Part 26 (1/2)
As they walked back to the _Gazette_ building, where Peter had still various details to attend to, he gave a terse epitome of his afternoon's experiences. At the news that he, too, had sought to buy the paper which was so determinedly on their trail, Peter chuckled and started to speak; but when he learned in the next sentence that Hammerton had their secret at his mercy, his face grew suddenly grave.
”The rub is,” he summed up meditatively, ”he may take his walking-papers rather than let go of such a scoop as that. Of course, he knows that the New York papers would trample each other to death trying to s.n.a.t.c.h it away from him. However, we can fix it somehow. We've got to--that's all.”
”He'll listen to reason, I dare say,” said Varney briefly. ”What put it into your head to try to buy the paper, Peter?”
They sat in the business manager's little office at the rear of the long counting-room downstairs, where Peter had thoughtfully paused and snapped on all the lights. At this question an annoyed look settled instantly on the new owner's open countenance.
”No brains of mine,” he said shortly. ”It's a queer thing.”
He paused to light his battered pipe, which he produced ready-filled from his pocket, and then said abruptly:
”Remember that old sneak named Higginson I mentioned to you yesterday?
Well, I bagged the idea from him. When I hit town this afternoon the first thing I heard was that Higginson was going to buy the _Gazette_--had bought it, some said.”
”_Higginson!_” Varney stared. ”What the mischief did he want with the _Gazette?_”
”Echo answers. No good to us, you can bet,” said Peter grimly. ”Gave it out, I believe, that he was acting for a syndicate of New Yorkers who expected flush times with the change of administration, and were rus.h.i.+ng to get in on the ground floor. You can believe that if you want to. To me it sounds too fishy to do even a beginner credit. You could wake me up in the middle of the night and I could put over a better one than that. However,” he continued, frowning, ”to get back to my story.
When I heard what Higginson was up to, it naturally flashed into my mind that it would be a mighty convenient thing if I owned the _Gazette_ myself, instead of him. I raced off to Smith on the chance, shot an offer at him from the door and to my surprise he accepted it--right off the bat, cool as though the deal were for half a dozen copies of yesterday's issue--”
”You got in ahead of Higginson, then?”
”On the contrary,” said Peter. ”And that's another queer thing--about Smith, I mean. Higginson had been in and made him an offer an hour ahead of me, and the fellow had turned him down flat. Yet I happen to know that the price I offered was under Higginson's by a pretty good year's income. Now what d' you think of that?”
Varney was silent a moment. ”Smith wants a new deal all around, I imagine,” he said slowly. ”He knew that you would make the _Gazette_ an honest paper; he didn't know anything of the sort about the other man.
Probably he knew just the contrary. Bully for Smith, I say! But what do you make of this chap Higginson?”
”Search me,” said Peter, rather impatiently. ”He's clearly imported by Ryan for some definite purpose, but just what his game is beats me.
There'll be more developments, of course. After I'd signed up with Smith I spent half an hour of valuable time looking for the rascal, but couldn't find a footprint anywhere. He seems to have a special gift for appearing and disappearing. If he decides to stay with us, though, he'll explain himself to me to-morrow, or I'll know the reason why.”
”Well, you've already pulled his teeth, haven't you? This little purchase of yours knocks the wind out of his sails in any event.”
”I wish I could be sure of that.”
”And, by the way, that reminds me. Of course I'm in on this, you understand--on what you paid for the _Gazette_.”
”Not on my account,” said Peter frankly. ”When this town starts booming, as it will in eight days from date--Higginson had that part of it right, anyway--the _Gazette's_ going to be the prettiest little property you ever saw in your life. I saw it first and you will kindly back away off the gra.s.s. By the bye,” he went on, ”the lunch to-morrow. Hare and his sister both accepted--two o'clock. You ought to have seen Hare's face when I told him we owned this little old _Gazette_. Worth the price of admission alone--he'd been hot as a stove all day about that story this morning. I asked Mrs. Marne whether Miss Carstairs had happened to say anything about coming, but she hadn't seen her to-day at all. I guess there won't be any trouble in that quarter, though, when she gets through reading the paper's apologies to-morrow.”
”I don't know,” said Varney. ”I am going to her house to-night to find out.”
”Why?” said Peter, surprised. ”What do you think we bought this paper for, anyway?”
”The great trouble is that she may not believe the paper. This is important, you see. The whole thing hinges on whether or not she is coming to lunch with us. The only way I can be certain that she is coming is to have her tell me so.”
Peter jingled his keys. ”Of course, we don't want to take chances, but--”
”Another thing,” said Varney. ”She promised to lunch with Stanhope--the celebrity--not me, you know.”
”H'm,” said Peter cogitatively, and added: ”I guess you're right. I'm sure everything's all serene, but it'll do no harm to press a call.
Well! I must fly upstairs for a while and see how things are going.”