nch, for zinc this time, borrowed money, sank
it, borrowed more, sank that, then got a feeling that he was abused and
went away from here declaring that the Canaan Tigmores could slide into
the Di before he would ever raise a finger to stop them. That's why he
wouldn't write you. I've handled his affairs--what's left of them--for
years, and I've had enough trouble handling them, let me tell you." He
took the letter from Steering and replaced it in the pigeon-hole. "But
I've got him settled now," he said, "and we can go right on--oh! for the
matter of going on, things are pretty far on already." He began
rummaging through his desk in other pigeon-holes. "I'll just show you
what I've drawn up."

Steering found himself unable to keep up with Madeira. He took his cigar
from his mouth, conscious of a sensation that he was being jerked along
by the hair. He tried to get the best of the sensation by leaning back
comfortably in his chair and observing Madeira leisurely. He tried to
feel that he was following Madeira voluntarily, that he didn't have to
if he didn't want to. When he had quitted New York he had been sustained
by an idea that he had, in his correspondence, put before Madeira a plan
that had some merit and promise in it, in the way that it got around the
terms of a will, under which he was heir apparent to a vast acreage of
land whose title now rested in another man, his relative. He and
Carington had worked the thing over conscientiously, and, there in New
York, they had taken some pride in the thought that they had hacked out
a good base for the operations of a potential Steering-Grierson Mining
and Development Company. Here, in Missouri, in Madeira's office, before
the on-roll of Madeira's manner, Steering was no longer sure that he
and Carington had had anything to do with the case.

"Here's my prospectus," Madeira was saying, his voice ringing
triumphantly again, "and here are the articles. God bless you, we are
right up to the point where we can effect the organisation and issue the
first one hundred thousand shares of stock. There are some Tigmore
County men that I want you to meet, some fellows who can be used to fill
out the directorate, and, first thing you know, we'll be filing an
application for a charter, my boy."

"Just so," said Steering absently. He had the papers in his hand, and
was running them over. Both men were pulling at their cigars with strong
puffs, and the room was so vaporous with smoke