A TEMPTING OFFER 7.
thing that would entail a struggle of both brain
and brawn.
"Sounds good," muttered Tom, gazing at the railroad magnate with considerable admiration.
"Let us hear all about it," Mr. Swift said to Bartholomew. "Whether we can help you or not, we're interested."
"All right,"
right,” replied the visitor again. "Whether I was followed East, and here to Shop- ton, or not doesn't much matter. I will put my proposition up to you, and then I'll ask, if you don't want to go into it, that you keep the busi- ness absolutely secret. I have got to put some- thing over on Montagne Lewis and his crowd, or throw up the sponge. That's that!” "Go ahead, Mr. Bartholomew,” observed Tom's father, encouragingly.
"To begin with, four hundred miles of our road is already electrified. We have big power stations and supply heat and light and power to several of the small cities tapped by the H. & P. A. It is a paying proposition as it stands. But it is only paying because we carry the freight traffic-all the freight traffic of that region.
"If the H. & W. breaks in on our monopoly of that, we shall soon be so cut down that our in- vested capital will not earn two per cent.-No, by glory! not one-and-a-half per cent.-and our stock will be dished. But I have worked out
