wheel," Pat added, calmly.

The other was white with rage. He cast his cigarette upon the floor
and ground it under his heel. His lips worked and twisted in a vicious
snarl. Carrigan observed him unmoved; and Bryant had turned his head
about to see.

"You grafters, you infernal thieves, you pair of rotten crooks!" he
shouted, shooting murderous glances from one to the other. "You've
'framed' me! Arranged it between you. Been waiting for me to come back
so you could spring your game! If there's any law in this state, I'll
have you both where you belong for deliberately wrecking this
company--in a cell!"

His raving outburst continued for a while in this strain. His voice
had the high and squealing pitch of a wild pig caught fast by a foot;
on his pink, fleshy face, now distended with anger, was a look, too,
of porcine hate and fury. The cynical and patronizing manner he
usually affected had dropped off, leaving revealed his actual coarse,
spiteful, greedy, craven spirit--a creature of infinite meanness. At
length, however, Gretzinger's torrent of abuse diminished until it
ended in a last muddy dripping of threats and curses. With an effort
he strove to pull himself together and assume a composure his eyes
belied, while he lighted another of his offensive Turkish cigarettes.

After a time he said shortly:

"You can't bluff me. When you fellows get down to my figures, then
we'll do business."

"Look out! Your coat is scorching--or is it only that tobacco?" Bryant
rejoined.

Gretzinger stepped hastily aside and felt behind him, where his hand
moved about on the hot cloth fabric with searching movements. The
solicitude for his garment thus quickened seemed to effect the final
dispersion of his inward heat.

"Well, are we going to get together on an arrangement?" he questioned,
when assured his coat was uninjured.

"I stated my terms--fifty thousand," Lee said. "That or nothing."

"You won't get it."

"Then there's the alternative of the bondholders putting up money
enough to finish the work."

"That, neither."

"All right, Gretzinger," Bryant stated, rising. "You have an idea that
I'll give in----"

"Yes, I have. You'll grab this ten thousand I offer, grab it quick by
to-morrow night, which is the limit I set for it to remain open. I've
seen men before in a tight hole who swore they wouldn't take the terms
handed them, but they always did in the end, and so will you. Only a
fool wouldn't. And I fancy Carr