"
"When is he coming back?"
"I don't know."
"Did you see him?"
"I did."
"Did you take up with him the matter of issuing new tariffs to do away
with the preferentials, or to level the public rates down to them?"
Gantry shifted uneasily in his chair, and tried to evade. "There was
very little time," he said. "Mr. McVickar was in a great hurry, and his
special was held only a few minutes."
Blount crossed the room and sat down.
"Dick, we've come to the last round-up," he said gravely. "In the nature
of things, I can't give you any more time. You've been playing with me
all along, and your last move in the game was a very childish
one--sending me what purported to be a copy of a new freight tariff
notice to the public. Did you suppose for a moment that I wouldn't have
sense enough to see that the thing wasn't official, that it had no
signatures and lacked even the name of the railroad company? I'm here
now to tell you that you've got to do some real thing, and do it
quickly. Let's go up and see the editor of _The Capital_."
"What for?" demanded Gantry.
"It is the railroad paper, and I want you to give Brinkley, the editor,
an interview to the effect that a revision of the freight rates is in
process, and that shippers having grievances should present them at
once. That will at least start the ball to rolling in the right
direction.
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