attend the plans of the Terminal Hotel Company; in fact, it seemed to court publicity-and, since Johnny Gamble was known and liked by a host of newspaper men, it received plenty of

n the morning he found Johnny immer

attorney to wind up the Gamble-Collaton Irrig

im without looking up from a glowing a

you-and I couldn't afford it, for this is my busy day. I want you to understand thi

ollaton Irrigation Company. Listen to this, Loring: 'Surmounting the twentieth story of the magnificen

voice of Loring. He was dictating to his stenographer a much more comprehensive agreement th

n and reading gleefully from another paper: "'A subway en

, putting on his hat. "G

e painfully absorbed in the news of the project. Gresham, for one, read the account with contracted brows at

in another hotel prop

he word," returned Courtn

ed?" asked Gresham with a trac

ter is out of my hands. I am taking some stock in it, of course; but I have nothing to

ted Gresham. "O

tive that Courtney was

against Gamble?" he qu

red him. "Anyhow, you have sold him

urtney, ready, in view of his recent experiences

idered. "It forms its own security; but still, any one holding a private cl

He was able to show me an extremely clean bill of health. The only drawback I could find in his

Fourth National Bank?"

e fifteen thousand dollars this morning, as per agreement. I w

does not like to mix in these affairs; but you and my father were friends and, though

rned to the server marked 'no funds'; but that this morning the executor of Mr. Gamble's interests in the Gamble-Collaton Irrigation Company deposited fifteen thousand dollars for the specific purpose of meeting this attachment. Mr. Close informs me that, though he could not, of course, guarantee Mr. Gamble's solvency, he

d him with such heartiness as he could assume. "I am delighted to le

u hear the rumor?" inquir

forgotten," Gr

things if one repeats such r

ollaton; and that featureless young man, whose lack of visible eyebrows and lashes

apartments. "Of course Jacobs gets five thousand for engineering the deal, but that give

my foot in it by having a man with whom Gamble is doing business inquire about hi

ollaton. "I hope he mak

sham. "Did you read th

cing and base-

hotel proposition on-and I want it stopped. Can you get anot

about him furtively. "It's easy en

to me. I will not counten

r money I am supposed to

suppo

l's court, have the summons served and confess judgment. Johnny is sucker enough to confess judgment, too, rather than r

ons out there were spread over ten thousand acres of ground; and it would take a dozen experts six months, wi

in the actual work out there. I believe I was a sucker at that, Gresham. If I had buckled do

him with that attachment, but he insisted on clinging to his Johnny Gamble; so we'll hand

. "If you wanted to soak him for this fifty t

"I've explained that to you before. I want Gamble broke, discredited,

red Collaton. "He must be winn

none of your concern!" G

llaton a trifle sullenly. "I'll fa

hing to do with any crooked work,

n. "You give me the cramps. Yo