Sudden Jim

tch the general efficiency of the place, and had vaguely figured on the possibility of dining on crackers and cheese. This

y apple pie that made Jim wish he had started with dessert, continued with dessert, and ended up with a final h

a post, and looking as if he had not shifted his position since Jim saw him early in the afternoon, was the gentl

a very Methuselah among horses. The old man who rode in the buggy appeared comparatively youthful beside it. Jim smiled at

aightening himself from the amazing position

te socks grunted, sitting erec

to see the six-o'clo

lated

off, Dolf? An

, Mandy Williams, Tom Sw

special,

it down was Mich

of him, Dolf? H

eatin' h

to be here

a spell

be here till M

cou

on speakin'

hink I

n' to speak about

know of

ntion me? Eh? Figger

t some

ow, D

mention you was a

here I was headin' for?

ention you was

by,

y, Ju

om the hotel and proceeded down the street at a rate of speed which came close to being no movement at all, until it came to a halt again before a frame building at the

in the doorway. He was below medium height, sturdily built, with a face of the aggressi

r. Moran!

n nodded

fice. He wants to s

d no time obeying the summons, and Jim wondered somewhat, for Michael Moran did not appear to him a man who was accustomed to run about

his wishes in the matter, had, nevertheless, directed Dolf Springer to waylay Mr. Moran and give him a message. The old man's method

of a fellow-loun

leman who drives a h

s not. That there's Zaanan Frame, justice of the peace. Been

Jim's informant seemed to think it ample

other buggy, dust-covered, drawn by a team, stopped before the hotel, and a small, wiry, exceedingly well-tailored old gentlem

she, Junior. Can anyb

," said Jim, s

im. "Don't favor your daddy much. Foot longer and two feet narrower." He chuckled gaily. "My name's Wel

m's and Mr. Mannikin's, is pretty average familiar to

e heap. Prices up, competition down, market hungry. But what's this I hear about daddy? Wired him I wanted to see him on clothe

Father has gone to California

e with one foot on a maple log and a clothespin in each h

any to tal

some-some. Where'l

said Jim, with a grin. "It'll be more comforta

ough. Wh

s willing to part with them freely-but not unwisely. It was said by men in the business that Mr. Welliver could keep you entertained for an evening and not ut

ived at a spot overlooking the flat on which the

? What's the idea? Going to take all

Plum and Mr. Mannikin can look after

y reason I'm here. I'm told you're putting in six mor

no

wenty-five thousand additional five

ather

k on that with a favorable eye

w we're members of it w

How it has taken a scramble of unprofitable compet

ing abo

quotes a price on clothespins, and another fellow says that sounds like a fair price, and they talk over market conditions and go home. But t

eginning to glean a hint

t now. Any increase in out

mained

his most friendly way, "the

t," interj

casually, and talked it over, and here I am to

ate," said Jim.

. More money can be made with twelve machines at present p

poss

el

last observation had not been an obs

ogether and decided the Ashe Clothespin Company had bitten off all it coul

addy built them on the strength of high prices, and we know t

e drop our six new machines or y

ng very

nd Mr. Welliver became uneasy in his mind. He contemplated with negligible pleasure the idea

t, but just the same I'm the Ashe Clothespin Company, and I'll keep on being it as long as there's a company. I'll run twelve machines or eighteen or fifty, as I think it's wise, and if the Club doesn't like it, why the Club can be just as peevish as it wants to. I've nev

you to run those

war,

to point out to you that one mill

n do as it everlastingly pleases. Let's go b

it'll have t

I'll fire the first shot. Our inventory shows we've got fifty thousand boxes in the old warehouse. They go on the

crazy. You'll lose mone

sell than I have just now. You can w

e a bit sudden,"

on calms down one of two things will have happened: I'll be busted or th

heels, uttering bleating sounds of protest. As they neared the piazza, he s

you can hit on is to

shrugged hi

ou're going to be very sorry for thi

skull to the seat of his pants," said Jim, "and eve

ank and wrote a brief message to

rs price clothespins five ten

ad done it swiftly, suddenly. He had added