Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-01-03
on our. pyrAmid after we have done

we shall all he no better than deal
men the morning after the fact :.
She clasped her hands tightly owe
her knee, and said:
'That is one of the chances we mus
take, David; one of the many. But /
is the last of the bridges to be crossed
and there are lots of them in between
Are the details possible? That wa
the part couldn't go into by myself.
He took other minutes for reflection
II can't tell" he said doubtfully. IL
could only know how much time
we have"
Her eyes grew luminous.
"David, what would you do withou
me-" she asked. *'To-morrow night
in Stephen Hawks Office in CASTOR
you will lose your railroad. MacFar'
lane is there, or If he isn't, he'll be
there in the morning. Bucks, Guilford
and Hawk will go down from here to-
morrow evening; and the Overland
people are to come up from Midland
City to meet them"
There was awe undisguised in the
look he gave her, and it crept into his
voice when he said:
''Portia, are you really flesh-and-
blood woman?"
She smiled.
Meaning that your ancestors, would
have burned me for witch? Per-
haps they would: think quite likely
they burned women who made better
martyrs. But I didn't have to call
in Flibbertigibbet. The programme is
carefully guarded secret, to be sure;
but it is known-it had to be known
to number of people outside of our
friends the enemy. You've heard the
story of the inventor and his secret,
haven't your
"NO."
"We]l, the man had invented some
thing, and he told the secret of it
to his son. After little the son want
ed to tell it to friend. The old man
said, Hold on: I know it-that's one
holding up one finger-'you know i:
that's eleven'-holding up another
finger besides the first; and now if you
tell this other fellow, that'll be one
hundred and eleven holding up three
fingers. That is the case with this
programme. One Of the one hundred
and eleven-he is person high up
in the management Of the Owe rland
Short Line-drOpped a few words in
my hearing and I picked them up.
That's ALL"
ut is fearfully short-the time.
mean," he said after another pause.
1--WE can't count on any help from
any one in authority. Guilford's
broom has swept the high-salaried Of
fetal corners clean. But the wage
people are mutinous and ripe for any
thing. I'll go and find out where
we stand" And he CROPPED on the
floor of the veranda for his hat.
mo, wait a minute" she interposed.
I'VE are not quite ready to adjourn
yet. There remains little matter of
compensation-your compassionate
be considered. You are still on the
company's pay-rolls?"
I'm a way, yes; as it's legal repre-
sentative on the ground
THAT won't do. If you carry this
thing through successfully it must be
on your own account, and not as the
company's paid servant You must
resign and make terms with Boston
beforehand; and that too, without tell
ing Boston what you propose to do"
He haggled little at that.
"The company is entitled to my SER
vices.' he asserted.
1T is entitled to what it pays for
your legal services. But this is en-
tirely different. You will be acting
upon your own initiative, and you'll
have to spend money like water at
your own risk. You must be free to
deal with Boston as an outsider"
But I have no money to spend"
he objected.
Again the brown eyes grew lun,i~
nous; and again she said:
What would you do without me-?
Happily, my information came early
enough to enable me to get letter
to Mr.. Ormsby. He answered promptly
by wire this morning. Here is his tele-
gram"
She had been winding a tightly
folded slip of paper around her finge;s,
and she smoothed it out and gave
it to him. He held it in patch of the
electric light between the dancing leaf
shadows and read:
'Plot Number Two approved. Have
wired one hundred thousand to Kent's
order Security Bank Have him draw
as he needs"
$50 now you see," she went on, "you
have the sinews of war. But you must
regard it as an advance and name your
fee to the Boston folk so you can pay
it back"
He protested again, rather weakly.
ut looks like extortion; like another
graft" he said; and now she lost "a
thence with him.
"Of all the Puritan fanatics!" she
cried. IF it were a simple CONNER
cial transaction. by which you would
save your clients a round $4,000, 900,
which would otherwise be lost, would
you scruple to take a proportionate
fee?'
"No: certainly not"
'Well, then; you go and tell Mr.. Lo-
ring to wire his Advisory Board, and
to do it tonight"
'But I'll have to name figure" saaS
Kent.
"Of course" she replied.
Kent thought about it for long
minute. Then he said: II wonder Il
10000, and expenses, would paralyxe
them?"