esses."

Heinzman reached his hands for the papers, beaming over his glasses at
the two young men.

As he read, however, his smile vanished, and he looked up sharply.

"Vat is this?" he inquired, a new crispness in his voice. "You tolt me,"
he accused Orde, "dot you were not brepared to break out the rollways.
You tolt me you would egspect me to do that for myself."

"Certainly," agreed Orde.

"Vell, why do you put in this?" demanded Heinzman, reading from the
paper in his hand. "'In case said rollways belonging to said parties
of the second part are not broken out by the time the drive has reached
them, and in case on demand said parties of the second part do refuse
or do not exercise due diligence in breaking out said rollways, the said
parties of the first part shall themselves break out said rollways, and
the said parties of the second part do hereby agree to reimburse said
parties of the first part at the rate of a dollar per thousand board
feet.'"

"That is merely to protect ourselves," struck in Newmark.

"But," exploded Heinzman, his face purpling, "a dollar a tousand is
absurd!"

"Of course it is," agreed Newmark. "We expect it to be. But also we
expect you to break out your own rollways in time. It is intended as a
penalty in case you don't."

"I vill not stand for such foolishness," pounded Heinzman on the arm of
his chair.

"Very well," said Newmark crisply, reaching for the contract.

But Heinzman clung to it.

"It is absurd," he repeated in a milder tone. "See, I vill strike it
out." He did so with a few dashes of the pen.

"We have no intention," stated Newmark with decision, "of giving you the
chance to hang up our drive."

Heinzman caught his breath like a child about to cry out.

"So that is what you think!" he shouted at them. "That's the sort of
men you think we are! I'll show you you cannot come into honest men's
offices to insoolt them by such insinuations!" He tore the contract in
pieces and threw it in the waste basket. "Get oudt of here!" he cried.

Newmark arose as dry and precise as ever. Orde was going red and white
by turns, and his hands twitched.

"Then I understand you to refuse our offer?" asked Newmark coolly.

"Refuse! Yes! You and your whole kapoodle!" yelled Heinzman.

He hopped down and followed them to the grill door, repeating over and
over that he had been insulted. The clerks stared in amazement.

Once at the foot of the dark stairs and in the open stree