The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 1 — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

138 As Finch could not seem to find words for a reply the voice went on. “We are sending the papers back to you and we are mailing a letter under separate cover giving you our precise reasons for not permitting our client to enter upon this matter.” “All right.”’ Finch slammed the re- ceiver back on the hook and regarded Preston with black countenance. “ Dished again!” he vociferated. “ By heavens, will anything ever go right?” “You knew about the cloud on the title,’ Preston reminded him. ‘I didn’t - like the idea of taking the option at all. You insisted. Now you see the results.” “Oh, you!” Finch’s voice rose to a shout. ‘ Well, what do you propose?” “Why, I suggest that we send the op- tion to Benjamin Swandorf—” ‘Swandorf!” Finch glared at the other man. ‘“ Swandorf. What do you know about *him?”’ é “ Nothing,’ was the reply, “ excepting that he took one little option from us two years ago, and seems to be in the business of putting life into defunct * properties.” Finch paused, thinking, and eventually nodded. 7 “Why, Jack,” he agreed at length, ‘there may be something in that. Don’t you remember he tried to take over the Fifty-Seventh Street block the other day. “He might be the very chap.” “ He isn’t strong on lawyers,” Preston explained. ‘He always takes care of himself, and as long as a title’s really good he doesn’t seem to care a hang about slight flaws. He lets the other people see the lawyers. And he’s proved himself right, as to that, more than once.’’ “That’s all so,” admitted Finch. “But he doesn’t pay fancy prices for anything. Still, I don’t know that we're in any situation to haggle over terms. By George! I'll call him up.” He did so and after getting Swandorf on the wire learned that this man, whose letter to Cecil Hamilton, Finch had read,~ was, quite ready to be interested. THE ARGOSY. ‘““I know the property very well,” he said, “and I think I could use it for something I have in mind, if everything is satisfactory. Say you send the papers right down to me.”’ Finch said that he would and skipped lightly from the telephone, chuckling genially. ‘Tt looks like ripe fruit, ready to fall,” he said, slapping Preston on the back. “IT am particularly anxious to get this thing across, because—because—’’ He shut his lips suddenly. There was no reason why Preston should know of the relations between Miss Hamilton and this man, Swandorf. “ Jack,” he said, “ call up Redmond & Redmond, will you? And ask them to send those papers up by messenger.” Preston, doing as he was bid, learned that the documents were already on their ‘way. There was nothing, as a conse- quence, to do but wait. Finch rather restlessly. This they did, He saved time by summoning a mes- | senger boy, and the little Mercury in blue and brass was waiting when the man from Redmond & Redmond’s office ap- peared. Finch glanced at the envelope. It was the same envelope he had enclosed with the return address of Finch & Preston. He pasted a square of paper containing the name and address of Benjamin Swan- dorf upon the face of it and handed it to the messenger, together with a dollar bill. ‘“ Boy,” he said, “I want you to burn the paths with this. Get it to Mr. Swan- dorf in jig time—and everything you can save out of the dollar is yours. Now then, off you go.”’ The boy grinned and the next instant was clattering out of the office and away on his errand with the speed of a young mustang. “TI sort of have a feeling,” remarked Finch, throwing himself into his chair, “that this is a case where we put it over. Swandorf has been pretty active in real estate of late. If he takes this aGONMMIGIOOKS (C@)