The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25

and plunged his stubby hands deep into
his pockets.
Give me the straight tip, Misther
North"
'Tt ought to suggest itself to you.
This is big job, with a great deal
of money passing. Your profits, over
and above what you will make out of
the company, will be quite large. Ford
Is an ambitious young man, and he is
not building railroads for his health
The Marlborough was nodding slowly.
Nevertheless, he made difficulties.
ME hands not light enough for that.
Iisther North"
Again the general manager smiled.
You require deal of prompting,
sometimes. Brian. What's the matter
with a trusty go-between?"
HIM, that's it, now. But where to
lay me finger on the right man. 'Tis
a risk to run-with young firebrand
like Ford holding the other end iv
the string
Still 1 think the man can be found.
But first we must make sure of your
contract with or without Ford. Your
suggestion about taking the matter
up with Mr. Colbrith in person strikes
me favorably. Can you spare the
time to go to New York;"
Sure 1 cam.
AT once?"
The wan minute for striking is
whin the irons hot. Misther North
The general manager put aside the
thick file of papers he had been exam
ming when MacMorrogh entered, and
began to set his desk in order
II have been thinking l might make
1t convenient to go with you. I pre-
sumo you have no objection to going
as my guest in the Naught- Severn"
.4'Tis an honor you're doing me,
Misther North, and I'll not be forget
ting it,
Not at all. There are some matters
connected with this contract that I'd
like to talk over with you privately,
and If we can agree upon them 1 may be
able to help you with Mr.. Colbrith
and the executive committee"
The general manager pressed one of
the electric buttons on the side of the
desk, and to the clerk who answered
gave brief order: Have the Naught-
Seven provisioned and made up to go
east at 1910 today. Tell Dispatcher
Darby to make the schedule fast-19
hours or less to the river"
The clerk nodded and disappeared,
and North turned again to MacMor-
rogh.
Now about that other matter: I'll
fird you a go-between to approach
Ford: but to be quite frank with you,
you'll have to be liberal with the
young man for his services When
you go into the diplomatic field, you
have to spend money" He was press
ing another of the electric buttons as
he spoke, and to the office boy who
put his face in at the door he said:
Ask Mr.. Eckstein to step in here
minute"
1t was the private secretary, the
well groomed young man with the
alien eyes and nose who answered the
summons. North gave him his instruc-
tions in a curt sentence.
Mr.. MacMorrogh would like to have
a little talk with you, Eckstein; take
him into the other room, where you
can be undisturbed."
1t was half an hour later
opened to. readmit the private
secretary and the contractor and
in the interval the division SUI
perintendent's clerk had returned to
say that the special train schedule
was made up, and that the Naught-
Seven would be waiting at the Union
station at 1910.
4'Well?" said the general manager,
lifting a slow eyebrow at MacMorrogh
VI
his wish to know what had been done
in the conference of two.
"'Tis all right, Misther North" said
the, contractor, rubbing his hands, "Tis
crown jewel We have in this
yooung'-
North cut the eulogy short in a
word to his secretary.
II go east. special, at 1910, Eckstein,
as Mr.. MacMorrogh has probably told
at IL with Mr.. Ford. Meet him when
he comes, and make my .excuses-with-
out telling him anything he ought not
to know. If you can take my place as
his host, do so; but in any event, keep
him from finding out wf1ere we have
gone until we are well on the way.
That's ALL"
This was why Ford. walking the few
blocks from his hotel at noon to keep
his engagement with North, found the
general managers office closed, and a
suave, soft-spoken young man with a
foreign cast of countenance waiting to
make his superior's excuses
Mr.. North was called out of town
quite unexpectedly on a WIRE" was the
private secretary's explanation. "He
tried to telephone you at the Brown.
but the operator could not find you, He
left me to explain, and I've been won
dering If you'd let me take his place as
ycuc host. Mr.. Ford
Nos.7 Fords attitude toward his opno-
neat ws.rs IS -eSson of his gifts. openlv
belligerent: wherefore he fought
against It and tried to be as other men
are.
Il ara ssre nj. forth is quite excus-
abio, and 1t is good -natured in Won
70 stand in the breach, Mr.. Eckstein
he said. 'Of course, I'll be glad to
go with YOU"
They went to Tortoni's, and to a pri-
vate room and the luncheon was an
epicurean triumph Eckstein talked
well. and was evidently a young man
of parts. Not until the cigars were
lighted did he suffer the tabletalk to
come down to the railroad practical
tiles: and even then he merely followed
Ford's lead.
"Oh, yes; we have made arrange
ysents to give you clear deck in the