"Not a little; but I was determined to find you."
"You have done so."
"Yes; you can"t hide from me."
"I have not the least desire in the world to hide from you, Mr. Morgan."
"You say so," returned the man, with a cold sneer; "but I am certain you have taken pains to keep out of my way for the last two weeks."
"You are utterly mistaken. I would not take pains to keep out of your way for two minutes. What do you want of me?"
"I have a little matter to talk over with you--some private business."
"I was not aware that there could be business dealings of any sort between us, Macklyn Morgan."
"Be careful!" warned Morgan, lifting a thin finger. "You are putting on a very bold face."
"And is there any reason why I should not? I know, Mr. Morgan, of your methods at the time of my affair with the C. M. A. of A."
"I have not forgotten that."
"Nor I. Nor do I regret that, although the C. M. A. of A. was compelled to give up its unlawful efforts to rob me, you entered into a combination with another moneyed rascal to accomplish the work."
"Be careful!" again warned Morgan. "I am not the man to whom you can talk in such a manner."
"Like any other man, you are one to whom I can tell the truth. If the truth cuts, so much the worse for you, sir."
"Don"t get on your high horse, young man; it will be better for you if you refrain. Don"t be so free with your accusations, for you will soon find that there is an accusation against you of a most serious nature."
"What new game are you up to, Mr. Morgan? It seems to me that the failures of the past should teach you the folly of your plots and schemes."
"I have told you that I wish to have a private talk with you, young man.
Perhaps you had better grant me the privilege."
"As far as I am concerned, there is no necessity of doing so; but really I am curious to know just what you"re up to. This being the case, I will not object. I have a room, and we may go there."
"Your record indicates that you are a desperate character, Merriwell. I should hesitate to place myself alone with you in any room unless you were first disarmed. If you will leave your weapons here at the desk we will go to your room."
"I am quite willing in case you leave your own revolver, sir."
"I never carry a revolver, Merriwell."
"But you have one in your pocket now," declared Frank positively.
He seemed to know this to be a fact, and, after a moment"s hesitation, Morgan took out a small revolver, which he laid upon the desk.
"I thought it best to provide myself with such an article while in this part of the country," he said. "There it is. I will leave it here."
Immediately Frank walked to the desk and placed his own pistol upon it.
"Come," he said. "You may follow me to my room."
In Frank"s room, with the door closed behind them, Merry motioned to a chair.
"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," he said, "and make whatever statement you choose. I will listen."
Morgan took the chair.
"First," observed Morgan, "I wish to speak of Milton Sukes."
"I thought likely."
"You know the interests of Mr. Sukes and myself were closely allied."
Frank laughed.
"Yes; although Sukes was at the head of the concern, I know that you conspired with him to defraud me."
"Have a care!" again warned Morgan. "You are now dealing with a man of power and influence."
"I have dealt with such men before. As a bugaboo, the mere fact that you have money does not frighten me in the least, Mr. Morgan. If, like Sukes, you fancy that money gives you power to commit any fraud, like Sukes, you are to learn your mistake."
"I know all about your scandalous attack on Mr. Sukes in Denver. I know of your attempted blackmailing of him, Merriwell. You did try to blackmail him, and you can"t deny it."
"You lie, Morgan!" retorted Frank, with perfect control of himself.
"Then what was the meaning of your threat to expose his mining operations?"
"Morgan, Milton Sukes pitted himself against me and attempted to rob me of my mine. When he did so he aroused my fighting blood. He was defeated in every effort he made against me, and the decision against him in the courts of the Territory was the final blow that upset his plans. In the meantime I had learned that his Great Northwest Territory Mining Company was a swindle of the most outrageous sort. I had threatened to expose him, and, when he found himself whipped to a standstill, he sought to enter into a compact with me, by which I was to remain silent and let him go on with his dishonest work.
"He sent one of his tools to me with a contract for me to sign. I tore it up. As I say, my blood had been aroused, and I warned him then that neither cajolery nor money could silence me. I warned him that I would expose and disgrace him, so that every honest man in the country would regard him with scorn and aversion. Had it been mere blackmail, Sukes could have silenced me with money. He sought to do so, but found he was barking up the wrong tree. He threatened libel suits and all that; but I kept on at my work. As a last desperate resort he paid an employee of mine to fire my office in Denver, and the result of that affair was that the treacherous fellow who betrayed me fancied I had perished in the fire. It drove him insane. He pursued Sukes relentlessly, and it is certain that Sukes was finally killed by that man"s hand."
"So you say, Merriwell; but I hold quite a different opinion--quite a different opinion."
"Whatever your opinion may be, Morgan, it is a matter of absolute indifference to me."
Macklyn Morgan showed his teeth.
"You may think so just now, young man, but you will change your mind. I have been investigating this matter thoroughly. I have followed it up faithfully. I know how and where Sukes was shot. I have taken pains to secure all the evidence possible. You were present at the time. You were there in disguise. Why did you pursue and hunt him in disguise? It looks black for you, Mr. Merriwell--it looks black. These things will count against you at the day of reckoning, which is surely coming. How will you explain your behavior to the satisfaction of the law?"
"That"s no matter to worry you, Macklyn Morgan," calmly returned Merriwell. "If there is anything of explanation, I shall have the explaining to do. Don"t trouble yourself over it."
"You have a great deal of nerve just now, young man; but it will weaken--it will weaken. Wait until you are arrested on the charge of murder. Had you killed an ordinary man it might have been different; but Milton Sukes was a man of money, a man of power, a man of influence. All his money, if necessary, will be used to convict you. You cannot escape.
Just as true as this case is put into the hands of the law you will eventually be hanged."
In his cold, calm, accusing way, Morgan was doing everything in his power to unsettle Frank"s nerves. As he spoke, he watched the youth as a hawk watches its prey.
"I fail to see your object in coming to me with this," said Merry. "It seems most remarkable. If you intend to push such a charge against me, why don"t you go ahead and do it? Why do you tell me what you contemplate doing? The proper method is to secure every sc.r.a.p of evidence and then have me arrested without warning and thrown into jail."