The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-06-03
twIst to bis be mustaches nnd



business" he rejolncd. 81.
The boss nodded. n know VIII.
happened. In spite Of the fact
the local people know that their ec.h''
homie salvation depends upon a wide
and even distribution OF their c. s
& w. stock, there has been good
hit Of buying and selling and swan.
ping around. / remember you prom.
esied that In little while we'd have
another trust In the hands OF a few
men. You may recollect that didn't
dispute your prediction. merely said
that our ground leases-the fact M
all of the C. S. & w. plants and bun =,
ings are on railroad land--would sol
give US the whlp-hand over any new
monopoly that might be formed"
eyes, sub; / remember you said,
that" the major allowed.
every good. Marshall and his poke
syndicate may have acquired a votii
control in c. S. & W. and they
be willing now to patch up an ALLAN
with Hatch. But in that case the new
monopoly will still lack the one Mail
ingredient: the power to fix prizes
If there is q new combine, and it tries
to make the producers and merchants
pay more than the agreed percentage,
for storage and handling"
81 know" the major cut in. "You-all
will rise up in the majesty of you'll
wrath and put it out Of business by
terminating the leases. l hope you
may: l sutt'inly do hope you may,
But you'll recollect that didn't advise
you on that point, sub. You took
AEisteh Ripley's opinion. Maybe the
cou'ts will hold with you, but, candid
". Graham. I doubt 4t-doubt 1t right
much"
The boss didn't seem to be much
scared up over the doubt. He just
smiled and said we'd be likely to find
out what was in the wind, and that
before very long. Then he spoke Of
Hatch's afternoon call at our Offices,
and mentioned the fact that the Red
Tower president would probably try
again, later in the evening.
The major let tie business matter
drop, and he was working his way
patiently through the salad course
when he looked up to say:
"Was there anything in youth trip
to Strathcona to warrant Sheila's lit
tie Geographic dangeh signal, Ora
ham"
Nothing worth mentioning" said
the boss. without turning hair do
ing it, as I made sure, because he
didn't want Mrs. Sheila to be mixed
up in the plotting business even by
implication.
The major didn't press the inquiry
any farther, and when he spoke again
it was of an entirely different matter.
"Away along in the beginning. some
body-I think it was John Chadwick
spoke of you as man with a sawt
of raw-head-and-bloody- tempeh,
Graham: what have you done with
that tempeh in these heah latch
days"
grin.
Temper is not always matter Of
temperament, major Sometimes it is
only a means to an end. Much Of my
experience has beer IN. the construc-
ton camps. where I nave had to deal
with men in the raw. Just the same,
there have been moments within the
past six months when I have been
sorely tempted to burn the wires with
a few choice words of the short and
ugly variety and throw up my job"
(which. IS you may say brings us
around to President Dunton," put in
the old lawyer shrewdly. "He is still
opposing youh policies?"
Cup to a few weeks ago he was
still bounding me to do something that
would boost the stock, regardless Of
what the something should be, or Of
its effect upon The permanent value of
the property"
''Dd understand you to say that
Neutrality-suspicious. from Dunton
had stopped?" the major inquired.
Temporarily, at least haven
heard anything from New York-not
lately"
''Then Dinton's nephew hasn't made
himself known to your"
"CollmcWood? Hardly. I'm not in
Mr.. HOWE Collingwoods set-which is
one of the things have to be thank
full for. But this is news: I didn't
know he was out here"
The news-giver bent his head grave
ly in confirmation OF the fact.
"Hes heah, I'm sorry to say, Ora
ham. He has been heah quite some
little time, vbratin' round with the
Grigsbys and the Gannons and lot
mo- of the new-rich reople up at the
capital"
It was the boss turn to go silent,
and i could guess, pretty well what he
was thinking. The presence of Presi-
dent Duntons nephew in the West
might mean much or nothing. But
could imagine the boss was thinking
that his own single experience with
COllingWood was enough to make him
wish that the nephew of Big Money
would stay where he belOnged-am0ng
the high-rollers and spenders Of his
| own soft in tho apnota Eact