The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1918-06-15

! mand? the one metal those armies cam
not get along without? 1t is copper.
They must have it. and they must buy
it of US. This morning. as sooE rs
received that first dispatch. wired my
agents to buy. buy. Now, with Egg
land in, the result is certain"
| He paused, and studied the faces in
the group.
Gentlemen, there Is wealth enough
here on this yacht to control the entire
copper output, If we work swiftly. The
profit will be enormous. have the
campaign all mapped out; l know
where to buy, and my agents are ready
to execute my orders. l am going to
say to you frankly that I had the
thought in mind when first organized
this cruise. I believed this crisis was
approaching, and prepared for 1t. By
wireless we can operate surely and Sc
cretly, with no possible fear Of be-
trnyal. The only question is, are you
ready to back me up?'
The expression on the faces Of those
J gathered about him reflected the va
ried character Of the men. They were
alike startled by the unexpected turn
Of affairs. yet financial greed evidently
predOminated. Even the one German
in the group had seemingly forgotten
his nationality In view of the golden
bait dangling so temptingly before his
eyes. Fosdick, actuated by his lawyer
l c<i11 nj oo1n 10
was first to question the proposition.
"You are perfectly assured Of being
| able to control the market?" FOsdick
asked.
Il already practically CONTROL" re-
turned Darlington confidently. with
little more capital the game is GER
tain. In twelve hours, gentlemen, we
can have the copper situation entirely
in our hands. Here are my holdings
individually. I need your help to
close the DEAL"
They bent over the papers, eager to
grasp the truth, but abundantly salts
fed with quick glance at the magic
figures. 1t was evidently enough a
master stroke, business deal easy to
comprehend, and all that remained for
them to do was to take their profits.
"You-you return Immediately to
New York;" questioned Mccain. his
lips trembling.
Certainly not; our game at present
Is to keep out of sight; permit no one
to discover who is behind the move
ment. YoCr personal checks will sat-
isfy me. l propose holding the yacht,
say hundred miles from shore, and
conducting the entire business by wire
less. That makes it safe and sure"
The group of financiers stared at
to voice decision. Fosdick, as usual,
took the initiative.
I'm heartily with you, Carrington,"'
he said frankly. "you can count on my
check for hundred thousand dollars
right now"
"And l." land l." echoed from lip to
lip.
Darlington. smiling pleasantly,
turned toward me.
"And how about you, Hollis? Com
ing in with us? We ought to have one
Chicago representative, you know"
l shook my head, doubling my abil-
ity to produce the amount required off
hand. <
"NOt today; give me few hours to
think it over. I should like to talk
with you privately first"
"All right; we shall have enough
without you. but I'll hold the chance
open until you do decide. Let's adj
journ to the cabin, gentlemen, where
you can draw your checks while the
steward opens few bottles. This Is
an occasion to be celebrated"
We were upon our feet, not unwilling
to escape from the raw air, when the
voice of the lookout sounded muff1ed,
but distinct, far forward.
'Sail hO!"
"Where away?" echoed the bridge.
"Off the starboard bow, SRA big
one"
We gathered at the rail staring out
blankly into the smother. Then sud-
as though cut by a knife, and there
in the rift, as If the fog were frame.
one of the finest sea pictures
I ever remember seeing. A huge iron
her tunnels belching smoke
at full speed, the white spray racing
along her sides, swept into view. We
had a glimpse Of the black muzzles Of
guns protruding from forward and
after turrets, Of groups Of sailors on
deck. and in the fighting tops; white
clad officer leaned over the bridge rail.
There was no flag, nor did we need one
lynn1u fovs xx,hot cho otnnd CopvlnO.