"I am anxious to know, of course, just how matters are going, and if we beat Frisby the first day. Wire me to this address just what we did and are doing. I will be with you in a few days more." "We'll wire him," grunted Van Dorn. "The wire'll be so hot he'll dance when it touches him. Beat Frisby! Oh, yes; we'll wire him!" They did, in fact, at once, and within the hour received Barrifield's reply. It was conveyed in a single brief word: CHICAGO, October 27, 1897. _To the "Whole Family," New York._ Capitalize! (Signed) BARRIFIELD. Perner read it, and it was handed to each of the others in turn. Then they looked at each other. Van Dorn said pleasantly: "Why, yes; that's so. Capitalize! I hadn't thought of that. Stony, get up here and capitalize!" Livingstone dug down in his pockets and brought up fifty-six cents. "All right," he said. "That's every nickel I've got in the world. Let's capitalize!" Almost immediately there came another telegram from Barrifield. _To the "Whole Family," New York._ Don't sell any of my stock. (Signed) BARRIFIELD. This promptly sent Perner off into another fit of hysterics. "Oh, no; don't sell any of his stock!" he howled. "Don't! Don't sell any of _his_ stock! Please don't! Sell mine!" XVII A TELEGRAM FROM MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK CLEVELAND, October 29, 1897. _To Truman Livingstone, c/o the "Whole Family", New York._ Don't give up. Check one thousand to-day. Use it. Letter. 10 paid (Signed) DOROTHY. XVIII GRABBING AT STRAWS Barrifield arrived three days later and began at once his effort to secure capital. In this he was quite alone, as no one of the others made even an attempt to produce friends of financial ability. True, the Colonel, who was a friend of them all, and who at last knew something of the situation, declared that he would take a very satisfactory interest in the enterprise if the money he was expecting would but come. This event did not occur, however, and matters grew more precarious. To be sure, the number of subscriptions increased somewhat for a time, and on one day in November reached the maximum of thirty-two. This, Perner figured, would give them something like ten thousand in a year if they could rely on that many every day. But on the next day the number was less than twenty, and the tendency continued downward.