That was two of the men present, only Buller and Alders to respond when Cole Latham leaned in close and asked;
"What the hell are you doing?" To which Elias replied, with what could be termed as a smile;
"Nothing earth-shattering Cole, just a bit of gamesmanship," They waited as the other two thought it over, as was their right, including Tuc gave an edge either way.
Javia
Bailey
Buller laughed in that annoying, loud, carping way of his.
"HA HA HA!! No ob... I say no objection at all here, gents; now you just scamper around and whisper sweet nuthin's in each others' ears while me and Mister Baur here have a nice lil ol' chat about how we're gonna run this here stage line..."
The man Baur said nothing, just pulled out a long pipe which he proceed to stuff with tobacco and attempt to light.
@[JulieS]
That left Alders and even though he might be outnumbered, Elias wanted to hear what he had to say as he was still a part of this auction.
"What are you out to pull, Elias," Cole wanted to know, "Some kind of scam, or slight of hand?" Elias was known to throw a wrinkle in the smoothest of transactions to benefit himself, Cole doubted this would not be any different.
"You see how Bauer reacted, as if there was nothing for him to worry about, but he is worried. He has, like the others, no idea what I am about to do, or not do. But he is worried, and with good reason. I have beat him before and plan to do so again."
Bailey
A town is only as good as the timbers that form its buildings.
Christoph took his time before answering, looking around the room to see everyone's reactions to Steelgrave's proposed pause. If Steelgrave wanted a break, there was no reason to naysay him. It might give him and Aldridge more time to plan, but whatever Elias had to say might throw a wrench into the way things were going. Not that things were going particularly well, which might explain why Aldridge was so willing to pause the auction.
"I'm not opposed to a break. Go ahead, please, Mr. Steelgrave," he said, rising alongside Aldridge and sticking his hands in his pockets to give off an air of nonchalance.
@ [Flip]
@ [Javia]
@ [JulieS
"Gentlemen, Alders, Aldridge, let's step over here," Elias said as he all but herded the men a few paces further away from the Colonel. "I believe you both know my attorney, Cole Latham. Your approval of either of us is unimportant. What I am about to propose to you is that I will loan you whatever it takes to thump the old charlatan. There is no catch. Two percent intrest on the principle. I will not be a partner in this enterprise, I have no idea how to run a stageline, nor the inclination to learn."
There was a pause, "There will be no hand shaking until afterward. Mister Latham will draw up a suitable contract based on the necessary funds. And, I will allow the first payment due in say one hundred twenty days. Do you find this offer acceptable? I really do want to beat the old codger at his own game!"
Latham was astonished by this offer, ignoring the current average interest rate of 5.18 percent, he simply shook his head.
On the surface, it sounded like a good deal, but Mason had his doubts. Sure, they could make a deal Steelgrave and the man seemed genuine in his zeal to beat Buller but it was what could happen afterwards that worried him. He knew of Steelgrave's reputation, and he had heard the rumours. The last place he wanted to be was indebted to Elias Steelgrave.
However, he was still in a deal with Alders and the man deserved to have his say before a final decision was made. Since time was short, they needed to talk about this right away.
"Steelgrave, your offer is generous but if you don't mind, I would like to privately discuss this with Mister Alders before giving my final answer," he replied.
Motioning to Alders, he moved towards the back of the room.
@Flip
@Bailey
"No, no, please do confer." Elias encouraged. He stood resolute in his want to win this one from Buller. He turned to Latham, "I want an iron-clad contract exactly as I said interest-wise. Payments will be made to the bank, nothing between us and them. They need not deal with either of us." He smiled, but there was nothing warm or humorous in it. "I realize their caution and I want that firmly dashed."
"Yes Sir, Elioas. It will be an iron-clad protection for them, payment through the bank, and I assume that you are not expecting to be included in any way with the stage line? Is that correct?"
"Exactly as I want it," Elias replied.
A town is only as good as the timbers that form its buildings.
Christoph rocked back on his heels a little bit at Elias's proposal. What an unexpected turn of events! With Steelgrave's backing they could win the stageline and send Buller packing unless he had another scheme to try to get his claws into Kalispell. But...to be indebted to Elias Steelgrave...
He retreated with Aldridge to the back of the room, thoughts in a whirl. "What do you think?" he said, pursing his lips. "I wish we had more time to weigh the pros and cons of this, but the main benefits I see are keeping the stage line local and having a good return for our investment. The income from the line might negate our debt to Steelgrave, in a way."
Christoph hesitated before continuing. "And the disadvantages are...owing Steelgrave, and delaying the profit we'd make from the stage line by having to pay him back. One other thing to consider: how high is Buller willing to go? We're already up to ten thousand and I can't see him sticking this out for much longer once he realizes we're not backing down. Our debt to Steelgrave might not be as astronomical as we think it might be."
@ [JulieS]
@ [Flip]
@ [Javia
Mason grimaced, "I don't know. In theory, it sounds like a good idea but to owe Elias Steelgrave is concerning. However, if you are will to take the risk, then there's no harm in trying."
He paused, "I think we should set a limit on how much we are willing to go and if the bidding goes higher than that then Buller can have the stageline but he'll be paying more than it's worth."
@ [Bailey]
@ [Flip]
@ [Javia
A town is only as good as the timbers that form its buildings.
"I'm willing." Christoph glanced sidelong at Elias, then at the self-assured Buller, and finally back at his bidding partner. "We've already said twenty thousand. How about thirty-five? If Buller gets it we know he's paying through the nose, but at least all the money goes to Tuc Millegan."
With the steadiness of his lumber business, Christoph felt confident in his ability to pay Steelgrave back, but Mason might not have the same confidence in his business. However, there was the hospital and someday the orphanage project that might rake in some more profit for the construction company.
Like everything they'd done that day, it was a gamble.
@ [JulieS]
@ [Javia]
@ [Flip