l on Elijah with a
cunning look.

"Yes," Elijah answered briefly.

"You ain't going to swing it alone, I take it?"

"I haven't thought so far as that."

Mellin wasted no words.

"It takes time and money to get a charter just now. The less money, the
more time; the less time, the more money." He tipped Elijah a knowing
wink.

Elijah made no reply and Mellin resumed briskly.

"I've got just what you want. An omnibus charter that'll allow you to do
anything from a straight deal to skinning suckers. I had a chance to get
it cheap and I'll let you off easy."

"I don't know that I want it." Elijah spoke with deliberation; but his
mind was working rapidly.

"Better take it; I can make it worth your while--either way," he added
with a cunning leer.

Elijah felt a cold sinking of the heart. His chickens were coming home
to roost sooner than he had expected. He recognized the fact that his
note to the Las Cruces, secured by his interest in the company, was in
the nature of a forced loan, after all; that it would sooner or later
compel him to answer some ugly questions to some men in an ugly mood.
The iron-gray face of Seymour rose uppermost in his mind.

"What do you want for your charter?" He steadied his voice with an
effort.

"I'm not going to squeeze you, just because I've got you cinched. That
isn't T. J. Mellin, Esq. 'Live and let live'; that's my motto; only live
well while you're at it. We're a long time dead."

"What do you want for your charter?" Elijah repeated.

"Well," Mellin looked meditatively at the burning end of his cigar which
he turned toward himself,--"I'm in need of a little cash just now. A
matter of five thousand. One hundred thousand on time, in addition, will
do."

"You won't get it. I'm not obliged to take your charter." Elijah's jaws
snapped together, his eyes were narrowed to a slit.

"Just as you say, Berl. There are worse places than San Quentin. You and
I would be taken care of there, at no expense to ourselves."

The state penitentiary had never seemed a reality to Elijah before. His
face paled. Mellin noted the look with evident satisfaction.

"It's nothing to get white over. There's a heap more money near the
doors of San Quentin than anywhere else. The closer the doors, the
larger the heap. It takes a little more courage to grab it and run,
that's all. I've tried it before."

"Will you take the one hundred thousand in stock?"

"That would be easy; too easy for me. No