“A friend?” said the Major. “Pshaw! A man doesn't do business with friends. And, besides, Jim Hegan probably never knew anything about it. He turned the whole matter over to some subordinate, and told him to look it up, and he'll never give another thought to it until the facts are laid upon his desk. Some one of his men set to work, and he was a little clumsy about it—that's all.”
“But why did he want to know about all my family affairs?”
“Why, he wanted to know how you were situated,” said the other—“how badly you wanted to sell the stock. So when he came to do business with you, he'd have you where he wanted you, and he'd probably get fifty per cent off the price because of it. You'll be lucky if he doesn't have a few loans called on you at your bank.”
The Major sat watching Montague, smiling at his naivete. “Where did you say this road was?” he asked. “In Mississippi?”
“Yes,” said Montague.
“I was wondering about it,” said the other. “It is not likely that it's Jim Hegan at all. I don't believe anybody could get him to take an interest in Southern railroads. He has probably mentioned it to someone else. What's your road good for, anyway?”
“We had a plan to extend it,” said Montague.
“It would take but one or two millions to carry it to the main works of the Mississippi Steel Company.”
The Major gave a start. “The Mississippi Steel Company!” he exclaimed.
“Yes,” said Montague.