aid Hinckley.

"He calculates," said Jim, "that if he begins operations, he can have
receiverships and things of that kind in his interest, and in that way
swipe the salvage. On the other hand, he must know that his loss would
be proportioned to ours, and would be great. He's sore, and that counts
for something. I figure that the chances are seven out of ten that he'll
do it--and that's too strong a game for us to go up against."

"What would be the worst that could happen if he began proceedings?"
said I.

"The worst," answered Jim laconically. "I don't say, you know," he went
on after a pause, "that Cornish hasn't some reason for his position.
From a cur's standpoint he's entirely right. We didn't anticipate the
big way in which things have worked out here, nor how deep our roots
would strike; and we did intend to cash in when the wave came. And a cur
can't understand our position in the light of these developments. He
can't see that in view of the number of people sucked down with her when
a great ship like ours sinks, nobody but a murderer would needlessly see
her wrecked. What he proposes is to scuttle her. Sell to him! I'd as
soon sell Vassar College to Brigham Young!"

This tragic humorousness had the double effect of showing us the
dilemma, and taking the edge off the horror of it.

"If it were my case," said Harper, "I'd call him. I don't believe he'll
smash things; but you fellows know each other best, and I'm here to give
what aid and comfort I can, and not to direct. I accept your judgment as
to the danger. Now let's do business. I've got to get back to Chicago by
the next train, and I want to go feeling that my stock in the Grain Belt
Trust Company is an asset and not a liability. Let's do business."

"As for going back on the next train," said Mr. Elkins, "you've got
another guess coming: this one was wrong. As for doing business, the
first thing in my opinion is to examine the items of this bill of
larceny, and see about scaling them down."

"We might be able," said I, "to turn over properties instead of cash,
for some of it."

Elkins appointed Harper and Hinckley to do the negotiating with
Cornish. It was clear, he said, that neither he nor I was the proper
person to act. They soon went out on their mission and left me with Jim.

"Do you see what a snowfall we've had?" he asked. "It fell deeper and
deeper, until I thought it would never stop. No such sleighing for
years. And funny as it may see