stocks and not very scrupulous as to how r made it thomas was lean as to a little suspicious of black haired narrow minded and single minded had but one idea and that was to get up in the world the money jacob was a stout rosy german a butcher originally not very clever in anything but let in on certain because of his vote and his rubber stamp like they came with tips of their own recommended by and was a little of some phases of his new but seeing to what circle they belonged it was not possible to them he had to be nice he refrained from giving any save the safest advice to this small but if they had tips and wished him to carry out instructions he could not do less than act faithfully in the matter brother joseph was now his floor man at sixty dollars a week brother edward was his inside office man and alter both were as faithful as it was possible for men to be their admiration for brother frank was unbounded it was rather an unusual combination but was an unusual man and he felt that he could trust his brothers he was sympathetic toward them without being in any way partial or unfair to others he had always them as boys and now as a man he put them into the traces of his vehicle of success without much thought that they were ever to be anything more than all these years he had felt that they were not going to be as strong as he was and he felt sorry for them at the same time he felt that this was as good a way as any for them to get their preliminary training his father who by the way was now vice president of his bank might find something better for them later on this gang as brother joe described them to brother ed looked suspicious to both but was a strong man and master of his affairs he kept a attitude a cross between keen interest and severe which at once won and kept in their place this uncertain and crew such men as state and others to say nothing of butler he was only the too to keep they represented to him something � he could scarcely say what � vast possibilities principally something seemed to tell him that these men might be useful to him at some time and while not in any way on his fixed principles of business he went as far as he could in being gracious and the others though he ignored them only as business in a small way � pretending an interest he did not feel it was to butler that he turned now and in this hour of desire and hope the latter did not fail him so you wanted a portion of those state bonds to sell is that it the latter asked when in response to permission requested called to see him concerning this matter it was in the evening spring was coming on but it was early and cool a grate fire was burning in mr butler s private and he was in a large comfortable leather chair well now that isn t so easy you ought to know more about that than i do i m not a as you well know and he grinned smiled it s a matter of influence i don t know the ropes well enough to know how this is managed it s largely a matter of that i know and company and and company have connections at they have men of their own looking after their interests the attorney general and the state are hand in glove with them even if i put in a bid and can that i can handle the loan it won t help me to get it other people have done that i have to have friends � influence you know how it is them things butler said solemnly is easy enough if you know the right parties to approach now there s he ought to know something about that was the district attorney serving at this time and incidentally free adviser to mr butler the in many ways he was also accidentally a personal friend of the state how much of the loan do you want five million five million mr butler sat up man what are you talking about five million that s a good deal of money where are you going to sell all that i want to bid for five million softly i only want one million but i want the of putting in a bid for five million it will do me good on the street mr butler sank back somewhat relieved five million you want one million well now that s different that s not such a bad idea we ought to be able to get that he rubbed his chin some more and stared into the fire liked his comforting we liked this great solid he liked his history he was just enough and practical minded enough to like to see such men get along he had met mrs butler a rather fat and irish woman who cared nothing at all for show and still liked to go into the kitchen and the cooking but who was not without a world of hard sense she had told her husband that was a shrewd young man he had met and butler the boys and and the girls was the one who up the steps the first day he had called on mr butler several seasons before he recalled her red cape and rosy cheeks since then he had seen more of a remarkable girl who could play and in a way brilliantly on the piano and sing she was seventeen now just into long dresses with a figure which was her manner was boyish at 