Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 94: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

84 their insured value. Option to run for six months.”’ ; “Say that all over again,” the old man nearly screamed, Seq WILLIAMS repeated his statement, Wes and the old man to think, to ~~“ look fora trap. This looked too good to be true, but, then, Williams always was a fool, and, if he wanted to tie up his inheri- tance in ships, that was his lookout. There was no way Sila’s could be cheated if he watched out. “Looks to me like a temporary drop, that’s all,” he said oilily. “It wouldn't sur- prize me a bit to see freights take a big jump pretty soon, Who left you the money?” “None of your bally business,” snarled Williams. “And you can’t fool me about freights going up. Me and my partner want seven steamers. If you won’t sell at the price I mentioned—the option is because my money may be six months before getting through the court—I can easily get some one who will. Now, what are you going to do?” “Price is all nght if the form is.” Silas spoke hastily. It would never do to let this golden oppor- tunity get away from him. Williams gave him one of Smith’s printed forms, and the old man read and reread it carefully. “That’s all right and regular. You must be buying from more than me to go to the expense of getting these special forms printed. But I ought to get more than the insured value.” *You can either take what I offered or keep your ships,’ Williams retorted, deter- mined to keep Silas down to the price, although the agreement with Smith per- mitted him a fairly wide margin above it. And finally Silas agreed, very inquisitive about the Smith party and the source of the inheritance—a curiosity Williams did not satisfy. And finally the captain left the city without troubling to see the woman he had once adored and unaware that she had waited for him every day after her husband had told her about his wonderful change in condition and circumstance. He left without being troubled by the Board of Trade, feeling sorry for Silas. Asamatter of fact, he was doing too well to hate any- body, for a telegram from Smith in London Adventure he had eaten in such places began on solid food. And the wine flowed very freely, “T can get you more options yet,”’ prom- ‘sed Williams, ears “Excellent, my dear friend, excellent. Do you want the money now or when you deliver?” “Lord,” Williams grinned expansively, some Curious intuition making him pretend that the wine had affected him more than it really had, “Lord, I can trust you. We are all in the same boat, aren’t we?” Smith smiled as one knowing himself to be sober smiles at one he imagines to be drunk. “Yes,” he murmured, “all in the same boat, my dear Williams, but we didn’t all get into the boat the same way, did we?” Williams laughed fatuously. Then, his voice rather hoarse: “No, we did not. You know how [ got in. How did you—pier-head jump or first- class passenger?” It was hardly a polite question, not a politely worded question, but Smith merely looked at the bottle and smiled again. “As if you didn’t know?” he suggested. “Oh,” Williams felt very much as when he first talked to the scorpion—as if he were trying to find his way in the dark. “Oh, I suppose you were born that way?” It was a silly remark, but Smith glanced at him keenly— “Think so?” he asked shortly. “Know it, just as I know that I wasn’t.” “You're a clever man,’’ Smith com- plimented. ‘Far more so than even I at first believed?’ He spoke thoughtfully. “But we are the best of friends and can trust one another. Tell me, how did you find out that Sylvester was buying options— Gib’s a queer place, in a way, for that. And how did you discover who is to be the final buyer—who are the firm, eh?” comi chooks.com