hing and laughing behind
her. No one could be offended at the Colonel.

As for Bates, they still managed to pay his salary, and he appeared to
be very busy--also, at times, very drunk. However, he kept away from
them for the most part, for which they were duly grateful.

Each night Barrifield had some one in view who would certainly come to
the rescue on the morrow. Each night it was a different one. The rescuer
of the night before had just invested his capital, was just about to do
so, or had just lost largely on some former investment. Rushly of the
"Home," and President Bright of Bright & Sons' Stellar, were both
enthusiastic over the opportunity, and would certainly mention it to
their friends. For themselves, it was, unfortunately, out of the
question for the present. Rushly had purchased stock in his own paper.
President Bright, in conjunction with his sons, had made large
additions to their factory, etc. Truly, capital _was_ timid--unusually
so.

Still Barrifield did not despair wholly. He gave a dinner, at last, to a
number of men who were believed to have more or less capital at their
command. At this dinner he set forth his plan in the most magnetic
manner and glowing terms. His speech made a decided sensation. Almost to
a man his guests declared it a good thing. One of them, the next
morning, more conscientious than the others,--a noble spirit, in
fact,--sent in his check for ten dollars--the first assessment on a
single share.

And so the weeks dragged on. Subsequent rounds of the first issue were
handled with no appreciable difficulty by the Colonel and his two
assistants, and "the first round of the second issue" they managed to
obtain from the printers in fairly decent season. But the third number
dragged--dragged horribly--dragged until those who had subscribed began
to write letters of inquiry that were not always polite. The "man with
his sleeves rolled up" came to the rescue at last on this issue. He let
them have it without the check. He even delivered the papers to the
post-office for them, and advanced the postage from his own purse.

Matters being now sufficiently desperate, Perner urged daily that they
turn their subscriptions over to some other publication to fill, and
quit, short off. He was getting frightfully pinched for means, and the
others, except Barrifield, no less so. Barrifield still had his salary.
To be sure, they now had time in which to do some outside work, but the
market ha