returning after a moment with
"I have held the City Hospital contract for three years," he explained, "and they owe me a lot of money. I thought you might collect some of it."
"I think if you’d put in a claim through the usual channels you’d receive your dues," advised Keith, somewhat puzzled. He had not heard that the city was refusing to pay legitimate claims.
"I’ve done that, and they’ve given me these," said Doctor Jones, handing Keith a bundle of papers.
Keith glanced at them.
"This is ‘scrip,’" he said. "It’s perfectly good. When the city is without current funds it issues this scrip, bearing interest at 3 per cent. a month. It’s all right."
"Yes, I know," said the little man ineffectually, "but I don’t want scrip."
Keith ran it over. It amounted to something like eleven thousand dollars.
"What do you want done about it?" he asked,
"I want you to collect the money for me."
But Keith, had recollected something.
"Just wait a minute, please," he begged, and darted across the hall to a friend’s office, returning after a moment with a file of legislative reports. "I thought I’d heard something about it; here it is. The State Legislature has voted an issue of 10 per cent. bonds to take up the scrip."
"I don’t understand," said Doctor Jones.
"Why, you take your scrip to the proper official and exchange it for an equal value of State bonds."
"But what good does that do me?" cried Jones excitedly. "It doesn’t get me my money. They don’t guarantee I can sell the bonds at par, do they? And answer me this: isn’t it just a scheme to cheat me of my interest? As I understand it, instead of 3 per cent. a month I’m to get 10 per cent. a year?"
"That’s the effect," corroborated Keith.
Processing your request, Please wait....
