Tighe discharged three of his clerks.

He cut down his expenses in every possible way, and used up all his private savings to protect his private holdings.

He mortgaged his house, his land holdings--everything; and in many instances young Cowperwood was his intermediary, carrying blocks of shares to different banks to get what he could on them.
"See if your father's bank won't loan me fifteen thousand on these," he said to Frank, one day, producing a bundle of Philadelphia & Wilmington shares.

Frank had heard his father speak of them in times past as excellent.
"They ought to be good," the elder Cowperwood said, dubiously, when shown the package of securities.

"At any other time they would be.