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For Stener, Strobik, Wycroft, Harmon and himself he executed the North Pennsylvania deal, by which he became a holder of a fifth of the controlling stock. Together he and Stener joined to purchase the Seventeenth and Nineteenth Street line and in the concurrent gambling in stocks.
And he, shaken and sick, yet because of the faint suggestion of mercy involved somewhere in Mollenhauer's remarks, now slipped from his chair to his knees and folded his hands in the uplifted attitude of a devotee before a sacred image. "Oh, Mr. Mollenhauer," he choked, beginning to cry, "I didn't mean to do anything wrong. Strobik and Wycroft told me it was all right.
In fact, for some years previous to this, various agents had already been employed Edward Strobik, president of council, Asa Conklin, the then incumbent of the mayor's chair, Thomas Wycroft, alderman, Jacob Harmon, alderman, and others to organize dummy companies under various names, whose business it was to deal in those things which the city needed lumber, stone, steel, iron, cement a long list and of course, always at a fat profit to those ultimately behind the dummy companies, so organized.
Tighe & Co. would manage the "'change" subtleties of this without giving any one else a chance to bid, while at the same time making it appear an open-market transaction. At the same time Sengstack went carefully into the state of the treasurer's office for his master's benefit finding out what it was that Strobik, Wycroft, and Harmon had been doing with their loans.
His markedly ornamental shoes were always polished to perfection, and his immaculate appearance gave him the nickname of "The Dude" among some. Nevertheless he was quite able on a small scale, and was well liked by many. His two closest associates, Messrs. Thomas Wycroft and Jacob Harmon, were rather less attractive and less brilliant.
In this connection, the scheme which George W. Stener had brought forward, representing actually in the background Strobik, Wycroft, and Harmon, was an opening wedge for himself. Cowperwood in return for his manipulative skill was to have a fair proportion of the stock twenty per cent. Strobik and Wycroft knew the parties from whom the bulk of the stock could be secured if engineered properly.
He and Wycroft and Harmon had also been using money out of the treasury much smaller sums, of course, for they had not Cowperwood's financial imagination and were disturbed as to how they would return what they owed before the storm broke. If Cowperwood failed, and Stener was short in his accounts, the whole budget might be investigated, and then their loans would be brought to light.
It did not concern Stener that Strobik, Harmon, and Wycroft, acting for Mollenhauer, were incidentally planning to use a little of the money loaned for purposes quite outside those indicated. It was his business to loan it. However, to be going on. It was also made perfectly plain to him, that once he was well in office a little money for himself was to be made.
Neither Strobik, Harmon, nor Wycroft knew how the certificates of city loan, which were worth only ninety on the open market, were to be made to sell for one hundred on 'change, but Mollenhauer's secretary, one Abner Sengstack, had suggested to Strobik that, since Butler was dealing with young Cowperwood and Mollenhauer did not care particularly for his private broker in this instance, it might be as well to try Cowperwood.
It will cost considerable more to extend the line. It's too much, I think." Cowperwood was thinking how easy it would be to combine this line with his dreamed-of Seventeenth and Nineteenth Street line, and after a time and with this in view he added: "Say, George, why do you work all your schemes through Strobik and Harmon and Wycroft?
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