The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-07

sample stee! rails and iron beams and
coils of wire of various sizes. Down al
the end of the store were desks where
several clerks and bookkeepers We're al
work.
AS the messenger drew near n red
headed office boy blocked the passage
saying, somewhat aggressively. "Well?"
Got q telegram for Whittier, Wheat
croft & Co." the messenger explained
pugnaciously thrusting himself fov-
ward.
I'm therev' the office boy returned
Jerking his thumb over his shoulder
toward the extreme end of the build
ing. an extension, rooted with glass
and separated by a glass screen from
the space where the clerks were a,
work.
The messenger pushed open the
glazed door of this private office bell
jingled over his head, and the three
occupants of the room looked up.
Whittier. Nheatcroft e Co.?'' said
the messenger, interrogatively, hold
Ing out the yellow envelope.
Yes" responded Mr.. Whittier, a tall
handsome old gentleman, taking the
telegram. You sign. Paul
The youngest of the three, looking
like his father. took the messenger s
book and glancing at an old-fashioned
clock which stood in the corner, he
wrote the name of the firm and the
hour of delivery. He was watching the
messenger go out when his attention
was suddenly called to subjects of more
Importance by a sharp exclamation
from his father.
well, well, well' said the elder
Whittier, with his eyes fixed on the
telegram he had just read. ''rhis is
very strange-very strange, indeedw
''What's stranger asked the third
occupant of the office. Mr.. Wheatcroft,
short. stout, irascble-looking man,
with shock of grizzling hair.
For all answer Mr.. Whittier handed
to Mr.. Wheatcroft the thin slip of pa
per.
No sooner had the Junior partner read
the paper than he seemed angrier than
ever.
stranger" he cried "I should think
1t was strange! Confoundedly strange
and deuced unpleasant, too"
MAY see what it is that's so very
stranger" asked Paul, picking up the
dispatch.
''Of course you can see it," growled
Mr. Wheatcroft, land let us see what
you can make of it,
The young man read the message
aloud: Deal off. Can get quarter
cent better terms. Carkendale."
Then he read it again to himself. At
last he said: II confess / don't see
anything SO very mysterious in that.
We've lost a contract, 7 suppose-but
that must have happened lots of times
before, hasn't it?"
"It's happened twice before this fall"
returned Mr.. Wheatcroft fiercely. "af-
ter our bid had been practically accept
ed, and just before the signing of the
final contractv'
"Let me explain. Wheatcroft," inter-
rupted the elder Whittier gently. "You
must not expect my son to understand
the ins and outs Of this business as we
do. Besides he has been in the office
only ten days"
II don't expect him to understand"
growled Wheatcroft. GLOW could III? =?
I don't understand 1t myselfw
''Close that door, Paul." said Mr.
Whittier. II don't want any of the
clerks to know what we are talking
about"
Here are the facts in the case Paul,
and / think you will admit that they
are certainly curious" began Mr. Whit
tier. 'Twice this fall, and now q third
time, we have been the lowest bidders
for important orders, and yet, just be-
fore our bid was formally accepted,
somebody has cut under us by frac-
tion Of a cent and got the job. First
we thought we were going to get tho
building Of the Barataria Centrals
bridge over the Little Macintosh
river; but in the end 1t was the Tuxedo
Steel company that got the contract
Then there was the order for the fifty
thousand miles of wire for the Trans
continental telegraph-we made an ex.
traordinarily low estimate on that. We
wanted the contract and we threw off
not only our profit, but even allowances
for Office expenses--and yet five min
utes before the last bid had to be in
the Tuxedo company put in an offer
only q hundred and twenty-five dol
lars less than our. Now, comes the
telegram today. The Methuselah Life
Insurance company is going to put up
a big building; we were asked to esti-
mate on the steel framework. We
wanted that worl--times are hard and
there is little doing, as you know, and
we must get work for our men II we
can. We meant to have this contract
Il we could. We offered to do It at
what was really actual cost of manu-
facture-withOu profit, first of all, and
then without any charge at all for of
nee expenses, for interest on capital,
Tor depreciation Of plant. The vice.
presidept Of the Methuselah, the one
M atten6s - ~ thtis rsal estats, n
XII q tg N kss M ~