“Well, Johnson,” said he, ignoring the incident as closed, “what can I do for you to-day?”
“Nothing!” snapped Johnson. “I have forgotten what I came for!” and going out he slammed the door behind him.
In the course of an hour Bobby was through with his morning allotment of mail and his daily consultation with Jolter, and then he called Johnson to his office.
“Johnson,” said he, “I want you to do me a favor. There is one block of Brightlight stock that I have not yet bought up. It is in the hands of J. W. Williams, one of the old Stone crowd, who ought to be wanting money by this time. He holds one hundred shares, which you should be able to buy by now at fifty dollars a share. I want you to buy this stock in your own name, and I want to loan you five thousand dollars to do it with. I merely want voting power; so after you get it you may hold it if you like and still owe me the five thousand dollars, or I’ll take it off your hands at any time you are tired of the obligation. You’d better go to Barrister and have him buy the stock for you.”
“Yes, sir,” said Johnson.
Bobby immediately went to De Graff.
“I came to subscribe for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of additional stock in the New Brightlight. I have just deposited two hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars in your bank.”
“You’re becoming an expert,” said De Graff with a quizzical smile. “With the million dollars’ valuation at which we are to buy in the present Brightlight, the two hundred and fifty thousand subscribed for by Dan Elliston, and the ten thousand held by Miss Elliston, this new subscription about gives you control of the New Brightlight, don’t it?”
“That’s what I want,” Bobby exulted. “You don’t object, do you?”
“Not on my own account,” De Graff assured him; “but you’d better have Barrister buy this in for you until we are organized. Then you can take it over.”