What  is  that  but  enterprise,  and  business  foresight,  and
taking  risks?  And  then  he  begins  to  talk  about  the  tariff
taking  money  out  of  the  pockets  of  American  consumers


,264  A  FAR  COUNTRY


and  making  men  like  me  rich.  I  have  come  to  Washington
to  get  the  tariff  raised  on  steel  rails ;  and  Watling  and  other
senators  we  send  down  there  are  raising  it  for  us..  We  are
building  up  monopolies!  Well,  suppose  we  are.  We  can't
help  it,  even  if  we  want  to.  Has  he  ever  made  a  study  of
the  other  side  of  the  question  —  the  competition  side?  Of
course  he  hasn't."

He  brought  down  his  beer  mug  heavily  on  the  table.  In
times  of  excitement  his  speech  suggested  the  German  idiom.
Abruptly  his  air  grew  mysterious;  he  glanced  around  the
room,  now  becoming  empty,  and  lowered  his  voice.
"I  have  been  thinking  a  long  time,  I  have  a  little  scheme,"
he  said,  "  and  I  have  been  to  Washington  to  see  Watling,  to
talk  over  it.  Well,  he  thinks  much  of  you.  Fowndes  and
Ripon  are  good  lawyers,  but  they  are  not  smart  like  you.
See  Paret,  he  says,  and  he  can  come  down  and  talk  to  me.
So  I  ask  you  to  come  here.  That  is  why  I  say  you  are
wise  to  get  home.     Honeymoons  can  wait  —  eh?"

I  smiled  appreciatively.
