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

AcAI,s All TIE ADDaes.
ar d iron beams and coils OF wire OF vari-
ou. sizes Down Al the onn OF he store
were desks wsiCr seveTai G. r.b ant oooH-
keepers were az work.
SIS the MESSENGER drew near REQ mead
cd Office hoy blocSeH the passage, saying,
somewhat Rggressiyeiy, "Nel.F
"Got telegram ior whittier, neat
croft a Co. y the messenger explained,
pugnaciously, ihrustiag himself iotN Ard.
ssIn theyeiH the Office boy rctufneo,
Jerking his thumb over mis- shoulder to-
wsrd the extreme erd OF Tie building, an
extension, roofed with glass and sera-
rated by glass screen rom the sface
whFre the clerks were AZ work.
The messenger pushed open the glazed
door OF this private Office, hell tingled
over his head, ard the three occupants OF
the room looked up.
..sWnittier. " heatcroft Il Co. ?" said the
messenger, interrogGtively, holding out
the yellow envelope.
handsome old gentleInPn, taking the tel
eQram. s'You sign, Paul
The Youngest of the three, looking ike
his father took the mess ssenger $ book and
g!ancing az az old-fashiOned clock, which
stood In the corner, ne wrote the name OF
the firm and the hour of delivery. lie
was watching the messenger go out when
iects of more Importance by sharp ex-
clamation from his father.
"WeIl. well, well,r said the elder Whit
tier, with MS eyes fixed on the telegram
he had just read. "This is very strange
very strange, indeed!
cupant of tue Office, MIR. Wheatcroit, a
short. stout, irascible-looking man, with
shock of grizzling har.
For all answer Mr.. Whittier handed to
Mr.. Whea.croft the thin slip of paper.
No sooner had tho junior partner read
the paper than be seemed angrier than
ever.
ssStrange7" he cried. 81 should think
II was strangel ConfoundedIy strange
and deuced unpleasant, too.
ssMay ] see what it is that's so very
strange?" asked Paul, picking up the dis
patch.
whestcroft, "and let US see what you car
make Of it,
The young man read the message aloud
"Desl Off Can get quarter cent bettel
terms. Carkendalc. 4"
Then be read il again to himself A
last he said: ~ confess i don't see any
thing SO very mysterious in that. View
lost a contract, ] suppose-but tnat mus
have happened lots OF times before, hasn
itf''
ssIt's happened twice before this fall,
returned Mr.. Wheatcroft, hercely, "afte
our bid had been practically accepted
and just before the final signing OF tn
contractln
"Let me explain, wheatcroft." inter
rupted the elder Whittier gently, "Hoi
must not expect my son TO understand
the ins and outs of this business as w
do. Besides he has been In the office on
ly ten days.
u don't expect him TO understand,
nd WhsafQrnft AsIInNy pOnl1 h09
don't understand il myself
"Close that door, Paul, said Mr.. y hit
tier. ~ don't want any OF the clerks 4
know what we are talking about"
Here are the facts IN the case, Paul
and / think you will admit that they ar
certainly curious" began Mr.. Whittier
"Twice this fall, and now a third time
we have been the lowest bidders for i'm
portant orders. and vet, just before on
bid was formally accepted. somebody ha
cnt under us by a fraction OF a cent an
got the job. First we thought We wer
going 10 get the building of the Baratari
Central's bridge over the Little Mackin
tosh River; but in the end u was IN
Tuxedo Steel Company that got the cor
tract. Then there was the order for Ga
fiuy thousands miles of wire for th
TranFcontinental Telegreph-we made ~
extraordinarily low estimate on that. W
wanted the contract ana threw OF not on
~ our profit, but even allowances for o
Zee cxpenses-and yet FIVE minutes beior
tho last bid had TO be In the Tuxedo Con
pany put in an offer only hundred an
twenty-five dollars less than ours. Nov
con,cs the telegram today The Mothus'
lah Life Insurance Company ~ going I
put up big building: we were asked
estimate on the steel frame wcrk.
w< want that work. times are bar
arr hard and sncre h little doing. ee 70
k31ow. and we must get work Tor our me
n we can. We meant TO have this col