The Argosy, March 1907 — page 39: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee fool! 7 Se ae PLACE, THE TIME, “AND. >THE MAN. He Drioke into a “Why, I am right ‘Me beaten?” contemptuous laugh. - now winning the greatest victory of my life!” But just then came pealing up from the street below the shrill voices of the _newsboys: ‘ Extraw! Extraw! Full con- firmation of Spring Creek link story! Extraw!’’ and a messenger entered the office with a telegram. Burns tore it open and gave one glance at the slip inside. It was the answer to a query he had despatched to the representative of the Pennsylvania ‘Midland at Berkely. * By Heaven ! ” he groaned, as be sank into a chair, “the report is true, and I am a ruined man!” 3 CHAPTER XIV. A SIDE-TRACK TO SENTIMENT. WHEN the stock exchange closed that afternoon one of the greatest coups in the history of Wall Street had been ef- fected. Out of the seething turmoil of the final hour it was difficult to gather any definite information, for so agitated had been the session that few houses could tell exactly where they stood. But enough was known to make certain that control of the Pennsylvania Midland had passed from the hands of Burns and his associates over to the party headed by Alton Stearns. These men were the heroes of the mo- ment. Never before, it was asserted, had a deal of such magnitude been put through so secretly or so quickly, nor had there ever been one resulting in a more complete overthrow of the oppos- ing clique. “It was a Waterloo knocked off in jig time,’ was the way one epigrammatic broker put it. “To think that they cleaned up old Sylvester Burns in a short two weeks, fooling him all thé time, and having him right where they wanted him when the trap was ready to be sprung! Why, it almost challenges be- lief !”’ There was, as has been said, no possi- ble doubt that Burns had lost his hold upon the Pennsylvania Midland, and therefore President Stonefield communi- ee cated withOat delay to the new men in the saddle that he was ready to resign. In reply, he received a message ask- ing him to arrange for a conference with a representative from among them, and consented, although he asked, since he was badly shaken by the events of the day, that the meeting take place at his house. Accordingly, by eight o’clock he was - seated in his “den” ready to receive the emissary, and with his resignation ready in his pocket. He had given orders that whoever might come should be admitted without delay, and therefore when the door opened he rose, expecting to confront Alton Stearns or some other of the men now known to have been concerned in the big enterprise. But. to his amazement the figure standing framed in the doorway was that of the man whom he had once in- sulted in that very room, and who Syl- vester Burns had that day assured him had been foully done to death. Almost believing the spectacle an ap- parition, Mr. Stonefield staggered back into his chair, his eyes like saucers, his mouth dropping open in astonishment. But Gardiner quickly canceled any doubts as to his materiality by advancing into the room and seizing the other’s hand in a cordial grip. ‘You have asked for a conference, Mr. Stonefield,” he said, ‘and our. peo- ple have therefore sent me up as the one probably best qualified to discuss present conditions and future arrangements.” ‘ But—but,” stammered the elder man, still apparently unconvinced that his eyes were not deceiving him, ‘“ Burns told me that you were dead!” “ Well, I’m not,” rejoined Gardiner ; ‘although it is no thanks to him that I’m still alive. He tried hard enough ~to put me out of the way.” ‘Then he was not insane when he made that horrible assertion to-day?” burst out Stonefield, with a shudder. ‘He was a murderer at heart, even if he was not one in deed.” ‘He is one in every sense,” returned Gardiner. “I have undeniable proofs | in my possession of his guilty complicity in no less than twelve crimes of the sort, out in the coal country; and I have small le te Yaa » sory 5 ‘ Gomie 200! Sa ed ‘Me gh ae Ss; col | es = eee ~— —— me sn -* ae te =