not fail. He might lose
some money, but not a vast amount--before he could adjust things. Still
he did not care to lose any money.

"How is it you're so bad off?" he asked, curiously. He was wondering how
the fact that the bottom was going to drop out of local street-railways
would affect Cowperwood so seriously. "You're not carryin' any of them
things, are you?" he added.

It was now a question of lying or telling the truth, and Cowperwood
was literally afraid to risk lying in this dilemma. If he did not gain
Butler's comprehending support he might fail, and if he failed the truth
would come out, anyhow.

"I might as well make a clean breast of this, Mr. Butler," he said,
throwing himself on the old man's sympathies and looking at him with
that brisk assurance which Butler so greatly admired. He felt as proud
of Cowperwood at times as he did of his own sons. He felt that he had
helped to put him where he was.

"The fact is that I have been buying street-railway stocks, but not for
myself exactly. I am going to do something now which I think I ought not
to do, but I cannot help myself. If I don't do it, it will injure
you and a lot of people whom I do not wish to injure. I know you are
naturally interested in the outcome of the fall election. The truth is
I have been carrying a lot of stocks for Mr. Stener and some of his
friends. I do not know that all the money has come from the city
treasury, but I think that most of it has. I know what that means to
Mr. Stener and the Republican party and your interests in case I fail.
I don't think Mr. Stener started this of his own accord in the first
place--I think I am as much to blame as anybody--but it grew out of
other things. As you know, I handled that matter of city loan for him
and then some of his friends wanted me to invest in street-railways
for them. I have been doing that ever since. Personally I have borrowed
considerable money from Mr. Stener at two per cent. In fact, originally
the transactions were covered in that way. Now I don't want to shift the
blame on any one. It comes back to me and I am willing to let it stay
there, except that if I fail Mr. Stener will be blamed and that will
reflect on the administration. Naturally, I don't want to fail. There is
no excuse for my doing so. Aside from this panic I have never been in
a better position in my life. But I cannot weather this storm without
assistance, and I want to know if you won't help me. If I pull thr