The Victorian Villains Megapack (75 page)

“Beat it, Givney; shut the door behind you,” ordered Chicago Charlie. “Sit down, you two,” he went on as the door slammed; “sit down and talk turkey. You’ve got me hooked, an’ I know it.

“I thought I’d run you out of town; it didn’t work. You two came out here to get me; I understand it now—and you put it over. There’s no use raisin’ a fuss about that part of it. The question is—how much do you want?”

The Early Bird who, a moment before had been the glummest man in seven States, stared in amazed delight at Mr. Clackworthy; somehow Mr. Clackworthy had put it over.

“I guess you ain’t forgot them ten thousand smackers of mine that you went south with, eh, Chicago Charlie?” James inquired gleefully.

The banker winced unpleasantly at the name which he had not heard for many years.

“Cut out that stuff,” he ordered. “I’m willin’ to pay a reasonable amount of blackmail to you two—”

“Blackmail!” interrupted Mr. Clackworthy. “I am quite sure that neither James here nor myself have any intention of blackmailing you.”

“Then what do you call it, I’d like to know?”

“Now come—er—Charlie,” and Mr. Clackworthy smiled. “Suppose we put this on a strictly business basis. You are indebted to Mr. Early in the sum of ten thousand dollars, a debt which has been unpaid for more than ten years. The interest on that, straight interest at six percent, amounts to more than six thousand dollars. Should we compound it, and most certainly it should be compounded, it would reach a very large sum. However, I am sure that he will waive compound interest if you, in turn, would allow him something for the—er—expenses of collection.

“Surely there is no blackmail in a straightforward business proposition of this character. Speaking as Mr. Early’s representative, I offer you a settlement figure of twenty-five thousand dollars. Not a penny less—er—Charlie; take it or leave it, just as you choose.”

“Cut it half in two; twelve thousand five hundred,” parried the banker.

“Not a cent for bargaining,” refused Mr. Clackworthy.

“How’re you goin’ to call off your dogs?” demanded Chicago Charlie. “How are you going to shut up that newspaper? I guess he knows the whole thing, too, eh?”

“Not a word,” denied Mr. Clackworthy. “In fact Mr. Early here has not yet written his series of sensational articles, and Editor Stone rather advertised them blind; that is to say, he accepted a gift of three thousand dollars from me, given under the condition that he accepts my—er—suggestion that he popularize his paper with a touch of—ah—sensationalism. Of course he may guess at a thing or two, but so far he knows absolutely nothing.”

“All right,” brusquely interrupted Chicago Charlie. “I know when I’m licked. I’ve got to cough up. Come on down to the bank just as soon as I have the judge lift the sentences, but you ought to be in the pen—you blackmailers!”

Mr. Clackworthy chuckled.

“You know—er—Charlie,” he said, “you brought the whole thing on yourself. You forced us to the one method of—er—collection that we would have never thought of. The Early Bird would never have exposed you—not in a thousand years. He doesn’t play the game that way. But you didn’t know that. You got worried and tried to drive us out of town; if it hadn’t been for that, I would have never known that you were scared to death of a—what The Early Bird would call ‘a squawk.’ I had about given you up as a bad job; if you had let us alone we would have left town tomorrow, and you would be twenty-five thousand to the good.”

“Come on, boss; save th’ chin music until after I’ve got that jack in my mitts,” cut in The Early Bird. “I been waitin’ more’n ten years t’ find out how it’d feel t’ see Chicago Charlie count out my winnin’s on that hundred-t’-one shot. I reckon that’s worth a few hours in jail, eh, boss?”

Mr. Clackworthy’s slight shudder seemed to dispute this opinion.