That puzzled Thompson. The Dominion, as well as the Empire, was slowly
formulating the war-doctrine that men must either fight or work. Tommy,
with his executive ability, his enthusiasm, was plunging into a needed
work. Tommy had a right to feel that he was doing a big thing. Thompson
granted him that. Why, then, should Carr look at him like that?
He was still recurring to that when he drove down town with Tommy later
in the evening. He was not surprised that Tommy sauntered into his rooms
after putting up his machine. He had been in the habit of doing that
until lately, and Thompson knew now that Tommy must have been very busy
on that shipyard organization. It had been easy for them to drop into
the old intimacy which had grown up between them on that hard, long
trail between Lone Moose and the Stikine. They had a lot of common
ground to meet on besides that.
This night Tommy had something on his mind besides casual conversation.
He wasted little time in preliminaries.
"Would you be interested in taking over my car agencies on a percentage
basis, Wes?" he asked point-blank, when he had settled himself in a
chair with a cigar in his mouth. "I have worked up a good business with
the Standard and the Petit Six. I don't like to let it go altogether. I
shall have to devote all my time to the ship plant. That looms biggest
on the horizon. But I want to hold these agencies as an anchor to
windward. You could run both places without either suffering, I'm
confident. Ill make you a good proposition."
Thompson reflected a minute.
"What is your proposition?" he asked at length. "I daresay I could
handle it. But I can't commit myself offhand."
"Of course not," Tommy agreed. "You can go over my books from the
beginning, and see for yourself what the business amounts to. I'd be
willing to allow you seventy-five per cent. of the net. Based on last
year's business you should clear twelve thousand per annum. Sales are on
the up. You might double that. I would hold an option of taking over the
business on ninety days' notice."
"It sounds all right," Thompson admitted. "I'll look into it."
"I want quick action," Tommy declared. "Say, to-morrow you arrange for
some certified accountant to go over my books and make out a balance
sheet. I'll pay his fee. I'm anxious to be free to work on the ship
end."
"All right. I'll do that. We can arrange the details later if I decide
to take you up," Thompson said.
Tommy stretched his arms and yawned.
"By jove," said he, "I'm going to be the busiest thing on wheels for
awhile. It's no joke running a big show."