o Miss Lizzie Yarnowski, either as Sadie
Bings or under any other name.

Gottlieb and I treated him with the greatest deference, explaining
that we had no option but to go on with the matter, as we were only
acting for our Chicago correspondent. At this the old lawyer grew
very indignant and muttered something under his breath about perjury
and blackmail, to which, however, neither Gottlieb nor I paid any
attention. A week or so later we made our motion for alimony and
counsel fee _pendente lite_, and in spite of the vehement affidavit
of Chester Gates, Esquire, that he had never seen or heard of the
plaintiff nor been married to anybody in his life, the court granted
us two hundred and fifty dollars as counsel fee.

This was made payable at our office, as the attorneys for plaintiff;
and a day or two later Mr. Gates himself called and asked to see
us. He was a rosy-cheeked, athletic young fellow, who could, I
fancy, have knocked both our heads together had he chosen to do so.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," said he, closing the door and seating
himself at Gottlieb's invitation. This is a very interesting
experience you are putting me through. I am made the defendant in
a divorce action and ordered to pay you two hundred and fifty
dollars on affidavits that I know are perjured from start to finish.
Well, if that's law I have nothing to say. Of course, you can't
win your case, because you can't prove that I ever married anybody
--which latter fact, of course, you very well know. I would never
pay you a cent to settle this or any other unfounded suit, and I
never did anything for which you or any other scoun--beg pardon, I
mean lawyer--could blackmail me. But this is a new one on me.
You have got a court order that I am to pay you two hundred and
fifty dollars to bring a bogus action against myself. Well, here's
my check for it. I congratulate you. Now, I'm amused to see what
you're going to do next. I want to get something for may money."

Gottlieb took the check and rang a bell for the office boy.

"Take this over to the bank and cash it," he directed. "That's
the first thing I'm going to do," turning to Gates. "The next is
this." He opened the top drawer of his desk and took out a legal
paper. "Here," said he, "is a discontinuance of the action, which
I received this morning from Chicago. I suppose you have no
objection to having the matter disposed of in that way? You'll
take it?"

Mr. Gates lo