iliate him?"

"By modifying my statement."

"What was your statement?"

"It was something about his taking money from my drawer."

"You charged him, then, with stealing?"

"Not exactly."

"This was the point, however, that you modified?"

"Yes."

"Did that satisfy him?"

"Well, yes, it seemed to," admitted the witness reluctantly.

"Then, Mr. Rexford, your testimony shows that Fred Worthington did not
complain at being discharged, but at a statement which you had no right
to make. I judge he simply acted as any proud spirited boy would have
done."

John Rexford grew fidgety.

"Was there any other cause for his being impudent?"

"No."

"No question of settlement, I suppose?"

"Nothing worth speaking of," answered the witness, growing very nervous.

"As it may have some bearing upon this case, you will please state what
it was."

Mr. Farrington had a whispered consultation with Fred at this juncture,
which made the merchant very ill at ease, and caused him to testify more
fully upon the point than he otherwise would have done.

"I at first thought I would keep the amount due him to make up my loss;
but his manner was so hostile that I feared he would injure me in some
way, so I gave him the money."

"Did he threaten you with personal violence?"

"No."

"He made no threat at all, then?"

"As I said, after thinking the matter over, I thought it would be policy
to pay him," answered the witness, trying to evade the point.

"But you have not answered the question. Did he, or did he not, make any
sort of a threat which caused you to change your mind?" demanded Mr.
Farrington.

"Well, yes, in a certain sense."

"In what sense?"

"He threatened to make false statements about my business."

"Would these statements have injured you?"

"They might have, for a time."

"You are sure the statements he threatened to make were false, with no
foundation of truth," asked Mr. Farrington.

The witness hesitated. He saw Fred looking him square in the eye, and he
shrank from answering, for he realized that the truth would probably be
brought out by his former clerk.

"Yes, sir, I am sure they were false," he finally answered, while
inwardly anathematizing himself at being caught in such a trap. He felt
that Fred was getting the better of the case, and that, too, by his own
testimony.

"In your testimony, Mr. Rexford, you said Fred Worthington impressed you
at the time of his discharge with the idea