He will no doubt be glad to have your
assistance in helping him fall into the routine of the office, Mr. Hobart."
Harley sent for Mott at once and told him of his promotion. The two men
were closeted together for hours, while trusted messengers went and came
incessantly to and from the mines. Hobart knew, of course, that plans were
in progress to arm such of the Consolidated men as could be trusted, and
that arrangements were being made to rush the Taurus and the New York.
Everything was being done as secretly as possible, but Hobart's experience
of Ridgway made it obvious to him that this excessive activity could not
pass without notice. His spies, like those of the trust, swarmed
everywhere.
It was not till mid-afternoon of the next day that Mott found time to join
him and run over with him the details of such unfinished business as the
office had taken up. The retiring manager was courtesy itself, nor did he
feel any bitterness against his successor. Nevertheless, he came to the end
of office hours with great relief. The day had been a very hard one, and it
left him with a longing for solitude and the wide silent spaces of the open
hills.
Pages:
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196