Bascom Cooley now had things going his way. Jimmy, his poor, weak tool, was in sole control of the Marsh millions. For twelve months he could do what he liked with the money. Much can be in a year—money can be made, money can be lost. If, when the day of accounting came, there was a scandal, Jimmy alone would be held responsible, and as for denouncing others as having shared in the division of the spoils, he would not dare. Cooley knew too much of his business for that.
The next important step was to control, as far as possible, the movements of the herself. It would never do to have her living in a cheap boarding house, going and coming as she pleased, surrounded by people who might tell her embarrassing truths. The influence of Leon Ricaby, especially, Mr. Cooley was anxious to remove. He felt that with the attorney out of the way, they would have less trouble with the girl. That is why he had impressed Jimmy with the urgent necessity of taking Paula as a more or less boarder under his roof.
"She'll kick like a steer," he . "But that's nothing. I like a with some spirit in her. She must do what we say, whether she likes it or not."
Overbearing, , , Mr. Cooley entered the sitting room of Mrs. Parkes' boarding house, followed by Jimmy Marsh. Fashionably dressed, dyed and perfumed, Paula's uncle, in personal appearance, offered a sharp contrast to the burly, coarse-looking lawyer. The two men were types so dissimilar that it was almost paradoxical to find them in such close association. It was as if the lamb suddenly found it to his taste to with the wolf. While the lawyer advanced into the room, his air , his manner , Jimmy remained in the background, nervous and fidgetty. That he was completely under the mental control of his attorney was plainly evident.
Mr. Ricaby was alone in the room, awaiting their arrival.
"Hallo, Ricaby—howdy?" exclaimed the big lawyer. "You know Mr. Marsh——"
Jimmy nodded and Mr. Ricaby bowed stiffly. His manner was freezingly polite.
"Yes, I think I have that pleasure."
Without troubling to wait for an invitation, Mr. Cooley his large person into an armchair. Then, looking all around as if in search of someone, he asked:
"Well, where's the young lady?"
"She'll be here in a moment," replied Mr. Ricaby. There was an awkward pause, and then he went on: "I need scarcely tell you that this sudden visit is most unexpected."
The big lawyer gave a coarse laugh.
"Always expect the unexpected from Bascom Cooley!" he cried. "Sit down, Mr. Marsh. Yes, Mr. Ricaby, Bascom Cooley aims at a certain point, but he never looks in the direction he's aiming, and while the other side is carefully guarding the wrong place—bing!—Bascom Cooley's got 'em where he wants 'em."
Mr. Ricaby nodded.
"Quite so!" he said, with a shade of .
Mr. Cooley grinned.
"That's why the aforesaid is in a class all by himself," he .[Pg 134]
Mr. Marsh ventured to himself into the conversation. Timidly he said:
"Perhaps my niece may find the hour . I'm willing to postpone——"
Mr. Cooley stamped his foot impatiently.
"Now, look here, Marsh, don't be a fool; don't establish a of , or you'll have to be all the time. That's the advice I give young married men, Ricaby."
He laughed at his own wit, and looked at Mr. Ricaby as if expecting him to join in the merriment. But Paula's attorney remained sober as a judge.
"Come, come, be cheerful!" went on Mr. Cooley; "why not let us be good friends? Why can't Miss Paula be made to understand that my client is her friend as well as her nearest relative? Flesh and blood is flesh and blood—you can't get away from that fact. He wants to open his heart to her. Hang it, they've been separated long enough! All his movements, however seemingly unfriendly, have been actuated only by a sense of justice to his own family."
"Perfectly true—perfectly true," broke in Jimmy eagerly. "She is my brother's child, and, although we've seen nothing of her, nevertheless I feel that I am far more competent to—to take charge of—the family estate—than she is."
"The family estate?" interrupted Mr. Ricaby, elevating his .
"Yes," said Jimmy boldly. "My brother's estate and mine. You know, the woman he married——"
Cooley held up his hand with a deprecating gesture:
"Now, please, don't let us go into that phase of the matter. The marriage was kept secret, but we have conceded that it was a marriage. Once and for all, let us have done with this litigation business. My client doesn't want to drag this case through the courts for years. He can if he wants to—but he doesn't. What he wants is—peace and harmony."
"And his brother's estate," interrupted Mr. Ricaby .
Mr. Cooley looked .
"Ricaby," he said, "that insinuation is not in keeping with the friendly purpose of this meeting. My client is special administrator—an appointee of the Court—and we are under the law——"
"The law!" exclaimed Mr. Ricaby scornfully. "That's the damnable part of it! You're acting under a law that compels a widow or to[Pg 136] spend thousands of dollars on litigation in order to obtain what is theirs by right."
Mr. Cooley his shoulders.
"The law is all right."
"Then it's dishonest that's at fault," retorted the other hotly. "Something is rotten somewhere when the courts can be used to legally deprive this girl of her inheritance."
Mr. Cooley rolled his eyes and remained unperturbed. , , he said:
"You're repeating yourself, brother Ricaby. So you told the judge, and it didn't do your case a particle of good. That's a sign of weakness. But come, I promised myself not to allow anything to interrupt the peaceful, flow of events." With an effort at flowery , he went on : "Let us bury the legal , let's bring flesh and blood together, that they may be reunited over the grave of a buried family . Let us bring our clients together on terms of peace. It's a sacred duty we owe our profession, Mr. Ricaby, a duty that our profession over all other callings. The may make peace for man in Heaven, but we are peacemakers here on earth."
"Quite true—quite true," Jimmy from the far corner of the room.
Mr. Ricaby shrugged his shoulders.[Pg 137]
"No wonder they call you the silver-lipped orator," he muttered contemptuously.
There was a knock at the door, and Mr. Ricaby went forward to see who it was. Speaking to someone in the hall outside, he said:
"My clerk? Oh, yes, ask him to come up. No—I'll go down." Turning to the others, he asked:
"Will you excuse me for a moment?"
"Certainly," said Mr. Cooley, "and, while I think of it, do your best to persuade Miss Paula that we are really acting for her best interests. She is alone in the world. Her uncle will take her into his own family, welcome her as his own child."
Mr. Ricaby, with an impatient of his shoulders, went out without waiting to listen to any more. Mr. Cooley, who had not noticed the attorney's departure, went on:
"Can't you see the picture, Ricaby? Uncle—niece—bosom of family—happy home—cousins—smiling faces—all radiant with newly found happiness?"
Suddenly he noticed that Ricaby was no longer there. Turning to Jimmy, he exclaimed, in a changed tone of voice:
"You know that fellow is the damndest bore I was ever up against! His arguments to the judge were —positively puerile! That one about the aspect was a bird. You know it's all I can do to keep my temper with that brand of ."
Jimmy nodded approval.
"You've been patient—remarkably," he said.
Mr. Cooley's face broke into a self-satisfied smile.
"Those fellows theorize and theorize by the yard. I've sat on the bench and listened to their cackle till I got so hot under the collar I'd like to jump down and bang 'em over the head with their own law books. They quote authorities by the stack and hand you all the old-time stuff from old Roman and British digest down to last year's decision. Those fellows forget that Henry Clay and Daniel Webster is out of date. Marsh—while I think of it—don't make too much show of affection to the girl—not too much 'Uncle' business at the start, she may not take to it ."
"Of course, of course," said Jimmy impatiently. "I'm not exactly a fool."
"Not exactly—no—but sometimes near," retorted Cooley dryly.
"My dear Cooley——"
"Now, my dear James, you must really be guided by me——"
"But there are limits," said the other.
"Quite so,"
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