CHAPTER XXVIII
BROKEN GLASS
John Saxton was a good deal the worse for wear as he swung himself froma sleeper in the Clarkson station and bolted for a down-town car. Coalmining is a dirty business, and there are limits to the things that canbe crowded into a suit-case. He had been crawling through four-footveins of Kansas coal in the interest of the Neponset Trust Company, andhad been delayed a day longer than he had expected. He continued to bein a good deal of a hurry after he reached his office, and he kickedaside the mail which rustled under the door as he opened it, and knelthastily before the safe and began rattling the tumblers of thecombination. He pulled out a long envelope and then with more composureconsulted his watch.
It was half-past eight. He took from his memorandum calendar the leaffor the day; on it he had posted a cutting from a local newspaperannouncing the annual meeting of the stockholders of the ClarksonTraction Company. The meeting was to be held, so the notice recited,between the hours of 9 a. m. and 5 p. m. of the second Tuesday ofNovember, at the general offices of the Company in the city of Clarkson.The Exchange Building was specified, though the administrative officesof the Company were on the other side of town. Before setting forthSaxton examined his papers, which were certificates of stock in theClarkson Traction Company. They had been sent to him by a personalfriend in Boston, the trustee of an estate, with instructions toinvestigate and report. Having received them just as he was leaving forKansas, there had been no opportunity for consulting Porter or Wheaton,his usual advisers in perplexing matters. Traction stock had advancedlately, despite newspaper attacks on the company and he hoped to sellhis friend's shares to advantage.
Saxton had never been in the Exchange Building before and he poked aboutin the dark upper floors, uncertainly looking for the rooms described inthe advertisement. Another man, also peering about in the hall, ranagainst him.
"Beg pardon, but can you tell me----"
"Good morning, Mr. Saxton, are you acquainted in this rookery?" It wasFenton, who carried a brown parcel under his arm and appeared annoyed.
"No; but I'm learning," John answered. "I'm looking for the offices ofthe Traction Company. Its light seems to be hid under a bushel."
"I'm looking for it, too," said Fenton. "Some humorist seems to havechanged the numbers on this floor."
They traversed the halls of several floors in an effort to find thenumbers specified in the notice. Fenton swore in an agreeable tone andoccasionally kicked at a door in his rage. Saxton called to himpresently from a dark corner where he held up a lighted match to readthe number on the transom.
"Here's our number, but there's no name on the door."
Fenton advanced upon the door with long strides, but it did not open ashe grasped the knob. He kicked it sharply, but there was still noresponse from within.
"What time is it, Saxton?" he asked over his shoulder, without abatinghis pounding or knocking.
Saxton stepped back and peered into his watch.
"Five minutes of nine." He was aware now that something important was inprogress. He did not know Fenton well, but he knew that he was theattorney for Porter and the Clarkson National, and that he was a seriouscharacter who did not beat on doors unless he had business on theinside. Fenton now called out loudly, demanding admission. There was alow sound of voices and a sharp noise of chairs being pushed over anuncarpeted floor within; but the knob which Fenton still held and shookdid not turn.
On the inside of the door Timothy Margrave and Horton, the president,Barnes, the secretary, and Percival, the treasurer of the ClarksonTraction Company, were holding the annual meeting of that corporation,in conformity with its articles of association, and according to theduly advertised notice as required by the statutes in such cases madeand provided. They had, however, anticipated the hour slightly; but thiswas not, Margrave said, an important matter. His notions of the properway of holding business meetings were based on his long experience inmanaging ward primaries.
Horton, the president, called the meeting to order. "Well, boys," saidMargrave, "there ain't any use waiting on the other fellows. Business isbusiness and we might as well get through with it."
"Shall we hear the report of the secretary and treasurer?" thepresident asked Margrave deferentially.
"I move that we pass that," said Margrave. He was smoothing out thecertificates of his shares on the table. "I move that we proceed at onceto the election of officers of the company. Is the door locked?"
"Sure," said Barnes, the secretary, but he went over and tried it. "Iguess Porter ain't coming," he said in a tone of regret that wasintended to be facetious, "and he must have forgotten to send proxies."
"I vote twenty-five hundred and ninety-seven shares of the common stockof this company; you gentlemen haven't more than that, have you?" Thefact was that the three officers present owned only one share each astheir strict legal qualification for holding office.
"I think the minutes ought to show," said the secretary, "that thesewere the only shares represented, and that due advertisement waspublished according to law, but that owing to the loss of the stockregister, written notice to individual stockholders was given only tosuch holders of certificates as disclosed themselves."
"That's all right," said Margrave. "You fix it up, Barnes, and you'dbetter get Congreve to see that it's done with the legal frills."Congreve was the local counsel of Margrave's railroad, and was a manthat could be trusted.
"I move," said Barnes, "that we proceed to the election of officers forthe ensuing year."
"And I move," said Percival, "that the secretary be instructed to castthe ballot of the stockholders for Timothy Margrave for president."
"Consent," exclaimed Barnes, hurriedly.
Steps could be heard in the outer hall, and Margrave looked at hiswatch.
"I move that we adjourn to meet at my office at two o'clock, to concludethe election of officers."
Some one was shaking the outside door.
"Can't we finish now?" asked Horton, who had been promised thevice-presidency. He and the other officers were afraid of Margrave, andwere reluctant to have their own elections deferred even for a fewhours.
There was another knock at the door.
"At two o'clock," said Margrave decisively, as the knocking at the doorwas renewed. He gathered up his certificates and prepared to leave.
Saxton, standing with Fenton in the dark hall, referred to his watchagain.
"Shall we go in?" he asked.
The lawyer dropped the knob of the door and drew back out of the way.
"It's too bad it's glass," said Saxton, setting his shoulder against thewooden frame over the lock. The lock held, but the door bent away fromit. He braced his feet and drove his shoulder harder into the corner, atthe same time pressing his hip against the lock. It refused to yield,but the glass cracked, and finally half of it fell with a crash to thefloor within.
"Don't hurry yourselves, gentlemen," said Fenton, coolly, speakingthrough the ragged edges of broken glass. Saxton thrust his hand in tothe catch and opened the door.
"Why, it's only Fenton," called Margrave in a pleasant tone to hisassociates, who had effected their exits safely into a rear room.
"It's only Fenton," continued the lawyer, stepping inside, "but I'llhave to trouble you to wait a few minutes."
"Oh, the meeting's adjourned, if that's what you want," said Margrave.
"That won't go down," said Fenton, placing his package on the table."You're old enough to know, Margrave, that one man can't hold astockholders' meeting behind locked doors in a pigeon roost."
"The meeting was held regular, at the hour and place advertised," saidMargrave with dignity. "A majority of the stockholders wererepresented."
"By you, I suppose," said Fenton, who had walked into the room followedby Saxton.
"By me," said Margrave. He had not taken off his overcoat and he nowbegan to button it about his portly figure.
"How many shares have you?" asked the lawyer, seating hi
mself on theedge of the table.
"I suppose you think I'm working a bluff, but I've really got the stuffthis time, Fenton. To be real decent with you I don't mind telling youthat I've got exactly twenty-five hundred and ninety-seven shares ofthis stock. I guess that's a majority all right. Now one good turndeserves another; how much has Porter got? I don't care a damn, but I'djust like to know." He stood by the table and ostentatiously played withhis certificates to make Fenton's humiliation all the keener. Margrave'sassociates stood at the back of the room and watched him admiringly.Fenton's bundle still lay on the table, and Saxton stood with his handsin his pockets watching events. There had been no chance for him toexplain to Fenton his reasons for seeking the offices of the TractionCompany and it had pleased Margrave to ignore his presence; Fenton paidno further attention to him. He wondered at Fenton's forbearance, andexpected the lawyer to demolish Margrave, but Fenton said:
"You are quite right, Margrave. I hold for Mr. Porter exactlytwenty-three hundred and fifty shares."
Margrave nodded patronizingly.
"Just a little under the mark."
"You may make that twenty-four hundred even," said Saxton, "if it willdo you any good."
"I'm still shy," said Fenton. "Our friend clearly has the advantage."
"I suppose if you'd known how near you'd come, you'd have hustled prettyhard for the others," said Margrave, sympathetically.
"Oh, I don't know!" said Fenton, with the taunting inflection whichgives slang to the phrase. He did not seem greatly disturbed. Saxtonexpected him to try to make terms; but the lawyer yawned in apreoccupied way, before he said:
"So long as the margin's so small, you'd better be decent and hold yourstockholders' meeting according to law and let us in. I'm sure Mr.Saxton and I would be of great assistance--wise counsel and all that."
Margrave laughed his horse laugh. "You're a pretty good fellow, Fenton,and I'm sorry we can't do business together."
"Oh, well, if you won't, you won't." Fenton took up his bundle andturned to the door.
"I suppose you've got large chunks of Traction bonds, too, Margrave.There's nothing like going in deep in these things."
Margrave winked.
"Bonds be damned. I've been hearing for four years that Tractionbondholders were going to tear up the earth, but I guess those oldfrosts down in New England won't foreclose on me. I'll pay 'em theirinterest as soon as I get to going and they'll think I'm hot stuff. Andsay!" he ejaculated, suddenly, "if Porter's got any of those bonds don'tyou get gay with 'em. It's a big thing for the town to have a practicalrailroad man like me running the street car lines; and if I can't make'em pay nobody can."
"You're not conceited or anything, are you, Margrave?"
"By the way, young man," said Margrave, addressing Saxton for the firsttime, "we won't charge you anything for breakage to-day, but don't letit happen again."
Margrave lingered to reassure and instruct his associates as to theadjourned meeting, and Saxton went out with Fenton.
"That was rather tame," said John, as he and Fenton reached the streettogether. "I hoped there would be some fun. These shares belong to aBoston friend and they're for sale."
"I wonder how Porter came to miss them," said Fenton, grimly. "You'dbetter keep them as souvenirs of the occasion. The engraving isn't bad.I turn up this way." They paused at the corner. He still carried hisbundle and he drew from his pocket now a number of documents in manilajackets.
"I have a little errand at the Federal Court." They stood by a letterbox and the cars of the Traction Company wheezed and clanged up VarneyStreet past them.
"The fact is," he said, "that Mr. Porter owns all of the bonds of theTraction Company."
Saxton nodded. He understood now why the stockholders' meeting had notdisturbed Fenton.
"This is an ugly mess," the lawyer continued. "It would have suited mebetter to control the company through the stock so long as we had somuch, but we didn't quite make it. You're friendly to Mr. Porter, aren'tyou?"
"Yes; I don't know how he feels toward me--"
"We can't ask him just now, so we'll take it for granted. The court willunquestionably appoint a receiver, independent of this morning'sproceedings, and if you don't mind, I'll ask to have you put intemporarily, or until we can learn Mr. Porter's wishes."
"But--there are other and better men--"
"Very likely; but I particularly wish this."
"There's Mr. Wheaton--isn't he the natural man--in the bank and allthat?" urged Saxton.
"Mr. Wheaton has a very exacting position and it would be unfair to addto his duties," said the lawyer. "Will you keep where I can find you therest of the day?"
"Yes," said John; "I'll be at my office as soon as I hit a tub and abreakfast. But you can do better," he called after Fenton, who waswalking rapidly toward the post-office building.
Wheaton sat at his desk all the morning hoping that Fenton would drop into give him the result of the Traction meeting; but the lawyer did notappear at the bank. He concluded that there was little chance oflearning of the outcome of the meeting until he saw the afternoonpapers. A dumb terror possessed him as he reflected upon the events ofthe past day. It might be that the shares which Margrave had forced fromhim would carry the balance of power. He felt keenly the ignominy of hisinterview of the night before at the bank; he was sure that if he coulddo it over again he would eject Margrave and dare him to do his worst.
He could dramatize himself into a very heroic figure in combatingMargrave. If only Margrave had not seen Snyder! It was long ago that heand his brother had made acquaintance with crime: that was the merestslip; it was his only error. It had been kind of William Wheaton to takethe full burden of that theft upon himself; yet he thought withrepugnance of his brother's long career of crime; he detested theweakness of a man who chose crime and squalor as his portion. He talkedto customers and did his detail work as usual, and went out for luncheonto a near-by restaurant, as he had done when he was a clerk, making lackof time an excuse for not going to The Bachelors' or the club. He felt asudden impulse to keep very much to himself, as if security lay in doingso. His confidence returned as he reviewed his relations with TimothyMargrave. He would demand the two certificates of Margrave whether theyhad been used against Porter or not.
Having reached this decision by the time he came in from luncheon hewent to the telephone and called Evelyn to ask her how her father wasand to report his delivery of the papers in her father's box to Mr.Fenton, as instructed. Evelyn spoke hopefully of her father's illness;there were no unfavorable symptoms, and everything pointed to hisrecovery. It was very sweet to hear her voice in this way; and he wentto his desk comforted.
The Main Chance Page 28
