imly.

"I fancy a hundred dollars would make Jaspers relax a whole lot of
rules," he replied, and he got up to go.

Steger arose also. "I'll see both these people, and then I'll call
around at your house. You'll be in, will you, after dinner?"

"Yes."

They slipped on their overcoats and went out into the cold February day,
Cowperwood back to his Third Street office, Steger to see Shannon and
Jaspers.

Chapter XLIX

The business of arranging Cowperwood's sentence for Monday was soon
disposed of through Shannon, who had no personal objection to any
reasonable delay.

Steger next visited the county jail, close on to five o'clock, when
it was already dark. Sheriff Jaspers came lolling out from his private
library, where he had been engaged upon the work of cleaning his pipe.

"How are you, Mr. Steger?" he observed, smiling blandly. "How are you?
Glad to see you. Won't you sit down? I suppose you're round here again
on that Cowperwood matter. I just received word from the district
attorney that he had lost his case."

"That's it, Sheriff," replied Steger, ingratiatingly. "He asked me
to step around and see what you wanted him to do in the matter. Judge
Payderson has just fixed the sentence time for Monday morning at ten
o'clock. I don't suppose you'll be much put out if he doesn't show up
here before Monday at eight o'clock, will you, or Sunday night, anyhow?
He's perfectly reliable, as you know." Steger was sounding Jaspers
out, politely trying to make the time of Cowperwood's arrival a trivial
matter in order to avoid paying the hundred dollars, if possible. But
Jaspers was not to be so easily disposed of. His fat face lengthened
considerably. How could Steger ask him such a favor and not even suggest
the slightest form of remuneration?

"It's ag'in' the law, Mr. Steger, as you know," he began, cautiously
and complainingly. "I'd like to accommodate him, everything else being
equal, but since that Albertson case three years ago we've had to run
this office much more careful, and--"

"Oh, I know, Sheriff," interrupted Steger, blandly, "but this isn't an
ordinary case in any way, as you can see for yourself. Mr. Cowperwood is
a very important man, and he has a great many things to attend to. Now
if it were only a mere matter of seventy-five or a hundred dollars
to satisfy some court clerk with, or to pay a fine, it would be easy
enough, but--" He paused and looked wisely away, and Mr. Jaspers's face