Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-19

y
inquired Bozzam. Are you willing to
jump through boop?"
'I'll do anything that is lawful"
Then you'll so the limit" smiled
BozZam. Your first step will be to
buy those two thousand odd shares at
thirty-fve Let's see" He figured 1t
out. They will cost you little over
$685.
81 haven't the money" confessed
Marley "Sledge has cleaned me out
of both cash and credit"
Borrow it on your stock"
81 can't borrow over twenty on 1t. l
couldn't raise enough on my total I'M
remembered stock"
looked down into the street for some
little time during which Marley watch
ed him In silent wonder, struggling
against his rising hope.
Il think l can raise loan for you
at twenty" Bozzam reported as the
result of his elaboration. 'If that is
not enough l might have 1t arranged
to buy the balance needed and vote 1t
with you"
But what is the plan?" demanded
Marley. Il don't see what good con-
troll of q ruined company is going to do
me nor why l should break myself
buying worthless stock"
Because Sledge isn't liberal enough
with me-" returned Bozzam. why,
Marley, don't you see that this COM
pany of ours is fake?"
You don't mean it, gasped Marley.
Did Sledge have you start this COM
pany in order to break me-"
"Oh, hushr' scorned Bozzam. "He
did it to sell the old company our fran
chises, for the nice little quarter of a
million dollars the public has just put
up for stock in your reorganized COM
pany. Our stock is phony, strictly.
The public has been allowed to buy
fifty thousand Of it, We get two hun
dred thousand and Sledge seven hun
dred and fifty. The public is the only
person who has put up any money, and
he gets his back. The only business
We'll do is to sell our franchises and
disband, with % per cent dividend.
The public gets twelve and a half
thousand, we get fifty, and Sledge gets
the balance Of your quarter of a mil
hon"
He paused to let all the beauty of
hn np{nn
Marley's inner being.
Great Scott!' murmured Mr.. Mar.
ley and wiped his brow. But how can
We stop him."
Get control Of the company. Call a
special meeting When we offer to
sell you our franchises stand pat and
refuse to pay more than $4,000 for
the franchises. You can defy US to
build and make fine grand stand play
out Of it when you know that we
won't Well accept fifty thousand,
and then you juggle it to slip Moodson
and Timbers and me a hundred thou
sand on the side. You've saved your
company a hundred thousand, we've
dragged down what we ought to have
for our work, Sledge gets the hook.
and your stock bounces up to par.
Why, man, you'll not only be where
you were before, but you'll clean up
close to hundred thousand profit on
| the stunt"
| Order some whisky" Marley sug-
| gested to his host
|
Sledge, in the luxurious little room
which he occupied for an hour each
I day as president of the First National,
/ gazed stonily at Bendix as he punched
the button On his desk.
"Chamberlain's house." be speculat-
! ed. "Hunhr'
"Of course Marley gave notes for IT.
Thirty, sixty and ninety days and four
months; four payments, of $1,000
each"
In answer to the bell Cashier Davis
came in with the pomposity of the
owner of the mint mingled with the
obsequiousness Of a messenger boy
Frank Marley" rumbled Sledge &C
cusingly. Hes got money. Where
did he get it,"
Not here. SIR" smiled Mr.. Davis,
rubbing his fish fat hands together.
Find ont" dirAotnd Sledge. and Da-
: