his regrets.

"By the way," he added, "how soon will you need me again?"

"Not before a week, at least," Sharpe replied.

"Very well, then," said Bobby; "I'll be back a week from to-day."

Immediately upon his arrival down-town he telegraphed the joyous news
to Jack Starlett, in Washington, to prepare for an old-fashioned
loafing bee.

CHAPTER XV

A STRANGE CONNECTION DEVELOPS BETWEEN ELECTRICITY AND POLITICS

Chalmers, during Bobby's absence, secured all the secret information
that he could concerning the Brightlight Electric, but nothing to its
detriment transpired in that investigation, and when he returned,
Bobby, very sensibly as he thought, completed his investment. He paid
his two hundred and fifty thousand dollars into the coffers of the
company, and, at the first stock-holders' meeting, voting this stock
and the ten shares he had bought from Sharpe at a hundred and
seventy-two, he elected his own board of directors, consisting of
Chalmers, Johnson, Applerod, Biff Bates and himself, giving one share
of stock to each of the other four gentlemen so that they would be
eligible. The remaining two members whom he allowed to be elected were
Sharpe and J. W. Williams, and the board of directors promptly elected
Bobby president and treasurer, Johnson secretary and Chalmers
vice-president--a result which gave Bobby great satisfaction. Once he
had been frozen out of a stock company; this time he had absolute
control, and he found great pleasure in exercising it, though against
Chalmers' protest. With swelling triumph he voted to himself, through
his "dummy" directors, the salary of the former president--twelve
thousand dollars a year--though he wondered a trifle that President
Eastman submitted to his retirement with such equanimity, and after he
walked away from that meeting he considered his business career as
accomplished. He was settled for life if he wished to remain in the
business, the salary added to the dividends on two hundred and sixty
thousand dollars worth of stock bringing his own individual income up
to a quite respectable figure. If there were no further revenue to be
derived from the estate of John Burnit, he felt that he had a very
fair prospect in life, indeed, and could, no doubt, make his way very
nicely.

He had been unfortunate enough to find Agnes Elliston "not at home"
upon the two occasions when he had called since their disagreement
upon the subject of the Sharpes, but now he