ce
that memorable morning when he had received word that his balance was in
the red. If he was given a confidential discount upon machinery for
which he charged the company full price, was he not entitled to the
difference? If he received a modest revenue from his manipulation of the
commissary, and the hospital contract contributed its mite, was it not
all in the game? Wasn't it done every day by men in similar positions
and as honest as himself? It was legitimate enough, certainly, and, if
he did not mention it, it was because it was his own affair.

The longer and harder Symes walked the floor the more he realized that
payday must be met. Labor was not an account which could wait. Nothing
would so arouse suspicion and hurt his credit as a dilatory payday.
Local merchants would come down upon him like a thousand of brick for
the settlement of the large accounts which at the present moment they
were rather proud of his owing.

The impression was general that the affairs of the Symes Irrigation
Company were entirely satisfactory, and Symes's credit had only been
limited by the local merchants' own credit.

Heretofore the treasury had been replenished through the activities of
Mudge, but it was now disturbingly low and payday was close, while
instead of the expected check from the promoter came his disquieting
letter.

"Mudge is losin' his grip; he's gettin' timid," Symes thought irritably.
"I may have to go back myself and raise the wind." His success with J.
Collins Prescott had given him added confidence in his abilities along
this line.

The estate which Prescott represented were now the largest bondholders
and at the time of the purchase Symes had chortled--

"If we can just get this crowd in deep enough they won't dare lay down
if we get in a hole. They've got to see the proposition through to save
themselves."

"Yes," Mudge had agreed doubtfully, "but you gotta be careful." And
added in the tone of a specialist in the delicate art of handling
capital: "You can't force or crowd 'em, for once they get their necks
bowed they'd sooner drop their pile than give an inch."

The question which Symes was now trying to decide was whether it was
better to meet payday with his own money and trust Mudge to raise
sufficient to reimburse him and meet the next payday or to bare the
situation to the stock and bondholders and make an imperative demand for
funds.

In the end Symes's own money met the payroll, and the sen