"Well," he said, "if you can stick them for any I don't see why you
can't for a lot. I've just four thousand shares left, and you might as
well run them all in on the old man."
The widow laughed with malicious glee.
"I don't know," she replied, "how this will turn out, but if I wasn't
going to get a cent from it, I'd try it just for the sake of getting
even with Al Irons."
"Oh, its your opportunity," he said, with agile change of base, "and as
for getting ahead of him, I'm blessed if I wouldn't bet on you every
time. Seven thousand shares isn't much for a house like theirs. We put
the stock at ten dollars on purpose so folks could handle a lot of it
and talk big without having much money in. Come, you just clear out the
whole thing for me, and I'll let you have it at two and a half, just
for your good looks."
"Thank you for nothing," was the reply of the redoubtable widow. "I
took the trouble to find out the market price on my way down here and
anybody can buy plenty of it for two and an eighth, without being good
looking at all."
Erastus chuckled, rubbing his fat hands together in delighted
appreciation of his companion's wit.
"Come," he pleaded, "when you get to making eyes at that clerk, he'll
buy anything you offer, no matter what Irons told him. I wouldn't give
much for the man that would let a little memorandum stand in the way of
obliging a lady.
Pages:
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364