Influenced by Pierce, who was sure he had Hal beaten, the committee
insisted on an immediate reply to their ultimatum.

"You go up against this bunch," advised Stensland, "and it's dollars to
doughnuts the receiver'll have your 'Clarion' inside of six months."

Hal leaned indolently against the door. "Speaking of dollars and
doughnuts," he said, "I'd like to tell you gentlemen a little story. You
all know who Babson is, the biggest stock-market advertiser in the
country. Well, Babson's vanity is to be a great man outside of his own
line. He owns a big country place down East, near the old town of
Singatuck; one of the oldest towns on the coast. Babson is as new as
Singatuck is old. The people didn't care much about his patronizing
ways. Nevertheless, he kept doing things to 'brace the town up,' as he
put it. The town needed it. It was about bankrupt. The fire department
was a joke, the waterworks a farce, and the town hall a ruin. Babson
thought this gave him a chance to put his name on the map. So he said to
his local factotum, 'You go down to the meeting of the selectmen next
week, shake a bagful of dollars in front of those old doughnuts, and
make 'em this proposition: I'll give five thousand dollars to the fire
department, establish a water system, rebuild the town hall, pay off the
town debt and put ten thousand dollars into the treasury if they'll
change the name of the town from Singatuck to Babson.'

"The factotum went to the meeting and presented the proposition. Now
Singatuck is proud of its age and character with a local pride that is
quite beyond the Babson dollars or the Babson type of imagination. His
proposition aroused no debate. There was a long silence. Then an old
moss-farmer who hadn't had money enough to buy himself a new tooth for
twenty years arose and said: 'I move you, Mister Chairman, that this
body thank Mr. Babson kindly for his offer and tell him to go to hell.'

"The motion was carried unanimously, and the meeting proceeded to the
consideration of other business. I cite this, gentlemen, merely as
evidence that the disparity between the dollar and the doughnut isn't as
great as some suppose."

The third member of the committee, who had thus far spoken no word,
peered curiously at Hal from above a hooked nose. He was Mintz, of
Sheffler and Mintz.

"Do I get you righd?" he observed mildly; "you're telling us to go where
the selectmen sent Misder Babson."

"Plumb," replied Hal, with his