The Spider's Web

on between two windows-the master came at his usual time on the morning of the day following the North Bridge wreck. He was dressed neatly, as always,

ets below, on the cross-threads of which the black dots th

rang for hi

topped. He had not looked up, yet he asked

He coughed behind his hand. "

" said his master. "

at need your perso

of which were delicately rounded. He dictated his terse instructions. Wi

s the beggi

s,

commonplace tone, "there were more than

n or twe

n th

r. I alw

ecided to give them a special ward for fibroid tumor cases. Their lawyers may consult w

s,

ded through his c

d been recalled. "Mr. Hallett and Mr. Rivington will be here"-he consu

rly, Hallett's white waistcoat, fresh every morning, showed wrinkles, and its wearer chewed hard at an unlighted cigar; t

. His voice was as nearly cheer

freshly sharpened pencil before each. Their host sat at the head of the table, his ha

at the midst of

roaned. "Think of it; twenty-

mment was al

ybody's fired, from the division-superintendent to the president of the road; that's wha

seemed to hypnotize him; he made a futile gesture. "

the table watched them

all but one or two, and nobody cares what they say, anyhow. Th

" said Rivington. "Next Thursday

f the M. & N.'s all right

vement: a fourth candidate for District-Attorney-- They will be only too eager to get

can't

t what they used to be. Something-I don'

bbed assen

ets a vote he stops minding his own business

their tugging at his mustache. "The wires, I mean.

n't hur

an at the head of the table,

-" His sentence ended in a

tween a little risk and protecting the stockholders. Lots of the stockholders are widows and orphans. Besides, it wasn

ge--" said

a month ago. And they passed the

hairy hands, fat and white against the mahogany, begin to move as they always began

e four candidates for the district-attorneys

," said

ou

the f

t chosen him

" repeate

there might be

e are more ways than one. Anyh

e road. Pr

y know

ems to

rom the end of his cigar, had clung to his lips. "They only think they

ton questioned. "I

rd man flashed across their talk

has officially any administrative power in the matter of its operation

ington, "if the f

eaking in tangents, but because the door opened,

e office turned

on?" h

said the man

is mean? Wher

se that letter about the hospi

you we were not

elope-"got by everybody. He told me you would se

reached for the envelope. He re

im in,"

obey. Then, without wasting a glan

istrict-Attorney. He's written on it: 'Five minutes in re

id Hallett. "

f the man at the head of the ta

t I mean to

?" Rivingt

d. When a nod could sav

areful thing?"

bluff and he never expe

sely why I am

," announc

he lids dropped wearily over eyes that were at first veiled from the three men who looked up, but did not rise at his entrance. His mouth, the lips of which were only a pale pink, might have appeared firm, but would certainly have give

on drummed on the table with his long fingers. Hallett chewed his cigar. The other man smiled so enigmatica

hair for M

did as h

e proffered chair opposite the leader of the trio and extended his long l

he man at the h

ot raise hi

owly in a low and extremely gentle voice, "because

fellow talked as if there were but one ra

ilroad?"

figure of the Persian rug that happened to be

t I suppose you have been tal

& Niagara?" blu

s of that road," sa

greed R

heartily, "you aren't dire

" snapped

table raised a soothing h

d seldom seen him assume during business hours. "We're all gentlemen,

interr

I don't want anybody to say anything to me

but the mere import of his words brought up short even the leade

t many people in New York that we would have allowed

d the figur

every mile of rails on the M. & N. and replace those pieces of scrap-

let out an ugly laugh. Only the man at the head of the tab

we have the power to do what you suggest, don't you think your request is a

ing at the rug, sh

so large for you a

hat? I

rd the man at the head of the table that Luke a

" said

reaten us?" cried

tt la

head of the tab

ly thing I hesitated about was whether it would be better for the people to

allett, "who it was elected the man tha

m the briefe

he answered. "I have just been offered the Municipal League's nominati

out 2000 A.D.,"

ders and returned his gaze t

ad of sending you men to jail-and only because I think this is better for the safety of the public-I will give you one month to begin laying decent rails on this road-actually get bona fide work under way. If you don't do that, I'll make public the whole truth, get you indicted, go into court as a witness and produce two letters, one forwarded to you and the other signed by you. The first of these is a letter to the president of the ro

into the weary young ma

one month,

bbed it with a caressing

one another. Then both Hallett an

amous lie!" cried Rivington. "Lette

face, the man at the head of

on't," he corrected

joking, and this fellow can't e

an at the head of the t