It was the big
business venture of his life and he took a strong personal interest in
running it. Now, because of Bromfield's intention to use for his own
advantage the proxies made out in his name, he was likely to lose
control. With Bromfield in charge the property might be wrecked before
he could be ousted.
"Dad's worrying," Beatrice told Lindsay. "He's afraid he'll lose
control of the mine. There's a fight on against him."
"What for? I thought yore father was a mighty competent operator.
Don't the stockholders know when they're well off?"
She looked at him enigmatically. "Some one he trusted has turned out a
traitor. That happens occasionally in business, you know."
It was from Colin himself that Clay learned the name of the traitor.
"It's that fellow Bromfield," he explained. "He's the secretary and
second largest stockholder in the company. The annual election is to
be to-morrow afternoon. He's got me where the wool's short. I was
fool enough to ask the smaller stockholders to make out their proxies
in his name. At that time he was hand in glove with us. Now I'm up
against it. He's going to name the board of directors and have himself
made president."
Clay ventured on thin ice. The name of Bromfield had not been
mentioned to him before in the last twenty-four hours by either
Beatrice or her father. "Surely Bromfield wouldn't want to offend you."
"That's exactly what he would want to do."
"But--"
"He's got his reasons.
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