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CAUGHT.

A Scheme for Blackmailing Business Men". " Yes," said a Detroit merchant the other day, " ninety per cent, of the stories about attempts to blackmail the business men of tho country are true." " Possibly you may have had an experionce of the kind ?" suggested the reporter. "Yes," replied the merchant, "and that is why I speak with so much positivenesa." "But it wasn't a success ?" the reporter ventured to remark, "No," was the reply ; "and probably only because I kept my wits about me. The adventuress visited the counting room three times during an interval of ten days. On tVe first two occasions my partner or some one else happened to be present, but on the last occasion she found me alone. She pretended to bo getting subscribers for an art journal, and really interested me in the engravings she had with her, for my tastes wore somewhat in that lino. She had a sweet .voice and was a fluent talker. She was prettily dressed, and had just enough of gush not to awaken my suspicions."

" Handsome, was she?" asked the reporter. '• Well, yes -stylish, at least—and with what might be called a superb figure. Suddenly she announced that unless I gave her fifty doU she would set up an ojt-ory nnd alarm the entire store. I looked at her a moment in dumb amazement. There was a look in her bold brown eyes that I did not like.

I oaw my peril. My integrity at home and in the community is A No. 1. as you very well know. But, suppose she had screamed and brought clerks and customers into the countin<r-room I Not a fow would have been ready to believe any charge she might have made against me. Even after a man has been entirely vindicated, his character is still somewhat smirched, and against that there seems to be no redress. My wife is not the least bit jealous and trusts me implicitly, and vet I would rot have her serenity disturbed for ten times the sum demanded of me. You can understand from thin how a married man whose character ie not above reproach is quite likely to submit to the extortion. I determined to outwit the designing woman.

"That is a cool demand," I said, with a half HHtisfied little laugh. "The amount does not sureriso me—it is the sublime assurance. You are very brisrht and pleasinsr and full of darinjr, and I wouldn't mind knowing you better." "My reply threw her off her guard. My temporising pleased her, Her eyes warmed up, and she leaned closer to me, , ' " BuV I said, "I haven't the money about me." " Your cheque will do," she quietly rejoined. " All rijrht," assented I. "I filled up a cheque for the amount, signed it and handed it to her. She scanned it in a businpss-like way and then said : " I am much obliged to you." " Ob, don't mention it," I said with a glnnce that led her to suspect that I was a trifle fascinated. "I know you must be in need, or you would not descend to such a trick. But allow me to suggest that you have not. been wary enough." "Why?" aaked she, with a puzzled look. " This telephone connects with the bank upon which I have drawn the cheque," I said. "I could stop ita payment before you reached the sidewalk." " That is true," she said with a discomfited air. "I'll not take the cheque.'' She laid it down and I picked it up. " First I admired your impudence," I said ; " now I am begiuning to admire you. Will you please write down your name and address ? Possibly I may call. I'll send my head bookkeeper to the bank with you. He'll vouch for you and you'll yet the money."

She looked at me keenly, then penciled down her name and address. She thought that I had " tumbled to the racket," as the saying is, and that she could presume on my cleverness in the future. I touched the call-bell and a cash boy entered.

"Tell Mr T. to come here," I said " I want him to go with this lady to have a cheque cashed for her." The pretty little adventuress had smoothed her hair and repinned her collar. When the head bookkeeper came in I said to him :

" Mr T. this lady has a work of art to show you. It is issued in monthly parts, and the price seems quite reasionable. She'll explain it to you as she did to me."

I caught up my hat and walked out of the counting-room with the cheque in my hand. The look of baffled rage which she sent after mo was comical to see. She frowned on the bookkeeper, wrapped up her sample copies and left. "She'll try it again," remarked the reporter. "Not here," replied the merchant. I'm never here alone now—neither is my partner. The very next day the bookkeeper's desk was put iaside the railing. I tell you there are all the time schemes goinjf on, and you have to be pretty sharp if a designing woman happened to be at the bottom of them. I didn't think so at first, but I think so now."

"And did she give you her real name ?" asked the reporter. "That I can't answer. The address waa correct, but she moved before a detective got there. She was a little afraid of the result of her experiment with me. " Am I at liberty to use this episode ?" asked the reporter. " Why, certainly sir. I supposed that to be the object of your inquiries. An inkling of the matter reached you, didn't there ?" "Yea." "So I suspected. Well, the sbory is just as 1 have given it to yon. But you must not publish my name or that of the firi/n " "I'll not, since it is vour wish," said the reporter.—Detroit. Frr-.R Press.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18900125.2.35.19

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2736, 25 January 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
987

CAUGHT. Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2736, 25 January 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

CAUGHT. Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2736, 25 January 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

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