ender me an accounting of the
freight you collected on the cargo you stole from me, and I'll render
you an accounting for the freight on the cargo I stole from you; then
we'll get an insurance adjuster in and let him figure out, by general
average, how much I would owe you if I had a conscience; then I'll give
you my note, due in one year, at six per cent. for whatever the amount
may be."

"Why not give me the cash?" Cappy pleaded. "You've got the money in
bank."

"I know; but I want to use it for a year."

"Your note's no good to me," Cappy protested. "I told you once before it
wasn't hockable at any bank."

"Then I'll withdraw my proposition."

"And present a substitute?"

"No, sir."

"I guess I'll take your note," Cappy said eagerly.

"I thank you for the compliment," Matt laughed; and Cappy, no
longer able to dissemble, laughed with him--and their feud was over.
Consequently, post-mortems being in order, Matt went on: "I feel pretty
sneaky about sticking you with all those bills on the Tillicum that
Morrow & Company defaulted on, just because the law enabled me to do
so--but you did your best to ruin me; you wouldn't have showed me any
pity or consideration."

"Not a dog-goned bit!" Cappy declared firmly. "I was out to bust you
wide open for the good of your immortal soul. I would have taken your
roll away from you, my son, by fair means--or--er--legal, if I could."
He looked up at Matt, with such a smile as he might have applied to a
lovable and well-beloved son. "I hope you've got sporting blood enough
in you to realize I didn't really want your little bank roll, Matt," he
said half pleadingly. "I don't know just why I did it--except that
I'm an old man and I know it; and I hate to be out of the running.
I suppose, just because I'm old, I wanted to take a fall out of
you--you're so young; and--oh, Matt, you do make a scrap so worth while!

"And, because I've lived longer in this world and fought harder for what
I've got than you'll ever have to fight, I wanted to put about six feet
of hot iron into your soul. You're a little bit too cocksure, Matt. I
tell you it's a mistake to hold your business competitor cheap. I want
you to know that the fine gentleman who plays cribbage with you at your
club to-night will lift the hair off your head down here on the Street
to-morrow, because that's the game; and nobody shakes hands with you
before giving you the poke that puts you to sleep. There are a lot of
old