rts too much," he went on, "but I truly believe that inside
another thirty days the Sound crowd would have been ready to cash in at
fifty, in spite of that minority bunch that was hollering for par. That
was only a big yawp from a few folks."

"Fifty was a fair price in view of what's ahead in the way of
competition, but we have made it a five-eighths proposition in order to
clinch the deal promptly. I just sent one of our boys around with the
check."

Mr. Fogg beamed. He used his purple handkerchief on his cheeks once
more. He allowed to himself a few words of praise: "They'll understand
some day that I saved 'em from a bigger bump. But it's hard to show some
people."

"Now, Mr. Fogg, we come to the matter of the Vose line. What's the
outlook?"

Mr. Fogg looked sad. "After weeks of chasing 'em, I can only say that
they're ugly and stubborn, simply blind to their best interests."

"Insist on par, do they?"

"Worse than that. Old Vose and his sons and those old hornbeam
directors--retired sea-captains, you know, as hard as old turtles--they
have taken a stand against consolidation. They belong in the dark ages
of business. Old Vose had the impudence to tell me that forming this
steamboat combine was a crime, and that he wouldn't be a party to a
betrayal of the public. He won't come in; he won't sell; he's going to
compete."

Mr. Marston stroked his strip of beard. "In order for our stock to be
what we intend it to be, the Paramount Coast Transportation has got
to operate as a complete monopoly, as you understand, Mr. Fogg. A
beneficent monopoly--consolidation benefiting all--but nevertheless
a monopoly. With one line holding out on us, we've got only a limping
proposition."

"Exactly!"

"What are we going to do about the Vose line?"

"Let it compete, sir. We can kill it in the end."

"Possibly--probably. But that plan will not serve, Mr. Fogg."

"It's business."

"But it is not finance. I'm looking at this proposition solely as a
financier, Mr. Fogg. I hardly know one end of a steamboat from the
other. I'm not interested in rate-cutting problems. I don't know how
long it would take to put the Vose line under. But I do know this, as a
financier, handling a big deal, that the Paramount stock will not appeal
to investors or the bonds to banks unless we can launch our project as
a clean, perfect combination, every transportation charter locked up.
I handle money, and I know all of money's timidity and all o