willing for us to get together,
would pave the way for a meeting. These letters I sent by my secretary,
Mr. Vinal, to Mr. Rogers at Fairhaven. My readers, in weighing this odd
correspondence, must bear in mind what the relations between Mr. Rogers
and myself had been. We had vilified each other in every imaginable way,
and I knew, or at least I thought I did, that the "Standard Oil" magnate
would not hesitate to use any written communication of mine that he
could lay hold of to bring about a split between Addicks and myself. I
had good evidence that he believed that in such a rupture lay his only
chance of bringing home the quieting blow he had been trying to inflict
on us. Letter I. read as follows:

HENRY H. ROGERS, Fairhaven, Mass.

_Dear Sir_: My secretary, Mr. Vinal, will hand you this
letter. If after reading it you are desirous of further
communication with me, he has instructions, after you have
returned this one to him, sealed in the enclosed envelope,
to hand you another, which if after reading you return to
him in another enclosed envelope, he will bring to me with
whatever verbal answer you may care to send.

My secretary knows nothing more of his errand or the
contents of either letter. He can, therefore, give you no
further information. If you do not call for the second
letter, I will consider you do not care to pursue the
subject further, which will lead me to notify you that the
Boston gas war will end in a most sensational way next
Wednesday.

Believe me, sir,
Yours respectfully,
(Signed) THOMAS W. LAWSON.

Upon his return from Fairhaven Mr. Vinal informed me that Mr. Rogers,
after reading this letter twice, folded and placed it in the envelope I
had sent and handed it without comment to him, whereupon my secretary
delivered to him letter II., which was a type-written communication on a
plain bit of paper, addressed to no one, signed by no one, and bearing
no marks to identify the sender:

There is a gas war now existing. Upon one side is the
"Standard Oil." Upon the other the Addicks Bay State
companies.

After a fight has been begun there are but four things
possible:

"Standard Oil" can sell out to the Bay State.

The Bay State can sell out to the "Standard Oil."

They can come together by consolidation; or

They can continue fighting unti