t's some of my partner's,
Grigsby's, stock. I suppose he couldn't stand the push."

Once more the president listened. Only an ex-wrestler in the wheat pit
could have picked intelligence out of the Babel of puts and calls.

"It's up to a hundred and fifty!" he exploded. "What did you pay for
your shares, Mr. Ford?"

"Twenty," said Ford coolly.

"Good Heavens! I--I hope you hold a safe majority?"

"No; we broke even, Grigsby and I. I have fifty per cent."

The president groaned.

"I--I'll excuse you, Mr. Ford. Get down there at once and buy that other
necessary share!"

Ford shook his head with predetermined gloom. "No, Mr. Colbrith, I'm not
buying any more mining stock. What I did buy seems to have cost me my
job."

"But, my dear young man! This is a crisis. You are likely to lose
control of your property! Or, at least, it is soaring to a point at
which you will never be able to secure the control."

Ford came up smiling. "You forget that this is mere mad excitement, Mr.
Colbrith," he said, handing back the President's own phrase. "To-morrow,
I dare say, I shall be able to buy at twenty again."

The president came away from the window and sat down. His face was
twitching and the thin white hands were tremulous.

"There may be more in this gold discovery than I have been willing to
admit," he said abstractedly, "and in that case ... Mr. Ford, upon what
terms will you consent to go on and whip this line of ours into shape?"

Ford came out of the fog of discouragement with a bound.

"A complete change in the management of the Pacific Southwestern, Mr.
Colbrith. North and his grafters must go."

The President did not fly into wrathful shards, as Ford fully expected.
On the contrary, he was fingering the white goat's-beard with one
nervous hand, and apparently listening half-absently to the clamor in
the street.

"Don't be unreasonable, Mr. Ford," he said quite mildly. "You know we
can't consider anything like that at the present moment."

"It must be considered," Ford persisted. "Ever since I quit being a
division superintendent, North has obstructed, lied about me, fought me.
The time has come when, if I stay, I must have a free hand. I can't have
it while he is out of jail."

"That is strong language to apply to our first vice-president, Mr. Ford.
And I can only believe that you are prejudiced--unduly prejudiced. But
all this may be taken up later. As you suggest, we may be losing very
precious time.