized oath.

  "Nick Garland!" he muttered. "That envelope is gone, too!"

  Now, some years before, Garland had secured money from Mr. Braden on apromissory note, apparently endorsed by a well-to-do but somewhatilliterate rancher. When the note matured Garland was unable to meet it,and Mr. Braden intimated that he would have recourse to the liability ofthe endorser. Whereupon Garland, in a panic, had admitted that hehimself had reproduced the rancher's painful scrawl. Mr. Braden securedhis signature to a statement to that effect, and filed it away with thenote. Eventually Garland paid or worked out the face of the note, butMr. Braden kept it and the confession as well; Garland for obviousreasons being unable to insist upon their delivery. Now the envelopecontaining that old note and the signed statement had disappeared. Theinference, to Mr. Braden, required no elaborate reasoning.