Burned Bridges

"Good night."

The hall door clicked behind Ashe. Thompson sat deep in thought for a

long time. Then he fished a note pad out of a drawer and began

pencilling figures.

Ten times three hundred thousand was three million. Ten per cent. on

three million was three hundred thousand dollars. And no chance to lose.

The ten per cent. on construction cost was guaranteed by the Imperial

Munitions Board, behind which stood the British Empire.

Didn't Tommy say the ten schooners were to be completed in eight months?

Then in eight months Tommy Ashe was going to be approximately one

hundred and fifty thousand dollars richer.

Thompson wondered if that was why Sam Carr looked at Tommy with that

ambiguous expression when Tommy was chanting his work or fight

philosophy. Carr knew the ins and outs of the deal if he were loaning

money on it.

And Thompson did not like to think he had read Carr's look aright,

because he was uncomfortably aware that he, Wes Thompson, was following

pretty much in Ashe's footsteps, only on a smaller scale.

He tore the figured sheet into little strips, and went to bed.