requests for charity, for contributions to hospitals, orphan asylums,
and various homes. Turn them all down, regretfully. H'm! 'Phone to the
City Assessor to come over whenever you can arrange an hour and go
over my schedule with me. By the way, tell Hood to take steps at once
to foreclose on the Bradley estate. Did you find out where Ketchim
does his banking?"

"Yes, sir," replied the secretary, "the Commercial State."

"Very well, get the president, Mr. Colson, on the wire."

A few moments later Ames had purchased from the Commercial State bank
its note against the Ketchim Realty Company for ten thousand dollars.
"I thought Ketchim would be borrowing again," he chuckled, when he had
completed the transaction. "His brains are composed of a disastrous
mixture of hypocrisy and greed. I've thrown another hook into him
now."

At nine forty-five Ames left his private office and descended in his
elevator to the banking house on the second floor. He entered the
directors' room with a determined carriage, nodding pleasantly to his
associates. Taking his seat as chairman, he promptly called the
meeting to order.

Some preliminary business occupied the first few minutes, and then
Ames announced:

"Gentlemen, when the State of New York offered the public sixty
millions of four per cent bonds last week, and I advised you to take
them at a premium of six per cent, you objected. I overruled you, and
the bank bought the bonds. Within forty-eight hours they were resold
at a premium of seven per cent, and the bank cleared six hundred
thousand. A fair two days' business. Now let me suggest that the
psychology of this transaction is worth your study. A commodity is a
drug on the market at one dollar, until somebody is willing to pay a
dollar and a half for it. Then a lot of people will want it, until
somebody else offers a bid of two. Then the price will soar, and the
number of those who covet the article and scramble for it will
increase proportionably. Take this thought home with you."

A murmur of admiration rose from the directors. "I think," said one,
"that we had better send Mr. Ames to Washington to confer with the
President in regard to the proposed currency legislation."

"That is already arranged," put in Ames. "I meet the President next
Thursday for a conference on this matter."

"And if he proves intractable?" queried another.

"Why, in that case," returned Ames with a knowing smile, "I think we
had better give