I

'It reminds me of the tapir story,' observed Peter Carton thoughtfully, as he paused in his labors to lean back and light a cigarette.

'What's the tapir story?' queried Jones, chief assistant in the Division of Passenger Transportation. "Tell it.'

'Oh, it's long and needs a Down-East accent, and has n't any point anyhow, objected Carton. After a moment's pause he went on, 'A Down-East sailorman, just returned, stiff with brine, from a two years' voyage, met up with the proprietor of a menagerie at the boarding-house to which he repaired, and the two at once became friends. The menagerie man confided that he had two tapirs stored away in the cellar of the boarding-house at that moment, and asked the sailor-man to come down with him and hold a lamp while he fed them. But when the two got to the cellar, it appeared that the tapirs had broken loose, and the menagerie man besought his new friend to aid in returning them to captivity. The latter gave one terrified look at the long snout and generally unlovely aspect of the nearest tapir, who was rapidly proceeding in his direction and, dropping the lamp with a crash, made for the cellarstairs. "I signed on to hold a lamp," he called back. "I did n't sign on to hunt tapirs."'

'Well?' queried Jones, patiently.

'Oh, that is n't the story,' admitted Carton. 'At least it's only one small end of it; but somehow it reminded

me of myself. When I gave up my law business to come down here with the Emergency Fleet Corporation, I expected Mr. Schwab would call me into his office once or twice a day and say, "Mr. Carton, kindly prepare a contract for the construction of this twenty-thousand-ton troopship"; and I would answer, "Leave it to me, Mr. Schwab; that troopship is as good as built." built." Then I would dash back to my office, summon a stenographer, and remark, "In consideration of the mutual promises and agreements herein contained, it is mutually promised and agreed by the parties hereto as follows: One. The Blank Company, hereinafter called the Contractor, shall build a twenty-thousand-ton troopship, according to the following specifications, to wit: Quality, A1; time, P.D.Q. Two. The United States shall pay for the same if, as, and when it sees fit," words to that effect. Of course, Mr. Schwab or Mr. Hurley would get the credit, but I would have the satisfaction of knowing I had really done the job.'

or

'I wish you lawyers would draw contracts like that,' said Jones longingly; 'then someone could tell what you mean.'

"Tell what we mean!' repeated Carton indignantly. 'What would become of you capable business men without lawyers, I'd like to know? You run around, very busy, like a lot of chickens with their heads chopped off, and get things in a pretty tangle; then we come in and smooth them out, and before you

know it everything goes like clockwork.'

'Lawyers are a fine lot, no doubt,' conceded Jones. He paused a moment and added, 'I've always thought that there was only one trouble with them: they ought to be put to work.'

Carton did not deign to notice the implication, but resumed his previous train of thought.

'As a matter of fact,' he continued, 'I've hardly heard the word "ship" mentioned since I've been here. What have I been doing, for instance, for the last three months? Wrangling about car-fares on street-railways, discussing feeders, power-houses, loops, 3A copper-wire, voltage, and what not. I did n't know I had signed on to hunt tapirs.'

'It all helps,' observed Jones encouragingly.

'I suppose it does,' admitted Carton; 'but the house that Jack built was nothing to it.' He tapped himself on the breast and recited: "This is the man that drew the agreement that called for the tracks that carried the cars that ran to the house that sheltered the man that drove the rivets that held together the wonderful ship that Schwab built.'

'You're leaving out a good deal at that,'observed Jones. 'How about sewerage, water, electric lights, and the other things?'

'I know,' agreed Carton. 'I was only touching on my personal endeavors. Have you been out to the National Shipbuilding Company's plant at Camden lately?'

'Not for four weeks.'

'A lot can happen in four weeks nowadays. I spent yesterday morning there. I did n't pay much attention to the eight new ways they are putting in, because my job took me out to the housing development. They're building a complete city two miles back in the country. It is great: the neatest

little brick houses you ever saw, a church, a community centre, and a movie theatre. It was an eye-opener to me.'

"There is nothing picayune about the way the U.S. is going into the shipbuilding business certainly,' agreed Jones. 'Go out to Hog Island the first chance you get.'

'I mean to if I ever get your streetrailway messes straightened out. Is Barker coming in this morning?'

Jones nodded. "That's what I'm here for; he's due now.'

"That is the worst crowd we've run up against yet,' observed Carton. 'I'm afraid we shall have to take over that road and run it.'

'It will mean a lot of lost time,' said Jones regretfully; 'but I suppose there is no help for it. They won't agree to anything.'

'Of course, the road is in the hands of a receiver, and that does make a difference,' said Carton. "Technically, at least, they have got to get the court's consent to anything they do.'

'Have one more try this morning, at any rate,' urged Jones. 'If we have to run the road ourselves, it will delay matters three or four months at least.'

II

There was a knock at the door, followed by the appearance of a wideawake-looking office-boy, who said, 'Mr. Barker and Mr. Meekin say they have an appointment with you, sir.'

'Bring them up,' remarked Carton. He gazed out of the window, down to where the City Hall of Philadelphia, surmounted by the monster statue of William Penn, sprawls over Broad Street like some uncouth creation of a mind distraught. To Carton it suggested an illustration by Doré of a scene in Dante's Inferno, and a sigh of gloom escaped his lips before he turned to Jones

and said, 'We'll give it to them straight this morning, and get it settled one way or the other.'

'Mr. Barker, Mr. Meekin,' announced the office-boy, throwing open the door. A tall, thin, red-haired man, with a thick red moustache and snapping bright blue eyes, entered the room, accompanied by a small, ferret-faced, gray-haired individual. They were the Receiver of the United Service Street Railway Company of New York and his counsel.

'I wish it could be arranged,' said the latter tartly, 'so that we did n't have to wait downstairs twenty minutes when we have an appointment here.'

'I'm sorry, Mr. Meekin,' said Carton politely, 'but I am afraid the rules of the Emergency Fleet Corporation can't be altered to suit individuals.'

The two men sat down and looked at Carton with expressions of aggressive obstinacy.

'Well, what have we got to do?' asked Barker finally, calling to his aid the most disagreeable tones of which he was capable. "Tell us the worst and get it over with. If the government desires to impose such conditions on the United Service Street Railway that it can never get on its feet again, I suppose we've got to submit.'

'It's a funny thing,' remarked Mr. Meekin, his little eyes gleaming maliciously. "The country was told we went into this war as a protest against autocracy, and here's our own government giving orders and doing things. never heard of in a free country. A man can't call his soul his own, much less his business.'

'And most of the orders are being given by green men, amateurs, who have had no experience, and don't know what they are talking about,' said Mr. Barker with meaning.

Carton smiled pleasantly. 'I don't wonder you gentlemen are a trifle up

set this morning,' he said. 'You've had a surprise, have n't you? You thought you could go right over the heads of the Passenger Transportation Division and myself, and work something with Mr. Schwab directly. You tried that yesterday, and he refused to have anything to do with you, and sent you back to us. That's a fact, is n't it?"

'We are doing our best to keep a valuable property committed to our charge by the court from being ruined,' said Mr. Meekin savagely.

'Stop this buncombe and hot air, Meekin,' said Carton sharply; 'we have had enough of it and are n't going to waste time listening to any more. We offer you a trade that is a benefit to your road, and you know it as well as I do. What you want is to get more out of the United States than you are entitled to. You can't do it, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for wanting to do it.'

'Look here,' said Mr. Barker, startup, 'I won't listen to this kind of talk!'

'Oh, yes, you will,' went on Carton, a hard glint coming into his eyes. 'You would listen to anything rather than have that street railway of yours taken out of your hands. I know you. You're bluffing. Now, unless we reach an agreement this morning the Emergency Fleet Corporation is going to take the United Service Railway Company and operate it under the authority of Section 28 of the Emergency Deficiency Act.'

'Perhaps the court will have something to say to that,' suggested Mr. Meekin with a sneer.

'You know more law than that, Mr. Meekin,' said Carton genially. "The court won't lift a finger if we decide to take the road. But you've both made up your minds that you don't want that done, and are going to reach an agreement pleasantly and then urge the court to confirm it.'

III

Carton got back to Philadelphia at six o'clock that afternoon and went directly to the office of Mr. Hodges, Chief of the Passenger Transportation Division of the Emergency Fleet Corporation. The big twelve-story building was still humming with the industry of a beehive, although under the rules employees were permitted to call it a day's work when the hour of five o'clock struck. Mr. Hodges and his principal assistant, Mr. Jones, were sitting at opposite sides of the large desk-table, hard at work on a plan for bettering transportation by ferry to a ship-building plant on the Great Lakes.

'Hullo, what's the good word?' asked Mr. Hodges, looking up on Carton's

entrance.

Carton flung his hat viciously into a chair, plumped down in another himself, raised his clenched fists and uttered the monosyllable, 'Damn!'

'Take it easy, old man,' remarked Mr. Hodges genially, losing none of his imperturbability. 'What's the matter? Did Meekin squeal on his agreement?'

'No; Meekin was all right, but that old devil-bird of a judge!'

'Would n't he confirm the agreement?' asked Jones.

Carton gazed at the speaker, incredulous that he could ask such a question.

'Confirm the agreement?' he repeated. 'He almost committed me for contempt of court. Said he never heard of such a proposition as permitting a road that could n't pay its present debts to pile up more. Said there was no use bringing such nonsense before him. When I told him these were war-times, he asked me if I thought he was going to write himself down in his court records as an ass, just because a war was going on.' Carton paused, and then added indignantly, 'I could n't budge the old scoundrel.'

VOL. 123- NO. 5

'Did you tell him we could take the road over?' suggested Mr. Jones.

Carton laughed. 'I tried that for all it was worth,' he answered, 'and it was n't worth a cent. He said that was the best thing we could do; that it would relieve him of all responsibility; in short, that it would suit him right down to the ground.'

'It must be that he does n't understand that this country is actually in the war,' suggested Mr. Hodges thoughtfully. 'He does n't realize it.'

"The only way to make him realize it,' said Carton with conviction, 'would be to ram him into a ten-inch gun and fire him off on the Western front.'

'How did you leave matters with Meekin?' queried Jones.

'After Judge Hayselden had warned me that I must n't continue my current line of conversation, I asked for an order of notice so that the matter could come up in open court, and he would have to go on record. He gave me one for to-morrow at eleven; but the last thing he did was to order Meekin to bring in all the cases he could collect, showing that courts had refused to authorize agreements such as the one we submitted.'

"They say there is no sense in throwing good money after bad, and I don't see any in wasting precious time when it won't do any good,' observed Mr. Hodges. 'Why not drop the matter, and start on the other tack? Taking the road over, I mean. It's hardly worth while for you to make another trip to New York.'

'You are n't beaten until you know you are licked,' said Carton stubbornly. 'I shall go to that hearing to-morrow. There is n't any law on the matter; not on our side, at least. But I shall do something; probably argue on the facts and broad grounds of public policy.' He smiled, and added, 'And you be ready to bail me out in case of need.'