Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-04

and wasting your time and ours.
Think the matter over-about your
stock-and let me know before noon.
It's rather cruel to hurry you so, but
time is previous with us and"
You sit right down there, young
man, and put little ofthis precious
time of yours against mine" said
Kinzie, pointing authoritatively at
the chair which Smith had just va
Gated. You mustn't go off at half
cock, that way. You'll need a bank
here to do business with, won't you?"
Smith did not sit down. Instead.
he smiled genially and fired his final
shot.
NO, Mr.. Kinzie; we shan't need a
local bank-not as a matter of abso-
lutte necessity. In fact, on some ac-
counts l don't know but that it would
be better for us not to have one"
sit down." insisted the bank pres
ident: and this time he would take
no denial. Then he turned abruptly
upon Baldwin, who had been playing
his part of the silent listener letter
perfect.
Baldwin, we are old friends, and
I'd trust you to the linton any
proposition that doesn't ask for more
than the straightforward -the-shoulder
friend of ours talking through his
hat?"
Not any, whatever, Dave. He's
got the goods" Baldwin was wise
enough to limit himself carefully as
10 quantity in his reply.
Again the banker made a comical
bristle brush of his cropped mus
tache.
Il want your business, Dexter;
I've got to have it. But I'm going to
be plain with you. You two are ask
ing me to believe that you've gone
outside and dug up a new bunch OF
hackers. That may be all right, but
Tlmanyoni Ditch has struck a pretty
big bone that maybe your new back
ers know about-and maybe they
don't You've had lot of bad luck,
so far; getting your land titles clear
ed, and all that; and you're going to
have more. I've
1t was Smiths turn again and he
cut in smartiy.
That is precisely what 1 was driv-
ing at. Our banker can't run with
the hare and hunt with the hounds.
You'll excuse me if l say that you
haven't been altogether fair with
Timanyoni Ditch, or with Colonel
Baldwin. Mr.. Kinz!e. A friendly
banker doesn't help sell out his Gus
toner. You know that. as well as
do. Still, you did it."
Kinzie threw up his hands and
tried to defend himself. 1T was
straight business transaction, Mr..
Smith. AS long as we're in the bank
ing business, we buy and sell for any
body who comes along.
NO. we don't, Mr.. Kinzie: we pre-
tect our customers first. In the pres
ent instance you thought wour Gus
toner was a dead one, anyway, so II
wouldn't make much difference If
vou should throw another shovelful
of dirt or so onto the coffin. Wasn't
that the way of it?'
The president was fairly pushed to
the ropes, and he showed II.
Answer me one question, both OF
Won" he snapped. Are you big
enough to fight for your own against
Stanton's crowd?'
you'll see: and the sight is going
TO cost YOU something said Smith,
and the blandest oil could have been
no smoother than his tone:
rs that right, Dexter
That's the way it looks to me,
Dave" said the ranchman capitalist,
who. whatever might be his limita-
tions in the field of high finance, was
rot lacking the nerve to fight un-
questioning in any partners quarrel.
The presidentof the Brewster City
National turned back to Smith.
What do you want, Mr.. Smith,
he asked, not too cordially.
Nothing that you'd give us, |
guess; a little business loyalty, for
one thing"
And a checking balance for Inn
mediate necessities for another?
suggested the banker.
With all his trained astuteness-
trained in KinZie's own school, at
that-Smith could not be sure that
the gray faced old Westerner was
not setting a final trap for him,
after all. But he took the risk, say
ing, with a decent show of indiffer-
ence: "Of course it would be more
convenient here than in Denver or
Chicago. But there is no hurry about
that part of it,
Ito Be Continucd)