100 DEEP FURROWS 



seriously. They were talking about E. A. Partridge 

 and they were not laughing. The Secretary of the 

 Exchange was instructed to write a letter. 



Partridge hit the desk so hard that the paper-knife 

 with which he had sliced open that letter hopped to the 

 floor. 



" They're after us already !" he exploded. 



It looked that way. The Company's seat on the 

 Grain Exchange was held in the name of the President 

 and the letter summoned him to appear before the 

 Council of the Exchange to answer to a charge of 

 having sinned against the honor and " diginity " of that 

 institution and of violating its rules. <^ short time 

 before the young company had issued a circular setting 

 forth their intention of dividing co-operatively what- 

 ever profits were earned ; in other words, the man send- 

 ing the larger amount of grain would receive the larger 

 profits. This, the Exchange claimed, was a violation of 

 the strict rules of the Grain Exchange .and would have 

 to^Be abandoned. 



" You are virtually splitting the commission with the 

 shipper," claimed the Exchange, "and we can't allow 

 that for a minute." 



" It's up to you to prove I'm guilty, not up to me to 

 come here and commit myself," argued Partridge. " If 

 you can find any profits that have been distributed co- 

 operatively by the Grain Growers' Grain Company, go 

 ahead. Nor have I sinned against your ' diginity ' !" he 

 added, sarcastically taking advantage of the steno- 

 grapher's error in spelling. " For that matter, you've 

 been digging into me ever since I came on here !" 



" You can't do any more business with our members 

 till you change your ways," declared the Exchange and 

 forthwith, on October 25th, notice was posted to all 



V 



