ys have never seen
me."

"Then you want to turn me down?"

"Not exactly, but I am opposed to that meeting."

"Then we are through talking. I will take you to the five-ten train, or,
if you want to, I will have my chauffeur drive you to the city."

"Let's talk it over."

"No."

"How about having six of the Big Boys there?"

"No! All on my list or none."

"Your list?"

"Certainly! I am not sure that it is absolutely correct, but it
satisfies me."

"Let me see it."

"No reason why you should not."

The Old Man took the paper that was handed to him. It was no casual
glance, he gave the names. At last he handed it back to the little man
with the casual comment:

"I suppose that is not all you know about my organization?"

"I suppose not. Why not be sensible about this, Mr. Consuelo? If we
fight, we will simply kill each other, but if we become allies who can
stop us? But I must be sure of you, and the only way I can be sure is to
have you talk to your men, and then let me talk to them. We can have the
meeting at night in my offices, you know where, top floor of the Empire
Trust. No one need be any the wiser. Half an hour, and all the men can
go back with the money in their pockets and the orders in their brains."

"O.K. When shall we meet?"

"A month from today at ten P.M."

"Good. I'll give the orders, but I want the money, the fifty million. It
is not much, but part of it will help keep the Big Boys in line. Some of
them won't like the idea very much."

"A little cash will influence them. Now, how about taking you back to
the city?"

* * * * *

Winifred Willowby made preparations for entertaining his one hundred
guests. His largest office was transformed into an assembly room. Its
inch-thick carpets, overstuffed chairs and mahogany trimmings gave it an
air of luxuriant comfort. There were special chairs for the Big Boys and
two very special chairs for the Old Man and the Host of the evening. A
large picture frame, hanging on one wall, and carefully covered, gave a
hint as to part of the evening's ceremony.

The Empire Trust belonged to Willowby. He had built it so that he could
have a private office on the top floor, the sixty-third from the ground.
The elevator reached this floor, but there were no steps. Many buildings
surpassed it in height, but none in the view that it gave of the city.
The guests who arrived first commented on the view and expanded their
che