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"Am I to infer, Prenter, that you are going to follow your occasional tactics and try to laugh me out of my decision as president of the company?" "Oh, nothing of the sort, I assure you," hastily protested the treasurer. But he found chance to drive another wink Tom Reade's way. The young chief engineer could not but feel that an ally had suddenly come his way.
"I've just been informed that the bail bond was signed by Mr. Bascomb, president of the Melliston Company." "Well, of all the crazy notions!" gasped Mr. Prenter. "But there! I won't say more. Bascomb is a queer fellow in some things, but he's a good fellow in lots of things, and a square, honest man in all things. If he signed Evarts's bond, there was a reason, and not a dishonest one."
"The expense is a good deal less than having the wall damaged by more explosions," said Prenter, rather sharply. "Reade, how long would it take you to get an electric light service going?" "It ought not to take more than three or four days, sir, if we can pick up a suitable dynamo in Mobile. But there's another point to be considered.
If Prenter came out against me, and persuaded the other directors that I was a bad asset for the company, they'd act on Prenter's suggestion and remove me from the presidency." "Humph!" jeered Evarts. "Then what would your directors do if they knew that ." "Stop!" begged Mr. Bascomb hoarsely, "Don't say a word further, man! Sometimes even the leaves on the trees have ears.
At the little landing Hazelton and Mr. Prenter joined the waiting president and superintendent. "Did you really find out anything?" called Mr. Bascomb eagerly. "It's as big a mystery as ever." "There's just one thing we'll have to do," sighed Mr. Bascomb, "and that will be to stop running the camp on a basis of old Puritan laws." "You talk Reade into it, if you can," chuckled Treasurer Prenter.
"As long as the unknown enemy feels that he can harass us without much risk of being caught red-handed, just so long will he go on with his outrages -unless we give in." "Give in?" asked Mr. Prenter, with a rising inflection in his voice. "Unless we give in," supplied Tom promptly, "by allowing gambling and rum-selling to go on openly in our camp of workmen."
He has all the men by their ears, and the camp in open mutiny." "So?" asked Mr. Prenter, looking astonished. "Exactly, and therefore I have called upon the young man to resign." "And he refuses?" queried the treasurer. "Most astounding obstinacy on the part of so young a man when dealing with his elder." "I'll try to explain to you, Mr.
Prenter, with a spring, placed himself at Tom Reade's side. "Come on, men!" yelled the sallow-faced fellow. "Run dem w'ite slave-drivers outah camp!" yelled a score of negroes. Yells in Italian and Portuguese also filled the air. In an instant it was plain that Tom Reade had stirred up more than a hornet's nest. "Come on, Harry," spoke Tom, firmly. "Let's run this pair out of camp.
"Then you were near us, Mr. Prenter, when Evarts and the negro charged us?" Tom inquired. "I was," smiled the treasurer. "That convicts me of cowardice, doesn't it, in not having come to your aid at the moment of attack? I wasn't quite as big a coward as I would seem, though. The truth is, I was behind you.
But Bascomb isn't the majority stockholder nor the whole board of directors, so I'll just drop this hint: When Bascomb talks of resignations don't attach too serious importance to it until you receive a resolution endorsing the same view and passed by the board of directors of the company." "Thank you. I have no intention of resigning," smiled Tom. "Now, let's go on," continued Mr. Prenter. Mr.
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