Show 10 41 N ir ir I 1 if ve I 1 WITH SOME RELATION D PIT WOMAN fro aff by fy nm HM T SYNOPSIS A foolish young tenderfoot become b L conics fascinated with the tha bold artful wife of 0 a drunken prospector in a n western raining town they prepare to elope in a blinding blizzard but are am confronted by the maudlin husband huband 11 he is shot by t th wita wife but the chivalrous boy bans pins 0 note nota to the body taking boke t tha crime upon himself elt in their III to the railroad station the woma wo inana as hore home falls fall exhausted the yo youth uth puts puta her on hl his own and follow hanging to th the stirrup strap seeing hei he is 1 an impediment the woman her escort into a snow drift and rides ride on half frozen he HB tumbles lu roble into the he railroad a tation just a the train bears bean the w woman oman away twenty five years later this man is a multi in n begge now ow tork he eleanor haldane a beautiful and wealthy settlement Bettt ement worker and operates operate co with tier her in her work owner of a bt 0 jahp una line and binds himself fru frustrated strat a d in pier and track extension plans b by gra grafting aldermen backed by the gotham kam T traction compa company Y an auto automobile ma bile aLC ai Ident on a christmas eye eve brancs the hot hal danes to his country home gormly makes the marooned party in a confidential talk with gormly was haldane enthuses ent huies on her settlement Bett lement work and lonka longs that he be shall benefit mankina with hla his wealth and talents ile he to do so and announces that iii 1114 will be mayor of new york ard and r redeem d in the city from corruption CHAPTER 1 T I know little about the social obligations of 0 the world to which you refer it has not been my privilege to have bavo an entrance therein merely a matter of 0 choice on your part 1 I am sure murmured JH haldane aldane deprecatingly possibly was wag the tha coot cool reply 1 1 I I have not hitherto been greatly interested ea ted in effecting an entrance within the charmed circle nor am I 1 especially ally now a saving your presence of 0 course and meaning not the slightest Itch offense in the world none whatever Is taken and I 1 pray you to proceed you interest me cia exceedingly la in my business mr haldane ani and I 1 have no doubt that the tha experience la Is your own I 1 have found that what I 1 supervise myself Is well done and what I 1 delegate to others Is frequently ill III done and sometimes not done at all the remark Is in as old as ben franklin laughed haldane IIa luane and the prin capla ta Is older still atit surely lie he went on in a great business such as aa yours Is you cant attend personally to every detail yourself 1 hy no means returned the other 1 I havo have succeeded in surrounding myself with a very capable corps ot of subordinates perhaps I 1 bad better cell them assistant who have been tried and tested and upon whom I 1 have devolved responsibilities commensurate with their capacities and from whom I 1 expect results but I 1 supervise ev cv ery cry department of the bb business siness myself I 1 am in possession of frequent reports concerning it even in its details I 1 make regular and rigid inspections in short so far as one man can do so I 1 have bavo it all in my own hands certainly in my own mind my own practise mr with my affairs which are somewhat largo large and extensive is similar to yours I 1 1 I take it ft air was the answer that we are in line with all successful men in that it irked haldane a little to be so BO calmly included in the same category with for or he had never been in trade and had acquired much ut of the old world prejudice against the keeping of a store however it was not worth quarreling about not that haldane had the slightest objections to quarreling with gormly Gor roly on the contrary he would have enjoyed it immensely and indeed intended in one way or another to do that very thing thine before he ha got through with lim dm but it would be bad policy to do it without more preparation for victory and it would bo be in execrable taste to precipitate antagonism in the enjoyment of his hospitality therefore lie swallowed hla his dislike and proceeded as follows fol lowa even the best of subordinates subordinate mako make mistakes once in a while they are no more immune irom from that was waa the swift rejoinder than the ablest of employers 0 haldane laughed it was exceedingly well done dome for the moment it even deceived his acute companion jio ile spoke with an air of the utmost frankness 1 I have no personal concern ol 01 eit course in the matter but I 1 have been greatly interested in the remarkable series of articles that have hava apt eared under your name I 1 suppose you were betrayed beti ayed into ula oils unfortunate ato position through some error op the r aart art of one of your subordinates no wd said gormly that was waa 1 mistake of my own ong one of thos thoai 3 employ crr errors to which we alluded a moment since mince it la Is like to cost yom dear I 1 fancy before you get the gorham freight traction company which I 1 bear to la an immensely Immen saly aurang financial and la is nat braly iaia jy less and inexorable in watters matters of business la is apt to exact CoMp con palanco flance pl lanco with its demands jr IT arave your warehouses warehouse as ae it wire were m lii ir 1 I 1 have never created them theia with any vy attner 61 her intent tn 11 1 I suppose in the ere ou will t nr ir medicine nie dIcine as ai the tha young men say and content yourself with your ah proclamations 1 my experience has been that publicity if coupled with surrender Is never very efficacious if I 1 should accede to the th demands of at the gotham freight traction company the fact that I 1 had bad exposed them would be of little moment oh ob then you propose to do your own freighting by wagon and give up the battle asked haldane aldano II his eager ness a little more apparent than he imagined possible 1 I have not said bald so he answered what do you propose it was ft a blunt direct question and one unwarranted by the situation well began the merchant slowly 1 I ask simply ci a citizen interested Into rested in the welfare of the community some of the backers of the gotham freight traction company are friends of mine had and from tonight I 1 shall hope to count cobit you also alco among that number explained the financier gracefully thank you returned gormly 1 1 I have bat learned that it Is not wise to say what you are going to do until you are ready to do it that it la Is much better in fact to substitute doing for saying an excellent maxim t returned the other with well simulated indifference all of your fellow citizens however will be deeply interested in the outcome 0 of the affair I 1 am an older man than you are mr gormly and may therefore take the liberty not of advising you as to the conduct of your business but ot of saying in a friendly way one or two things that occur to rue me the first Is ie that as a business man I 1 know that this pub publicity licky la Is more or less lees distasteful to you I 1 assume that it will bo be to the gotham freight traction company which I 1 believe la Is a very worthy concern desirous ot of Us its own bus business luere and exploiting 2 its own properties leB I 1 think myself viewing the situation impartially that you have been hardly dealt with I 1 dont want to seethe affair advance any farther for the me credit of 0 the community suppose we wa say five hundred thousand dollars for the connections and nothing more m a re to appese about it in the public prest Is this burst out gormly quickly vi ii this a compromise you are offe 1 I t I 1 ring ling nothing returned haldane lightly almost indifferently 1 I am at in position to offer anything As aa I 1 1 I s bidtel abed to you 1 I am a citizen who wenta to see sea this O matter rs from froia the papers bhele urh auch things are arc discussed by intemperate writers without any real leal comprehension of the ISSUM issues involved and I 1 offer as a the friend of my friends and it if I 1 may so call myself ci an aa your friend to bring you sou two te telether gether you arft are not to make such acu a certainly not was the specious answer 1 I 1 simply take ako advantage advant aso of the tha fortunato fortunate chance chanca that gives metho privilege of your acquaintance two what I 1 convolve conc olve ts bo be a most moat important public v ice arid and you have no ao personal pera onal interest in the matter 1 I have already assured you as to that 1 I will not at accept any such auch offer if it should be b made mo me by authority I 1 trill wl not pay a single cent over and above the actual cost of building the switches and a proper and reasonable amount for tho the privilege of the connection tion ot of course you must make your own decision in that case cage however I 1 fear you will never ret get the switches 1 I am quite sure aure that before I 1 got get through I 1 shall have not only the swit bes but gormly paused and lookia tits his companion hard and directly in the face but bill what said eald haldane Hal dana filc licking filching king the ashes from his cigar daintily and speculatively watching the blue curl of smoke emoke that rose languidly from its end in the tb air gormly thought quickly iio fie was not now deceived by the well assumed indifference ot of haldane lie ile was convinced that there was waa something back ot of it that the relation of Il haldane aldane to the whole affair wits was more than a mere casual one that haldane had bad not told him the plain unvarnished truth well mr haldane I 1 will be frank with you I 1 not only intend to have my track connection but I 1 intend to have the gotham freight traction company as well my dear sirl said aalde haldane gently not turning a hair before this athla astounding declaration abw you aware that tho the bonds bonda of the gotham freight traction company are two hundred and fifty million dollart dollars that stock block for twice an a much more has been issued and sold and la in already at a premium that it to Is in the enjoyment of a ninety nine year franchise with tho the privilege of renewal reng wal that its ita promoters include some gome of the ablest financiers in the city much ot of what you say bay la iq a matter of public notoriety you have given me however some information that I 1 did not possess and which is of at value said gormly quietly haldane did not acknowledge the touch though he winced inwardly at it and aad yet you speak be ba w went t a on I 1 r 7 MW gormly deliberately laid AM his hl cards on the table of controlling the company 1 I do thle this la in most interesting I 1 am curious to know how you propose to do it itt the business that you have built up la Is evidence of your capacity in that lanei kinei but you have I 1 take it never mingled in wall street never dealt on an the exchanger never 1 I mean to L fiber either how men do you expect t to 0 a obtain c control of uch such a corporation aa thin especially when it has baa back of it the city government as well as aa the th sachem society iio clety the question was one ona gormly could have declined to answer without a moments hesitation without giving nuy any offense off enaa for it was one that haldane had no right to ask aih lie thou thought glit deeply tee ply it swiftly and before he be spoke apoka HaI datie continued you are I 1 take it a wealthy nian man but no single man could command the tha resources of this corpa corporation radon that lc it no single roan man outside of those few aw who are ara in it he ha went on and it would be sheer ran madness driess for you to attempt it mr air haldane said gormly coming to another conclusion there la Is a power in this country greater reater ff than tha me money rower and what mayrbat may that be asir the power of the people in this the people are already ready on th tho ade do of fit the gotham leht traction company are aey no aay t through bleir rep reser natives they hav have voted them a iran chise under which th the line has baa beba constructed construct sd and by which it la in operated through the tha provisions of which it will be held have the people surrendered their rights righta absolutely to tho the gotham freight traction company 1 I should say that they bad are ara they delivered dellver ei bound hand and foot to this corporation well you put it rather poetically poetic all but in substance aub stanca your remark la is t true ru and have they no redress or re course T certainly and what Is that 1 I the slightest objection to telling you they can revoke tho the franchise at the expiration ot of tho the ninety rillie year term Is that all they can do absolutely all you see therefore it would bo quite hopeless for you to attempt to light fight this corporation even w with ith the all alliance ianco and support of the people which it Is by no means certain you could gain and that Is your our unprejudiced opinion it 1 is therefore I 1 urge upon you the acceptance 0 of my offer to mediate between you and them arid and you say your interest la is purely impersonal entirely 1 I am glad As I 1 said before to kaow that returned donnly Gor because I 1 should not like to find myself la in opposition to one who has anani bested such friendliness to 0 mp e an you have bavi il aldane looked up suspiciously but Gorm lya lys appear turice was absolutely guileless tor for notwithstanding what you tell me the merchant continued aall all ol of which w litch la Is doubtless doubt loaa trun true I 1 propose to enter the contest contoni with the th gotham freight traction company I 1 have hav never allowed myself to bo be robbed I 1 have never been beaten by trickery and chicanery and I 1 dont propose to bo be robbed or beaten now ruin absolute ruin is before you said the tha other earnestly it if you eu en gago gage in this contest dut but air they are trying to hold nu mo up to use a blunt phrase for a oil mil lion dollars for a thing that should not be ba worth a tenth of at that amount on tt OL liberal basis morally morals my dear mr gormly some borne how seem to have little to do with business bual you must do what the they like or ile he shrugged hla his shoulders wo we shall seo sea said gormly 1 I bo lieve though I 1 rim am not a student ol of military history that an able general la Is one who takes advantage of thi th mistakes 0 of tho the enemy and that more battles aro won by such sharp sighted endeavor than by deliberate planning but suppose you did succeed what th en gotham freight traction company T meanwhile said gormly and in this instance he be deliberately laid all his cards on oa the table 1 I propose to tc toko tako advantage of the one blunder ol of tho the gotham freight traction company and what to Is that asked hal dano with intense eagerness there was no longer the faintest pretense between these two ills ilia cards were on the table an aa well although he be had not admitted it in 0 order to make the franchise ol at tho the gotham go tham freight traction company really of value to complete the system without which it begins and ends endi in the air they must have hava the old new york street car company franchise which expires next spring it covers the only available routes an and i the only available streets to connect tho the two ends of tho the gotham enterprise somehow or other the ast assuta ute minds controlling the corporation faired to secure tho the renewal of this franchise it has ban to bra be voted upon and passed in the the present administration wi was the quick reply will be in power un ua til III the april elections the franchise franchi aa ef expires pires la in marell no re grant of it 11 could bo be inada until ther then it will be renewed before a now administration could supplant the old even it if your wild dreams were successful that la Is to be seen moon answered |