The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-02-26
Business Is Business
By FREDERICK HART

| SSSSSSSSSSSSScSSSSS SSScSSSSSSScSSS>SSS
! tO9 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
81 can't figure what's happening in
r. & ~" said Philip Gibney, senior
! partner of Gibney 4 Hadman, brokers.
! I'VE can't seem TO get a majority of
! stock; some ones holding out on ns.
| Have you had our tracers on the jobT
II should say | have!' Roger Had
| mans voice was weary. "FOr the past
three months JevOns and HarrOd have
! been on the road. They've cOmbed the
country, nearly; but they can't account
| for the three thousand shares we need.
! That block"
"I-ut surely there's q record of its
! original sale ~ snapped Gibney.
'Of course We traced it to little
town in Pennsylvania funny old
| chap with whiSkers-farmer-
held the whole block. JevOns got wind
OF Il and flew down TO get it at any
| price, but he was too late. Somebody
beat him to it by less than three hours.
The old duffer didn't know who it was
simply said a man came along and
| offered him twice what the stock was
worth. and he sold for spot cash.
JPvOns even went so far as to put
detectives on the job, but they couldn't
set any trace except that the fellow
vas slim and gOOd-lOOking. wore n
light suit. and bought ticket for
Philadelphia at the local station. The
train went right up i'm air then, and
| there's absolutely no further trace"
well" Gibncy's voice was thought
full, we've got TO get that stock some
how. | wonder if whoever bought it
is holding out for a big price? He
must know what we're planning, and
what control of II. & y. will mean to
us. | suppose he thinks he can get
whatever price he asks
The worst of it is that he's pretty
nearly righs, at that" rejOined Had
man. when our deal comes off it's
absolutely necessary to have the con-
troll, ana we can't have it without
those three thousand shares. and this
fellow knows it-and that's all there
is TO it. We pay"
ave do, l suppOSe-and-yet-
"And yet-what?"
ut strikes me as being rather queer
that this chap. whoever he is, hasn't
tried to make dicker. We are going
to pull our stunt at the end of the
week, and he must know that we want
the stock as soon as we can get it.
He has inside information, that's sure.
Well, the result would naturally be
that he would come around here and
point his block of stock at our heads
and say Stand and deliver" But he
hasn't made a mOve-and tOdays
Wednesday. | don't understand it,"
Gibney was sadly worried man
when he went home that nj hit, and his
pretty wife, who was waiting for him
with her usual smile. received scan
ty greeting During the evening meal
she tried to make conversation, but
failed dismally. Once she asked what
was worrying him.
Nothing you'd understand" replied
Gibney shortly. Alice opened her
better of ii and confined her attentions
to the salad. The evening passed ST.
lently for both.
Next morning, the day before Glib
ney & Hadman'S big coup was slated
TO come off, G.bney was informed by
the girl at the door that young man
wanted to see him. On inquiring his
business, he was informed that the
visitor would make no statement,
merely saying that he wanted to see
the head of the firm at once. Gibney
told the girl to show him in and called
Hadman from his office.
Dollars to cOllar-buttons it's the
chap with the r. & X. stock, JIM" he
said. Il want you here-we'll meet
him together. Maybe the two of us
can get reasonable figures out of him.
But oh. how he has u.s."
The man who entered the office
seemed hardly more than a boy. He
was dressed In a light-cOlOred suit,
and wore a derby hat which he did
not remove. A white bandage COW
cred most of his right cheek and
curved well under the chin.
Good morning, gentlemen" he said
ina voice that betrayed a cold in the
head. I'm sorry TO come around
looking such a wreck, but the fact is
I've met with an accident-autOmObil
land I'm little smashed as to the
face" A One-sided grin accompanied
tGis information. "The doctor tells
ne TO keep my hat on. too. And now,
IL you've quite done staring at the
bapdage and things, we might as we'll
get down to business. l have here
=" he tapped his breast-pOcket-"a
block of three thousand shares Of r. &
Y. stock. which represents the balance
IF pDwer-the amount needed for. con-
troll af the road. You want i'll have
II. What do you say?"
"Ycu young scOundrel." rOared Had
man. This is blackmail ~
Hardly, Mr.. Hadman. This is
business. You were too slow to get
what you wanted-I succeeded by my