carried out."

"I meant out of Omega. Is he getting up a deal?"

The little broker looked vexed, as though it crossed his mind that he
had said too much.

"Oh, no. Guess not. Don't think he is," he said rapidly. "Just wanted
to save the market, I guess. If Omega had gone five points lower, there
would have been the sickest times in the Street that we've seen since
the Bank of California closed and the shop across the way,"--pointing
his thumb at the Exchange,--"had to be shut up. But maybe it wasn't
Decker, you know. That's just what was rumored on the Street, you
know."

I suspected that my little broker knew more than he was willing to
tell, but I forbore to press him further; and giving him the order to
buy all the Omega stock he could pick up under fifty, I made my way to
Eppner.

The blue-black eyes of that impassive agent snapped with a glow of
interest when I gave him my order to sell the other purchases of the
morning and buy Omega, but faded into a dull stare when I lingered for
conversation.

I was not to be abashed.

"I wonder who was picking up Omega this morning?" I said.

"Oh, some of the shorts getting ready to fill contracts," he replied in