Achmed Abdullah

“ Graham shook it rather limply.
"Then why the deuce—" he commenced; but the other silenced him with a gesture.
"Give a fellow a chance to explain," Houghton continued. "May I never lap up another highball if I don't vote those loose shares your way. But old Pat is out of town, and I promised to vote for him, too. And so I'll have to vote his shares as he asked me to; and he wants me to nominate Macdonald for vice-president."
Graham considered rapidly. What did it matter after all, he thought. Let Houghton nominate and vote all he pleased. ”

“ Hayes seeing the phenomenal rise in Macdonald's fortunes, did not believe for a moment that he would keep his word and commit suicide. He had not much faith in the Western Crown, knowing the company's assets and peculiar business methods, and for a long time he held out for cash.
But, finding Graham adamant on that particular point, he said to himself that even a famine-stricken sparrow in the hand is worth a non-existing broiler on a problematical roof. So he traded in his share in the suicide syndicate for sixteen thousand dollars' worth of Western Crown stock at the market value. ”

“ Houghton said. "Old Pat is right smart on the freeze-out. He hasn't got the same high moral standard which you and I have, my boy. You don't know what old Pat mightn't do if we irritate him. He might deliberately ruin the Red Cañon. Or he might levy an assessment on the stock—you see, the stock happens to be assessable. No, no. Take my tip. Don't cross that old warthog. He's set his mind on seeing Mac vice-president of the Western Crown."
Graham groaned. He thought of the Red Cañon stock as one of the chief investments of the Western Crown. ”