ake it. His obligations in other directions were
so large. But the lure was there, and he pondered and pondered.

Stener's scheme of loaning him money wherewith to manipulate the North
Pennsylvania line deal put this Seventeenth and Nineteenth Street dream
in a more favorable light. As it was he was constantly watching the
certificates of loan issue, for the city treasury,--buying large
quantities when the market was falling to protect it and selling
heavily, though cautiously, when he saw it rising and to do this he
had to have a great deal of free money to permit him to do it. He was
constantly fearful of some break in the market which would affect the
value of all his securities and result in the calling of his loans.
There was no storm in sight. He did not see that anything could happen
in reason; but he did not want to spread himself out too thin. As he saw
it now, therefore if he took one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of
this city money and went after this Seventeenth and Nineteenth Street
matter it would not mean that he was spreading himself out too thin, for
because of this new proposition could he not call on Stener for more as
a loan in connection with these other ventures? But if anything should
happen--well--

"Frank," said Stener, strolling into his office one afternoon after four
o'clock when the main rush of the day's work was over--the relationship
between Cowperwood and Stener had long since reached the "Frank" and
"George" period--"Strobik thinks he has that North Pennsylvania
deal arranged so that we can take it up if we want to. The principal
stockholder, we find, is a man by the name of Coltan--not Ike Colton,
but Ferdinand. How's that for a name?" Stener beamed fatly and genially.

Things had changed considerably for him since the days when he had been
fortuitously and almost indifferently made city treasurer. His method
of dressing had so much improved since he had been inducted into office,
and his manner expressed so much more good feeling, confidence, aplomb,
that he would not have recognized himself if he had been permitted
to see himself as had those who had known him before. An old, nervous
shifting of the eyes had almost ceased, and a feeling of restfulness,
which had previously been restlessness, and had sprung from a sense of
necessity, had taken its place. His large feet were incased in good,
square-toed, soft-leather shoes; his stocky chest and fat legs were made
somewhat agreea