on his way to
Twin Canyons City. His special has been gone some little time."

"When is he coming back?"

"I don't know."

"Did you see him?"

"I did."

"Did you take up with him the matter of issuing new tariffs to do away
with the preferentials, or to level the public rates down to them?"

Gantry shifted uneasily in his chair, and tried to evade. "There was
very little time," he said. "Mr. McVickar was in a great hurry, and his
special was held only a few minutes."

Blount crossed the room and sat down.

"Dick, we've come to the last round-up," he said gravely. "In the nature
of things, I can't give you any more time. You've been playing with me
all along, and your last move in the game was a very childish
one--sending me what purported to be a copy of a new freight tariff
notice to the public. Did you suppose for a moment that I wouldn't have
sense enough to see that the thing wasn't official, that it had no
signatures and lacked even the name of the railroad company? I'm here
now to tell you that you've got to do some real thing, and do it
quickly. Let's go up and see the editor of _The Capital_."

"What for?" demanded Gantry.

"It is the railroad paper, and I want you to give Brinkley, the editor,
an interview to the effect that a revision of the freight rates is in
process, and that shippers having grievances should present them at
once. That will at least start the ball to rolling in the right
direction."

"I should think it would!" scoffed the traffic manager. "What you don't
know about the making of freight tariffs would sink a ship, Evan. These
things can't be done while you wait!"

"But they must be, in this instance," Blount insisted. "If you won't
withdraw the preferentials given to the corporations, you must do the
other thing. Post your legal notice of a reduction of the rates on the
commodities upon which you are now allowing rebates, and I'll fight
straight through on the line I've been taking all along."

"And if we don't?" queried Gantry.

"What is the use of making me say it for the hundredth time, Dick? If
you don't do one or the other, there will be an explosion, just as I've
told you. Of course, you know that my safe was broken open last
night--wrecked with dynamite?"

"Yes."

"Well, unluckily for you, the packet of papers which might otherwise
have been taken or destroyed, didn't happen to be in the safe. The
documents are still where they can be used at an hour's notice. A