world to see.

He at last broke the spell. "Lawson, you're a queer chap; but we are all
queer, for that matter, and we must work along those lines we each think
best. I once stood, just as you do now, in front of a man whom I looked
up to as all that was wisest and best. He made an earnest effort to
induce me to choose the ministry for my life-work, but I chose dollars
instead, and I sometimes wonder if I chose wisely; but, as I said, we
all must select our pack and, as we are the ones who must carry it, I
suppose no one else should complain."

After a moment's pause I shot ahead into business again as though we had
never left it. It took me but a short time to arrange the details of our
trade. The Bay State of Delaware was to buy all of Mr. Rogers' Boston
investments and to pay for the same $4,500,000--$1,500,000 in six
months, $1,000,000 in a year, the balance in a year and a half, with
interest at five per cent.; the Bay State was to put up, as a pledge of
good faith, $1,500,000 new Boston bonds; and as soon as such deposit was
made, Mr. Rogers was to transfer his securities and corporation to us. I
was to go to Philadelphia that night and arrange all details with
Addicks and report the following day.

It was 10.30 o'clock when I left 26 East 57th Street. I hurried down to
the Brunswick, where I had time only to shift my clothes and catch the
"midnight" for Philadelphia. After breakfast next morning I tackled
Addicks. It goes without saying that I was a cyclone of enthusiasm as I
minutely ran through what I had done, beginning with my letter to Rogers
and finishing up with my visit of the night before. I omitted not the
slightest detail, and when I wound up with my request that Addicks get
the lawyers together and prepare the necessary documents for the
turnover of the bonds and acceptance of Rogers' properties, I felt that
my share in the Boston gas war was almost ended.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE DUPLICITY OF ADDICKS

Addicks looked at me in a cool, aggravating way, as though my enthusiasm
was a joke.

"Lawson, you have done a big thing, a big thing, but you put up too many
bonds, altogether too many. It looks to me as though that old trickster
had got the best of us at last."

By this time I had learned all the moods of this man and knew that when
he assumed that air of cold, saturnine jocularity it was safe to look
for the uncovering of some vaporized trickery. My enthusiasm oozed. I
hastened to ask: