eanor displayed a little uncertainty; he had rather
expected suppliants. He knew what a nasty blow had been dealt these men
the day before.

"Probably not," assented Davis. "You expected that after Stone & Adams
yanked the gangplank out from under us yesterday we would put in at
least one day tearing around to other banking firms, trying to place our
bonds."

"Why--why--Well, if Stone & Adams--You naturally wouldn't take the
verdict of one banking-house on a matter of bonds, would you?"

"Look here, Colonel Dodd, we understand you--clear way down to the
ground--and we may as well save wear on our tongues. And first of all
we have come right here to save shoe-leather. We have come straight to
headquarters. Do you suppose we're going to gallop around this city to
bankers after the word has gone out about us? Not much! We are here in
the captain's office, and you can't fool us about that."

"I never heard such--" the colonel began to sputter.

"I know you never did--and it's getting your goat," asserted the blunt
countryman. "We've got a plain and pertinent question to put to you--do
you intend to ram us to the wall in our water deal?"

The head of the state's water trust simulated anger perfectly, even if
he didn't feel it. And there was astonishment in his anger.

"What have I to do with your dealings with bankers?" he demanded.
"Probably your plant isn't up to pitch."

"That talk doesn't go with us, not for a minute, Colonel Dodd," shouted
the undaunted Davis. "You're talking to business men, not to children.
We offered to leave the matter of our plan to any three engineers in
this state. Why is it that Stone & Adams refuse to take the word of
anybody except your man, Snell?"

"They probably want the word of the best consulting-engineer in the
state."

"But he's your man."

"He is our man because he is the best. We hire him for our work. But we
do not control his opinions when he is consulted by others. Oh no! And I
want to tell you, my men, that I refuse to listen to any more such talk
from you."

"Then call in one of your political policemen and have us put out,"
invited the unterrified Davis.

"Build your plant right and your bonds will sell. Our bonds sell when
Mr. Snell reports on our plants."

"We'll save our strength in the matter of building plants and running
around trying to place bonds with brokers who have been tipped off by
the money trust of this state. We propose to get it straight from