lities. Mr. McKenty, now that the matter had been
called to his attention, was interested to learn about this gas
situation from all sides--whether it might not be more profitable to
deal with the Schryhart end of the argument, and so on. But his
eventual conclusion was that Cowperwood's plan, as he had outlined it,
was the most feasible for political purposes, largely because the
Schryhart faction, not being in a position where they needed to ask the
city council for anything at present, were so obtuse as to forget to
make overtures of any kind to the bucaneering forces at the City Hall.

When Cowperwood next came to McKenty's house the latter was in a
receptive frame of mind. "Well," he said, after a few genial
preliminary remarks, "I've been learning what's going on. Your
proposition is fair enough. Organize your company, and arrange your
plan conditionally. Then introduce your ordinance, and we'll see what
can be done." They went into a long, intimate discussion as to how the
forthcoming stock should be divided, how it was to be held in escrow by
a favorite bank of Mr. McKenty's until the terms of the agreement under
the eventual affiliation with the old companies or the new union
company should be fulfilled, and details of that sort. It was rather a
complicated arrangement, not as satisfactory to Cowperwood as it might
have been, but satisfactory in that it permitted him to win. It
required the undivided services of General Van Sickle, Henry De Soto
Sippens, Kent Barrows McKibben, and Alderman Dowling for some little
time. But finally all was in readiness for the coup.

On a certain Monday night, therefore, following the Thursday on which,
according to the rules of the city council, an ordinance of this
character would have to be introduced, the plan, after being publicly
broached but this very little while, was quickly considered by the city
council and passed. There had been really no time for public
discussion. This was just the thing, of course, that Cowperwood and
McKenty were trying to avoid. On the day following the particular
Thursday on which the ordinance had been broached in council as certain
to be brought up for passage, Schryhart, through his lawyers and the
officers of the old individual gas companies, had run to the newspapers
and denounced the whole thing as plain robbery; but what were they to
do? There was so little time for agitation. True the newspapers,
obedient to this larger fi