Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-07-02

CuApTEn y-(Continued.)
COPYRIGHT 1908
THE ~BoBBs-MERRILL Com PANY

WITHIN n rev DAYS Two more clethS
from Porter to Peckham passed through
the usal channels Of the bank. by the
simple feat of dividing the amount Of
each check by the current quotation on
Traction, Wheaton was able to follow
Porter's purchases. The price had re
manned pretty steady. Then suddenly 1t
fell to thirty. He wondered what was
happening, but the newspapers. which
Were continuing their war on the COM
pany, readily attributed it to a lack OF
confidence in the franchise. Wheaton
met the broker, apparently by chance,
but really by intention, in the club one
evening. and remarked casually:
''Iraction seems to be off a littlc!'
Yes; there's something going on therc
that l can't make out. | imagine that
the fellows that were buying got tired OF
stimulating the market, and have thrown
a few punches back to keep the outsiders
guessing"
fright now might be a good time to get
In" suggested Wheaton.
II should call it n good buy myself,
guess that franchise is all right. Bet
ter pick up a %littIe,' he said, tentatively.
ITO tell the TRUTH said Wheaton,
choosing his words carefully, those out
of town people / spoke TO you about have
written me that they'd like a little more,
If it can be got at the right figure. You
might pick up a hundred shares for me
at The current price. if you can
'How do you want to hold ity'
'.IIave 1t made to me- he answered.
He had debated whether he should do
this. and he had been unable to devise
any method of holding the stock without
letting his own name appear. Porter
would not know; Porter was concealing
EA ~ .....ES~ ~ A-- .-AA
see that 1t made any difference; he was
surely entitled to invest his money as he
liked, and he raised the sum necessary
in this case by the sale of some railroad
bonds which he had been holding, and
on which he could realize at once by send
ing them to the banks correspondent at
Chicago. He might have sold them at
home Porter would probably have taken
them off his hands; but the president
knew that his capital was small, and
might ave asked how he intended to re-
invest the proceeds.
A few days later Burton sent for
Wheaton to come to his Office. One hun
-dred shares had been secured from a
ranchman. Wheaton carried the pur-
chase money in currency to Burton's of
fee; he wa as shrewd as William Por-
ter, and he did not care to have the
clerks in the bank specializing about his
checks.
He locked his certificate, when Burton
got 1t for him, In his private box in the
vault, and waited the rebound which he
firmly expected in the price of the stock.
His sole idea was to make q profit BY the
~purcn4sE. HI feft confident that Porter
had bought Traction stock with a dein-
Ute purpose; he still had no idea who
the principal holders of Traction
stock or bonds, and lie was afraid to
make inquiry. A man who was as Sc
cretfve as Porter probablyrhad confiden-
tial sources Of information. and it was
mot safe to. tap Porter's wires: His con
science was easy as to the method by
which he had gained his knowledge of
Porter's pu releases; he certainly meant
no harm to Porter.
CHAPTER NJ.
Timothy Margrave was, in common
phrase, a good railroad man. lie had
advanced by slow degrees from the in
called siobs, to the performance of those
noblers functions known as positions.
Margraye's elevation to the Office of third
vice president and general manager was
due to his pull. He had resolved that
the railroad was getting too much out
Of him and that he must do more to
promote his own fortunes. The directors
we're good fellows, and they had GER
tainly treated him well but it seemed
within the pale of legitimate enterprise
for him to broaden his interests a trifle
without In any wise diminishing his zeal
for theTranscontinental. The street rail-
way business was Q good business, and
Clarksons Traction appealed to Margrave.
moreover, ON it, political side. If he re
organised the company and made himself
It's president he could greatly fortify and
~strengthen his pull.
Almost any day, he was told, the East
Arn bonaholders might pounce down and
Jput I sreeeiyer II charge Of the company.
Margraye did not understand r~eceiver-
ships they were an excuse for pillage,
and II Was Z regret Of his life that no
fat8 rscetvershiD had ever fallen to his
lot. But he was not going into Traction
blindly. He wanted to know who else
was interested. hat he might avoid com
plication1. William Porter was the only
man inS Harrison who could swing Trac-
tions without assistance; he@must not ruin
afoul III Porter. Margrave was q master
81 the Art Of getting Information, and lie
decided on reflection. that the easiest
way = N9etsinformation about Porter was
Co coaxSit out OF Wheaton.
- He always called Wheaton Elm in
sr~emenbrance OF the early days Of Whea-
tons fSstdence IN Clarkson when Whoa
ton had worked in his Office. He had
Watched Wheaton's rise with interest he
Aook 3 himself the credit Of being his
d~iscoveSef. When Wheaton called on his
laughter he made no comment; he knew
nothing to Wheaton's discredit, and he
w0nld nd more have thought Of criticizing