CHAPTER XIX
TRENT ACQUIRES A HOME
ONE day, months before the affair of the ten ambulances, Horace Weemshad seen Anthony Trent about to enter Xeres' excellent restaurant.Lacking no assurance Weems tacked himself on to his friend.
"Say, do you feed here?" he demanded and looked with respect at hisfriend's raiment.
"Only when I'm hungry," Trent retorted. He knew it was useless to try toget rid of Weems. "Have you dined?"
"Thanks," said Weems, "I don't mind if I do."
In those days Weems was proud as the owner of the finest camp on LakeKennebago. He was high stomached and generous of advice. He told Trentso much of a certain stock--a gold mine in Colorado--that at last hepurchased a considerable interest in it. Later he learned that Weems hadunloaded worthless stock on him. Trent bore no sort of malice. He hadgone into the thing open-eyed and Weems, as he knew of yore, never soldat a loss.
Weems had been wiser to have held his stock for tungsten in largequantities was discovered and what cost Trent five thousand dollars wasnow worth ten times that amount.
It was one evening shortly after his adventures with the Baron vonEckstein that Weems called him up on the telephone. That he was able todo so annoyed Trent who had carefully concealed his number. But HoraceWeems had secured it by a use of mendacity and with it the number andthe address. He said he was 'phoning from a nearby drug store and wasabout to pay a visit.
Weems was ill at ease. And he was unshaven and his shoes no longer shonewith radiance. His disheveled appearance and attitude of dejection sweptaway his host's annoyance. He took a stiff Scotch and seltzer.
"Little Horace Weems," he announced, "has got it in the neck!"
"What's happened?" Trent demanded.
"Got that Wall Street bunch sore on me and hadn't the sense to see thedanger signals." Weems soothed his throat with another stiff drink. "Thetrouble with me is I'm too courageous. I knew what I was up against butdid that frighten me? No siree, no boss, I went for 'em like you used togo through a bunch of forwards in a football game. I'm like a bullterrier. I'm all fight. Size don't worry me. They pulled me down at lastbut it took all the best brains in the 'Street' to do it. They hate acomer and I'm that. Well, this is the first round and they win on pointsbut this isn't a limited bout. You watch little Horace. I'll have aturbine steam yacht yet and all the trimmings. Follow me and you'll weardiamonds or rags--nothing between. Rags or diamonds."
Weems was a long time coming to the point. When he did it was revealedas a loan, a temporary loan.
"It's like this," said the ingenuous Weems, "when I sold you thoseshares in a tungsten mine I did it because you were a friend."
"You did it," Trent reminded him, "because you hadn't a faint idea therewas tungsten there and you thought you'd done something mighty clever.What next?"
"You needn't be sore about it," Weems returned, "you made money."
"I'm not sore," Trent said smiling. "You did me a good turn but I don'thave to be grateful all things considering. How much do you want?"
"I shall get back," Weems said a little sulkily. "I only want a hundredor maybe two hundred, although five hundred would see me through till Iget the money for the camp."
"You are not going to sell that?" Trent cried. It was of all places theone he craved.
"Got to," Weems asserted.
"Who is going to buy it?"
"A fellow from Cleveland named Rumleigh."
"I remember him," Trent said frowning, "he's a hog, a fish hog. All theguides hate him. What's he going to give you?"
"Forty thousand," said Weems.
"Constable, grand piano and all?"
"The piano's there," Weems told him, "but the picture is sold. Honest,Tony, that picture surprised me. Senator Scrivener gave me ten thousanddollars for it. Just some trees, an old barn and some horses lookingover a gate. What do you know about that? That helped me some."
"You're such a damned liar, Weems, that I never believe you but I'llswear Rumleigh isn't paying you forty thousand dollars for that camp.It's a good camp but if you've got to sell in a hurry he'll hold youdown to less than that. Be honest for once and tell me what he's goingto give."
"Twenty-two thousand," Weems said sullenly.
"I'll give you twenty-five," said Trent carelessly.
"His is a cash offer," Weems said shaking his head, "and that's why I'mselling so cheap."
Trent took a roll of bills from his pocket and peeled off before Weems'astounded eyes five and twenty thousand dollars.
"Mine is also a cash offer," he observed.
"Come right off to my lawyer," Weems cried springing to his feet. "Gee,and I thought you hadn't as much money as I have."
Thus it was that Anthony Trent came into possession of his camp. It wasa beautiful place and there were improvements which he planned thatwould cost a lot to execute. He decided that it might be unwise toretire yet from a profession which paid him such rewards. Another yearand he could lay aside his present work satisfied that financial worriesneed never trouble him. He admitted that many unfortunate things mighthappen in twelve months but he was serene in the belief that his starwas in the ascendant.
Anthony Trent, Master Criminal Page 19
