Mr. Weddell’s face froze solid. He feared an application for a position.
“Ye-es?” he said. His voice matched his face in frigidity.
“Mr. Weddell,” said the young clerk, looking straight into the old banker’s eyes, “you in common with other honest men have been wishing you could prevent Mr. Greener from wrecking the Iowa Midland. Now, Mr. Weddell,” he went on, eagerly, as the enthusiasm of the plan grew upon him, “I know all about Mr. Greener’s plans and resources and I want you to help me fight him. If you do we will win, sure.”
“How will you go about it?” asked the old banker, evasively. He was not certain this was not some trick of the versatile Mr. John F. Greener.
“Mr. Greener,” answered young Rock, “has not control of the property. He has only 110,600 shares. I had access to the books, and I know to a share.”
“I don’t wish you to betray an employer’s secrets, even though he may be my enemy. I do not care to hear any more.” He was an old-fashioned banker, was Mr. Weddell.
“I am not betraying any secrets. He himself said he had over 100,000 shares, and all the reporters jumped at the conclusion that he had actually a controlling interest. And that is what he will have, unless you help me. I have proxies here for 28,300 shares from trust companies and commission houses. My plan is to get all the proxies I can from the anti-Greener and the anti-Willetts stockholders. Then we can make Mr. Willetts give us pledges in black and white to inaugurate the much-needed reforms and stop his policy of extravagance and his costly traffic arrangements. Willetts will do it to save himself and the road from falling into Greener’s hands. But there’s no time to lose, Mr. Weddell.” The excitement of the game he was playing stimulated him like wine.
“And you?” queried the old banker, meaningly. “Where do you come in?” The insinuation was his last weapon. The young man’s was really the only feasible plan that he could see.
“I? It might be, Mr. Weddell, that after the election I could be appointed assistant secretary of the company, as an evidence of good faith on the part of the reform management. I can keep tabs on them and represent the Weddell-Hopkins interest. The salary,” he added, with truly artistic significance, “could be $5,000 a year. I have been getting just one-half that.” His salary was exactly $1,600; but why minimize one’s commercial value?
The old banker walked up and down....