New York - The Novel

they sensibly gave up.
    Of the few shares traded, none concerned the Hudson Ohio Railroad. For Mr. Cyrus MacDuff was quite unable to give orders for any trades since the telegraph lines between Boston and New York were all down. Nor could that furious gentleman come to save his railroad in person, since every road was feet-deep in snow, the rail lines were all blocked, and the sea was so wild with the storm that ships along that coastline were sinking by the score.
    As the Dakota Blizzard raged outside, inside the great apartment building of that name, Lily de Chantal continued to nurse Frank Master, who became a little feverish in the evening.
    By Tuesday morning, he seemed to be a little better. But the city was cut off from the outside world, and the Dakota Blizzard was still raging.
    During the afternoon, however, human ingenuity made one small butuseful discovery. Some sharp fellows in Boston realized that there was a way to make telegraph contact with New York after all. They used the international cable and sent their messages, on a triangular route, via London.

    On Wednesday morning, the storm began to diminish. The city remained at a standstill, but people were beginning to dig out. As the wind dropped, the freezing temperature rose, a little.
    All the same, Hetty Master was most surprised when, at eleven o’clock that morning, her son Tom and another gentleman she did not know arrived at the house to see Frank.
    “He’s away,” she said.
    “I have to reach him, Mother,” said Tom. “It’s urgent. Can you please tell me where he is?”
    “I don’t believe I can,” she answered, a little awkwardly. “Can’t it wait a day or two?”
    “No,” said her son, “it can’t.”
    “Could I speak to you alone?” she said.

    It was quite a shock to Lily de Chantal when Tom Master and another gentleman arrived at the Dakota at noon. How they came to know that Frank was there, or what possible explanation they could have been given for his presence, she had no idea. They certainly didn’t seem to have the least interest in discussing such a matter. But they did, most emphatically, want to see Frank.
    “He’s not very well,” she said. “He’s had a fever.”
    “Sorry to hear it,” said Tom.
    “I’ll ask if he will see you,” said Lily.

    Frank Master, propped up in bed, gazed at his visitors. He couldn’t imagine how they’d found him, but there wasn’t much he could do about that now. Tom’s companion was a quiet, well-dressed man in his mid-thirties, who looked like a banker.
    “This is Mr. Gorham Grey,” said Tom. “Of Drexel, Morgan.”
    “Oh,” said Frank.
    “Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Master,” said Gorham Grey politely. “I should make clear that I am Mr. J. P. Morgan’s personal representative, and he has asked me to come to see you.”
    “Oh,” said Frank, again.
    “Knowing your son, I went to see him first, to ask him to make the introduction,” said Gorham Grey.
    “Quite right,” said Tom.
    “What’s it about?” asked Frank, nervously gripping the edge of the bed sheet.
    “Mr. Morgan is desirous of buying a parcel of shares from you,” said Gorham Grey. “In the Hudson Ohio Railroad. You own ten percent of the outstanding stock, I believe.”
    “Oh,” said Frank.
    “I should explain very openly,” continued Gorham Grey, “that Mr. Morgan yesterday received an urgent telegraph from Mr. Cyrus MacDuff, who is presently in Boston and who, as you’ll be aware, is the largest shareholder in the Hudson Ohio. Mr. MacDuff was unable to reach you himself, as he is cut off in Boston. So he thought it wisest to entrust the whole business to Mr. Morgan, to handle as he sees fit.”
    “Quite right,” said Tom.
    “Put simply,” said Gorham Grey, “Mr. MacDuff believes that Mr. Gabriel Love is trying to steal his company away from him. Do you know Mr. Love?”
    “Hardly at all,” said Frank, weakly.
    “After a brief investigation, it appeared to us that the underlying issue is that Mr. Love owns shares in the Niagara line, and that MacDuff has been blocking Niagara’s access to the Hudson Ohio.”
    “Really?” said Frank.
    “The solution, therefore, seems to Mr. Morgan to be simple. He has informed Mr. MacDuff that he will only act in this matter if he, Mr. Morgan, is able to secure Mr. Love’s shares in the Niagara at a reasonable price, and if Mr. MacDuff gives him, Mr. Morgan, an assurance that the Niagara will be joined to the Hudson Ohio. To