CHAPTER XIV
A DUAL QUESTION OF MATRIMONIAL ELIGIBILITY AND STOCK SUBSCRIPTION
Mr. Westlake dropped back with his old friend Stevens as they trailedinto the parlor which Blackstone had secured.
"Are you going to subscribe rather heavily in the company, Stevens?"inquired Westlake, with the curiosity of a man who likes to have hisown opinion corroborated by another man of good judgment.
"Well," replied the father of Miss Josephine, "I think of taking arather solid little block of stock. I believe I can spare twenty-fivethousand dollars to invest in almost any company Sam Turner wants tostart."
"He's a fine boy," agreed Westlake. "A square, straight young fellow,a good business man, and a hustler. I see him playing tennis with mygirl every day, and she seems to think a lot of him."
"He's bound to make his mark," Mr. Stevens acquiesced, sharplysuppressing a fool impulse to speak of his own daughter. "Do youfellows intend to let him secure control of this company?"
"I should say not!" replied Westlake, with such unnecessary emphasisthat Stevens looked at him with sudden suspicion. He knew enough aboutold Westlake to "copper" his especially emphatic statements.
"Are you agreeable to Princeman's plan to pool all stock but Turner's?"
"Well--we can talk about that later."
"Huh!" grunted Mr. Stevens, and together the two heavy-weights, Stevenswith his aggressive beard suddenly pointed a trifle more straight out,and Mr. Westlake with his placidity even more marked than usual,stalked on into the parlor, where Mr. Blackstone, taking the chair _protem_., read them the preliminary agreement he had drawn up; upon whichSam Turner immediately started to wrangle, a proceeding which provedaltogether in vain.
The best he could get for patents and promotion was two thousand out ofthe five thousand shares of common stock, and finally he gave in,knowing that he could not secure the right kind of men on better terms.Mr. Blackstone thereupon offered a subscription list, to which everyman present solemnly appended his name opposite the number of shares hewould take. Sam, at the last moment, put down his own name for a blockof stock which meant a cash investment of considerably more than he hadoriginally figured upon. He cast up the list hurriedly. Five hundredshares of preferred, carrying half that much common, were still to besubscribed. With whom could he combine to obtain control? The onlymen who had subscribed enough for that purpose were Princeman, who wasout of the question, and, in fact, would be the leader of theopposition, and Westlake. The highest of the others were Creamer,Cuthbert and Stevens. Sam would have to subscribe for the entire fivehundred in order to make these men available to him.
McComas and Blackstone had only subscribed for the same amount as Sam.They could do him no good, and he knew it was hopeless to attempt toget two men to join with him. He looked over at Westlake. Thatgentleman was smiling like a placid cherub, all innocence without, andkindliness and good deeds; but there was nevertheless something fishyabout Westlake's eyes, and Sam, in memory, cast over a list of maimedand wounded and crushed who had come in Westlake's business way. Thelogical candidate was Stevens. Stevens simply had to take enough stockto overbalance this thing, then he simply must vote his stock withSam's! That was all there was to it! Sam did not pause to worry abouthow he was to gain over Stevens' consent, but he had an intuitivefeeling that this was his only chance.
"Stevens," said he briskly, "there are five hundred shares left. I'lltake half of it if you'll take the other half."
His brother Jack looked at him startled. Their total holdings, in thatcase, would mean an investment of more money than they could spare fromtheir other operations. It would cramp them tremendously, but Jackventured no objections. He had seen Sam at the helm in decisive placestoo often to interfere with him, either by word or look. As a matterof fact such a proceeding was not safe anyhow.
"I don't mind--" began Westlake, slowly fixing a beaming eye upon Sam,and crossing his hands ponderously upon his periphery; but before hecould announce his benevolent intention, Mr. Stevens, with what mightalmost have been considered a malevolent glance toward Mr. Westlake,spoke up.
"I'll accept your proposition," he said with a jerk of his beard as hisjaws snapped. So Miss Westlake thought a great deal of Sam, eh? Andold Westlake knew it, eh? And he had already subscribed enough stockto throw Sam control, eh?
"Thanks," said Sam, and shot Mr. Stevens a look of gratitude as healtered the subscription figures.
"Stop just a moment, Sam," put in Mr. Westlake. "How many shares ofcommon stock does that give you in combination with your bonus?"
"Two thousand two hundred and sixty," said Sam.
"Oh!" said Mr. Westlake musingly; "not enough for control by twohundred and forty one shares; so you won't mind, since you haven'tenough for control anyhow, if I take up that additional two hundred andfifty shares of preferred, with its one hundred and twenty-five ofcommon, myself."
Sam once more paused and glanced over the subscription list. As itstood now, aside from Princeman, there were two members, Westlake andStevens, with whom, if he could get either one of them to do so, hecould pool his common stock. If he allowed Westlake to take up thisadditional two hundred and fifty shares, Westlake was the only stringto his bow.
"No, thanks," said Sam. "I prefer to keep them myself. It seems to meto be a very fair and equitable division just as it is."
In the end it stood just that way.