steamer, and he had all the voyage to think of what he could do next. A shrewd, keen man, he at once saw through the[Pg 81] cheating of lawyer Loide—and handled that limb of the law accordingly. [Pg 81] Fear of detection blinded the lawyer; he failed to make the usual precautionary inquiries. Conscience doth make cowards of us all. Susan saw her husband off from New York, and she never saw him again. She had a cable from him saying which boat he was returning by, and that he had sent a letter to her to be called for at the New York post-office. She went to New York on the day the home coming steamer was to arrive, and called for the letter sent by the preceding mail. It read: Dear Old Girl: Dear Old Girl All's gone right, and I am as happy as a clam at high water. There's been two hands at the grab game I've been playing, but I've raked in the pool. Nineteen thousand English pounds, old girl. Think of it. Reckon it up, and see what it comes to in almighty dollars. The property is all sold, and the proceeds will be mine in a day or two. The lawyer here is a cute thief, but he found me cuter. I gave him some chin music he'd never listened to before in his natural. No bunco steerer can come it over Josh, and don't you forget it. I'll be back by the boat arriving on Wednesday the 13th. I'll cable you certain, so you can come out to meet me. No more work, old girl. Enjoyment for the future.[Pg 82] There's no chance of anything being found out, but all the same we'll skip from the farm. I'm just as full of joy as I was of Old Rye the day you saw me off. [Pg 82] Only one thing troubling me: that blamed old tooth of mine at the back, that you put the cotton in, is aching like mad. I'll just get a dentist to yank it out if I can find one to do it without pain.—So long, old girl, your loving husband, Josh. Josh.
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