d rather not have anything to
do with it myself."

Bromfield rose, pulled on the glove he had removed, nodded good-bye
without offering to shake hands, and sauntered out of the office.
There was a look on his face the mining man did not like. It occurred
to Whitford that Clarendon, now stripped of self-respect by the
knowledge of the regard in which they held him, was in a position to
strike back hard if he cared to do so. The right to vote the proxies
of the small stockholders of the Bird Cage Company had been made out in
his name at the request of the president of the corporation.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

A CONVERSATION ABOUT STOCK

The case against Durand was pigeon-holed by the district attorney
without much regret. All through the underworld where his influence
had been strong, it was known that Jerry had begged off. He was
discredited among his following and was politically a down-and-outer.
But he knew too much to permit him to be dragged into court safely.
With his back to the wall he might tell of many shady transactions
implicating prominent people. There were strong influences which did
not want him pressed too hard. The charge remained on the docket, but
it was set back from term to term and never brought to trial.

Colin Whitford found his attention pretty fully absorbed by his own
affairs. Bromfield had opened a fight against him for control of the
Bird Cage Company. The mine had been developed by the Coloradoan from
an unlikely prospect into a well-paying concern. It was the big
business venture of his life and he took a strong personal interest in
running it. Now, because of Bromfield's intention to use for his own
advantage the proxies made out in his name, he was likely to lose
control. With Bromfield in charge the property might be wrecked before
he could be ousted.

"Dad's worrying," Beatrice told Lindsay. "He's afraid he'll lose
control of the mine. There's a fight on against him."

"What for? I thought yore father was a mighty competent operator.
Don't the stockholders know when they're well off?"

She looked at him enigmatically. "Some one he trusted has turned out a
traitor. That happens occasionally in business, you know."

It was from Colin himself that Clay learned the name of the traitor.

"It's that fellow Bromfield," he explained. "He's the secretary and
second largest stockholder in the company. The annual election is to
be to-morrow afternoon. He's got me whe