“That’s easy,” retorted Hines promptly. “He may have had seventy when he tried to borrow the thirty. Perhaps he’d managed to save that much, or—what’s more likely—perhaps he stole the balance from other letters. Or it may be that he bought the ring on the installment plan—paid forty down with the money he got on that watch, and agreed to pay the rest later on. If that’s the case, the post-office inspectors will soon find it out when they interview the jeweler who sold him the ring.”
“But the post-office inspectors mustn’t know about this ring,” gasped Dallas apprehensively. “You’re not going to tell them, Mr. Hines?” Her tone was pleading.
“Well,” said Hines hesitatingly. “I really ought to, you know. It’s my duty as a citizen to give the authorities all the help I can. It would be wrong of me to keep it dark. The fact that Sheridan bought that ring only last night will probably be one of the strongest links in the chain of evidence they’ve got against him. It would be enough to convince any jury.”
He paused and looked at her eagerly. “But I ain’t got any wish to make things any harder for the young feller than they are already. He’s a crook, and I ain’t got any use for crooks; but I’d like to see him get off, for I know it would make you feel bad to see him in stripes. I’d do almost anything to prevent you from feelin’ bad, Dallas. I’ll tell you what I’ll do, little girl. You promise me to take off that engagement ring, and wear one that I’ll give you, instead, and I’ll promise to keep mum.
“And not only that,” he went on, “but if Sheridan’s convicted, as he probably will be, even without this bit of evidence, I’ll do my best to save him from goin’ to jail. Us politicians has a lot of influence with judges, you know. I think I can manage to get him off with a suspended sentence. Is it a bargain, Dallas?”
“It is not!” she replied indignantly. “I’ll keep the ring I have. I am still confident that it was bought with honest money. Go ahead and tell the post-office inspectors what you please, Mr. Hines. The chances are that Owen Sheridan has already told them about the ring himself. I feel quite sure that he has no wish to conceal the fact[Pg 43] that he gave it to me. He’s not a thief, and he’ll be able to explain how he got the money.”
Hines shrugged his shoulders. “You’re very foolish,” he said, as he backed toward the door. “Take it from me, you’re doin’ your carrier friend a bad turn. However, the other part of my offer still stands. When Sheridan’s convicted, I’ll use my political pull to get him off with a suspended sentence, provided you’ll agree to shake him and marry me. Think it over, little one. It’s a mighty generous offer. You ought to be glad to marry an honest man instead of a crook.”
He walked up the avenue, whistling gayly, and ten minutes later entered the headquarters of the Samuel J. Coggswell Association, and climbed the stairs to the room marked “Director’s Office—Private.”
He was the only member of the club who was privileged to enter that room without first going through the formality of knocking on the door.
As he now closed the door behind him, turned the key in the lock, and stepped across the soft, thick Persian rug to the mahogany roll-top desk at which sat Samuel J. Coggswell, the latter swung around in his desk chair, and confronted him eagerly.