Entertaining talker too. And if I"m not mistaken, it was he who opened a good-natured discussion as to the limit of actual personal acquaintance which the average man has, ending by his betting fifty dollars--rather foolishly, I admit--that you could not remember the names and addresses of twenty persons whom you actually disliked. Well, you won. Here is the list you made out."
And the stunned way J. Bayard gawps at the piece of paper brings out a snicker from me. He flushes up at that and glares down at Judson.
"Tactics worthy of a Tombs lawyer!" says he. "I congratulate you on your high-cla.s.s legal methods!"
"Oh, not at all," says Judson. "A suggestion of Mr. Gordon"s. Another evidence of his insight into character, as well as his foresight into events. So, you see, Mr. Steele, if you decline to become the benefactor of Mr. Gordon"s enemies, his money goes to yours!"
"The old fox!" snarls J. Bayard. "Why--I--let me see that list again."
It"s no more"n gripped in his fingers than he steps back quick and begins tearin" it to bits. I"d jumped for him and had his wrists clinched when Judson waves me off.
"Only a copy," says he smilin". "I have several more. Sit down, Mr.
Steele, and let me give you another."
Kind of dazed and subdued, J. Bayard submits to bein" pushed into a chair. After a minute or so he fixes his gla.s.ses again, and begins starin" at the fresh list, mumblin" over some of the names to himself.
"To them! Three millions!" says he gaspy.
"Roughly estimated," says Judson, "that would be about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars apiece which you would, in effect, hand over."
"And the only way to keep them from getting it," goes on Steele, "is for me to spend my time hunting up Pyramid Gordon"s lot?"
"Not entirely without recompense," adds the lawyer. "As an inducement for doing the work thoroughly, I am authorized to give you a commission on all you spend in that way."
"How much?" demands the other.
"Twenty per cent.," says Judson. "For instance, if in doing some kind and generous deed for a person on Mr. Gordon"s list, you spend, say, five thousand, you get a thousand for yourself."
"Ah!" says Steele, perkin" up consider"ble.
"The only condition being," goes on the lawyer, "that in each case your kind and generous proposals must have the indors.e.m.e.nt and approval of Professor McCabe, who is asked to give his advice in these matters on a five per cent. basis. I may add that a like amount comes to me in place of any other fee. So you see this is to be a joint enterprise. Is that satisfactory to you, Mr. McCabe?"
"It"s more"n I usually get for my advice," says I, "and I guess Pyramid Gordon knew well enough he didn"t have to pay for anything like that from me. But if that"s the way he planned it out, it goes."
"And you, Mr. Steele?" says Judson.
"One dollar for every five that I can spend of Pyramid Gordon"s money?"
says he, wrinklin" his eye corners. "With pleasure! When may I begin?"
"Now," says Judson, reachin" prompt into a pigeonhole and producin" a sealed envelope. "Here is the first name on the list. When you bring me Professor McCabe"s indors.e.m.e.nt of any expenses incurred, or sum to be paid out, I shall give you a check at once."
And, say, the last I see of J. Bayard he was driftin" through the door, gazin" absentminded at the envelope, like he was figurin" on how much he could grab off at the first swipe. I gazes after him thoughtful until the comic side of it struck me.
"This is a hot combination we"re in, eh?" I chuckles to the lawyer gent.
"Steele, Judson & McCabe, Joy Distributers; with J. Bayard there wieldin" the fairy wand. Why, say, I"d as quick think of askin" Sc.r.a.ppy McGraw to preside at a peace conference!"
Mr. Judson"s busy packin" away his papers in a doc.u.ment case; but he smiles vague over his shoulder.
"Honest now," I goes on, "do you think our friend will make good as the head of the sunshine department?"
"That," says Judson, "is a matter which Mr. Gordon seems to have left wholly to you."
"Eh?" says I, doin" the gawp act sudden on my own account. "Well, post me for a Bush League yannigan if it don"t listen that way! Then I can see where I"ll be earnin" my five per cent. all right, and yet some!
Referee for a kind deeds campaign! Good night, Sister Sue! But it"s on old Pyramid"s account; so let J. Bayard shoot "em in!"
CHAPTER II
A FEW SQUIRMS BY BAYARD
Say, take it from me, this job of umpirin" a little-deeds-of-kindness campaign, as conducted by J. Bayard Steele, Esq., ain"t any careless gladsome romp through the daisy fields. It"s a real job!
He"s the one, you know, that poor old Pyramid Gordon--rest his soul!--picked out to round up all the hangover grouches he"d strewed behind him durin" a long and active career, with instructions to soothe the same with whatever balm seemed best, regardless of expense.
And the hard part of it for Steele is that he has to get my O.K. on all his schemes before he can collect from the estate. And while I don"t bill myself for any expert on lovin"-kindness, and as a gen"ral thing I ain"t of a suspicious nature, I"m wise enough to apply the acid test and bore for lead fillin" on anything he hands in. Course maybe I"m too hard on him, but it strikes me that an ex-pool organizer, who makes a livin"
as capper for a hotel branch of a shady stock-brokin" firm, ain"t had the best kind of trainin" as an angel of mercy.
So when he shows up at my Physical Culture Studio again, the day after Lawyer Judson has explained for us the fine points of that batty will of Pyramid"s, I"m about as friendly and guileless as a dyspeptic customs inspector preparin" to go through the trunks of a Fifth avenue dressmaker. He comes in smilin" and chirky, though, slaps me chummy on the shoulder, and remarks cordial:
"Well, my trusty coworker in well doing, I have come to report progress."
"Shoot it, then," says I, settlin" back in my chair.
"You will be surprised," he goes on, "to learn who is first to benefit by my vicarious philanthropy."
"Your which?" says I.
"Merely another simile for our glorious work," says he. "You couldn"t guess whose name was in that envelope,--Twombley-Crane"s!"
"The Long Island plute?" says I. "You don"t say! Why, when did Pyramid ever get the best of him, I wonder?"
"I had almost forgotten the affair myself," says Steele. "It was more than a dozen years ago, when Twombley-Crane was still actively interested in the railroad game. He was president of the Q., L. & M.; made a hobby of it, you know. Used to deliver flowery speeches to the stockholders, and was fond of boasting that his road had never pa.s.sed a dividend. About that time Gordon was organizing the Water Level System.
He needed the Q., L. & M. as a connecting link. But Twombley-Crane would listen to no scheme of consolidation. Rather an arrogant aristocrat, Twombley-Crane, as perhaps you know?"
"Yes, he"s a bit stiff in the neck," says I.
"He gave Gordon a flat no," goes on Steele. "Had him shown out of his office, so the story went. And of course Pyramid started gunning for him. Twombley-Crane had many interests at the time, financial, social, political. But suddenly his appointment as Amba.s.sador to Germany, which had seemed so certain, was blocked in the Senate; his plans for getting control of all the ore-carrying steamer lines on the Lakes were upset by the appearance of a rival steamship pool; and then came the annual meeting of the Q., L. & M., at which Gordon presented a dark horse candidate. You see, for months Pyramid had been buying in loose holdings and gathering proxies, and on the first ballot he fired Twombley-Crane out of the Q., L. & M. so abruptly that he never quite knew how it happened. And you know how Gordon milked the line during the next few years. It was a bitter pill for Twombley-Crane; for it hurt his pride as well as his pocketbook. That was why he quit Chicago for New York. Not a bad move, either; for he bought into Manhattan Transportation at just the right time. But I imagine he never forgave Gordon."
"Huh!" says I. "So that"s why they used to act so standoffish whenever they"d run across each other here at the studio. Well, well! And what"s your idea of applyin" a poultice to Twombley-Crane"s twelve-year-old sting?"
"Ah-h-h!" says J. Bayard, rubbin" his hands genial, and at the same time watchin" me narrow to see how I"m goin" to take it. "Rather difficult, eh? I confess that I was almost stumped at first. Why, he"s worth to-day twice as much as Gordon ever was! So it ought to be something handsome, hadn"t it?"
"That depends," says I. "Have anything special in mind, did you?"
"Oh, yes," says Steele. "Now what do you say to presenting him with a nice, comfortable steam yacht, all equipped for cruising, with a captain and----"