"Oh, Mr.
Sewell! I hope you've come to put up some job on Corey. Don't spare
him! With Kanawha Paint Co. at the present figures he merits any
demand that Christian charity can make upon him. The man's
prosperity is disgraceful."
"I'm glad to find you here, Mr. Bellingham," said Sewell, sitting
down.
"Oh, is it double-barrelled?" pleaded Bellingham.
"I don't know that it's a deadly weapon of any kind," returned the
minister. "But if one of you can't help me, perhaps the other can."
"Well, let us know what the job is," said Corey. "We refuse to
commit ourselves beforehand."
"I shall have to begin at the beginning," said Sewell warningly,
"and the beginning is a long way off."
"No matter," said Bellingham adventurously. "The further off, the
better. I've been dining with Corey--he gives you a very good dinner
now, Corey does--and I'm just in the mood for a deserving case."
"The trouble with Sewell is," said Corey, "that he doesn't always
take the trouble to have them deserving. I hope this is interesting,
at least."
"I suspect you'll find it more interesting than I shall," said the
minister, inwardly preparing himself for the amusement which
Lemuel's history always created in his hearers. It seemed to him, as
he began, that he was always telling this story, and that his part
in the affair was always becoming less and less respectable.
Pages:
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369