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


clerks have all served us faithfully for
years, and ! don't want 10 submit tnem
TO the indgnity OF being 'shadowed
that's what thcy call IT isn't itv-oi being
| shadowed by some cheap hirellng VINO
may try to distort the most Innocent acts
Into evidence OF guilt, so that ne can
| low US how smart he Is. "
"But this sort of thing can't go on io'-
| ever" calculated Mr.. Wheatcroit. II we
| are TO be undorbid on every contIact
worth having we might as well go out Oh
the business!''
"That's true, OF course" Mr.. Whittier
admitted, shut we are sure that we
are being underbid unfairly
"The Tuxedo Company have taken
| away three contracts from us III the past
two months" f" cried the junior partner
"We can be sure OF that, can't WEI!
"we have lost three contracts, %.
course returned Mr.. Whittier, In MS
most conciliatory manner, "and the lux,
| edo people have captured them. But mat
may be only coincidence, after All.
''lt Is a pretty expensive coincldenceio ior
us, sncrted NJ. Wheatcroft.
"But because we have lost money, the
senior partner rejoined, gently, laying ms
hand oh MIR. Wheatcroit's arm, "that no
reason why we should also lose our heads.
Ii is no reason why we should depart
from our old custom OF treating every
man fairly. II there il anyone In our em-
give him rope enough, he Will hang MN
sell sooner or later +"
"And before he suspends himself that
way" cried Mr.. Wheatcroft, 1--WE may be
forced TO suspend ourselves.
"Come, come, Wheatcroft," SAID the
senior partner, III think we can afford to
stand the loss little longer. What we
can't afford to do is to lose our self-re-
spect by doing something irreparabie. IL
may be that we shall have TO employ de-
tectives-but don't think the time mas
come yet"
"Very well," the junior partner de-
clared, yielding an unwilling consent.
~ don't insist on ii. i still think IL
would be best not to waste any more
time but | don't insist. What VIII nap.
pen is that we shall lose the rolling OF
those steel rails for the Springneld q
Athens Road that's all. y
Paul Whittier had taken no part In TINS
discussion. lie agreed with his iather,
and he saw no need for him TO urge any
further argument.
Now he looked up and asked when they
intended 10 put in he bids Tor the raiis.
His father then explained that they
were expecting special estimate rom
the engineers at the Ramapo works, ana
that ii would probably be Saturday before
this could be discussed by the partners
and the exact figures OF the proposed
contract determined.
"And IL we don't want to lose that con-
tract for sure, - insisted Mr. Wheatcroft
~ think we had better change the COM
bination on that safe.
''May ! suggest said Paul, that IL
seems 10 me better to leave the eonoiia.
! tion az IL Is. What We want 10 40 - not
TO ge; this Springfield & Athens con-
tract so much as TO find out whether
someone really is getting al the letter
book. Therefore we mustn't make IL any
T harder for the some one tc get az the
| letter book.
"Oh, very WE'LL" Mr. Wheatcroft as
sented little ungraciouslv ." Have II
your own way. But ! want YOU 10 under
sand now that think yoa are only post
pcning .he ine liable. y
And with that the subject was droprec.
= For several days the tl:toe men who Were
toget her for hours in tie office of the Ra.
1 mapo iron and Steel Works retrsined
2 from any discussion ot the Juesliol
: which was most prominent III then
. minds.
that Paul Whittier mao broken returned
from the repsirers. Pau. himself helped
! the men set il again IN its old place III
, the corner of the office, facing the saft
I which occupied the corner diagonally op.
I yoste.
II SO chancea that Paul came down tate
Il on Thursdav morning, aud perhaps this
was the reason that pressure OF delayed
Y work kept him in the office that evening
long after every one else. The clerks hac
e oil gone. even Major Van Zandt, always
$ the last 10 sve-and the porter had com'
] in twice before the sou OF the senior part
: ner was ready to 90 ior the night.
: The gas was lighted here ana there II
r the long, narrow, deserted store. as Pau
: walked through II from the ollce 10 th'
street Outside the swift twilight OF
$ New York November had already settlet
4 down ON the city.
"Can't / carry ger bag FOR yo Mister
G PAUL." asked the porter, who was show
1 ing him cut.
: "No, thank you. Mike, was the young
y mans answer. "That bag has very lit
tie in it. And besides ] haven't got 4
r carry it far.
The next morning Paul was the first o
e the three TO arrive. The clerks were II
= their places already. but neither the sen
!. ior nor the junior partner had yet come
: The porter happened TO be standing un
: der the wagon archway as Paul White
Q was about 10 enter the store.
The young man saw the porter and
a misc schievous smile hovered about the cor
ners of his mouth.
y "Mike," he said, pausing on the door