Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/271

 "Who opened it?" I asked.

"Your attorney, sir," he replied meekly.

"With what?" I demanded.

"With a key," he said.

"Where, might I ask, did he get the. key?"

"Bought it, I suppose, or maybe had it made."

"Well, when you see my attorney again, would you do me the kindness to say to him that he is a damned rascal, and further, convey the information that T am responsible for having said so?"

I was about to jump into the buggy and drive off, leaving the grip where it lay, when the young man placed his hand on my shoulder and in gentle remonstrance remarked:

"Don't do this, sir; it may not be as bad as you imagine."

He then picked up the grip and replacing it in the buggy, said:

"You know I had nothing to do with this affair. I have simply acted under instructions and desire to fulfill my obligations to the letter."

He then produced a package from his pocket and handed it to me, stating that it was my money.

I was so mad at the time that I didn't know whether to accept it or not. The money was really of no object to me, as compared to the grip which I wanted to secure, and which I fully expected would be returned to me intact.

It was more through curiosity than anything else that I accepted the tendered package, as I could not resist the temptation to learn what amount had been returned to me, and how much, in the opinion of my learned counsel, he was entitled to as a fee for his trouble.

The very fact of his taking my case at all and in aiding and abetting a fugitive from justice, would, in itself, warrant him in charging a large sum for his services, as the law states specifically that an attorney is not warranted in doing so, and prescribes a severe penalty in such cases. Seldom, indeed, can a reputable attorney be found who will engage in such an undertaking, and when they do. the fee charged is usually a sum worthy of the name.

I had expected in this case to pay my attorney at least $500. Had he charged me $1,000, I should not have complained; but when I opened the package and discovered that it contained $700, and that he had reserved only $322 for his trouble, I concluded immediately that I had been held up from the beginning.

The fact is, this disciple of the law, whom I have since ascertained was a shyster of the first magnitude, knew full well from the start that my check was good and that it would be cashed without question immediately upon presentation. He knew, too, that it was wholly unnecessary for him to secure from me a power of attorney in order to get the money, but he also knew, because of my anxiety, that my grip contained articles of great importance, perhaps a million dollars in gold, or something equally as valuable.

His motive, therefore, in holding the check up, was to allow time to procure the grip, and when he finally secured possession of it, he was up a stump again, not knowing, in the absence of a key, just how to proceed.

When limited to time, he must act without further delay, so he discovered a way of opening my grip, but neglected, iii his disappointment to find that it contained papers of value only to myself, together with a few personal trinkets, to lock it again, or, perchance, the key wouldn't work both ways, so he was forced to send it in the condition received.

If that grip had contained anything of real value, my attorney, beyond the question of a doubt, would have demanded a large sum of money before parting with it. As it was, he evidently concluded that the paltry sum of $322 was sufficient for the services rendered, but rather than take any chances in meeting with me, he held out his price, and enlisted the services of his clerk to make the delivery. Page 265