ingly determined to watch events. Should
a way be found of rejecting on legal grounds Tom's bid, making a new
advertisement necessary, Rowan meant to ignore McGaw altogether,
and have his brother bid in his own name. This determination was
strengthened when McGaw, in a burst of confidence, told Rowan of his
present financial straits.

From Rowan's the complaining trio adjourned to O'Leary's barroom.
Crimmins and McGaw entered first. Quigg arrived later. He closed one eye
meaningly as he entered, and O'Leary handed a brass key to him over the
bar with the remark, "Stamp on the floor three toimes, Dinny, an'
I'll send yez up what ye want to drink." Then Crimmins opened a door
concealed by a wooden screen, and the three disappeared upstairs.
Crimmins reappeared within an hour, and hurried out the front door. In
a few moments he returned with Justice Rowan, who had adjourned court.
Immediately after the justice's arrival there came three raps from the
floor above, and O'Leary swung back the door, and disappeared with an
assortment of drinkables on a tray.

The conference lasted until noon. Then the men separated outside the
barroom. From the expression on the face of each one as he emerged
from the door it was evident that the meeting had not produced any very
cheering or conclusive results. McGaw had that vindictive, ugly, bulldog
look about the eyes and mouth which always made his wife tremble when
he came home. The result of the present struggle over the contract was
a matter of life or death to him. His notes, secured by the chattel
mortgage on his live stock, would be due in a few days. Crane had
already notified him that they must be paid, and he knew enough of
his moneylender, and of the anger which he had roused, to know that no
extension would be granted him. Losing this contract, he had lost his
only hope of paying them. Had it been awarded him, he could have found a
dozen men who would have loaned him the money to take up these notes
and so to pay Crane. He had comforted himself the night before with the
thought that Justice Rowan could find some way to help him out of his
dilemma; that the board would vote as the justice advised, and then, of
course, Tom's bid would be invalidated. Now even this hope had failed
him. "Whoever heard of a woman's doing a job for a city?" he kept
repeating mechanically to himself.

Tom knew of none of these conspiracies. Had she done so they would not
have caused her a moment's a