Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast

He held it away from Mayo's eager reach and investigated still more with

prodding fingers.

"Hope she isn't sending back your love-letters, son. But by the look she

had on her face when she was talking about you to me I didn't reckon she

was doing that. Well, here's comfort for you!" He placed the packet in

Mayo's hands.

The parcel was sealed with three neat patches of wax, and on each blob

was imprinted the letters "A M" in a monogram. Mayo turned the packet

over and over.

"If you want me to step out, not feeling as confidential toward me as

you used to, I'll do it," proffered Captain Wass, after a polite wait.

"I'm not going to open this thing--not yet," declared the young man.

"That's for reasons of my own--quite private ones, sir."

"But I'd just as soon step out."

"No, sir. Your being here has nothing whatever to do with the matter."

He buttoned the packet into his coat pocket. He had little respect for

Fletcher Fogg's delicacy in any question of procedure; the promoter's

animus in the matter of those papers was clear. Nevertheless, the agent

had crystallized in bitter words an idea which was deterring Mayo: would

he take advantage of a girl's rash betrayal of her father? Somehow

those seals with her monogram made sacred precincts of the inside of the

packet; he touched them and withdrew his hand as if he were intruding at

the door which was closed upon family privacy.

"I suppose you'd rather keep your mind wholly on straight business,

seeing what a bad position you're in," suggested Captain Wass. "Very

well, we'll put love-letters away and talk about something that's

sensible. It's too bad there isn't some tool we could have to pry open

that Vose line sell-out. The stockholders got cold feet and slid out

from under Vose after the Montana was laid up."

"What has been done with her?"

"Nothing, up to now. Cashed in with the underwriters and are probably

using the money to play checkers with on Wall Street. Maybe they're

using her for a horrible example till they scare the rest of the

independents into the combination."

"Have the underwriters sold?"

"Yes. She has been bid in--probably by some tinder-strapper of the big

pirates. It's a wonder they let you get hold of this one."

"They thought she was spoken for. When they found that she wasn't, they

sent Burkett out here to blow her up."