his backers were clinging to the
edges of the pit with ruin staring them in the face, and Fitz was
sailing over the crater thousands of dollars ahead of his obligations.

* * * * *

The following morning another visitor--a well-dressed man with a
diamond pin in his scarf--walked up and down Fitz's office awaiting
his arrival--a short, thick-set, large-paunched man with a heavy jaw,
a straight line of a mouth, two little restless eyes wobbling about in
a pulp of wrinkles, flabby cheeks, a nose that was too small for the
area it failed to ornament, and a gray stubbly beard shaven so
closely at its edges that it looked as if its owner might either wear
it on his chin or put it in his pocket at his pleasure.

"Down yet?" asked the visitor in a quick, impatient voice.

"Not yet, Mr. Klutchem. Take a seat." Then the clerk passed his hand
over his face to straighten out a rebellious smile and hid his head in
the ledger.

"I'll wait," retorted the banker, and stepping inside Fitz's private
office he settled himself in a chair, legs apart, hands clasped across
his girth.

Fitz entered with an air that would have carried comfort to the
Colonel's soul--with a spring, a breeze, a lightness; a being at peace
with all the world; and best of all with a self-satisfied repose that
was in absolute contrast to the nervousness of the day before.

"Who?" he asked of his clerk.

"Klutchem."

"Where?"

The clerk pointed to the office door.

Fitz's face straightened out and grew suddenly grave, but he stepped
briskly into his sanctum and faced his enemy.

"Well, what is it, Mr. Klutchem?"

Before his visitor opened his mouth, Fitz saw that the fight was all
out of the Head Centre of Consolidated Smelting. A nervous,
conciliatory smile started from the line of Klutchem's mouth, wrinkled
the flesh of his face as far as his cheeks, and died out again.

"We got hit pretty bad yesterday, Fitzpatrick, and I thought we might
as well talk it over and see if we couldn't straighten out the
market."

"Then it isn't about Colonel Carter?" said Fitz coldly.

He had all the Consolidated he wanted and didn't see where Klutchem
could be of the slightest use in straightening out anything.

"I'll attend to him later," replied Klutchem, and a curious expression
overspread his face. "You heard about it, then?"

"Heard about it! I bailed him out. If you wanted to lock anybody up
why didn't you get after some o