Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

THE BIG IDEA. world’s greatest city were sitting now. In the dim light he could see the little spots of color that marked them. The great, crowded auditorium awed him a little; and he felt, too, a curious exaltation that he should be there—Jimmy Rand, of the Fallon Brothers Mine, a part of all this splendor. He wished Anne could be with him, or could see him there, in his black evening clothes sitting between these two dainty girls. It seemed to symbolize success to Jimmy. He was a success; he was going up the ladder—making himself into some- body. He was conscious of a vague pride in what he had achieved already, and he would have liked Anne to have seen this tangible evidence of it, so that she might be proud, too. It never occurred to Jimmy that the sight of him at that moment would have caused Anne any pain. Her letters to him had always been so tenderly proud of his great accomplishments. She was always so inter- ested and pleased at his accounts of the things he did. When he had seen her the last time, hardly a month before, Jimmy had not noticed, nor would he have understood, the new, wistful look that was in her eyes when she had told him timidly that he was “ srowing up into a—a real gentleman.” Nor did he ever know that she cried over many of his letters before she sat down bravely to answer them. Jimmy would have liked Anne to have seen him this night at the opera. He wrote her a glowing account of it the very next day. And little Anne replied that she was very glad, and proud of him; and in a postscript added simply: “I got the story of ‘La Bohéme’ out of the library, and I read it, and I like it very much.” The pathos of which was entirely lost to Jimmy. In the office the following Monday morn- ing George Cooper came to Jimmy in great excitement. “You were right to be afraid of this guy, Hope,” he announced without preface. “I just found out—dquite by accident—he’s bought himself a coal property up near Scranton.” 45 &e What—’”’ “Yes. I don’t know what it means, either. Maybe nothing. He’s got a right to buy himself anything he pleases, I sup- pose. But it looks suspicious. What does he want with it? From what I could learn, it’s just the sort of place for your plan, too. Not a going coal mine; just a farm with abandoned borings on it. It looks Suspicious, doesn’t it?” Jimmy agreed anxiously that it did. ‘We'd better see Mr. Wentworth right away, George.” ‘““He’s away,” said the office manager. ‘“ He won’t be back till Tuesday. We'll see him Wednesday or Thursday; we're all ready. Have you got that last analysis? Was it the same as the other?” Jimmy nodded. ‘Then we'll see him sure next week.” Luck was with Cooper and Jimmy that morning, although they didn’t realize it then. Isaac Merkle happened to stroll past them at that moment. A sudden thought came to the office manager. ‘There’s Isaac Merkle, Jimmy. He’s a chemist. Let’s put him on this. He may be able to advise us on something we’ve overlooked. It can’t hurt anything now. Wait, Vl call him over.” 7 In spite of Jimmy’s protest Cooper sum- moned Merkle. The little chemist sat down at the desk with them, and the office manager started to tell him Jimmy’s idea. Mr. Merkle swallowed hard, with his eyes nearly popping from his head. ‘Then he abruptly interrupted Mr. Cooper and began a series of swift questions, which threw both Jimmy and the office manager into utter confusion. “Wait,” said Mr. Merkle, when finally George demanded an explanation. ‘ What was it the date when Mr. Rand came here?”’ The office manager consulted a little card-file on his desk. ‘ He started work on April 18—the next day after he first came in.” | Mr. Merkle glanced at his little pocket note-book. Then without preamble or hesi- tation, and with direct words unusual to him, he told them all about his connection with Mr. Leffingwell Hope concerning this same idea. cComicloook CO©