"But you didn't come here to discuss sore toes. Let's get down to business."
Then Mr. Prunty, in a subdued and sort of ministerial voice, explained to Pa that he was getting along in years, and that Pa wasn't long--that is, that Pa was getting along in years, too--and both parties would, no doubt, be better satisfied if their interests were separated. Therefore he had decided to withdraw his capital from the business, and place it in some other enterprise which would give his son a life work along lines laid out in his education and training. He didn't want to sell his stock to the Universal Electric Company as he had a chance to do (Pa started fiercely here, for he was afraid of the Universal Electric); although the old agreement by which neither party was to sell out to a competitor was probably no longer binding; and so they had come as man to man to talk adjustment.
"But," says Pa, "this takes me by surprise. I don't quite see my way clear to taking on such a load as carrying all the stock would be.
Mid-Continent stock is valuable."
They exchanged glances again, as much as to say that Pa was evidently anxious to sell rather than buy, and was crying the stock up accordingly, so as to get as much money as he could for me before he died.
"We may not be so grasping as you think," said Mr. Prunty; and then nothing was said for quite a while.
Pa was looking awfully sick, and Mr. Prunty was just exuding love and kindness and magnanimity from every pore.
"You had some proposition thought out," interrogated Pa, feeling anxiously for his own pulse, "or you wouldn't have come. What is it, Prunty?"
"Well," answered Mr. Prunty, gazing piercingly at Pa, as if to ask if such a cadaverous person _could_ possibly take on the sole control of the Mid-Continent even if he had the money--"well, we had thought of it a little, that's a fact. We thought we'd make you an offer to buy or sell--"
"Hurrah for Billy!" my heart shouted. For this was just what he said would happen. But, instead of hurrahing, I came to the front and gave Pa a powder. It was mostly quinine, and was dreadfully bitter.
"To buy or sell," went on Mr. Prunty, "at a price to be named by us. If it's a reasonable figure, take our stock and give us our money. If it's too high, why, sell us yours. That's fair, ain't it?"
Pa lay back and looked green and groaned. He was doing it nobly.
"What is fair in some circumstances," he moaned, "is extortion in others; and I--er--yes, I suppose it would be called fair. What's your give-or-take price, Prunty?"
"We are willing," said Mr. Prunty, "to give or take seventy-five for the stock."
Pa was so still that I had to rouse him, and Mr. Prunty repeated his offer.
"I--I'm getting a little forgetful," said Pa, "and I'd like to have you put it in writing, so I can consider it, and be sure I have it right, you know."
The Pruntys consulted again, and again they came forward. Enos wrote down the proposition, and Mr. Prunty signed it. I didn't understand it very well, and the strain was so frightful that I expected to fly all to pieces every instant, but I didn't.
When Enos handed the paper to Pa, Pa cleared his throat in a kind of scraping way, and in stepped Billy with a great box under his arm.
"Mr. Helmerston," said Pa, as calmly as General Grant at--any place where he was especially placid--"I want you and my daughter to be witnesses to the making of the proposition in this writing, from Mr.
Prunty to me."
Billy read the paper, and said he understood that it was a give-or-take offer of seventy-five for all the stock of the Mid-Continent. Mr. Prunty said yes, looking rather dazed, and not so sympathetic.
"I accept the proposition," snapped Pa, his jaw setting too awfully firm for the tertiary stage. "I'll take your stock at seventy-five.
Helmerston, pay 'em the money!"
Billy had the cash in ten-thousand-dollar bundles; and I was so fascinated at the sight of so much treasure being passed over like packages of bonbons, that for a while I didn't see how funny Mr. Prunty was acting. When I did look, he was holding his nose in the air and gasping like one of Aunt Maria's little chickens with the pip. He seemed to have a sort of progressive convulsions, beginning low down in wrigglings of the legs, and gradually moving upward in jerks and gurgles and gasps, until it went off into space in twitchings of his mouth and eyes and nose and forehead. Enos had the bundles of money counted, and a receipt written, before he noticed that his father was having these fits, and then _he_ seemed scared. I suppose these people have a sort of affection for each other, after all.
"Father," said he--"Father, what's the matter?"
"Matter?" roared Mr. Prunty. "Does the fool ask what's the matter? Don't you see we're done brown? Look at the basketful they brought, that we might just as well have had as not, if it hadn't been for--Blast you, Blunt, I'll show you you can't chisel old Enos Prunty out of his good money like this, I will! I'll put the whole kit and boodle of yeh in jail! That stock is worth a hundred and fifty, if it's worth a cent.
Ene, if you'll stand by like a stoughton bottle and see your old father hornswoggled out of his eye-teeth by a college dude and this old confidence-man, you'll never see a cent of my money, never! Do you hear, you ass? He's no more sick than I am! That's false pretenses, ain't it?
He's got some darned greenery-yallery business on that face of his!
Ain't that false? Blunt, if you don't give me the rest in the basket there I'll law you to the Supreme Court!"
"Hush, father," said Enos; "Aurelia's here."
"When you get everything set," said Pa, with a most exasperating smile, "just crack ahead with your lawsuit. We'll trot you a few heats, anyhow.
You'd better take your pa away, Enos, and buy him a drink of something cool."
"I want to compliment you, Mr. Helmerston," said Enos, quite like a gentleman, "on the success of your little stage-business, and especially on your careful forecast of the play of human motives. I can see that a man with only ordinary business dishonesty, like myself, need not be surprised at defeat by such a master of finesse as you."
He bowed toward me. Billy flushed.
"If you mean, sir--" he began.
"Oh, I mean nothing offensive," answered Enos. "I will be in the office in the morning, and shall be ready, as secretary, to transfer this stock on the books, previous to resigning. Come, father, we've got our beating; but we can still have the satisfaction of being good losers.
Good-by, Miss Blunt; I wish you joy!"
Pa came out of the green light as they disappeared, limping on his wrapped-up foot, and shouted that he had always said that Enos was a brick, and now he knew it. I ran up to him and kissed him. Then I threw myself into Billy's arms.
"Aurelia!" said Pa, looking as cross as a man _could_ look in such circumstances, "I should think you'd be ashamed of yourself!"
I dropped into a chair and covered up my face, while Pa went on addressing Billy, trying to be severe on him for letting me kiss him, and to beam on him at the same time for helping him with the Pruntys.
"Young man," said he, "I owe you a great deal. This tomfoolery happened to work. Please to consider yourself a part of the Mid-Continent Electric Company in any capacity you choose."
"Yes, sir," said Billy, gathering up the money. "Is that all, sir?"
"I should like to have you take Enos' place as secretary," added Pa.
"Thank you," said Billy. "I shall be pleased and honored. Is that all?
Do I still go to Mexico?"
Pa pondered and fidgeted, and acted awfully ill at ease.
"Yes," said he at last. "You're the only competent engineer we've got who understands the plans. You'll have to go for a few months--if you don't mind--anyhow."
"Pa," said I, "I'm tired of metal work, and I need a vacation in new and pleasant surroundings, and--and associations. Billy is awfully pleasant to associate with, and--and be surrounded by; and I've never, never been in Guadalanawhat-you-may-call-it; and--and--may we Pa?"
"Young woman!" glared Pa, "who have you the effrontery to call 'Billy'?"--Pa could never acquire what he calls "the 'whom' habit."
Billy stepped manfully forward.
"You would recognize the name 'Billy,'" said he, "if it were joined with the rather profane surname with which it is, unfortunately, connected, 'from the Atlantic to the Missouri.' Mr. Blunt, you can not be ignorant of the sweet dream in which I have indulged myself with reference to your daughter. I know I am unworthy of her--"
"Oh, cut that short!" said Pa. "Take this grease off my face, and remove these infernal stage lights! There, Dolly--there! Mr. Helmerston, er--Billy--will start for Mexico within a month. If you--if you really want to go with him, why go!"
And so we're going, by way of Yellowstone Park.