The Grim Inheritance by Carl Clausen Read online

  him when he took his accustomed seat give you a note to Kraft, the office manager.

  opposite Ann, but he caught a quick Report for work to-morrow.”

  interchange of looks between them as he

  Austin found Kraft a medium-sized,

  unfolded his napkin. The girl raised her eyes

  very blond man with a bulging forehead,

  to his for a moment, then dropped them again,

  prominent glassy blue eyes and a nervous,

  hurriedly.

  jerky manner. He was known among his

  He ate mechanically and with no business associates as a booster. He was thought upon the food. Stoddard’s always “on his toes” about something, even if conversation with his wife was monosyllabic

  that something was merely an order for new

  as usual, and he consumed his food with noisy

  typewriter ribbons. He expressed himself in

  indelicacy. His smooth, flat skull gleamed detonations; his simplest remarks were minor dully in the soft light. His heavy face had the explosions. He prided himself upon a brisk

  peculiar mottled and flabby aspect of a toad’s

  and business-like manner; he was merely a

  belly, and the toad-like effect was further gatling-gun firing an unceasing barrage at accentuated by the short neck upon which his

  some spot, the range of which was uncertain,

  head was thrust forward, slightly in advance

  but which he hoped to hit by the simple law of

  of the rest of his body.

  averages. It never seemed to occur to him that

  He never seemed more repulsive to

  by purchasing a range-finder he could have

  Austin than at this moment. The young man

  saved himself a lot of ammunition.

  Amazing Stories

  10

  He put Austin to work as a file clerk,

  bonds and stocks. Also that the firm was not

  not because he needed one, but because always overscrupulous how the offerers of Stoddard had told him to create this position.

  them had come by them, as long as they were

  The files of the Stoddard Development and

  negotiable or bearer certificates and the price Realty Company were like all concerns of this

  was right. In one instance he had been sent to

  kind: a simple record of sales made and of

  the bank to cash a large cheque. The money,

  property listed for sale. They were consulted

  some four thousand dollars had been given to

  only upon enquiry from some customer a hard-looking individual who had been in answering an advertisement or to compute Mr.

  long and earnest conversation with Stoddard

  Stoddard’s very large income tax. The in his private office, and, who left behind him Stoddard Company were specialists in their

  a bundle of securities identical with those

  line, “Realtors of the Better Kind,” was Mr.

  mentioned in the headlines of a morning paper

  Kraft’s slogan. They handled nothing but large

  as having been stolen in the robbery of a

  business (properties and development projects

  bonding house a few days previously.

  running into six or seven figures.

  Stoddard had put the bonds away in his safe at

  Austin’s clerkship consisted merely of

  once and later had removed them to his safe

  half a dozen trips a day to pull a card from the deposit box at the bank. This fact gave Austin

  files and bring it to Mr. Kraft’s or Mr. food for thought.

  Stoddard’s desk. The balance of his time was

  Certain plans had begun to form in his

  taken up in running errands about town. These

  mind. They became crystallized almost at

  errands were many and varied, such as taking

  once, when one afternoon Doctor Goldwin

  documents to the Recorder’s Office, making

  summoned him to his office.

  deposits at the bank, carrying papers to and

  “I’ve some good news for you,” the

  from the title companies, delivering leases,

  old physician told him, “Doctor Swartz from

  serving vacating notices, putting up rental Vienna will be here in New York this summer.

  placards on vacant properties and “For Sale”

  His gland operations are nothing short of

  signs on empty plots.

  surgical miracles. I haven’t said anything to

  He began to get some insight into how

  you about him before, because I did not want

  modern business was conducted. He learned,

  to raise false hopes in you, but after watching observed, and paid close attention. He knew

  his work for the past four or five years, I’m

  that he was holding his position at the convinced that if you have the courage to Stoddard firm on sufferance only, and that

  submit to his knife, you’ll be permanently

  Stoddard was watching for a slip as an excuse

  cured. His fee is ten thousand dollars. I guess to discharge him, so he executed his you can manage that sum. I’ll have a talk with commissions with diligence and attention to

  Mr. Stoddard about advancing you the

  the minutest detail. His time was limited. money.”

  Sooner or later the axe would fall. He watched

  Austin held his breath. The plan which

  every move of the firm. Nothing escaped him.

  he had worked out would be frustrated if

  He knew that an outright monetary reprisal

  Stoddard found out about his affliction. He

  was out of the question. The firm’s business

  considered momentarily the wisdom of

  was done almost entirely by checks, and the

  confiding in Doctor Goldwin about the cutting

  limited amount of cash in the office safe was

  off of his allowance, but decided against it.

  not worth his while.

  His plans required that he play a lone hand.

  He found that Stoddard did a good deal

  The possibilities which the physician’s

  of trading on his own account in high grade

  announcement of Doctor Swartz’ visit held for

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  11

  him, sent the blood pounding to his temples.

  whom he had left his sloop in charge for the

  His future, Ann, life as a normal human being,

  past year, to overhaul the boat thoroughly for

  the father of children—Ann’s children....

  a long cruise that summer. This and the

  “I’ll see Stoddard, myself,” he said,

  stocking of the boat with provisions took half

  “please don’t mention my—affliction to him.

  of his limited capital.

  I’ll get the money from him on some pretext

  He visited his old home while he was

  or other. Promise me that you won’t say negotiating the repairs on the boat. The fine anything to him about it,” he insisted, old grounds had been subdivided into building earnestly.

  plots, and rows of small cottages all alike as

  “As you wish,” Doctor Goldwin peas, shut off the view of the Sound from the replied. He smiled indulgently at what he once wooded slopes. Knowing what he did of thought was a display of sensitiveness. “This

  business now, he marveled at his own

  is May. Doctor Swartz will be here early in

  credulity in signing the papers which Stoddard

  August. I want you to be ready for him.”

  had submitted to him from time to time, and to

  “I’ll be ready for him
,” Austin said,

  which he, Austin, had put his signature

  “I’ll have ten thousand dollars in your hands

  without as much as glancing at them. He saw

  by the first of August.”

  how completely his utter ignorance of

  “Very well. You must rest during the

  business had delivered him into Stoddard’s

  month of July in preparation for the operation.

  hands. The man would hardly have been

  Get Stoddard to let you take your vacation

  human to resist the temptation.

  early.”

  Austin shed a tear or two for the fate of

  “I will,” Austin replied. “Don’t forget

  the old home, then set his face resolutely

  your promise Stoddard must not know.”

  toward the future.

  “I’ve given you my word, my boy,”

  the old physician said as he escorted him to

  THE weeks that followed were busy ones for

  the door.

  him. As he worked during the day, only his

  Once outside, Austin realized that he

  evenings were available for his preparations.

  had committed himself definitely to an At a store in the Bowery district he purchased obligation that would take all his sagacity to

  an entire new outfit of cheap flashy clothes, a live up to, but the discovery that a permanent

  tie that only a race track tout would have

  cure was possible made all other things dared to wear, a soft Fedora hat with brightly possible. He could go to Ann with clean colored band, and a pair of light tan button hands. If he had had any misgivings about the

  shoes that shrieked to heaven. He also

  success of his plan, they were now swept

  purchased a pair of dark eye glasses of the

  aside.

  variety known colloquially as “rubber-tired.”

  There was no time to lose in putting

  These things he carried to the stoop in

  the scheme in operation. His time was more

  a suitcase and stowed away in the small cabin.

  limited than ever now. A certain amount of

  When the repairs on the boat had been

  cash was necessary. This he secured from the

  consummated, he sailed the little craft into the pawning of his mother’s jewels. He felt a stab

  East River one Sunday past Hell-gate, and

  of remorse at parting with them for even a few

  moored it in the angle of one of the piers at the months, but he had to have money. With the

  foot of Eighty-sixth Street near the ferry dock.

  proceeds he went to the fishing village on

  The Stoddard house was in the Eighties, just

  Long Island near his old home and left off Fifth Avenue, a run of less than ten instructions with the boatman there with minutes on the Eighty-sixth Street crosstown

  Amazing Stories

  12

  bus from where the yawl was moored.

  He waved her fears aside. They clung

  His last move was to purchase a five

  to each other in the dusk of the warm spring

  hundred dollar bond of a certain public evening. When they parted she said: utilities corporation with the remainder of his

  “Even if you do not raise the money

  money. The bond was one of those standard

  for the operation, we can work together and

  securities in which widows invest their life

  save until we have enough. Nothing matters

  insurance money and which are as negotiable

  except that I love you.”

  and almost as safe as United States Treasury

  “There

  are

  others

  to think of,” he

  notes.

  replied, as he kissed her tenderly and fiercely It was early in June when all his in the same breath. “For their sake I’ve got to preparations were perfected. He went over win.”

  everything in detail. Every step he meant to

  The following Saturday he packed up a

  take was planned out. The audacity and few necessary things and departed for his yawl boldness of the plan augured well for its moored at the foot of Eighty-sixth Street. His success.

  mind became filled with a sort of subtle

  On the evening of the fifth of June he

  intoxication as he began to put his plan into

  approached Stoddard with the request that his

  operation. He had no intention of going to

  summer vacation begin that following Bermuda for a month or so. He simply stayed Saturday. The alacrity with which Stoddard

  aboard the well-provisioned and comfortable

  granted the request amused him. He was not

  little craft and proceeded to deprive himself of needed at the Stoddard Development and his medicine. With the memory in his mind of Realty Company and knew that he was kept

  the image he had seen in the cheval mirror of

  on merely because Stoddard was just a little

  his room, when his mother and Doctor

  bit afraid of him.

  Goldwin had brought him back from

  “I would like to run down to Bermuda

  Gloucester, the procedure took every ounce of

  in the yawl. I may be gone two months or so,

  will power he possessed. The inforced

  if you have no objection.” Austin told him.

  inactivity of one month which was necessary

  Stoddard’s heavy lips parted in a to accomplish sufficient retrogression to make wolfish smile. He considered how he could

  him unrecognizable, would have appalled a

  turn this circumstance to his own account less determined man. The result would have when Austin returned, by letting the young

  made a heart, less stout than his, fail.

  man out on the plea that business was not

  what it ought to be. At any rate it gave him an A Strange Visitor

  excellent opening to dispense with his

  “protege’s services.”

  IT was on a very hot afternoon in the first

  “Take as long as you like,” he replied

  days of July that Stoddard, perspiring in his

  with a magnanimous wave of his pudgy hand.

  shirt sleeves in his office received a bulky

  “Thank you, sir,” said Austin, gravely.

  special delivery letter. He ran his stubby

  He had a long talk with Ann that forefinger under the flap of the envelope, evening in a secluded corner of Central Park,

  wondering mildly what its contents might be.

  where he had asked her to meet him. He told

  When a five hundred dollar negotiable bond of

  her many things, some of which stirred her to

  a certain well-known public utilities

  wonder and filled her dark eyes with corporation dropped into his hand, his pale tenderness and others that made her fearful for blue eyes lighted with sudden interest and the

  him.

  interest was heightened by the contents of the

  The Grim Inheritance

  13

  typed letter which accompanied it.

  of all the cash Stoddard possessed in the world and perhaps partly because the writer of the

  “Mr. J. C. Stoddard, New York City,”

  letter was aware of this fact.

  he read:

  Mr. Scanlon explained that as for

  “Dear Sir:—A pal of mine—never reasons of expediency, he was “lying low” in mind who—advised me that you would be in

  the Bowery district, and did not care to be

  the market for securities of this kind if the

  abroad in daylight, because the sun hurt his


  price was right I have $200,000 worth of them

  eyes; he would call at Mr. Stoddard’s home

  and my price is right. Thirty-three per cent,

  address which had been given him by their

  discount for cash. If not interested, please mutual “friend,” with the package of bonds.

  return the enclosed sample at once,

  Further, that if Mr. Stoddard would have the

  “Sincerely

  hundred thousand in a certified cheque ready

  yours,

  for him at, say, eleven o’clock, on a certain

  night, the deal could be consummated without

  “Joseph Scanlon,

  any fuss or feathers.

  Mr. Stoddard agreed to all this except

  “General Delivery, New York,”

  on one count. He was a careful man. A

  certified cheque would constitute a legal

  Stoddard dabbed his bald skull with a

  record of a transaction that might cause him

  damp, purple-bordered silk handkerchief. He

  some little embarrassment to explain away to

  turned the certificate over, examined it closely an inquisitive prosecutor, if Mr. Scanlon

  and held it up to the light. It was undoubtedly should recover from his eye trouble and

  genuine. It carried six and one-quarter per

  venture forth in broad daylight. The cash

  cent, interest and was worth, he knew, fully

  would be on band in large bills, he stated by

  one hundred cents on the dollar. He return mail.

  considered the letter ponderously. Two

  Mr. Scanlon replied that although he

  hundred, thousand dollars worth of these hated to carry such a sum on his person after bonds at a discount of thirty-three per cent,

  dark in a city like New York, full of

  would have netted him sixty-six thousand unscrupulous characters, he would abide by dollars, a very nice profit; but Stoddard was