or me from New York, and this
time the explanations had to be very full, for "Standard Oil" had an
impression that while my general plan might be meritorious, it was
possible that I had the details "skewed." However, I satisfied them as
to the facts and then hurried back to tackle my own problem, for these
individual engagements I handled myself, using my own personal resources
to take care of them. The emergency that had developed thus suddenly was
so serious as to be alarming, and it devolved on me to act, and at
once. Blows in finance are like those at sea--the most dangerous are the
quick-come-quick-go kind. I recalled one I had run into a short time
before on my sailing yacht. We were broad-reaching down the New England
coast, close in, with a 20-knot sou'wester blowing. Suddenly, without
apparent reason, my skipper put the wheel hard down and brought the
craft up standing. A second later a "twister" from the hills hit us, and
adroitly he headed her into it.

"How in the world did you know that was coming?" I asked.

"I smelt her, sir," the old sea-dog replied, "just smelt her."

For those unacquainted with the freaky ways of our New England coast
winds it may be explained that when a "twister" off the hills gets ready
to do business in a 20-knot sou'wester it sends no messenger boys ahead
to distribute its itinerary handbills. You hear one shriek and the blow
is upon you; and woe betide the unthinking skipper who attempts holding
his craft to her course or paying her off till she catches it full. He
is likely to have mourners at home if a married man, and "cussing"
owners if the craft is not his own. As my old sea-dog afterward wisely
observed: "When you smell a land 'twister,' act first and think
atterwards, or your widow 'ill get blear-eyed watching for you to make
harbor."

In the stock-market it was decidedly a case of "act first and think
atterwards." The "twister" was a fierce one, for not only were my stocks
assailed, but the rumor machines were turning out all sorts of yarns
affecting my credit, as the knowledge gradually filtered through the
market that my loans had been called. My stocks broke badly, and when
the market closed it really seemed as though I might have to verify the
report that they would wind me up the next day.

It was at this particular stage that the Bay State was let into the
deal. I had a long consultation with Addicks that night and showed him
my hand. He agreed that with what I