The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-07

citation OF plant. The Vice President of
| the Methuselah, the one who attends 10
| all their real estate, is MIR. Carkendale
| He told me yesterday that our bid was
| very low, and that we were certain TO get
| the contract. And now he sends me this, "
and Mr.. Whittier picked up the telegram
| again.
''Do you mean TO say that you think
| the Tuxedo people have somehow been
made acquainted with our bids?" asked
| the young man.
"That's what I'm thinking now,' was
| Wheatcrofts sharp answer. can't
| think anything else For two months we
| haven't been successful in getting SIN
| gle one of the big contracts. We've had
| our share OF the little things, of course,
but they don't amount TO much. The big
| things that we really wanted have slipped
| through our fingers. We've lost them
| by the skin of our teeth every time. That
| isn't accident, Is il? OF course notl Then
| there's only one explanation-there's a
I leak in this Office somewhere.
l "You don't suspect any of the clerks,
do you, Mr.. WheatcroftY" asked the elder
l Whittier, sadly.
81 don't suspect anybody in particular, /"
returned the junior partner, brushing his
hair up the wrong way. "And | suspect
everybody in general. haven't az idea
who it is, but it's somebody
"Who makes up the bids ON these inn
AHkcu
"Wheatoro It and 1, . answered his ia
ther. "The Specifications are forwared TO
the works, and the engineers make their
estimates of the actual cost OF labor and
material These estimates are sent to US
here, and we add whatever we think best
for interest and for expenses and for wear
and tear and for profit.
"Who writes the letters making the offer
the one with the actual figures, /
meanYo the son continued.
81 do, +" the elder Whittier explained.
81 have always done IL"
"You don't dictate them to a typewrit
er?' Paul pursued.
"Certaiuly not, +" the father responded.
81 write them with my own hand-and
what's more, 1 take the PRESS copy my
self, and there is a special letter book for
such things This letter book is kept al
ways in the safe in this ice-in fact.
can say this particular letter book never
leaves my hands except TO go into that
safe. And, as you know, nobody has ac-
cess to that safe except Wheatcroit and
me-
"And the Major" corrected the junior
partner
"No," Mr.. Whittier explained, evan
Zandt has no need 10 go there now."
"But he used to-, - Mr.. Wheatcroft per-
sisted.
"He did once, - the senior partner re-
turned, "but wher we bought those new
safes outside there I'm the main Office there
was no longer any need for the chief
bookkeeper to go TO this smaller safe;
and so, last month, ii was while you were
away, Wheatcroft-Van Zandt came in
here one afternoon and said that as he
never had occasion to go TO this safe, he
would rather not have the responsibility
of knowing the combination. / told him
we had perfect confidence in him"
81 should think sol broke in the ex-
plosive Wheatcroft. "The Major has been
with us thirty years now. I'd suspect
myself OF petty larceny as soon as HIM. y
s'As / said" continued the elder Whit
tier, Il told him that we trusted him per-
fectly, of course. But he urged me, and
to please HIM ] changed the ombination
of this SAFE that afternoon. You Will re-
member, Wheatcroft, that gave you The
new word the day yo,1, came back W..
croft. "But / don't see why the Major
did not want to know how to open that
safe. Perhaps he is beginning TO feel his
years now. lie must be sixty, the Major
and I've been thinking for some time he
looked worn. -
Five minutes later Mr.. Whittier, Mr.
Wheatcroft and the only son OF the senior
partner left the glass-framed private Of
flee. and, walking leisurely through the
long store passed into the street.
They did not notice that the old book
keeper, Major Van Zandt, whose high
desk was so placed that he could over
look the private office, had been watching
them ever since the messenger had deliv-
cred the dispatch.
CHAPTER III.
After luncheon, as il happened, both
| the senior and the Junior partner of Whit
| tier, Wheatcroft & Co. had to attend
meetings, aud they went their several
ways, leaving Paul to return 10 the office
alone When he came opposite to the
| house, which bore the weather beaten sign
of the firm, be stood still for a few mo-
ments and looked across with ming led
J pride and affection. The building was
old-fashioned, so old-fashioned indeed.
that only "A long-estalbished firm could
| afford TO occupy II. IL was Paul Whit
ney's great grand father who nd founded
| the Ramapo Works; there had been cast
| the cannon for many ships OF the little
| American navy that gave such good ac-
| count of itself in the war of 1872. Again,
! in 1SiS, had the house OF Whittier,
] Wheatcroft < Go. the present Mr.. Wheat
croft father, having bon taken into part
1 nership by Paul's grandfather-been able
! TO be of service TO the Government of the
United States. All through the three
| four years that followed the firing on the
| flag in 1861 the Ramapo Works had been
run day and night. When peace came nj
last, and the people had again leisure tC
expand, a large share of the rails needed
by the new overland roads, which were tC
bind the East and the West together In
iron bands, had been rolled by Whittier,
Wheatcroft Il Go. OF late years, as Pau
! knew, the old firm seemed TO have lost
some OF its early energy, and having
! young and vigorous competitors, At had
| barely held It's own.
That the Ramapo Works should once
more take the lead was Paul Whittier's
solemn purpose; and 10 this end he had
| been carefully trained. He was now q
| young man OF nearly twenty-iive-a tall,
handsome fellow, with full moustschs
| over his firm mouth and with quick eyes
! below his curly brown hair lie had
| spent four years I'm college, carrying of
honors In mathematics, he wins popular
/ with his classmates, who made him
/ class poet; and in his senior year he was
elected President of the college photo
| graphic society. lie had gone 20 tech
/ biological institute, where he had made
himself master OF the theory and prac.
tice OF metallurgg. After a year of travel
| In Europe, where he had investigated