--"Say yes!" broke in the smaller man across the table. "But it looks like you've got the Ark of the Covenant concealed, you keep it so close. None of the stock seems to get out. You haven't listed anything, and nobody can guess within a million dollars what a share is worth." "No," said John Rawn sententiously, "you couldn't. I couldn't, myself. I couldn't yet guess large enough." "But they tell me it's reviving commerce all up and down the river--in the old towns." Mr. Rawn nodded assentingly, smiling. "Newspaper story was that there was going to be some fly-by-night, over-all, free-for-all _wireless_ transmission, and all that! I say, that was deuced good market work, wasn't it! We all want in on that killing when it comes. But how are we going to get in on the killing if there isn't any stock to be had, and if it isn't listed so the public can be got in?" "Standley and Ackerman got the lion's share," grumbled the large man, explanatorily. "Did they?" smiled John Rawn, showing his teeth a trifle. "Well, of course that's the talk--I don't know anything about how the facts are. But when the time comes, let us in." "Certainly," said Rawn easily. "But we're not saying much just yet, of course. Just beginning." "But now, was there anything in that crazy fool's newspaper story?" "We're working on that idea," Rawn admitted, still smiling. VII They threw themselves back in their chairs and joined in a burst of laughter. "You're a wonder, Rawn!" said the large man admiringly. The second cocktail had served to steady John Rawn. "Why?" he inquired evenly. "Why, according to that story, every one of us manufacturers would be put out of business. We'd literally have to come and feed from your hand when we wanted power, according to that." "It would figure that way on one basis," admitted Rawn. "That _would_ be something, wouldn't it? Almost rather." "Almost rather!" repeated the small man. "I say, that's pretty good, isn't it? Well now, I'll tell you what; we'd almost rather you'd let us in on the ground floor, m'friend! No more coal bills, no more walking delegates, no more strikes, no more Roosevelt 'n LaFol't! Just touch button. Too bad, Rawn, you didn't go into fiction yourself--it must have been you 'nvented that newspaper story, o' course." "You have another guess," said John Rawn. "But you haven't guessed big enough yet. I told you, I myself couldn't guess big enough." The large man laughed, reached into his pocket and handed out a bunch of keys. "Take 'em along," said he. "I might as well give you the key to my office, also to my home--and maybe one or two others." Some smiled at this last remark. "My keys against yours," said John Rawn keenly. "You can take everything I've got if the time doesn't come when our company will do everything you're laughing at now. But we're not after our friends. Why couldn't we get together--and together get the public?"