mall one."

"In funding?" says I.

"It might very well come under that head," says he. "Ever do much with
municipal franchises,--trolleys, lighting, that sort of thing?"

"Nope," says I; "nor racin' tips, church fair chances, or Danish lottery
tickets. We don't even back new movie concerns."

That gets a twinkle out of his restless eyes. "I don't blame you in the
least," says he. "I suppose there are more worthless franchises hawked
around New York than you could stuff into a moving van. That's what
makes it so difficult to get action on any real, gilt-edged
propositions."

"Such as you've got in your inside pocket eh?" says I.

"Precisely," says he. "Mine are the worthwhile kind. Of course
franchises are common enough. It's no trick at all to go into the
average Rube village, 'steen miles from a railroad, and get 'em thrilled
with the notion of being connected by trolley with Jaytown, umpteen
miles south. Why, they'll hand you anything in sight! A deaf-mute could
go out and get that sort of franchise. But to prospect through the whole
cotton belt, locate opportunities where the dividends will follow the
rails, pick out the cream of them all, get in right with the board of
trade, fix things up with a suspicious town council, stall off the local
capitalist who would like to hog all the profits himself, and set the
real estate operators working for you tooth and nail--well, that is
legitimate promoting; my brand, if you will permit me."

"Maybe," says I. "But the Corrugated don't----"

"I understand," breaks in Mr. Dorsett. "Quite right too. But here I
produce the personal equation. For five weary weeks I've skittered about
this city, carrying around with me half a dozen of the ripest, richest
franchise propositions ever matured. Bona-fide prospects, mind you,
communities just yearning for transportation facilities, with tentative
stock subscriptions running as high as two hundred thousand in some
cases. They're schemes I've nursed from the seed up, as you might say.
I've laid all the underground wires, seen all the officials that need
seeing, planned for every right of way. Six splendid opportunities that
may be coined into cash simply by pressing the button! And the nearest I
can get to any man with real money to invest is a two-minute interview
in a reception room with some clerk. All because I lack someone to take
me into a private office and remark casually: 'Mr. So-and-So, here's my
friend Dorsett, who's br