Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-02-08
CHAPTER Viii.
The Stockholders Wisld Their Mighty
Ballots.

r ~ q .
The stockholders Wisld Their Mighty
Ballots.
1T q slight feeling of panic threat
ened Sledge when he stepped into
the stockholders meeting Of the
recognized street railway COM
pany nobody knew it, for he sat off to
one side of the presidents table, fac
ing the gathering, as heavily indiffer-
ent as ever. his big face expression
less and his small gray eyes gazing
steadily straight ahead at nothing.
Marley was far more nervous than
he, waiting impatiently. gavel in hand,
for Acting Secretary Hunt to finish
his tedious job Of clerical work. Con-
siderable stock had been brought in
to be entered on the books, and, as the
certificates were displayed to him..
Hunt, with lavender silk handker-
chief tucked In his Gun, looked occa-
Ssionally across at Sledge, evidently
worried that he could not catch the
eye of the big chief.
Bert Glider was the last man In line
at Hunts desk, and as he handed over
large bundle of certificates Hunt
glanced at the name on the back OF the
top one and coughed loudly. He
scraped his chair. He dropped his
corporate seal on the floor with loud
clatter. but Siedge looked straight
ahead. Whatever had happened to
him he would know in good time, b,lt
in the meantime he was going to rest
mind and body and nerves. and, If the
big boss had one faculty which more
than another had helped him to sue
cess, this was this putty like iner-
tia.
Marley. waiting, gavel in hand and
pulling with rapid strokes at his
goatee, watched this little tabieau un.
til. with another perspiring glance at
, Sledge, Hunt handed back the bunch
Of certificates to Glider and closed his
books. Then, at last. the presidents
gayel fell, and he announced the spe-
clal stockholders meeting Of the Ring
City Street Railway company open for
business.
Immediately he made neat little
speech to his faithful friends, the
stanch investors, who had believed in
the future Of their heretofore prosper
Gus organization we'll enough to hold
to their stock or to purchase more in
the face Of apparent adversely. 1t was
true that certain purely manipulatiye
transactions had seemed to initiate
against the company ana had tempo
rarily depressed the market value OF
its stock.
Bendix stole sly look at Sledge.
He had never batted an eyelash.
However, the president went on, the
intrinsic value of the stock was still
there. and, with that thought constant
" in mind, there was no need for a
panic. The stock was worth and
should command par The improve
ments, for which the reorganization
had been made, were to be carried out.
and others vastly greater were in ip.
mediate contemplation.
1t was hopeful speech. a rousing
speech, a reassuring speech. and Presi-
dent Marley felt when he sat down,
bathed in self appreciation and per-
spiration, that, there being six re
porters present by special invitation,
he had raised the market value of his
stock from ten to fifteen points.
So impressive was his speech that
little Henry Peters. whose cheeks were
shrunken and pale and whose wrinkle
framed eyes were bleared from the
loss of sleep. turned to his nearest
neighbor and said. with sigh OF re-
lief:
"1'm glad I didn't sell my stock day
before yesterday. almost took thir
ty-five for 1t, but the man didn't com.
back"
His neighbor, . waffle necked man
with a crooked nose and towlike hair
which swept down his forehead and
curled up over his eyebrows. said
through bis nose, like the wheeze OF o
penny whistles,
~