“I wanted to give you one final chance to repent. I know your plan. You have it in your power to smash the Cardigan Redwood Lumber Company, acquire it at fifty per cent. of its value, and merge its assets with your Laguna Grande Lumber Company. You are an ambitious man. You want to be the greatest redwood manufacturer in California, and in order to achieve your ambitions, you are willing to ruin a competitor: you decline to play the game like a thoroughbred.”
“I play the game of business according to the rules of the game; I do nothing illegal, sir.”
“And nothing generous or chivalrous. Colonel, you know your plea of a shortage of rolling-stock is that the contract for hauling our logs has been very profitable and will be more profitable in the future if you will accept a fifty-cent-per-thousand increase on the freight-rate and renew the contract for ten years.”
“Nothing doing, young man. Remember, you are not in a position to ask favours.”
“Then I suppose we'll have to go down fighting?”
“I do not anticipate much of a fight.”
“You'll get as much as I can give you.”
“I'm not at all apprehensive.”
“And I'll begin by running your woods-boss out of the country.”
“Ah-h!”