Part 3 (1/2)

”I think we should close with Captain Gilbert's offer.” The cas.h.i.+er had a considerable family, and I knew his recently bought Pacific Avenue home was not all paid for.

”We might consider it,” Whipple glanced doubtfully at his a.s.sociates.

”If everything else fails, this might be a way out of the difficulty for us.”

If everything else failed! President Whipple was certainly no poker player. Worth Gilbert gave one swift look about the ring of faces, pushed a brown, muscular left hand out on the table top, glancing at the wrist watch there, and suggested brusquely,

”Think it over. My offer holds for fifteen minutes. Time to get at all the angles of the case. Huh! Gentlemen! I seem to have started something!”

For the directors and stockholders of the Van Ness Avenue Savings Bank were at that moment almost as yappy and snappy as a wolf pack. d.y.k.eman wanted to know about the one hundred and eighty seven thousand odd dollars not covered by Worth's offer--did they lose that? Knapp was urging that Clayte's bond, when they'd collected, would shade the loss; Whipple reminding them that they'd have to spend a good deal--maybe a great deal--on the recovery of the suitcase; money that Worth Gilbert would have to spend instead if they sold to him; and finally an ugly mutter from somewhere that maybe young Gilbert wouldn't have to spend so very much to recover that suitcase--maybe he wouldn't!

The tall young fellow looked thoughtfully at his watch now and again.

c.u.mmings and I chipped into the thickest of the row and convinced them that he meant what he said, not only by his offer, but by its time limit.

”How about publicity, if this goes?” Whipple suddenly interrogated, raising his voice to top the pack-yell. ”Even with eight hundred thousand dollars in our vaults, a run's not a thing that does a bank any good. I suppose,” stretching up his head to see across his noisy a.s.sociates, ”I suppose, Captain Gilbert, you'll be retaining Boyne's agency? In that case, do you give him the publicity he wants?”

”Course he does!” d.y.k.eman hissed. ”Can't you see? d.a.m.n fool wants his name in the papers! Rotten story like this--about some lunatic buying a suitcase with a million in it--would ruin any bank if it got into print.” d.y.k.eman's breath gave out. ”And--it's--it's--just the kind of story the accursed yellow press would eat up. Let it alone, Whipple. Let his d.a.m.ned offer alone. There's a joker in it somewhere.”

”There won't be any offer in about three minutes,” c.u.mmings quietly reminded them. ”If you'd asked my opinion--and giving you opinions is what you pay me a salary for--I'd have said close with him while you can.”

Whipple gave me an agonized glance. I nodded affirmatively. He put the question to vote in a breath; the ayes had it, old d.y.k.eman shouting after them in an angry squeak.

”No! No!” and adding as he glared about him, ”I'd like to be able to look a newspaper in the face; but never again! Never again!”

I made my way over to Gilbert and stood in front of him.

”You've bought something, boy,” I said. ”If you mean to keep me on as your detective, you can a.s.sure these people that I'll do my darndest to give information to the police and keep it out of the papers. What's happened here won't get any further than this room--through me.”

”You're hired, Jerry Boyne.” Gilbert slapped me on the back affectionately. After all, he hadn't changed so much in his four years over there; I began to see more than traces of the enthusiastic youngster to whom I used to spin detective yarns in the grill at the St.

Francis or on the rocks by the Cliff House. ”Sure, we'll keep it out of the papers. Suits me. I'd rather not pose as the fool soon parted from his money.”

The remark was apropos; Knapp had feverishly beckoned the lawyer over to a little side desk; they were down at it, the light snapped on, writing, trying to frame up an agreement that would hold water. One by one the others went and looked on nervously as they worked; by the time they'd finished something, everybody'd seen it but Worth; and when it was finally put in his hands, all he seemed to notice was the one point of the time they'd set for payment.

”It'll be quite some stunt to get the amount together by ten o'clock Monday,” he said slowly. ”There are securities to be converted--”

He paused, and looked up on a queer hush.

”Securities?” croaked d.y.k.eman. ”To be converted--? Oh!”

”Yes,” in some surprise. ”Or would the bank prefer to have them turned over in their present form?”

Again a strained moment, broken by Whipple's nervous,

”Maybe that would be better,” and a quickly suppressed chuckle from c.u.mmings.

The agreement was in duplicate. It gave Worth Gilbert complete owners.h.i.+p of a described sole-leather suitcase and its listed contents, and, as he had demanded, it bound him to nothing save the payment. c.u.mmings said frankly that the transaction was illegal from end to end, and that any a.s.surance as to the bank's ceasing to pursue Clayte would amount to compounding a felony. Yet we all signed solemnly, the lawyer and I as witnesses. A financier's idea of indecency is something about money which hasn't formerly been done. The directors got sorer and sorer as Worth Gilbert's cheerfulness increased.

”Acts as though it were a d.a.m.n' c.r.a.p game,” I heard d.y.k.eman muttering to Sillsbee, who came back vacuously.

”c.r.a.ps?--they say our boys did shoot c.r.a.ps a good deal over there.