The little lady was opening and shutting her fan slowly. "What was your contract?" she inquired innocently.
"If I thought you didn't know, I'd go a long time without telling you," he said bluntly. "But you do know. It's the rebate lumber rate from our mills at Twin Buttes and elsewhere, and it was given us two years ago, a few days before election."
"And the consideration?" she asked, looking up quickly.
"You know that, too, Mrs. Blount. It was the swinging of the solid employees' vote of the Twin Buttes Lumber Company over to the railroad ticket."
"And you wish to make the same arrangement again?"
"Exactly. We've got to have that preferential rate or go out of business."
"With whom did you make the contract two years ago?"
"With Mr. McVickar, verbally. Of course, there wasn't anything put down in black and white, but the railroad folks did their part and we did ours."
"I see—a gentleman's agreement," she murmured; and then: "You have tried Mr. McVickar again?"