caution. It was Mr. Yates' opinion that for the present a temporary
franchise for thirty days only should be given; if during that thirty
days the N. C. O. exhibited indubitable signs of activity, he would
gladly vote for a thirty-day extension to enable the matter of a
permanent franchise to be taken up in regular order.

This amendment to the original motion met with the unqualified
approval of the Mayor, as he was careful to announce for the benefit
of the other members of the Solid Four. The fact of the matter was,
however, that he was afraid to oppose Yates in such a simple matter
through fear that Yates might grow cantankerous and carry his
troubles to the Sequoia Sentinel--a base trick he had been known to
do in the past. After explaining the advisability of keeping secret
for the present the fact that a thirty-day franchise had been
granted, His Honour, with the consent of the maker of the original
motion and the second thereof, submitted the amended motion to a
vote, which was carried unanimously.

At eleven-thirty Thursday morning, therefore, young Henry Poundstone,
having worked the greater part of the previous night preparing the
deeds, delivered both deeds and franchise to Buck Ogilvy at the
latter's hotel. It was with difficulty that the latter could conceal
his tremendous amazement when Henry casually handed him the
franchise. True, he had slipped that fake telegram among the
contracts as bait for Henry and his father, but in his wildest
flights of fancy had not looked for them to swallow hook, line, and
sinker. His fondest hope, at the time he conceived the brilliant
idea, was that Henry would show the telegram to his father and thus
inculcate in the old gentleman a friendly feeling toward the N. C. O.
not unmixed with pleasurable anticipations of the day when Henry