Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

and was patronized by the freight-handlers and grain-shovelers. Then there was Stein- er, up on Main Street. ‘‘ Smokey Joe ” was an Italian who catered almost exclusively to his fellow countrymen. He was third on the list. Foster and Ryan kept cafes in the southern portion of the town. Fin knew that if he could persuade Peters that the proposition was good and get him to invest, the rest would be easy. But Peters wasn’t simple. It had to be a proposition with a foundation before he would even listen. Once in his place, Fin got right down to business. He explained the proposed corporation in a minimum of words. His most forceful argument came Jast. “You fellahs ll get your’ booze at cos’ plus one-sixth, which ’l} be my end. An’ if we get more’n you fellahs can use, an’ sell it t? some other birds, it goes wit’ a good profit, unnerstand, an’ we splits the gravy.” It listened good to Peters. He knew Fm never double-crossed a friend; ‘that his word was as good as cash. There were a few fine points on which he asked enlighten- ment, and here McMann came in handy. He could juggle the law until it sounded fine. Even Fim admitted that. They secured Peters’s pledge to come into the closed corporation. With his sayso the rest was easy. He promised to invest five thousand dollars. And ali he really ex- pected was to get his booze at cost plus one-sixth, and to rake off a profit on any sold outside the firm. Already he was dreaming daydreams of a stream of ferry- boats running from the Canadian side to the American shore, each laden deeply with contraband liquor. From the convinctng~ ness of Fin—he knew Fin—and McMann’s legal phrases it wasn’t difficult to vision that. At the other places it took less time. Two chosen said it would take them several days to raise the five thousand dollars if cash. But at six o’clock, when Fin and McMann parted, they had secured in pledges twenty-five thousand dollars, each of which was as good as in the bank. ‘ Now, Larry, beat it down t’ Albany t’- morrow an’ get them papers started right, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Don’t lose no time. Get ’em while th’ gettin’s good.” ‘But what is going to be the name of the firm?’ asked the lawyer. Quick as a flash came the answer. ‘ J. Barleycorn, ’Corporated.” “ Holy smoke!” ejaculated McMann. ‘ But what th’ devil will the declared basi- ness of J. Barleycorn, Incorporated, be? You know ’’—and he mopped his forehead, where the nn surprise was standing i drops—“ you know it’s necessary to state what sort of busmess a firm intends to engage in.” ‘‘ Importers,” returned Fin without a smile. “ Tha’s goin’ t’ be our business, ain’t it? Whether we import somethin’ tha’s got duty on it, ’r whether we bring in somethin’ wit’out duty, tha’s our busi- ness, ain't it?” McMann laughed and stuck out his hand. “Fin, you get the decoration,” as he started for home for a late, cold dinner. And a call-down from Mrs, Larry. When McMann returned from the capital he had the papers of incorporation with him. They showed that several persons whom Fin had never heard of were incor- porated under the business name of “ J. Barleycorn, Inc.’”’ The purpose of the firm was to deal in dry-goods and other imports. McMann had a sense of humor himself. The directors named were quite used to having. their names bandied about at the capital and other places by the lawyer. They included the two office boys, a couple of ,stenographers, and the janitor of the building. A meeting of the board of directors was immediately called. It didn’t matter that they were not present. In fact, they didn’t even know the meeting was scheduled. First off, Fin was elected president and treasurer. McMann said he was elected. Then Fin, as the chief executive of the con- cern, retained McMann as legal adviser to the corporation. Then twenty-five thou- sand shares of stock, par one dollar, were transferred from the treasury to individual members of the Big Five. They received four thousand shares each. Fin took a like comnnicdofolks Ll (COUNT