the
answer.

"Is there any prospect," Cornish went on, addressing Mr. Elkins, "of
closing out the railway properties within sixty days?"

"A prospect, yes," said Jim.

"Anything like a certainty?"

"No, not in sixty days."

"Then," said Cornish reluctantly, "there seems to be no way out of it,
and I agree. But I feel as if I were being held up, and I assent on this
ground only: that Halliday and Pendleton will never deal on equal terms
with a set of financial cripples, and that any trouble here will seal
the fate of the railway transaction. But, lest this be taken as a
precedent, I wish it to be understood that I'm not jeopardizing my
fortune, or any part of it, out of any sentimental consideration for
these supposed claims of any one who holds Lattimore paper, in the East
or elsewhere!"

Jim sat drumming on the desk.

"As we are all agreed on what to do," said he drawlingly, "we can skip
the question why we do it. Prepare the necessary papers, Mr. Lattimore.
And perhaps you are the proper person to apprise the family as to the
true condition of things. We'll have to get together to-morrow and begin
to dig for the funds. I think we can do no more to-night."

We walked down the street and dropped into the opera house in time to
hear the grand finale of the last piece by the band. As the great
outburst of music died away, Captain Tolliver radiantly stepped to the
footlights, dividing the applause with the musicians.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said he, "puhmit me to say, in bidding you-all
good-night, that I congratulate the republic on the possession of a
citizenship so awake to theiah true interests as you have shown
you'selves to-day! I congratulate the puhchasers of propahty in the
_Herald_ Addition upon the bahgains they have secuahed. Only five
minutes' walk from the cyahs, and well within the three-mile limit, the
time must soon come when these lots will be covahed with the mansions of
ouah richah citizens. Even since the sales of this afternoon, I am
infawmed that many of the pieces have been resold at an advance, netting
the puhchasers a nice profit without putting up a cent. Upon all this I
congratulate you. Lattimore, ladies and gentlemen, has nevah been cuhsed
by a boom, and I pray God she nevah may! This rathah brisk growth of
ouahs, based as it is on crying needs of ouah trade territory, is really
unaccountably slow, all things considered. But I may say right hyah that
things ah known to be in sto'