The record-union., 1894-12-22
able among the directors. "Now do ring


oil, Launceyu'
"What l want to know, what I will
know and that instantly" he continued
with an unusual flashing of his eyes, ''is,
precisely how many OF these death and
injury claims you know To be just; how
many you would hold to be Just were you
on the claimants side of this matter: how
many an incorruptible Judge, who could
not be bought with paltry annual pass,
would pronounce just; and how many
can be honOrably settled within what any
honest man outside of these offices would
Judge to be fair and equitable. Can you
have roughly made summary of this
here inside half an hour?'
The General Solicitor bowed frigidly
and withdrew The Intervening half
nour was the most uncomfortable one the
Great Central Directory had ever known.
Mr.. Pellew would admit of no chatting
or merrlment. A miserable silence was
nnaly ended by the appearance OF a
clerk with the required Information.
Umph! l find" began the railway
President forcetully, that seven hundred
claims against US, admittedly just by even
ooIoVer, could be paid up by average
payments of about thousand each-say
total OF but three-quarters of million.
Ientemen, these must be adjusted, so far
as practicable, and those for whose pro-
tracted suffering and misery, If not di-
rect INJURY, we are solely responsible,
notified OF our tardy corporate require
ment, before we leave these offices to-
day"
An outburst of indignant protest fol-
lowed this extraordinary proposition. 1t
was absurd, unheard of, preposterouS.
Launcey Pellew must indeed at last be
slipping few of his mental cogs
There are three available methods of
doing this. The first is by cutting in two
a q of 9i,n,,l
ceiving above S., ,000 annually, for so long
period as may be required 10 meet the
rather unexpected drain, which | would
like to have DONE"
Genuine CONSERVATION now seized upon
the Great Central directory.
The second is reduction of our al
ready-declared, but still not publicly
known, regular dividend; which / would
not object TO seeing done, if necessary"
The members OF the directory were now
storning out the room Indignantly.
The third" continued the President
with sparkle of old-time merriment in
his eyes, lis a little recourse plan of nv
own, which | would be rather averse 10
putting into operation: although it might
furnish a few hours timely diversion to
Wall street,
What is it? What is it ?'' the directors
anXiously insisted.
''Oh, just trihlng bit of tinanciering;
little Joke on the boys of the Stock EX-
cnange, one which can be so rapidly exc
cuted that innocent and needy individual
holders OF Great Central Will not be dis
turbed. We might look upon it as a
trltllng Christmas contribution, in behalf
OF our claimants, from our friends who
can auOrd 10 appreciate the humor OF it
all, when they come to understand it."
The directors wondered at Launcey
Pellew's quickened regard Tor unwary
a ~ nlFAlp ,gNlr rlpN,., 4
they enthusiastically welcomed any
scheme OF shifted assessment which their
brilliant President might propose. They
heartily acceded without advance partic-
ulars.
Good! Now all [ wish from you,
gentlemen, is your proportionate share Of
"a little blind pool of a quarter of mill
ION. Can 1 have this now, instantlyip
Their Launcey had never played them
false, and Certainly! Certainly ~ came
from every member of the board, while
checks were drawn and passed to Mr..
Pellew without delay.
II will guarantee that every penny Of
this, and enough more to wipe out these
claims, Is realized by the close OF busi-
ness to-day" he continued placidly, as
he gathered up and indorsed the checks
for deposit at his own bank, ION one con-
dIuou. This is that everyone of you re-
main locked securely within this room
pII see that you have lunch-untiI five
minutes past ) O'Clock this afternoon, and
that meantime you communicate with
no living soul, employe or outsider, even
ii it should seem that your doors We're
being battered OPEN"
Mr.. PelleW had now so much the an
pearance OF the old practical Joker of uni
versaI fame that prompt and hilarious
pledges were given.
''Inen," said the railway President.
with hearty hand-grasps all around, ii
Will see you ali again at three-thirty. |
genial face overspread with smiles, S"as
though my Ionged-tOr day of Christmas
peace was securely i'll my hands,"
Dick" he SAID quietly to his private
Secretary when he had returned TO his
own office, make up this deposit in
stanter. Tell Bob 10 have an extra force
at the directory door and nv own
all day. ana to answer no questions ana
admit no living soul but yourself to either
room until o'clock"
''All right, sir"
'Get to the bank on your wheel inside
ten minutes with this deposit, Go then
with this check, which have certified. to
my brokers, Messrs. Putt IL Call. In
struct them to hold themselves in readi-
ness to promptly execute large phone
or wire orders from me until the very
last limit of time to-day. Then" and
here the railway President looked i'm
pressively into wise Dicks face, ''see a
few Of the press boys hurriedly. Under
stand ?''
~ es, sir"
'Give them, on the quiet, as a 'scoop'
for to-nofFOC-but which must on no ac-
count be used to-day-the information
that the Great Central may possibly pass
It's dividend: Understand"
~ es, sir''
Then get back here at once, and, on
your way, order from Wooloyer a com
plete list OF names and addresses of the
claimants whose claims he summarized
for me half hour or so ago. Tell him to
put all the clerks possible at it, and that
you'll call for it at O'Clock sharp. Lively
now, Dick ~
The latter had hardly disappeared be-
fore Launcey PeIlew's face had settled
into bright and radiant placidity, and
IN moment more he was comfortably
resting In that taitful armchair of the
previous night, with an inel1able sigh of
relief and the most eXultant eXcIama-
ton:
"Thank heaven! My quiet Christmas
has already really begun!''
All manner OF affairs in Wall street had
reached that droning, listIess stage which
always precedes the Christmas HOLIDAYS;
but about midday restless ripple of in
telligence had apparently been waited
across the sleeping sea of latent activities.
Directly there were several unaccountably
large offers of Great Central stock at a
slight fraction off the market. These had
prompt takers, when other large blocks
came tumbung after them.
The members ubbed their eyes. There
were few minutes ofportentious silence.
Then scurrying feet dashed to and fro in
all directions. Brokers chatting on the
street, brokers lounging in their Offices,
brokers dawdling over holiday plans,
and brokers half doing in the great