crisis in the
Culpepper family if Brownwell had brought suit against the colonel.

The next morning Colonel Martin Culpepper came into the bank. He had
grown into a large gray man--with gray hair, gray mustaches of
undiminished size, and chin whiskers grayed and broadened with the
years. His fine black eyes were just beginning to lose their lustre,
and the spring was going out of his stride. As he came into the bank,
Hendricks noticed that the colonel seemed to shuffle just a little. He
put out his fat hand, and said:--

"Robert, will you come into the back room with me a moment? It isn't
business--I just want to talk with you." He smiled apologetically and
added, "Just troubles, Robert--just an old man wants to talk to some
one, in point of fact."

Hendricks followed the colonel into the directors' room, and without
ceremony the colonel sank heavily into a fat leather chair, facing the
window, and Hendricks sat down facing the colonel. The colonel looked
at the floor and fumbled his triangular watch-charm a moment, and
cleared his throat, as he spoke, "I don't know just how to begin--to
get at it--to proceed, as I may say, Robert." Hendricks did not
reply, and the colonel went on, "I just wanted to talk to some one,
that's all--to talk to you--just to you, sir, to be exact."

Hendricks looked kindly at the colonel, whose averted eyes made the
younger man feel uncomfortable. Then he said gently, "Well, Colonel,
don't be backward about saying what you want to to me." It was a long
speech for Hendricks, and he felt it, and then qualified it with,
"But, of course, I don't want to urge you."

The colonel's face showed a flush of courage to Hendricks, but the
courage passed, and there was a silence, and then a little twitch
under his eyes told Hendricks that the colonel was contemplating a
flank attack as he spoke, "Robert, may I ask you in confidence if
Adrian Brownwell is hard up?"

Hendricks believed the truth would bring matters to a head, and he
answered, "Well, I shouldn't wonder, Colonel."

"Very hard up?" pressed the colonel.

Hendricks remembered Brownwell's overdraft and half a dozen past due
notes to cover other overdrafts and answered, "Well, Colonel, not
desperate, but you know the _Index_ has been getting the best of the
_Banner_ for two or three years."

There was a pause, and then the colonel blurted out, "Well, Bob, he's
sued me."

"I knew that, Colonel," returned Hendricks, anxious to press th