Achmed Abdullah

“ Hayes tells us that Macdonald is about to acquire control of the Western Crown. So he's made money with the three thousand we gave him, instead of spending it, as he said he would. And a man who intends to commit suicide wouldn't bother his head about making money. ”

“ Once more they shook hands.
"So I want that company to look its very best," Houghton went on. "I want insurances taken out, oodles of them! And you're the boy to turn the trick. Insure everybody. Insure those gentlemen over there near the stove. Insure the Chink barkeeper. Insure the Indians. Insure the lame, the blind and the crippled. Appoint your own sub-agents. Take the premiums in notes—any old notes—but insure them."
"What about my commission?" Hayes inquired. "It's all right for the company to take those notes. ”

“ Mum's the word. There's an office right next to our main office. How'll that do?"
"Fine and dandy."
"All right. I'll fix it up with some of my own stuff right away this afternoon." He lowered his voice to a confidential whisper. "Are you going to start your—ah—active campaign for the syndicate you spoke about?"
Macdonald thought of the syndicate of the six down-and-outers at the Eslick. He smiled.
"You bet," he replied. "But keep it under your hat. It's confidential dope, but I'm going to step into the arena. I shall bedeck myself in the loathsome apparel of the American businessman ”

“ I know for a fact that Macdonald intends to buy control of the Western Crown." Hayes nearly collapsed with surprise, but somehow succeeded to keep a straight face. "And so," Houghton continued, "if as good a friend of yours as Macdonald wants to buy something, you want that something to look good, and you'll do all in your power to make it look good, won't you? ”

“ Macdonald has done jolly well with the little jack-pot which we contributed. We, on the other hand, are as hard-up as we've ever been. Why, hang it all, only this morning old man Eslick told me we'd have to clear out, every one of us, by the end of the week unless we paid him a substantial something on account. ”