Struggling Upward: Luke Larkin's Luck

BACK IN GROVETON

Meanwhile, some things occurred in Groveton which require to be chronicled.  Since the visit of Tony Denton, and the knowledge that his secret was known, Prince Duncan had changed in manner and appearance.  There was an anxious look upon his face, and a haggard look, which led some of his friends to think that his health was affected.  Indeed, this was true, for any mental disturbance is likely to affect the body.  By way of diverting attention from the cause of this altered appearance, Mr. Duncan began to complain of overwork, and to hint that he might have to travel for his health.  It occurred to him privately that circumstances might arise which would make it necessary for him to go to Canada for a lengthened period.

With his secret in the possession of such a man as Tony Denton, he could not feel safe.  Besides, he suspected the keeper of the billiard-room would not feel satisfied with the thousand-dollar bond he had extorted from him, but would, after awhile, call for more.

In this he was right.

Scarcely a week had elapsed since his first visit, when the servant announced one morning that a man wished to see him.

“Do you know who it is, Mary?” asked the squire.

“Yes, sir.  It’s Tony Denton.”

Prince Duncan’s face contracted, and his heart sank within him.  He would gladly have refused to see his visitor, but knowing the hold that Tony had upon him, he did not dare offend him.

“You may tell him to come in,” he said, with a troubled look.

“What can the master have to do with a man like that?” thought Mary, wondering.  “I wouldn’t let him into the house if I was a squire.”

Tony Denton entered the room with an assumption of ease which was very disagreeable to Mr. Duncan.

“I thought I’d call to see you, squire,” he said.

“Take a seat, Mr. Denton,” said the squire coldly.

Tony did not seem at all put out by the coldness of his reception.

“I s’pose you remember what passed at our last meeting, Mr. Duncan,” he said, in a jaunty way.

“Well, sir,” responded Prince Duncan, in a forbidding tone.

“We came to a little friendly arrangement, if you remember,” continued Denton.

“Well, sir, there is no need to refer to the matter now.”

“Pardon me, squire, but I am obliged to keep to it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been unlucky??”

“I suppose, Mr. Denton,” said the squire haughtily, “you are capable of managing your own business.  If you don’t manage it well, and meet with losses, I certainly am not responsible, and I cannot understand why you bring the matter to me.”

“You see, squire,” said Tony, with a grin, “I look upon you as a friend, and so it is natural that I should come to you for advice.”

“I wish I dared kick the fellow out of the house,” thought Prince Duncan.  “He is a low scamp, and I don’t like the reputation of having such visitors.”

Under ordinary circumstances, and but for the secret which Tony possessed, he would not have been suffered to remain in the squire’s study five minutes, but conscience makes cowards of us all, and Mr. Duncan felt that he was no longer his own master.

“I’ll tell you about the bad luck, squire,” Tony resumed.  “You know the bond you gave me the last time I called?”

Mr. Duncan winced, and he did not reply.

“I see you remember it.  Well, I thought I might have the luck to double it, so I went up to New York, and went to see one of them Wall Street brokers.  I asked his advice, and he told me I’d better buy two hundred shares of some kind of stock, leaving the bond with him as margin.  He said I was pretty sure to make a good deal of money, and I thought so myself.  But the stock went down, and yesterday I got a letter from him, saying that the margin was all exhausted, and I must give him another, Or he would sell out the stock.”

“Mr. Denton, you have been a fool!” exclaimed Mr. Duncan irritably.  “You might have known that would be the result of your insane folly.  You’ve lost your thousand dollars, and what have you got to show for it?”

“You may be right, squire, but I don’t want to let the matter end so.  I want you to give me another bond.”

“You do, eh?” said Duncan indignantly.  “So you want to throw away another thousand dollars, do you?”

“If I make good the margin, the stock’ll go up likely, and I won’t lose anything.”

“You can do as you please, of course, but you will have to go elsewhere for your money.”

“Will I?” asked Tony coolly.  “There is no one else who would let me have the money.”

“I won’t let you have another cent, you may rely upon that!” exclaimed Prince Duncan furiously.

“I guess you’ll think better of that, squire,” said Tony, fixing his keen black eyes on the bank president.

“Why should I?” retorted Duncan, but his heart sank within him, for he understood very well what the answer would be.

“Because you know what the consequences of refusal would be,” Denton answered coolly.

“I don’t understand you,” stammered the squire, but it was evident from his startled look that he did.

“I thought you would,” returned Tony Denton quietly.  “You know very well that my evidence would convict you, as the person who robbed the bank.”

“Hush!” ejaculated Prince Duncan, in nervous alarm.

Tony Denton smiled with a consciousness of power.

“I have no wish to expose you,” he said, “if you will stand my friend.”

In that moment Prince Duncan bitterly regretted the false step he had taken.  To be in the power of such a man was, indeed, a terrible form of retribution.

“Explain your meaning,” he said reluctantly.

“I want another government bond for a thousand dollars.”

“But when I gave you the first, you promised to preserve silence, and trouble me no more.”

“I have been unfortunate, as I already explained to you.”

“I don’t see how that alters matters.  You took the risk voluntarily.  Why should I suffer because you were imprudent and lost your money?”

“I can’t argue with you, squire,” said Tony, with an insolent smile.  “You are too smart for me.  All I have to say is, that I must have another bond.”

“Suppose I should give it to you—­what assurance have I that you will not make another demand?”

“I will give you the promise in writing, if you like.”

“Knowing that I could not make use of any such paper with out betraying myself.”

“Well, there is that objection, certainly, but I can’t do anything better.”

“What do you propose to do with the bond?”

“Deposit it with my broker, as I have already told you.”

“I advise you not to do so.  Make up your mind to lose the first, and keep the second in your own hands.”

“I will consider your advice, squire.”

But it was very clear that Tony Denton would not follow it.

All at once Prince Duncan brightened up.  He had a happy thought.  Should it be discovered that the bonds used by Tony Denton belonged to the contents of the stolen box, might he not succeed in throwing the whole blame on the billiard-saloon keeper, and have him arrested as the thief?  The possession and use of the bonds would be very damaging, and Tony’s reputation was not such as to protect him.  Here seemed to be a rift in the clouds—­and it was with comparative cheerfulness that Mr. Duncan placed the second bond in the hands of the visitor.

“Of course,” he said, “it will be for your interest not to let any one know from whom you obtained this.”

“All right.  I understand.  Well, good morning, squire; I’m glad things are satisfactory.”

“Good morning, Mr. Denton.”

When Tony had left the room, Prince Duncan threw himself back in his chair and reflected.  His thoughts were busy with the man who had just left him, and he tried to arrange some method of throwing the guilt upon Denton.  Yet, perhaps, even that would not be necessary.  So far as Mr. Duncan knew, there was no record in Mr. Armstrong’s possession of the numbers of the bonds, and in that case they would not be identified.

“If I only knew positively that the numbers would not turn up, I should feel perfectly secure, and could realize on the bonds at any time,” he thought.  “I will wait awhile, and I may see my way clear.”