“My boy, your fortune is made. Do you realize what a great stroke of business this is?” “I hope so,” said Phil. “What do you want me to do for you? Name your terms or figures.” Phil was silent, for the very good reason that he did not know how to say what was in his heart. “Suppose I alter my sign to Tramlay & Hayn, and make you my equal partner?” Still Phil was silent. “Well,” said the merchant, “it seemed to me that was a fair offer; but if it doesn’t meet your views, speak out and say what you prefer.” “Mr. Tramlay,” said the young man, trying to speak calmly, but failing most lamentably, “they say a countryman never is satisfied in a trade unless he gets something to boot.” “Very well. What shall it be?” “Millions,--everything; that is, I wish you’d give me your daughter too.” The merchant laughed softly and shook his head. Phil started, and his heart fell. “I don’t see how I can do that,” said Tramlay; “for, unless my eyes deceive me, you already have her.” “Thank heaven!” exclaimed Phil, devoutly. “So say I,” the merchant responded. CHAPTER XXV. E. &. W. AGAIN. One of the penalties of success (according to the successful) being the malignant envy of those who have not succeeded, it is not surprising that in time there began to creep into Wall Street some stories that E. & W. was no better than it should be, nor even quite so good, and that there was no reason why the stock should be so high when solider securities were selling below par. The management, assisted by the entire E. & W. clique, laughed all such “bear” stories to scorn, and when scorn seemed somewhat insufficient they greatly increased the volume of sales and maintained the price by the familiar, simple, but generally successful expedient of buying from one another through many different brokers in the stock-market. The bear party rallied within a day or two, and returned to the charge with an entirely new set of lies, besides an accidental truth or two; but the E. & W. clique was something of a liar itself, and arranged for simultaneous delivery, at different points on the street, of a lot of stories so full of new mineral developments on the line of the road, and so many new evidences of the management’s shrewdness, that criticism was silenced for a while. But bears must live as well as bulls, and the longer they remain hungry the harder they are sure to fight for their prey: so the street was soon favored with a fresh assortment of rumors. This time they concerned themselves principally with the alleged bad condition of the track and rolling stock in the West, and with doubts as to the mineral deposits said to have been discovered. The market was reminded that other railroad companies, by scores, had made all sorts of brilliant discoveries and announcements that had failed to materialize, and that some of these roads had been managed by hands that now seemed to be controlling E. & W.