t you see the beauty of it?"

The president wheeled short on Tom.

"What you may think you are extorting, my dear boy, you are going to get
through sheer good-will and a desire to give your father every chance in
the world," he said blandly. "We discussed the plan of electing him
vice-president, with power to act, before we left home, but there seemed
to be some objections. We are willing to give him full control--and this
altogether apart from any foolish threats you have seen fit to make.
Bring your legal counsel to Room 327 after breakfast and we will go
through the formalities. Are you satisfied?"

"I shall be a lot better satisfied after the fact," said Tom bluntly;
and he turned away to avoid meeting Major Dabney and the ladies, who
were coming from the elevator to join the two early risers. He had seen
next to nothing of Ardea during the three Boston years, and would
willingly have seen more. But the new manhood was warning him that time
was short, and that he must not mix business with sentiment. So Ardea
saw nothing but his back, which, curiously enough, she failed to
recognize.

Picking up his cab at the curb, Tom had himself driven quickly to the
office of the corporation lawyer whose name he had obtained from Mr.
Clarkson the day before, and with whom he had made a wire appointment
before leaving Boston. The attorney was waiting for him, and Tom stated
the case succinctly, adding a brief of the interview which had just
taken place at the hotel.

"You say they agreed to your proposal?" observed the lawyer. "Did Mr.
Farley indicate the method?"

"No."

"Have you a copy of the by-laws of your company?"

Tom produced the packet of papers received that morning from his father,
and handed the required pamphlet to Mr. Croswell.

"H'm--ha! the usual form. A stock-holders' meeting, with a resolution,
would be the simplest way out of it; but that can't be held without the
published call. You say your father is a stock-holder?"

"He has four hundred and three of the original one thousand shares. I
hold his proxy."

The attorney smiled shrewdly.

"You are a very remarkable young man. You seem to have come prepared at
all points. I assume that you are acting under your father's
instructions?"

"Why, with his approval, of course," Tom amended. "But it is my own
initiative, under the advice of a good friend of mine in Boston, thus
far. Oh, I know what I'm about," he added, in answer to the latent
question