The Brand of Silence

by Harrington Strong

  CHAPTER V

  THE COUSIN

  An hour later, having parted with Detective Jim Farland, Sidney Pralewalked slowly up Fifth Avenue, determined to go to his hotel suite andrest for the remainder of the evening. His conversation and short visitwith Farland had put him in a better humor. There was no mistaking thequality of Farland's friendship. He and Prale had been firm friends tenyears before, when Farland was on duty in the financial district, andthey had made it a point at that time to eat luncheon together whenFarland's duties permitted.

  New York seemed a better place, even with one friend among severalmillion persons. So Prale swung his stick jauntily, and hummed theSpanish love song again, and told himself that Rufus Shepley and KateGilbert, old Griffin and the hotel manager and the rest of the motleycrew that had made the day miserable for him amounted to nothing in thebroader scheme of things, and were not to be taken seriously.

  He came to a block where there were few pedestrians, where the greatshops had their lights out and their night curtains up. He heard stepsbehind him, and presently a soft voice.

  "Sid! Sid!"

  Sidney Prale whirled around, alert and on guard, for he did notrecognize the voice. A medium-sized man stood before him, a man of abouthis own age, who had a furtive manner and wore a beard.

  "Don't you know me, Sid?"

  "Can't say that I do!"

  "Why, I'm your cousin, George Lerton. I'm the only relative you've gotin the world, unless you got married while you were away."

  Prale stepped aside so that the nearest light flashed on the face of theman before him.

  "Well, if it isn't!" he said. "Didn't recognize you at first. How longhave you been wearing the alfalfa on your face?"

  "Two or three years," George Lerton told him, grinning a bit. "I sawyour name in the passenger list, Sid, and wanted to see you. I found outwhere you are stopping----"

  "Why didn't you come to the hotel, then, or leave a note?" Prale asked."Come on up now."

  "I--I wanted to talk to you----"

  "And I want to talk to you. What are you doing for yourself, George?Still working in a broker's office?"

  "Oh, I've got an office of my own now."

  "Getting along all right?"

  "Fairly well," Lerton said. "Business has been pretty good the lastyear."

  "Maybe you can dig up a few good investments for me, then," Prale said."I've got some coin now."

  "I understand that you're worth a million, Sid."

  "Yes, I've made my pile, and came back to New York to enjoy it. But comealong to the hotel."

  "I'd--I'd rather not."

  "Why not? We've got to talk over old times and find out about eachother. We're cousins, you know."

  The truth of the matter was that Sidney Prale never had thought verymuch of his cousin. Ten years before they had worked side by side forGriffin, the broker. There was something furtive and shifty about GeorgeLerton, but he never had presumed on his relationship, at least. He andSidney Prale had been courteous to each other, but never had been warmfriends.

  They came from different branches of the family. Lerton had some traitsof character that Prale did not admire, but he always told himself thatperhaps he was prejudiced. They had seen a deal of each other in asocial way in the old days.

  "Let us just talk as we walk along," Lerton now said.

  "All right, if you have an engagement," Prale replied. "We can gettogether later, I suppose. How have the years been using you? Married?"

  "I was--I am a widower."

  "Sorry," said Prale. "Children?"

  "No--not any children. I--I married Mary Slade."

  "What?" Prale cried.

  He stopped, aghast. Mary Slade had been the girl who had turned him downfor a man with money--and that man had not been George Lerton, who didnot have as much as five thousand at that time.

  "It--it's a peculiar story," Lerton said. "You went away so quick--afteryou quarreled with her. And that other man--she threw him over, soon.She couldn't endure him, even with all his money. She regretted herquarrel with you. I'm quite sure she wanted you for a time. I got totaking her about. You didn't write, and she was too proud to look youup, and so--after a time----"

  "You married her," said Prale.

  "About three years after you went away, Sid. She died after we had beenmarried a year."

  "But she always wanted money, and I had as much as you."

  "I made a strike soon after you left, Sid. I plunged with my fivethousand, and turned it into a hundred thousand inside four months. Ikept on, and got more. I was worth almost half a million when we weremarried."

  "I see. Well, there are no hard feelings, George. She was a good woman,in a way, and I'm sorry you lost her. I suppose we'll have to gettogether, for old time's sake."

  "Are you going to stay here long, Sid?"

  "Long? I've sold out all my Honduras holdings, and I'm here to spend therest of my days. I've come home for good, George. The United States isplenty good enough for me. I'm going to be a civilized gentleman fromnow on."

  "You--you're not going back?"

  "Why should I? I brought that million with me. I left nothing inHonduras except a few friends. I suppose I'll run down there some dayand see them, but this is going to be home, you can bet."

  "Don't do it, Sid!" Lerton exclaimed.

  "Don't do what?"

  "Don't stay here, Sid. Get out as quick as you can! Go back toHonduras--anywhere--but don't stay in New York."

  "Why shouldn't I? What on earth is the matter with you? Are you insane?"

  "I--I can't tell you, Sid. But you are in danger if you don't leave NewYork. I can tell you that much. That's why I didn't call at the hotel;I'm afraid. Sid, I'm afraid to have anybody see me talking to you. Ifyou came to my office, I'd refuse to see you----"

  "Why?" demanded Sidney Prale, in a stern voice.

  "I--I can't explain, Sid."

  "I've endured a lot of nonsense to-day, and I'm not going to endure anymore!" Prale said. "You're going to open your mouth and tell me what youmean, if I have to manhandle you."

  "You can beat me until I'm unconscious, Sid, but you can't make metalk!" Lerton told him.

  "But what does it all mean?"

  "You'd better go away, Sid; you'd better get out of the country and stayout!"

  "No reason why I should. I never gave up my citizenship; I haven't doneanything wrong. I'm back in my old home, and I fail to see why Ishouldn't remain here if that is my wish."

  "But you're in danger!"

  "In danger from what?" Sidney Prale cried.

  "You have powerful enemies, Sid."

  "Why?"

  "I--I don't know, exactly. But you have powerful enemies. Some of mybest customers have informed me that they are through doing businesswith me if I have anything to do with you. They told me that before youhad been back three hours."

  "Powerful enemies? Why? Business enemies?"

  "I--I don't know."

  "Um! So that is why the bank refused my deposit, why I was turned out ofa hotel, and why old Rufus Shepley raised such a row with me! Powerfulenemies, have I? But there isn't sense in it! I haven't done anything tomake powerful enemies, or any other kind. I'm about fed up with thisstuff!"

  "Go away, Sid. You've got money--you can live anywhere!"

  "You bet I can! And I'm going to live in New York!"

  "Don't try it, Sid!"

  Prale whirled and faced him. "You know more than you're telling!" heaccused. "You open your face and talk! I never did have any too muchlove for you, and you can wager that I'm not going to let you frightenme into running away from New York! Talk!"

  "I haven't anything more to say, Sid!"

  "If I have to choke it out of you right here----"

  "You'd better not. It would give your enemies a chance!"

  "Lerton, I've fought the Honduras jungles! I've fought half-savage menand treacherous employees, snakes and fever, financial sharks and commonadventurers. I didn't come back to New Yo
rk to back down in front of aman like you--or half a hundred like you. Maybe that is strong talk--butyou have it coming! Give my enemies a chance? I'll give them all thechance they want. Maybe they'll come into the open, then, and let me seewhom I'm fighting! I don't like foes that fight from the dark!"

  "You'd better go away, Sid. I'm talking for your own good!"

  "For my good? For yours, you mean! Afraid you'll lose a few customersand a few dollars, by standing by your cousin, are you? Why don't you bea man, tell me what you know, help me to fight! Bah! I'm disgusted withyou!"

  He hurled George Lerton away from him, curled his lips in scorn of theman.

  "I've tried to warn you," Lerton whimpered.

  "I don't understand this and I'm sure you could explain a lot, if youwould. Perhaps I've got more dollars than the customers you are soafraid of losing. Suppose I hand my million to you for investment. Willyou talk, then?"

  "I--I wouldn't dare touch it," Lerton whimpered.

  Prale looked at him closely. "It must be something pretty bad to makeyou toss aside the chance to handle a million in investments," he said."I know you, George! You'd sell your soul for money! You got anythingmore to say to me about this?"

  "I--I dare not say anything more."

  "Very well. If you are afraid to be seen in my presence, kindly keepaway from me hereafter and don't worry about me looking you up at youroffice. I'll not take the trouble!"

  Sidney Prale said nothing more; he whirled around and walked rapidly upthe Avenue, enraged, wondering what it all meant, determined to find outas soon as possible.

  Lerton ran after him.

  "Won't you go away, Sid?" he whimpered.

  "No. I'll stay here, and if I have enemies I'll fight them!" Prale toldhim. "Why are you so eager to have me run away?"

  "I don't want to see you in trouble, Sid."

  "That's peculiar. In the old days you used to gloat whenever I got introuble. You seem to have a wonderful and sudden regard for my welfare,and I can't explain it to myself."

  Once more, Prale whirled around and started up the Avenue. His brain wasin a tumult. What did George Lerton know that he refused to tell? Whyshould there be powerful enemies? He knew of no reason in the world.

  "He's dead eager to get me out of town," Prale mused. "There's somethingbehind it, all right."