Bassett stretched himself at ease in his chair and explained.
"I wanted a newspaper and he was indifferent about it at the time; but
we went in together, and he consented that I should have a controlling
interest. As I was tied up tight right then I had to get Mrs. Owen to
help me out. It wasn't the kind of deal you want to hawk about town, and
neither Thatcher nor I cared to have it known for a while that we had
bought the paper. But it's hardly a secret now, of course. Mrs. Owen and
I together own one hundred and fifty-one shares of the total of three
hundred; Thatcher owns the rest and he was satisfied to let it go that
way. He signed an agreement that I should manage the paper, and said he
didn't want anything but dividends."
"Mrs. Owen's interest is subject to your wishes, of course; that goes
without saying."
"Well, I guaranteed eight per cent on her investment, but we've made it
lately, easily. I've now got to devise some means of getting rid of
Thatcher; but we'll let him cool till after the convention. Mrs. Owen
won't be back for several weeks, I suppose?"
"No; she and Miss Garrison will return immediately after the
commencement exercises."
"Well, Thatcher brought that suit, thinking that if he could throw the
paper into a receivership he'd run up the price when it came to be sold
and shake me out.
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