Halsey & Co Part 13

"The jugular is severed," he said. "No power on earth could have saved him."

"Who was he?" the officer asked.

n.o.body answered him.

"Does no one in this crowd recognize him?"

They gazed at the dead man, but none knew him.

"Who sent for me?" the doctor asked, looking around.

No one answered him.

"Who pays my fee?"

"You ought to know who told you about it," said the officer.

"Somebody called up to my window to come quick. I didn't see him."

"Doctor, I'll pay the bill," said Fred, "as long as it happened in here."

"Very well. Ten dollars, please," and the doctor held out his hand for the money.

Fred handed it to him, saying:

"Be kind enough to get out. You're a hog on two legs."

"What!" and the doctor gasped as if for breath.

"Get out of here, you old hog!" repeated Fred.

The doctor struck at him, his face livid with rage. The officer caught him by the arm, saying:

"If you raise a disturbance here I shall have to arrest you, sir."

"Did you hear him insult me?" cried the doctor.

"Yes, but you can't fight here."

"If he wants to fight, let him fight a man of his size, not a boy," said a broker in the crowd. "He is a hog, judging from his actions, and I am ready to back it up!"

"I'll sue you for slander!" hissed the doctor, as he made his way through the crowd.

"Sue and be hanged to you! You are a coward as well as a hog!" and the belligerent broker followed him out to the sidewalk.

The doctor got away in the crowd. The ambulance came, and the body was removed to the police station to await identification and the action of the coroner. The doors of the bank were closed, and a number of brokers remained inside to find out how the thing had happened. Mr. Allison related how it occurred, and produced the certificate, which they all examined. But not one of them was willing to say it was a forgery. The old man was the best posted of them all.

"I would have loaned him $20,000 on that," said a well-known broker as he examined it.

"You would have lost every penny of it, sir," replied Allison.

"Do you wish to wager anything on it?" the broker asked.

"I have no money to put up."

"Make the bet--I'll put up the money," said Bob. "I am willing to bet on you."

"Very well, I'll wager $10,000 that this is a forgery, that the company has never issued a 'Third series' of shares."

"Put up the money," said the broker. "I'll give my check. It can't be certified now, since the bank is closed."

"You won't stop it if you lose, eh?" Bob asked.

"No, not I."

"Very well, Mr. Allison, put up the money in the hands of any one you know."

The old man put up the money and Broker Dean put up his cheek.

"Now let's go to Doggett & Holmes' office and see what they say about it. They are the attorneys for the road and ought to know all about it,"

Allison said, and the whole party of about a dozen men went out and down on Broad street, where they soon climbed up three flights to the law offices of Doggett & Holmes.

Holmes was in. Doggett had left. He examined the certificate and p.r.o.nounced it a forgery, saying:

"No 'Third series' has ever been issued by the company."

"Whoop!" yelled Bob, "I'll bet on my old man every time!"

The crowd roared and Dean was nettled.

"I want to have the statement of the president of the company before I give up," he said.

"Will the treasurer of the company do?" Holmes asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Well, he is here," and he sent a clerk into another room for a Mr.

Timson, the treasurer of the company.

He came out and very promptly p.r.o.nounced it a forgery.

"Whoop!" yelled Bob again. "Halsey & Company are bankers and speculators, and sometimes they bet on a dead sure thing. Say, Fred, we've got some more fleece to hang up."

The brokers yelled and Dean said to him:

"See here now, boys, none of that. If you get any of my fleece in a deal you can hang it up on your front door. This is quite a different thing."

"But do you give it up?" Bob asked.