erwood was not only handling several millions of city loan annually,
buying and selling for the city and trading in it generally, but in the
bargain had secured one five hundred thousand dollars' worth of city
money at an exceedingly low rate of interest, which was being invested
for himself and Stener in profitable street-car ventures of one kind and
another. Stener was not anxious to be altogether clear on this point;
but Shannon, seeing that he was later to prosecute Stener himself for
this very crime of embezzlement, and that Steger would soon follow in
cross-examination, was not willing to let him be hazy. Shannon wanted to
fix Cowperwood in the minds of the jury as a clever, tricky person, and
by degrees he certainly managed to indicate a very subtle-minded man.
Occasionally, as one sharp point after another of Cowperwood's skill was
brought out and made moderately clear, one juror or another turned to
look at Cowperwood. And he noting this and in order to impress them all
as favorably as possible merely gazed Stenerward with a steady air of
intelligence and comprehension.

The examination now came down to the matter of the particular check for
sixty thousand dollars which Albert Stires had handed Cowperwood on the
afternoon--late--of October 9, 1871. Shannon showed Stener the check
itself. Had he ever seen it? Yes. Where? In the office of District
Attorney Pettie on October 20th, or thereabouts last. Was that the first
time he had seen it? Yes. Had he ever heard about it before then? Yes.
When? On October 10th last. Would he kindly tell the jury in his own way
just how and under what circumstances he first heard of it then? Stener
twisted uncomfortably in his chair. It was a hard thing to do. It was
not a pleasant commentary on his own character and degree of moral
stamina, to say the least. However, he cleared his throat again and
began a description of that small but bitter section of his life's drama
in which Cowperwood, finding himself in a tight place and about to
fail, had come to him at his office and demanded that he loan him three
hundred thousand dollars more in one lump sum.

There was considerable bickering just at this point between Steger and
Shannon, for the former was very anxious to make it appear that Stener
was lying out of the whole cloth about this. Steger got in his objection
at this point, and created a considerable diversion from the main theme,
because Stener kept saying he "thought" or h