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He
was
a
very
little
man
,
about
fifty
years
of
age
;
he
wore
a
high
,
four-cornered
,
stiff
felt
hat
,
with
a
short
brown
business
coat
(
which
in
summer
became
seersucker
)
and
square-toed
shoes
;
he
looked
for
all
the
world
like
a
country
drug
or
book
store
owner
,
with
perhaps
the
air
of
a
country
doctor
or
lawyer
superadded
.
His
cuffs
protruded
too
far
from
his
coat-sleeves
,
his
necktie
bulged
too
far
out
of
his
vest
,
and
his
high
hat
was
set
a
little
too
far
back
on
his
forehead
;
otherwise
he
was
acceptable
,
pleasant
,
and
interesting
.
He
had
short
side-burns
--
reddish
brown
--
which
stuck
out
quite
defiantly
,
and
his
eyebrows
were
heavy
.
"
Mr.
Sippens
,
"
said
Cowperwood
,
blandly
,
"
you
were
once
in
the
gas
manufacturing
and
distributing
business
here
in
Chicago
,
were
n't
you
?
"
"
I
think
I
know
as
much
about
the
manufacture
of
gas
as
any
one
,
"
replied
Sippens
,
almost
contentiously
.
"
I
worked
at
it
for
a
number
of
years
.
"
"
Well
,
now
,
Mr.
Sippens
,
I
was
thinking
that
it
might
be
interesting
to
start
a
little
gas
company
in
one
of
these
outlying
villages
that
are
growing
so
fast
and
see
if
we
could
n't
make
some
money
out
of
it
.
I
'm
not
a
practical
gas
man
myself
,
but
I
thought
I
might
interest
some
one
who
was
.
"
He
looked
at
Sippens
in
a
friendly
,
estimating
way
.
"
I
have
heard
of
you
as
some
one
who
has
had
considerable
experience
in
this
field
here
in
Chicago
.
If
I
should
get
up
a
company
of
this
kind
,
with
considerable
backing
,
do
you
think
you
might
be
willing
to
take
the
management
of
it
?
"
"
Oh
,
I
know
all
about
this
gas
field
,
"
Mr.
Sippens
was
about
to
say
.
"
It
ca
n't
be
done
.
"
But
he
changed
his
mind
before
opening
his
lips
.
"
If
I
were
paid
enough
,
"
he
said
,
cautiously
.
"
I
suppose
you
know
what
you
have
to
contend
with
?
"
"
Oh
yes
,
"
Cowperwood
replied
,
smiling
.
"
What
would
you
consider
'
paid
enough
'
to
mean
?
"
"
Oh
,
if
I
were
given
six
thousand
a
year
and
a
sufficient
interest
in
the
company
--
say
,
a
half
,
or
something
like
that
--
I
might
consider
it
,
"
replied
Sippens
,
determined
,
as
he
thought
,
to
frighten
Cowperwood
off
by
his
exorbitant
demands
.
He
was
making
almost
six
thousand
dollars
a
year
out
of
his
present
business
.
"
You
would
n't
think
that
four
thousand
in
several
companies
--
say
up
to
fifteen
thousand
dollars
--
and
an
interest
of
about
a
tenth
in
each
would
be
better
?
"
Mr.
Sippens
meditated
carefully
on
this
.
Plainly
,
the
man
before
him
was
no
trifling
beginner
.
He
looked
at
Cowperwood
shrewdly
and
saw
at
once
,
without
any
additional
explanation
of
any
kind
,
that
the
latter
was
preparing
a
big
fight
of
some
sort
.
Ten
years
before
Sippens
had
sensed
the
immense
possibilities
of
the
gas
business
.
He
had
tried
to
"
get
in
on
it
,
"
but
had
been
sued
,
waylaid
,
enjoined
,
financially
blockaded
,
and
finally
blown
up
.
