Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-06-15
Copyright BY chas. scribner's Sons
CHAPTER v-contlnued.


-
Smith heard him through, nodding
nnderstandlngly when the tale was
told.
tits 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. 1--WE
been wondering If there wasn't some
thing of that kind in your background.
And you say you haven't any Belmonts
or Morgans or Rockefellers in your
company7"
"We have q bunch OF rather badly
scared-up ranch owners and local
people. with Colonel Baldwin in COM
mand, and that's all. The colonel is
fighting man, all right, and he can
shoot as straight as anybody, when
you have shown him what to shoot at.
But he Is outclassed, like all the rest
OF us, when 1t comest to game of flnan-
cial freeze-out. And that is what we
are up against, I'm afraid"
"There isnr the slightest doubt in
the world about that" said the one
who had been called in as an expert.
''What l can't understand is why some
Of you didn't size the situation up
long ago-before it got into its pres
ent desperate shape. You are at the
beginning Of the end now. They've
caught you with an ei1pty treasury,
and these stock sales you speak of
prove that they have already begun
to swallow you by Titles. Timanyoni
common--T suppose you haven't any
preferred-at thirty-nlne is an excel
lent gumble for any gronp of men who
can see their way clear to buying the
control. With an eager market for the
water-and they can sell the water to
you people, even if they don't put
their own Escalante project through
the stock can be pushed to par and
beyond, as It will be after you folks
are oil safely frozen out, More than
that. they can charge you enough, for
the water you've got to have, to finance
the Escalante scheme and pay all the
bills; and their investment, at the
present market will be only thirty
nine cspts In the dollar. It's neat
little play"
William.s was by this time far past
remembering that his adviser was q
man with possible alias and presum-
ably fugitive from justice.
"Can't something be done, Smith?
You've had experience in these things !;
your talk shows 1t. Have we got to
stand still and be shot to plecesT
"The necessity remains to be DEM
onstrated. But you will be shot to
pieces. to n dead moral certainty, If
you don't put somebody on deck with
the necessary brains and do it quick
ly," said Smith with frank bluntness.
"Hold on" protested the engineer.
"Every man to his trade. When 1 said
TINT we had nobody but the neighbors
and our friends in the company, l
didn't mean to give the impression
that they were either dolts or chuckle-
heads. AS matter Of fact, we have
a pretty leveI-headed bunch Of men in
Timanyoni Ditch-though I'll admit
that some of them are nervous enough,
just now. to want to get out on almost
any terms. What meant to say was
that they don't happen 10 be UP in all
the crooks and turnings Of the high
finance buccaneers"
II didn't mean to reflect upon
Colonel Baldwin and his friends" re.
joined the ex-cashier good-naturedly
''It Is nothing especially dscreditine
to them that they are not up In all the
tricks of trade which Is not theirs
The financing Of n scheme like this has
come to be business by itself. Mr.
Williams, and 1t is hardly to be ex
pected that group Of inexperienced
men could do 1t successfully"
The construction chief turned alb
ruptly upon his cost-cutter.
Keeping In mind what you said {
few minutes ago about back numbers,
would II be climbing over the fence to,
far for me to ask II your experienc,
has been such as would warrant yol
In tnckllng Job Of this kind?"
"That is a fair question, and l cal
answer II straight" said the man un
der FIRE. 1--WE had the experience"
II thought so. II the colonel shoul
ask you to, would you consider as
possibility the taking Of the doctor
Job on this sick project of oursY
'No." wns the brief rejoinder.
"why not7"
Smith looked away out of the on
square window In the shack at tn
busy scene on the dam stAgings.
Because Tn not exactly a born sin
pleton, Mr.. Williams. There are