“There’s the option,” he said, passing over a paper, “and I see now how you double-crossed my father. So you don’t need to sign unless you want to.”
“Why–er–what’s that?” exclaimed Blount, coming out of his abstraction as Wiley slapped down the bundle of certificates.
“I see by these endorsements,” replied Wiley, 115“that you sold out before the panic and bought in all this stock afterwards.”
Blount started and a red line mounted up to his eyes as he hastily glanced over the option.
“Well, I’ll sign it,” he mumbled, and reached for the pen, but Wiley checked his hand.
“No, you ring for a notary,” he said. “I want that signature acknowledged.”
The notary came and ran perfunctorily through his formula, after which he left them alone.
“Now here’s the bond and lease,” went on Wiley curtly, “so bring on your Board of Directors and let’s get this business over. By rights I ought to kill you.”
There was a special meeting then of the Board of Directors of The Paymaster Mining and Milling Company, and when the bond and lease was properly drawn up, they signed it and had it witnessed. Then once more the tense silence came over the room and Wiley rose to go.
“Well,” he said, “I’ve been waiting for ten years just to get these papers in my hands. And now, you danged crook, just to hit you where you live, I’m going to make a fortune.”