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Pickles and Pearls
111
The police want him for various crimes, and very soon he will be arrested and
thrown into prison. He "
"Preposterous !" scoffed the pickle king.
"Lately the man was ringmaster in a circus
'"Stop!" exclaimed Mr. McTodd, in a passion ; "I will hear no more. You, you of all men, can come to me at a time like this with such base fabrications !"
"O'Byrne is a designing "
"Cease! You are the designing one. Having rescued my daughter twice, you have presumed upon her gratitude and mine, and have dared to aspire to her hand yourself! How can you behave so!"
"It was this so-called duke who sent the infernal machine to me "
"Nonsense ! His grace would not stoop to such questionable work. Why should he send such a machine to you ?"
"He was afraid I would stand in his path "
"You will drive me insane ! Leave here at once. I will send you a check to pay for your work in recovering the tiara, but you shall not go to Samoa in my employ, nor will I allow you to work for me another instant."
But Charlie stood his ground.
'"Listen," he continued firmly, but respectfully. "If this wedding proceeds, I will use all the powers of my eloquence to stir up the strikers! Your employees will sweep in on the factory and halt the wedding by force, if necessary. Mr. McTodd, I am a man with a mission, and that mission is to save your daughter for the third time."
Enraged though he was, this threat gave the deluded manufacturer pause. Charlie had demonstrated his powers as an orator, and Mr. McTodd knew he would be as good as his word.
Fate was back of all this, fate as that gypsy, eighteen long years before, had foreseen it and cast it into rhyme.
Could not the awful spell be broken? Silas McTodd ground his teeth and clenched his hands in a spasm of sudden helplessness.
At this moment, three men hurried around the corner of the factory. "There he is!" called one of them. "Arrest him ! Do not let him escape !"
Charlie looked up and recoiled. Leeson was bearing down on him. Ere Charlie could make a move either to flee or to defend himself, a burly policeman had him by each arm.
"What is the meaning of this?" inquired Mr. McTodd.
"This man," and Leeson leveled an accusing finger at Charlie, "'stole an automobile from me. I run a garage in Lawton, and the fellow made off with the machine. ' I took another machine and followed, but the rascal managed to keep out of my way until this moment."
Charlie shivered. He could not dodge these blows of circumstance, but he could face them with his customary courage. This he did.
"I gave you a check for one hundred dollars," said he. "Mr. McTodd's check it was, and you would not accept it."
"Wouldn't take my check for a hundred dollars ?" bristled the manufacturer. "Do you mean to insult me?"
"Sir," answered Leeson, "I would accept your check for any amount, but the man who presented it was a stranger. How did I know the check was not forged?"
"In those circumstances," said Mr. McTodd, grasping at the chance to eliminate Charlie for the afternoon at least, "in those circumstances, sir. you were entirely justified in refusing, the check."
"I was in a hurry to reach Boggsville and stop the wedding," Charlie explained, "and that is why I took the car."
"Your interference with the wedding was not desired." declared Mr. Mc