Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-25
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Copyright by Chas. scrlbner's Sons
(Continucd)

'I suppose by that YOU mean that
you'll quit before you will consent to
open up on your record" he assum-
ed.
You've guessed it," said the man
who had sealed the book of his past
Again Williamc took little time.
1t was discouraging to have his own
and the coloners prefiguring as to
Smiths probable state and standing
so promptly verified.
L suppose you know the plain in
ference you're leaving, when you say
a thing like that"
Smith made the sign of assent. 1T
leaves YOU entirely at liberty to finish
out the story to suit yourself" he
admitted, adding. The back numbers
my back numbers my own,
Mr.. Williams, I've kept a file of them.
as everybody does, but | don't have
to produce it on request"
"Of course, there's nothing COM
pulsory about your producing it. But
unless you are what they call in this
country n crooked crook, you are
standing i'm your own light. You have
such staVing good head for figures
and finances that it seems a pity for
you to be wasting it here on an un-
dergraduate' job in cost-cutting. Any
young fellow just out of a technical
school could do what you're doing in
the way of pairing down expenses"
The cost-cutter's smile was mildly
incredulous.
Nobody seemed to be doing it be-
fore 1 came" he offered.
No" Williams allowed. that's
the fact. To tell the plain truth, we've
had bigger things to wrestle with;
and We have them yet. for that mat
ter-enough of them to go all around
the job twice and tie i'm a bownot."
l Finances queried Smith, feeling
tsome of the back-number instincts
Stirring within him.
I The chief engineer noddtd; then
he looked up with a twinkle in his
closely set gray eyes. "If you'll tell
me why YOU tried to kill Burdell the
other day. maybe I'll open up the
record-our record-for you"
This time the cost-cutter's smile
was good -naturedly derisive, and 1t
ignored the reference to Burdelf.
You don't have to open up your
record-for me; it's the talk of the
camp. You people are undercapltal-
tzed-to boil it down into ono word.
Isn't that about the way It sizes up ?''
That is the way 1t has turned out;
though we had capital enough to
begin with. We've been bled to death
by damage suits"
Smith shook his head. "Why
haven't you hired a first-class attor-
ney. Mr.. Williams"
We've had the best we could find,
but the other fellows have beaten us
TO It. every time. But the legal end of
It hasn't been the whole thing or the
biggest part of it. What we are need
ing most is a man who knows little
something about corporation fights
and high finance" And at this the
engineer forgot the Smith disabilities
real or inferential, and went on to
explain in detail the peculiar help
lessness of the Timanyoni company
az the antagonist of the as. yet un-
named land and irrigation trust.
Smith heard him through, nodding
understandingly when the tale was
told
IT'S the old story of the big fish
swallowing the little one; so old that
there Is no longer any saving touch
OF novelty in it," he commented.
i've been wondering IL there wasn't
something of the kind in your back
ground. And you say you haven't any
Beimonths or Morgans or Rockefel-
lers in your company"
I'VE have bunch of rather badly
seafed-up ranch owners and local
people, with Colonel Baldwin in COM
mand, and that's all, The colonel is
a fighting man, all right, and he can
sioos as straight as anybody, when
you have shown him what to shoot
at. But he is outclassed, like all the
rest of us, when it comes to a game
of financial freeZe-out, And that is
what we are up against, I'm afraid. :"
There isn't the slightest doubt in