“I always liked Dave Harkins, and it has been a standing regret with me that the mystery of his last days was never cleared up.”
“I have heard a great deal about that,” responded Peterson, “but I have never been able to get head or tail of the affair. There was a mystery sure enough, and Harkins died under a cloud; but it was never explained to me by anyone who was in a position to talk about the matter.”
“Well,” replied the other slowly, “I can’t say that I am an authority on the subject; yet I know some of the facts. It seems that old man Black took an unaccountable dislike to Dave Harkins and went to him and insisted upon the immediate repayment of a loan that he had made some time previous. Harkins was not supposed to have an extra dollar in the world. Yet he paid the loan in full the following day. That night--or rather the night before--Black’s place was broken into and a bundle of money stolen. Now the curious part of the story is the allegation that the money which Harkins used to pay off his debt to Black, was the identical cash that was taken from Black’s desk the night before. That is the shape the rumors took. For my part I don’t believe it; and yet, unfortunately, Dave Harkins died before he could set himself straight with the community. His wife and son have never attempted to clear the matter up. Probably they are unable to do so. You don’t suppose that Dave Harkins could have been tempted to take the money, do you?”
“Lord forbid,” rejoined the other, “I believe that he was a thoroughly honest man; but the thing is to get other people to believe the same thing. A bit of scandal is a terrible thing; it may start out in the beginning no bigger than the tip end of a pin; but by the time it gets through growing it is taller than one of those skyscraping office buildings in New York. To tell you the truth I dislike to talk about such things. You are the first man I ever discussed the Harkins case with. Whenever the subject is brought up--and it has been mentioned to me once or twice--I always pooh-hooh it.”
“What reminds you of it to-day?” inquired his companion.
“Young Harkins,” was the prompt rejoinder. “I stopped in at the Banner office to congratulate old man Brooks on the way that young man was running the paper for him, and he astonished me by the news that young Harkins was likely to leave him. He’s got an offer to go to New York and he’s considering it just now. Do you think it is possible, Bingham, that this story concerning his father affects his standing in the community?”