“I don’t see where the trickery comes in. A lot of your friends were in the thing. They’ve been going down to Mexico in private cars to admire the prospects. I sold out because I wanted to do something else with my money. I didn’t know I had to apologize for selling my shares. It would only have annoyed you if I had told you I was going out. And you speak of my lack of frankness in dealing with you. I suppose you don’t realize that I have been a little less than the office boy here practically since I left school. You’ve never seen fit to take me into your confidence; I’ve been worse than an outsider, and I’ll tell you now that I’ve resented it. You don’t have to tell me that I’ve been a disgrace to your name; I know that. I’m a rotten bad lot; there’s no getting away from it; you can’t say half as mean things of me as I can say of myself. You’ve assumed that I didn’t know that the papers you sent into me from day to day were not of the slightest importance--chaff for the waste-paper basket; but I’ve known it. I’ve known that it was all a good joke, my being here at all. Everybody knows I’ve made a beast of myself getting drunk, but I suppose you thought it naturally followed that I’m a fool, too.” He realized at once that the shot had been badly fired, and that he had thrown away ammunition which at a fitter season might have satisfied his thirst for vengeance; but Colonel Craighill had grown calm under his son’s outburst. He had a reputation for tactful negotiation. There was something that he wished to get from his son, and while the temptation to inveigh against Wayne’s unfilial conduct in disposing of the Mexican securities without notice was strong, Colonel Craighill waited a moment to mark a change of subject and when he spoke his tone was amiable. “I’m sorry you have so much feeling about the matter. I’m a little surprised, that’s all, that you should have left the Mexican venture without telling me; but it’s not of the slightest consequence. But while we’re speaking of such things--your holdings in companies that I’m connected with--I just heard that you’ve acquired the forty shares of Sand Creek stock that were owned by the Moore estate. Is that correct?” “Yes; I have them,” and Wayne’s anger burned hot again as he remembered the spirit in which he had acquired the shares and the chiding he had received from his father for overdrawing his account to buy them.