"Now," answered Don. "You, too, Wes."
"Me too?" asked Walt.
"You continue to sell!"
"Oh-oh," said Wes. "Kingman is wild. He wants to know what's the matter
with the market."
"Tell him that your end is all right, and that V. E. Preferred is still
going down, but steady."
"O.K.," said Walt.
The hours went by, and Kingman became more and more frantic. V. E.
Preferred would be reported at five hundred, but the Northern Landing
Exchange said two-ten. Meanwhile, Terran Electric--
"Oh, lovely!" said Don. "Beautiful. We've got us a reciprocating market
now, better than Kingman's. When she's up at Terra, they're down at
Canalopsis and Northern Landing--and vice versa. Keep it pumping, boys,
and we'll get enough money to buy Kingman out."
The vacillating market went on, and Don's gang continued to rock the
Terran Electric stock. Then as the market was about to close for the
day, Don said: "Sell 'em short!"
Terran Electric stock appeared on the market in great quantities. Its
value dropped down and down and down, and Kingman, appraised of the
fall by Walt, who magnified it by not less than two to one, apparently
got frantic again, for he said:
"We're running short. Drop your Terran stock to bolster the V. E. job!"
"Oh, lovely!" said Don.
"You said that."
"I repeat it. Look, fellows, gather all the T. E. Preferred and V. E.
Preferred you can. Walt, tell them that Terran Electric is dropping
fast, so he'll scuttle more of his stuff, and we'll pick it up slowly
enough so that we won't raise the market. How're we fixed for V. E.
Preferred?"
"Not too bad. Can we hit him once more?"
"Go ahead," said Don.
"Kingman," said Walt. "Kingman! Hell's loose! The Interplanetary Bureau
of Criminal Investigations has just decided to look into the matter of
this stock juggling. They want to know who's trying to grab control of
a public carrier!"
Minutes later, Wes said: "Oh, Brother Myrtle! That did it. He just gave
orders to drop the whole thing short!"
"Wait until V. E. Preferred hits a new low and then we'll buy," said
Don.
The flurry dropped V. E. Preferred to forty-seven, and then the agents
of Venus Equilateral stepped forth and offered to buy, at the market,
all offered stock.
They did.
Then, as no more stock was offered, Venus Equilateral Preferred rose
sharply to ninety-four and stabilized at that figure. Terran Electric
stock went through a valley, made by Kingman's sales, and then headed
up, made by purchases on Terra, on Mars, and on Venus.
Don said: "Look, fellows, this has gone far enough. We have control
again, and a goodly hunk of Terran Electric as well. Enough, I think,
to force them to behave like a good little company and stay out of
other people's hair. Let's all get together and celebrate."
"Right," echoed the men.
A month later, Joe's was the scene of a big banquet. Barney Carroll got
up and said:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we all know why we're here and what we're
celebrating. So I won't have to recount the whole affair. We all think
Don Channing is a great guy, and Walt Franks isn't far behind, if any.
I'm pretty likeable myself, and my lifelong sparring partner, Jim
Baler, is no smelt either. And so on, ad nauseum.
"But, ladies and gentlemen, Don Channing has a deep, dark, dire,
desperate phase of his life, one that he will be remembered and cursed
for; one that will weigh about his neck like a milestone--or is it
millstone?--for all of his life.
"Benefactor though he is, this much you shall know; I still say there
is no place in the inner system for a man who has made this possible.
Listen!"
Barney raised his hand, and an attendant turned on a standard, living
room model radio receiver. It burst into sound immediately.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Interplanetary Network now brings to you the
Whitewood Nutsies Program. Karven and Norwhal, the Venusian Songbirds;
Thalla; and Lillas, in person, coming to you from the jungles of
Palanortis, on Venus, by courtesy of the Interplanet Foods Co. of
Battle Creek, Michigan!
"Ladies and gentlemen, Whitewood Nutsies are GOOD for you--"