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diff --git a/old/67835-0.txt b/old/67835-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 08b8616..0000000 --- a/old/67835-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10747 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Better days, by Thomas Fitch - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Better days - or, A Millionaire of To-morrow - -Authors: Thomas Fitch - Anna M. Fitch - -Release Date: April 14, 2022 [eBook #67835] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from - images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTER DAYS *** - - - - - - BETTER DAYS: - OR, - A Millionaire of To-morrow. - - - BY - - THOMAS FITCH AND ANNA M. FITCH. - - - “Philosophy consists not - In airy schemes, or idle speculations; - The rule and conduct of all social life - Is her great province. Not in lonely cells - Obscure she lurks, but holds her heavenly light - To Senates and to Kings, to guide their counsels, - And teach them to reform and bless mankind.” - - - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.: - BETTER DAYS PUBLISHING CO. - 1891. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1891, - BY THOMAS FITCH, - In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. - - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. - - - =PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, - OAKLAND, CAL. - PRINTERS, ELECTROTYPERS, BINDERS.= - - - - -[Illustration] - - TO THE - - EIGHT THOUSAND MILLIONAIRES OF AMERICA - - THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED. - - IF, THROUGH A PERUSAL OF ITS CONTENTS, ONE AMONG THEM ALL SHALL BE LED - TO SO DISPOSE OF A PORTION OF HIS FORTUNE AS TO HELP THE WAGE-WORKERS OF - OUR LAND TO HELP THEMSELVES, THEN THESE PAGES WILL NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN - IN VAIN. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER I. - “The earth trembled underneath their feet.” - - -“Chicago,” said Professor John Thornton, “Chicago, my dear doctor, is -the typical American city. New York and San Francisco may be classed as -metropolitan. Philadelphia, St. Louis, and New Orleans are local to -their surroundings; Boston is—Boston, but Chicago is _sui generis_. -Notwithstanding its large permanent foreign population, and the presence -of the throngs of strangers attracted by the Columbian Exposition, -Chicago remains intensely and distinctively an American city.” - -“I quite believe you, professor,” said Dr. Eustace. “Certainly in all -the world elsewhere there is no race track for locomotives, no place -where iron horses are speeded, and purses of gold and diamond badges -awarded to the winners.” - -“It is an innovation certainly, doctor, but just such a one as might -have been expected in Chicago. The people of this city have not yet -passed the _noblesse oblige_ period. You know that in all large cities -there is liable to come a time when the citizens divide into separate -communities, usually with separate interests, and without any general -public spirit. In New York, for instance, Madison Square takes no pride -in the East River bridge, Avenue A does not care whether the Grant -monument shall ever be completed, and the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s -Island is as strange to many a resident of Harlem as if she were planted -on the banks of the Neva. But the people of Chicago, though locally -divided into Northsiders, and Southsiders, and Westsiders, are joined in -interest for Chicago against the world. Any project that promises glory -or profit for the Lake City will cause her citizens to open their pocket -books. These Illinois Don Quixotes never tire of sounding the praises of -their Dulcinea, and are ever ready to break a lance in her honor.” - -“Is not this race,” said Dr. Eustace, “under the auspices of the -National Exposition?” - -“Not at all,” replied the professor. “As I am informed, a party of -speculators leased a thousand acres of land here, ten miles from the -city limits. They have, as you see, inclosed it and provided it with the -usual buildings, including seats for one hundred thousand spectators. -The race course is circular in form, four miles in length, and seven -railroad tracks are laid around it. The officers of the leading railroad -corporations of the country readily consented to send locomotives and -engineers here to compete for the prizes offered, and—you witness the -result. This is the third day of the races, and still the interest seems -undiminished.” - -It was late in the month of July, 1892, and although the World’s -Exposition was not yet formally opened, tens of thousands of strangers -thronged the hotels of Chicago and added to the gayety of her streets. -The great attraction of the day was the locomotive railroad race, and -about twenty acres of people, representing all nations, filled the -benches and spread over the outer circle of the great four-mile track. - -Seven of the largest locomotives in America, selected or constructed for -this race, were steaming up and down the tracks, waiting for the signal -to range themselves under a white cable, which was stretched diagonally -across the race course at such an angle as to equalize the difference of -length of inner and outer tracks. Each locomotive was draped with its -distinguishing colors, worn also by its attendant engineer and fireman. -The favorite engine in the pool rooms was the Chauncey M. Depew, entered -by the New York Central Railroad Company. - -The furnishings of this engine were of polished silver, with draperies -of blue silk, and the engineer and fireman wore shirts and caps of the -same color. - -The engine which most attracted the admiration of the throng was the -Collis P. Huntington, entered by the Southern Pacific Company. All the -furnishings as well as the wheels of this locomotive were gilded and -burnished for the occasion. The attendants wore shirts and caps of -crimson, and the drapery consisted of ropes of crimson roses, the -freshness of which, while coiled around smoke stack and boiler, was -accounted for by the fact that they were cut from asbestos cloth made -and tinted for the purpose. - -The directors of the railroad corporations centering in Chicago had -readily extended aid and co-operation to the company organized in that -city for the construction and conduct of a locomotive race track, for it -was conceded that no more instructive school for engineers and firemen -could have been devised, and that there was no better field in which to -make experiments in machinery, tests of fuel consumption, and economical -creation and application of dynamic force. Almost every railroad company -in the United States and Canada entered one or more locomotives for the -races, which were advertised for the last week of July, 1892, and, -notwithstanding the large sums offered for premiums, and the great -expense of building and maintaining the race course, the enterprise -proved exceedingly profitable to its projectors. - -Among the one hundred and fifty thousand spectators of the contest was -Professor John Thornton, of Boston, who, ten years before, had been the -hardworking principal of the Denver public schools, but who, through the -death of an uncle, inherited a fortune of five millions of dollars, and -was now one of the solid men and social magnates of the Hub. - -During the years of poverty and struggle which antedated Professor -Thornton’s introduction to the ranks of wealth, he had grown to regard -very rich men with aversion and contempt. He was fond of quoting the -aphorism that the Lord expressed his opinion of money by the kind of men -he bestowed it upon, and he was stout in the belief that any man who, in -this world of human misery, could make and keep five millions of -dollars, was too selfish, if not too dishonest, for an associate. He did -not carry his opinions so far as to refuse the estate which fell to him, -but he was exceedingly generous with his income, and he never ceased to -criticise the millionaires. - -Professor Thornton was generally regarded by his friends as a Crœsus -with the instincts of a Bohemian, a sort of gilded _sans-culotte_, with -very radical opinions and a very conservative bank account. - -The professor was accompanied to the race course by his family physician -and old friend, Dr. Eustace. This gentleman, unlike the professor, was -optimistic in his views of life. Pessimism, according to his belief, -might be sometimes necessary for ballast, but as a rule he preferred to -throw the sand and rocks overboard, and load up with the silks and -spices of Cathay. - -“What a country!” ejaculated the doctor, as, amid the cheers of the -multitude, one of the locomotives dashed up the track to try her speed. - -“It is a great country,” said Professor Thornton, “but will its peace -and prosperity endure?” - -“Why not?” sententiously interposed Doctor Eustace. - -“Are we,” replied the professor, “so much wiser than the people of the -republics which once encircled the Mediterranean, that we can afford to -disregard the lesson imparted by their history?” - -“Do you pretend to compare the ancient civilizations with ours?” queried -the doctor. - -“It may not be gainsaid,” rejoined Thornton, “that our civilization is -superior to that of the ancients in control and utilization of the -forces of nature, and it is also true that in the relations of the -individual to his government the former has gained in freedom and in -security of personal rights. But otherwise we seem to be traveling the -same round of national life from infancy to decay, which marked the -course of Assyria, of Egypt, of Greece, and of Rome.” - -“But conditions were different with them,” remonstrated the doctor. -“Rome, even when a republic, was such only in name. There was never any -basis of universal suffrage. The government of Rome was always a -military despotism, and her prætorian guard sold the imperial purple, -and rich men bought it, and she fell because of her corruption.” - -“And we have legislators and bosses who sell offices, and ambitious -incapables who buy them,” answered the professor. “And we are having now -the same vast accumulations of fortune in individual hands that have -ever proven the forerunners of national destruction elsewhere. Wealth, -corruption, weakness, decay, the mob, and the despot have been the six -stages of national life with other republics, and I doubt whether by -harnessing steam and electricity to our chariot we shall do more than -expedite the journey.” - -“Professor, you should go out as a missionary to millionaires,” -interposed the doctor, “and preach to them the doctrines of -nationalism.” - -“Doctor, you are satirical,” replied the professor, “but I am not so -sure that events are not fast making missionaries of some such doctrine. -Certainly the pressing problem of the hour is that of dealing wisely and -justly with the new and unparalleled conditions which vast wealth has -created throughout the world, and especially in these United States.” - -“We shall prove equal to the problem,” said the doctor cheerfully. “A -people who, North and South, were adequate to the achievements and -sacrifices of our Civil War, will never allow their government to be -overturned by a mob, or their politics to be always ruled by a few -thousand wealth owners. And then the personnels of the pauper and the -capitalist are ever changing. We have no law of entail by which the -founder of a fortune can perpetuate it in his descendants. The vices and -the brainlessness of the sons of rich men will come to our aid, and in -the third or fourth generation the boatman’s oar and the peddler’s pack -will be resumed. Let the millionaires add to their millions without -molestation, say I. They cannot take their gold away with them. It must -remain here, where it will again be distributed.” - -“Doctor,” said the professor solemnly. - -“Now, John,” interrupted the doctor, laying his hand familiarly on his -friend’s shoulder, “possibly the country may be going to ruin, but we -shall have time to see the race out. They are bringing the locomotives -in line ready to start. If they should come out close together at the -end, how are they going to tell which wins?” - -“The judge of this race, doctor,” explained the professor, “is -electrical and automatic and cannot make a mistake. As soon as the -engines are arranged in line for starting, a wire will be stretched -across the track behind them. This wire will connect with a registering -apparatus, dial, and clock in front of the grand stand, and each track -is numbered. At the signal bell for starting, the clockwork will be put -in motion. The first locomotive that crosses this wire will, in the act -of crossing, telegraph the number of its track, close the circuit, and -stop the clock, thus registering the number of minutes, seconds, and -quarter seconds consumed in the run.” - -“How clever!” said the doctor. “Well, there sounds the signal bell—they -are off!” - -With a shrill shriek of challenge from their throats of steel, like -unleashed hounds the giants bounded away, gaining speed as they ran. In -thirty-eight seconds they rounded the curve by the half-mile post -without much change in their relative positions. The next mile was made -in fifty-five seconds, with the Chauncey M. Depew, which had the inside -track, fifty yards ahead of the Collis P. Huntington, and the others all -the way from fifty to one hundred yards behind. At the third mile post -the Huntington and the Depew rounded the curve almost side by side, with -trails of fire streaming from their smoke stacks, and mingling in a -luminous cloud, which hovered above their distanced competitors. - -Then, with thunderous leaps and bounds, they came down the home stretch, -the one a streak of blue and silver, the other a streak of gold and -crimson, and the roar of the multitude fairly drowned the shrieking of -the whistles as engineer James Flanagan, of the Southern Pacific -Company—his crimson cap gone, his black hair streaming in the wind, and -his red flannel shirt open at the breast and almost blown from his -massive white shoulders—rode across the signal wire five feet ahead of -his competitor, winning the first prize of $10,000 for his company and -the diamond badge for himself, making the run of four miles in three -minutes nine and one-quarter seconds, or at a rate of over eighty miles -an hour. - -“It was nothing, sor,” said Flanagan to the vice president of the -Southern Pacific Company, who climbed upon the cab of the locomotive to -shake hands with his engineer. “If it wasn’t for the time lost in -getting under way I’d engage to sind the Collis P. around the four-mile -track in two minutes and a half. Sure, the machine was never built that -could catch her on a straight run. She’s a dandy and a darlin’ and a -glory to old California,” and he patted the throttle valve -affectionately. - -“Flanagan,” said Vice President Crocker, “the owners of this race track -have made one mistake They give the diamond badge, worth $1,000, to the -engineer, and the purse of $10,000 to the company. Suppose we trade and -let the company take the badge and you take the purse.” - -“Oh, more power to you, Misther Crocker,” said the delighted engineer. -“It’s thrade I will, and may you live until I offer to thrade back, and -whin you die may you go straight up, wid never a hot box to delay you on -your run to glory. I’ll give twinty-five hundred dollars of the money to -Dan Nilson, that shoveled the coals unther the boiler, like the good man -he is, and wid the balance I’ll buy a chicken ranch in Alameda that will -be the makin’ of Missis Flanagan and the kids.” - -On the bench behind the professor and the doctor two men were seated -engaged in earnest conversation. - -“I am not asserting,” said one, “that the ore is so very rich. It will -average fifteen per cent in copper carbonates, and that is good enough -for anybody. But I do say that the lode is an immense one.” - -“How long do you suppose it would last, Bob, with a dozen forty-ton -furnaces at work on it?” - -“Last? why, if you had Niagara for a water-power, and the State of -Colorado for a dumping-ground, and hades for a smelting furnace, you -couldn’t work that ledge out in a million years.” - -“Well, Bob,” laughed the other man, “I will go and look at your mine. -Can you start to-night?” - -“Your time is mine,” was the response. - -“Very good; shall we go by the Iron Mountain route, or by Kansas City?” - -“I will have to go by some other route than either,” was the reply. “I -cannot cross the State of Missouri; I am honorably dead there.” - -“Honorably dead?” - -“Yes, sir. It was this way: I lived at Atchison for a while when I was a -young fellow, and Abe Simmons and me were always at outs about -something, and at last we quarreled in dead earnest about a girl, and he -sent me a challenge to fight a duel. I always held that dueling was a -fool way to settle things, but I wasn’t going to take water for no -Missourian, and so I placed myself in the hands of my second, as they -call it among the chivs. - -“Well, Abe’s second and my second were good friends of both of us, and -they were in for a sort of a lark, and they fixed it up to paint two -life-sized pictures, one of Abe and one of me, on the door of an old -stable, and we was each to fire at the picture of the other at the word. -They had three doctors to examine the wounds on the paintings, and if -they decided that the wound was mortal, then the fellow whose picture -was killed had to consider himself honorably dead, and was to leave -Missouri and never return. If the wound was not mortal, he had to lay up -and keep his bed for such time as the doctors agreed would be necessary. - -“Well, sir, they made a circus of us, that’s a fact. We both signed a -paper agreeing on honor to carry out the arrangement, and we went out -one broiling afternoon in August in pursuit of each other’s gore. The -boys had passed the word, and we played to a bigger audience than was -ever at a Democratic barbecue. I was the best shot, but I was getting -ashamed of the whole business, and I fired in a hurry, and only plugged -Abe’s picture through its gambrel joint. He took a dead sight and shot -my picture plumb through the heart. I wanted three days to settle my -business, but the doctors decided that the weather was so hot I wouldn’t -keep more than twelve hours, and accordingly I lit out for Pike’s -Peak—as it was then called—the next morning, and I have never touched -the soil of Missouri since.” - -“How about Abe?” - -“The doctors agreed that he had to go on crutches for three months, and -the boys laughed at him—so I heard—so much that at the end of the second -week he limped out to his father’s ranch, and stayed there until his -time was up, when he went to St. Louis.” - -“And the girl?” - -“Well, of course I was a corpse, and she had no use for me, and Abe had, -before the duel, invited her to a dance, and, naturally, being a -cripple, he couldn’t go, and she allowed that she would neither go to a -dance or tie herself for life to a man with a lame leg, and she married -another fellow altogether. But you see I cannot honorably go into -Missouri unless I can travel on a corpse ticket.” - -“Well, Bob, your remains shall not violate your pledge. We will keep out -of Missouri this trip.” - -“All right, Mr. Morning.” - -The professor turned at the sound of the name, and, looking his neighbor -in the face, exclaimed:— - -“David Morning, have you altogether forgotten an old friend? True, it is -nearly ten years since I saw you last, in Denver, but surely I have not -changed so very much since then?” - -“Forgotten you, Professor Thornton?” replied the party addressed, as he -shook hands warmly, “forgotten you? no, indeed. I do not need to ask if -you are well—and your wife and daughter? Are they both with you?” - -“Both are in Boston, and well, thank you. Do you remain long in -Chicago?” - -“I leave to-night for the West. Pray convey to your family my -remembrances and regards.” - -“I will not fail to do so.” - -“The crowd seems to be going, professor; I suppose we must say good-by.” - -“Good-by, then, and a pleasant journey to you.” - - - - - CHAPTER II. - “The light that shone when hope was born.” - - -In the early dawn of an August day in the year of grace eighteen hundred -and ninety-two, David Morning stepped through the French window of his -bedroom out upon the broad and sheltered piazza of the railroad station -hotel at Tucson, Arizona. - -A mass of straight brown hair crowned rather than shaded a broad, high -brow, over the surface of which thought and time had indented a few -lines which gave strength and meaning to the face. Eyes of sea gray hue, -as candid and as translucent as the deeps which they resembled, were -divided by a nose somewhat too thick at the base for perfect features -but running to an aquiline point, with the thin and flexible nostrils of -the racer. A short upper lip was covered with a luxuriant chestnut brown -mustache, shading a chin which, though long and resolute and firmly -upheld against the upper lip, was yet divided by a deep dimple which -quivered with sensitiveness. A thick-set but graceful and erect figure, -clothed in a suit of dark blue flannel, completed the _tout ensemble_ of -the subject of our sketch, who, with thirty-two years of human -experience behind him, had stepped five hours before from the West-bound -Pullman sleeper. - -David Morning—the only child of a Connecticut father and a Knickerbocker -mother—was born and passed the days of his boyhood in the city of New -York, where he was a pupil of the public schools, and where he was -making preparation for entering upon a course at Yale, when, at sixteen -years of age, the sudden death of his father, followed within a -fortnight by that of his mother, compelled him to surrender his studies -and seek a means of livelihood. - -A distant relative offered him a place as clerk in a general merchandise -store in Southern Colorado, whither the lad journeyed. For two years he -faithfully served his employer. Always of an exploring and adventurous -disposition, he had, while “geologizing”—as he called it—in the -neighboring hills, in company with a prospector who had taken a fancy to -“the kid,” discovered a quartz lode, which his companion located on -joint account, David being under age. This location was soon afterwards -sold to an Eastern company for the sum of $20,000, of which the lad -received one-half. Declining several friendly offers to invest the money -in promising mines, he wisely determined to return East and resume the -studies which had been interrupted by the death of his parents; but, -guided by his Colorado experience, and having a strong inclination for -the vocation of a mining engineer, he determined to study in special -lines which were outside of the usual collegiate course. He had not -deemed it necessary to leave his own country to obtain the necessary -instruction, and, four years later, he found himself with $5,000 left of -his capital, with no knowledge of the Greek alphabet and but small -acquaintance with Latin, yet able to speak and write fluently French, -Spanish, and German, and possessed of a good knowledge of geology, -metallurgy, chemistry, and both civil and mechanical engineering, and -with a cultivated as well as a natural taste for politico-economic -science. - -At twenty-two years of age, having completed his studies, David Morning -located in Denver, adopted the profession of a civil and mining -engineer, and promptly proceeded to fall in love with the only daughter -of Professor John Thornton, the principal of the Denver public schools. - -Ellen Thornton at seventeen gave abundant promise of the splendid -womanhood that was to follow. Above the middle height, slender in form, -and graceful in carriage, with a broad, low brow crowned with silky, -lustrous, dark hair, and eyes of chestnut brown, that, in moments of -inspiration, grew radiant as stars, she captivated the young engineer -and was readily captivated by him in turn. An engagement of marriage -followed, to be fulfilled as soon as the clientage of Morning should be -sufficient to warrant the union. - -But business comes slowly to young men of two and twenty, and Ellen’s -mother grew impatient of the fetters which she deemed kept her charming -daughter from more advantageous arrangements. Ellen was proud-spirited -and ambitious, and, although she was earnest and conscientious, she was -not so stable of purpose as to be unaffected by the arguments and -appeals of her mother. At times she was sure that she loved David -Morning, and at other times she was not so sure that her love was of -that enduring and devoted character which a wife should feel for her -husband. Her reading had created in her mind a conception of an ideal -passion which she could not feel had as yet come into her life. She -believed that her affianced had undeveloped powers that would some day -bring him fame and fortune, and again she was not so sure that he -possessed the tact and persistence to utilize his powers to the best -advantage. This doubt would not have deterred her from fulfilling her -engagement of marriage if she had been entirely certain of her love for -him. But she was divided by doubts as to whether the affection she felt -was really the ideal and exalted passion of her dreams, or only a strong -desire for a companionship which she found to be exceedingly pleasant. - -She was not quite certain in all things of her affianced, not quite -certain of herself, not quite certain of anything, and one day, yielding -to an irresistible impulse of doubt and hesitancy, she asked to be -released from her engagement. - -Morning was amazed, indignant, and almost heartbroken at her request. -Had he been of riper age and experience he would have known how to allow -for the doubts and self-questionings of a young girl in her first love -affair, but he was as unsophisticated as she, and more secure in his own -possession of himself. Frank and proud, he took her at the word, which -she regretted almost as soon as it was uttered. He neither sued nor -remonstrated, but with only a “God bless you” and a “good-by,” and -without even a request for a parting kiss, which, if given, might have -opened the way to a better understanding, he hurriedly left the house. - -The next day he was on his way to Leadville, in fulfillment of a -professional engagement, and when he returned two weeks later he found -that his former affianced had accompanied her parents to Boston, where -Professor Thornton had been suddenly called by the death of a relative, -to whose large fortune he succeeded. - -Our hero did not despair, and, having no natural inclination for -dissipation, did not make his rejection an excuse and an opportunity for -self-indulgence. He was of an intense and earnest nature, and he was -really in love with the girl who had discarded him, but life was not -dead of duty or achievement to him because of her loss, which he looked -upon as final, for her newly-acquired position as a wealthy heiress made -it impossible to his self-respect to seek a reconciliation. He applied -himself with assiduity and industry to his profession, and soon became -an exceedingly skillful and reliable mining expert. - -Ability to comprehend the story written upon the rocks cannot always be -gained by study or experience. At last it is a “faculty,” rather than -the result of reading or training. Fire and flood, oxygen and -electricity, the tempests of the air and the volcanic throbbings of the -earth, have been busy for ages with the quartz lode, and have left their -marks upon it. It is possible sometimes to decipher these hieroglyphics -so as to answer with a degree of accuracy the ever-recurring question, -“Will it pay to work?” Yet such possibility cannot be reduced to a -science. Professors of geology and metallurgy are often wrong in their -conclusions, and even old prospectors are frequently at fault. - -Go across a piece of marsh land on a spring morning accompanied by a -bull-dog and a Gordon setter. The former will flush no snipe save those -he may fairly run over as he trots along. But the fine nose of the dog -with the silky auburn coat will catch the scent of the wary bird, and -follow it here and there around tufts of marsh grass and across strips -of meadow, until the sagacious canine shall be seen outlined against -earth and sky. It is difficult to be certain of anything in this world -of human deceptions, but one may be absolutely sure under such -circumstances that the dog will not lie, and that he cannot be mistaken. -There is a snipe within a few yards of that dog in the direction in -which his nose is pointed. If the sportsman fails to secure the bird, -the fault will be with his aim or his fowling-piece—the dog has done his -part. - -Some men—even among experienced miners—have the bull-dog’s obtuseness, -and some have an eye for quartz equal to the nose of a pointer for -snipe. David Morning was of this latter class, and to the thorough -training which he had received during his four years’ studies he -speedily added that practical knowledge of the rocks which, guided by -natural aptitudes and intuitions, will enable the wooer of the hills to -gain their golden favors. His honesty, good judgment, and fidelity -caused his services to be eagerly sought by the mining companies, -which—after the Leadville discoveries—abounded in Colorado, and at the -date at which our narrative opens he had acquired a fortune of about -$300,000, which was invested mainly in mortgages upon business property -in Denver. But he made no attempt at further attendance on Cupid’s -court, and, indeed, gave but little attention to society. - -Yet, while the physical Ellen Thornton thus passed out of the young -man’s life, there came into his soul instead an ideal, whose influence -was ever an inspiration to higher thinking, purer life, gentler -judgments, and loftier deeds. Well has the poet said, “’Tis better to -have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” No man can be -possessed by love for a good woman without being thereby moved upward on -all the lines of existence. Damps cannot dim the diamond; its facets and -angles of fire will never permit the fog to abide with them. From the -hour that his heart is touched with the electric passion, the lover is -in harmony with all delights. - -The waters tinkle and the lark sings for him with sweeter notes, while -the sunlight is more radiant, and the hills are robed with a softer -purple. The woman who has evoked the one passion of a man’s life may -become as dead to him as the occupant of an Etruscan tomb, but the love -itself will abide with him to enrich his life, and journey with him into -the other country. - -David Morning found in books the most pleasant and absorbing -companionship, and those who gained admittance to his library were -surprised to learn that there was a dreamy, speculative, poetical side -to the busy, practical mining engineer. All the great authors on mental, -moral, and political economy were well-thumbed comrades, and the covers -of the leading English and German poets and essayists were free from -dust. Especially was he a close and interested student of social -science, and he had his theories concerning changes of various natures -in society and governments which might ameliorate the condition and -elevate the lives and purposes of mankind. - -In religion Morning was neither an accepter nor an agnostic. His reading -taught him that all religions inculcate the righteousness of truth, -honesty, and unselfishness, and that any form of faith in the hereafter -is better for the world than no faith at all. The Persian who bowed -devoutly to the highest material sign of Deity, the sun, was thereby -filled with a spirit which made him readier to relieve the misery of his -brother. The Egyptian who brought tribute to the priests of Isis and -Osiris, was the better for his self-denial. The Greek who believed in -Minerva was a closer student. Odin’s followers scorned a lie. Confucius -taught love of home and kindred. Mahomet prescribed temperance, and the -pure and gentle faith of Buddha in its benefactions to the human race -has been exceeded only by the benign power of the religion of Jesus. - -Skeptics strengthen their scoffings by recounting the wars and -cruelties—in bygone centuries—of zealots insane with fervor. But these -are only spots upon the sun. The rusty thumbscrews of the Inquisition, -and the ashes of the fires amid which Servetus perished—fires unkindled -and dead for three hundred years—may be forgotten when one considers the -hospitals, and schools, and houses of shelter which now link their -shadows across continents. - -A few days before, while attending the locomotive races in Chicago, -Morning had met an old mining friend, at whose earnest insistence he had -been induced to visit and examine, with a view of purchasing, a large -and promising ledge of copper in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It was -the pursuit of this purpose that had brought him to Tucson. - -From his seat on the hotel piazza David Morning gazed into the little -triangular garden beneath, with its splashing fountain guarded by -fragrant honey locust trees, its close-knit, dark green lawn of -Australian grass, and its collection of weird and ugly cacti, -transplanted from their native sand for the edification of passing -tourists. - -Then, raising his eyes, he beheld the ancient adobe pueblo, with a few -belated saloon lights blinking through the murk, which was now slowly -changing into ashen dawn. In the east a pencil line of light was -beginning to glow, and to the northward the blackish purple of the Santa -Catalina Range upreared itself against the night sky. - -In yonder mountains, as tenantless, as forbidding, as inaccessible, and -almost as unexplored as when they were first upheaved from the tortured -breast of chaos, there reposed the golden power which, in the hands of -David Morning, was to change the economic and social relations of -mankind, and, possibly, the governments, the boundaries, and the history -of nations. - -Nothing of these ripening purposes of Omniscience were then revealed to -the soul of our hero; none of them even rested in his dreams. Yet the -nations, weary of centuries of error, centuries of wrong, centuries of -toil and tears and martyrdom, were waiting, even as he was waiting -before commencing his work, for the light which every moment grew -brighter in its scarlet beauty against the eastern horizon—the light -which was to guide humanity to its destiny of better days. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - “The storm is abroad in the mountains.” - - -The Santa Catalina Mountains, although commonly designated as a part of -the Sierra Madres, are, in truth, a small, isolated range, towering to a -height of seven or eight thousand feet above the surrounding plains. -They are steep, rugged, and practically inaccessible, except at the -eastern end, where they may be entered through a long, narrow, crooked -canyon, which runs from the plain or mesa to within a short distance of -the summit. This canyon widens at intervals into small valleys, few of -which exceed a dozen acres in extent, and through it the Rillito, a -mountain stream, carrying, ordinarily, about five hundred miner’s inches -of water, tumbles and splashes. Along and above the bed of this stream, -at a height of fifty feet or more, in order to avoid the freshets -created by the summer rains, runs a very primitive wagon road, which was -constructed for the purpose of allowing supplies to be transported to -the miners, who, during the era of high prices for copper, were engaged -in taking ore from the carbonate lodes which exist in abundance in a -range of hills half way to the summit and ten miles from the mouth of -the canyon. - -The lower hills of the Santa Catalinas are covered with a scant growth -of mesquite and palo verde, along the Rillito there is a fringe of -willows and cottonwoods, and near the summit is a large body of pine -timber, but its practical inaccessibility and distance from any -available market have protected it from the woodman’s ax. The absence of -any extent of agricultural or grazing land in the Santa Catalinas has -proven a bar to their occupation by settlers, and their isolation, -rugged nature, and unpromising geological formation, have deterred -prospectors from thoroughly exploring them. Such searchers for treasure -as visited them always returned with a verdict of “no good,” until a -_quasi_ understanding was reached by the miners and prospectors of -Arizona that it was useless to waste time looking for gold or silver in -their fastnesses. - -Above the copper belt no prospector was ever able to find trace or color -of any metal, and the low price of copper and the high charges for -railroad freight which prevailed in 1883 and succeeding years, caused -abandonment of the rude workings for that metal, and at the date of the -opening of our narrative it might have been truly said that the entire -Santa Catalina Range was without an occupant. - -At the western and southern end of the range its summit and rim consist -of a huge basaltic formation, towering perpendicularly one thousand -feet, upon the apex of which probably no human footstep was ever placed, -for its character excluded all probability of quartz being found there, -even by the Arizona prospector, who will climb to any place that can be -reached by a goat or an eagle, if so be silver and not scenery entice -him. - -In the spring of 1892 Robert Steel, who, in years gone, had acted as -superintendent of a copper company operating in the Santa Catalinas, and -was familiar with the ground, had been inspired by a considerable -advance in the price of copper to visit the scene of his former labors -and relocate the abandoned claims. It was at his solicitation and -representations that David Morning, who had known him well in Colorado, -was induced to take a trip to Arizona to examine the properties. - -Robert Steel was designated by those who knew him best as “a true -fissure vein.” With hair that was unmistakably red, and eyes that were -blue as the sky, with the upper part of his face covered with tan and -freckles, and the lower part disguised by a heavy brick-red beard, his -personal appearance was not entirely prepossessing to the casual -observer. But under the husk of roughness was a heart both tender and -true, a loyalty that would never tire, a thorough knowledge of his -business as a miner, and a tried and dauntless courage that, in the -performance of duty, would, to quote the vernacular of the Arizonian, -“have fought a rattlesnake, and given the snake the first bite.” - -He carried his forty years with the vigor of a boy, and his occasional -impecuniosity, which he accounted for incorrectly by saying that he “had -been agin faro,” was in fact the result of continued investments in -giving an education to his two young brothers, and furnishing a -comfortable home and support for his parents and sisters in Wisconsin. - -There are many Robert Steels to be found among the prospectors of the -far West. They are the brightest, bravest, most generous, enterprising, -and energetic men on earth. They are the Knights Paladin, who challenge -the brute forces of nature to combat, the soldiers who, inspired by the -_aura sacra fames_, face the storm and the savage, the desert and -disease. They crawl like huge flies upon the bald skulls of lofty -mountains; they plod across alkaline deserts, which pulse with deluding -mirages under the throbbing light; they smite with pick and hammer the -adamantine portals of the earth’s treasure chambers, and at their “open -sesame” the doors roll back and reveal their stores of wealth. - -They are readier with rifle or revolver than with scriptural quotation, -and readier yet with “coin sack” at the call of distress, and they are -not always unaccustomed to the usages of polite society, though they -scorn other than their occasional exercise. Under the gray shirts may be -found sometimes graduates from Yale, and sometimes fugitives from Texas, -but always hearts that pulse to the appeals of friendship or the cries -of distress, even “as deeps answer to the moon.” - -Among these pioneers no one man assumes to be better than another, and -no man concedes his inferiority to anybody. In the last forty years they -have carried the civilization, the progress, and the power of the -nineteenth century to countries which were beforetime unexplored. In -their efforts some have found fortune and some have found unmarked -graves upon the hillside. Some with whitened locks but spirits yet -aflame continue the search for wealth, and some, wearied of the search, -patiently await the summons to cross the ridge. Wherever they roam, and -whether they spin the woof of rainbows upon this or upon the other side, -they will be happy, for they will be busy and hopeful, and labor and -hope carry their heaven with them evermore. - -Two days after the arrival of David Morning at Tucson he left for the -Santa Catalinas. The party consisted of Morning and Steel and two miners -who were employed for the expedition. A wagon drawn by four serviceable -mules was loaded with tools, tents, camp equipages, saddles and bridles, -provisions, and grain for the animals sufficient for a week’s use. Late -in the afternoon of the second day the site of the copper locations was -reached, and a camp made upon the mesa a few hundred feet from and above -the bed of the stream. - -A cursory examination of the copper locations made before nightfall -satisfied Morning that before he could form any judgment upon which he -would be willing to act in making a purchase, it would be necessary to -clean out one of the old shafts, which had, since the mines were -abandoned, been partially filled with loose rock and earth. This work it -was estimated could be performed by Robert Steel and his two miners in -about three days, and while it was being done Morning proposed to -explore, or at least visit, the source of the stream, near the summit of -the range ten miles away. Assuring Steel that he was an old mountaineer, -and that no apprehensions need be felt for his safety if he did not -return until the end of two or three days, Morning saddled one animal, -and, loading another with blankets, camp equipage, a pick, a -fowling-piece, and three days’ provisions, he departed next morning, -after an early breakfast, for the trip up the cañon. - -Above the old copper camp the wagon road came to an end, and only a -rough trail running along and often in the creek took its place. -Following the trail, Morning proceeded, driving his pack mule ahead, -until, at a point about six miles from where he had left his companions, -further progress with animals was found to be impossible. - -One hundred feet above the bed of the stream, which here emerged with a -rush from a narrow gorge, was a plateau of probably ten acres in extent, -on which were a number of large oak trees, and the ground of which was -at this season covered with a heavy growth of alfilaria, or native -clover. Here Morning unloaded and tethered his mules, and made for -himself a temporary camp under a huge live oak tree. - -After eating his luncheon, he buckled a pistol about his waist, that he -might not be altogether unprepared for a possible deer, and, using a -pole-pick for a walking staff, he climbed out of the cañon and commenced -the ascent of the mountain to the southward. It appeared to be about a -thousand feet in height, and upon its summit towered, one thousand feet -higher, the basaltic wall which Morning recognized as that which was -visible from Tucson, and which formed the southern and western rim of -the Santa Catalina Mountains. His purpose was to reach at least the base -of this wall, and ascertain if there were any means of ascending it to -its summit, from which it might be possible to obtain an extended view -of the country. - -After half an hour’s hard climbing, our adventurer gained this wall and -found along its base a natural road, with an ascent of probably three -hundred feet to the mile. Slowly plodding his way among the loose rock -and débris, which had, during many ages, scaled and fallen from the -basalt, he soon reached an opening about sixty feet in width. - -Supposing that this might be a cañon or gorge that would furnish a means -of ascending the wall, he turned into it. In a little more than a -quarter of a mile it came to an abrupt termination. It was a _cul de -sac_, a rift in the wall made in some convulsion of nature. It ascended -very slightly, being almost level, and at both sides and at the end the -basalt towered for a thousand feet sheer to the summit, without leaving -a break upon which even a bird could set its foot. It was now midday, -but the rays of the sun did not penetrate to the bottom of this rift, -and the atmosphere and light were those of an autumn twilight. - -After ascertaining the nature and extent of the gorge, Morning turned, -and, plodding through the sand and loose rock to its entrance, resumed -his journey along the base of the great wall. The ascent of the little -ridge or natural road grew steeper and steeper, until at length the top -was reached, and our explorer stood upon the summit of the great -basaltic formation, a mile in width and ten miles in length, which forms -the southwestern rim or table of the Santa Catalinas. From near the -outer edge spread as grand a prospect as was ever vouschafed to the eye -of mortal. Tucson, seven thousand feet below and fifteen miles away, -seemed almost at the foot of the mountain. To the southeast stretched a -narrow, winding ribbon of green, the homes of the Mexicans, who, with -their ancestors, have for more than two centuries occupied the valley of -the Santa Cruz. Farther yet to the southward the lofty Huachucas -towered. Northward a higher peak of the Catalinas cut off the view, but -to the southwest broad mesas and billowy hills stretched for more than a -hundred and fifty miles, until at the horizon the eye rested upon the -blue of the Gulf of California, penciled against an ashen strip of sky. - -As Morning gazed in awe and delight, there appeared in the sky, scudding -from the south, flecks of cloud, chasing each other like gulls upon an -ocean, and remembering that this was the rainy season, and feeling -rather than knowing that a storm was about to gather, Morning retraced -his steps. He had proceeded on his return to a point about five hundred -yards above the mouth of the rift which he had visited on his upward -journey, when the rapidly-darkening clouds and big plashes of rain drops -warned him that one of the showers customary in that section in August -was about to fall. - -Such storms are usually of brief duration, but are liable to be -exceedingly violent, the water often descending literally in sheets. It -would have been impossible for Morning to reach the camp where he had -left the animals in time to avoid the storm, and a hollow in the basalt -wall—a hollow which almost amounted to a cave—offering just here a -complete shelter from the rain, which was approaching from the south, -over the top of the wall, he sought the opening, and was soon seated -upon a convenient rock, while his vision swept the slope to the cañon a -mile below, and thence followed the meanderings of the Rillito until it -vanished from sight. - -And the clouds grew and darkened. Like black battalions of Afrites -summoned by the “thunder drum of heaven,” they trooped from distant -mountains and nearer plains to gather upon the summit of the Catalinas. -The south wind—now risen to a gale—swooped up the fogs from the distant -gulf, and hurried them upon its mighty pinions, shrieking with delight -at the burden it bore up to the summit of the basalt, above which it -massed them. - -Then the demons of the upper ether reached their electric-tipped fingers -into the dense black watery masses, and whirled them into a denser -circle, whirled them into an hour glass, whose tip was in the heavens -and whose base was carried by the giant force thus generated slowly -along and just above the top of the great wall. - -Whirled in a demon waltz to the music of the shaking crags, yet touching -not those peaks, for to touch them would have been destruction, the -circling ocean in the air sailed, roaring and shrieking, to the -eastward, growing denser and more powerful, and black with the blackness -of the nethermost pit, as it journeyed on. At last it reached the blind -cañon so lately visited by our explorer. The air—imprisoned between the -earth and the clouds—rushed with a tortured yell down the rift in the -mountain. The wall of water sank as its support tumbled from beneath it; -its base touched the ragged rocky edges of the cleft; the compactness of -the fluid mass was broken, and the forces fled and left to its fate the -watery monster they had engendered. - -Then, with a roar louder than a thousand peals of thunder, with throbs -and gaspings like the death rattle of a giant, the waterspout burst, and -its vast volume descended into the gorge, down which it seethed with the -power of a cataclysm. - -Out of the mouth of the _cul de sac_ a torrent issued, or rather a wall -of water hundreds of feet in height. Down the mountain side it sped, -tearing a channel deep and wide, and crumbling into a thousand cataracts -of foam, which spread and submerged the slope. A deep depression or -basin on the side of the mountain just southward of the bed of the -Rillito deflected the torrent for a few hundred yards, and it rushed -into this basin and filled it, and, leaving a small lake as a souvenir -of its visit, went roaring down the cañon, which it entered again about -a quarter of a mile below the spot where Morning had tethered his mules. - -Not more than fifteen minutes had elapsed since the bursting of the -waterspout when the storm was over, the sun was shining, the water had -departed down the cañon, and our awe-stricken witness to this mighty -sport of elemental forces started to retrace his steps. He had witnessed -the deflection of the water wall, and knew that his animals were safe, -and he also knew that no harm would come to his companions down the -cañon, for their camp was hundreds of feet above the bed of the ravine. - -A few minutes’ walk brought Morning to the mouth of the gorge which he -had visited an hour or more before. From it a small stream of water—the -remains of the waterspout—was yet running, and, being curious to observe -the effects produced upon the spot which first received the fury of the -waters, he descended into the channel which had been torn by the -torrent, and again entered the rift. - -The tremendous force of the vast body of water precipitated into the -gorge had excavated and swept through its opening the fallen and -decomposed rock and sand and bowlders which had been accumulating for -centuries. The channel rent by the waters as they emerged was quite -twenty feet in depth and sixty feet in width, and Morning found that the -floor of the box cañon had been torn away to a similar depth. - -The waterspout had accomplished in one minute a work that would have -required the industrious labor of one thousand men for a month. The -gorge was swept clean to the bed rock, which showed blue limestone, and -in the center of this limestone bed there now stood erect, to a height -of twelve feet, a ledge of white and rose-colored quartz of regular and -unbroken formation, forty feet in width, running from near the entrance -of the rift to the end of it, where it disappeared under the basalt -wall. - -The experienced eye of Morning taught him at a glance that this was a -true fissure vein of quartz, and a brief examination of some pieces -which he knocked off with his pole-pick convinced him that it was rich -in gold. But for the waterspout which had swept away the sand, gravel, -and loose rocks which ages of disintegration of the face of the wall had -deposited over this lode, its existence must ever have remained -undiscovered for there were no exterior evidences of the existence of -quartz, to tempt a prospector to sink a shaft. - -The primal instinct of the miner is to locate his “find,” and Morning -proceeded forthwith to acquire title to “the unoccupied mineral lands of -the United States” so marvelously brought to light. His notebook -furnished paper for location notices, and an hour’s work enabled him to -build location monuments of loose stone, in which his notices were -deposited. - -It was now more than two hours since the waterspout had expended its -force. Morning conjectured that Steel and his miners, after the flood -had passed them, would probably set out in search of him, and he did not -wish his location to be discovered until he should have perfected it by -recording at Tucson, and possibly not then. But he knew that it would -require at least three hours for the men at the copper-camp to reach -him, and, though the light in the cañon was beginning to grow dim, he -determined not to leave there without further examination of the ledge. - -Accordingly, he walked around it and climbed over it. From its summit -and its sides at twenty different places he broke off specimens, which -he deposited in his pockets until they were full to bursting. It was -beginning to grow dark when he emerged from the rift and started along -the base of the basalt. He had not proceeded a hundred yards from the -mouth of the rift, when he beheld three figures a quarter of a mile -distant, rapidly picking their way along the channel which had been worn -by the torrent in its descent of the mountain. - -Five minutes more in the gorge and his secret would have been -discovered. - -He shouted to his friends, who responded to his hail, and in a few -minutes they met and descended the mountain together to the plateau -under the trees, where the tethered animals, surfeited with alfilirea, -were whinnying loudly for human companionship. - -It was too late to attempt to return to the copper-camp that night, and, -indeed, daylight was needed for the journey, for the trail had been in -many places washed away by the flood. - -After a supper, which made havoc with the three days’ rations, a large -fire was built, more for cheerfulness than for warmth, blankets were -divided, and all retired. - -Morning slept less soundly than his fellows, for his quick and accurate -brain was filled with an idea of the colossal fortune and the mighty -trust that the events of that day had placed in his hands. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - “Gold is the strength of the world.” - - -Morning concluded it would be unwise to make another trip to his -location, lest suspicion might be excited and discovery follow, so, -breaking camp early the next day, he returned with his comrades to the -copper-lodes, which they reached before noon. - -Work was resumed by Steel and his two miners in clearing the old shaft, -and Morning, taking a fowling-piece, avowed his purpose to look for -quail down the ravine. Having reached a point where he felt secluded -from observation, he began a critical examination of the quartz -specimens, which until now he had not dared to withdraw from his -pockets. - -As with his microscope he scrutinized piece after piece, he grew pale -with excitement and astonishment. With the habit of a mining expert, he -had sampled the ledge as for an average, and the average value of the -twenty different specimens of quartz, taken from twenty different -localities, enabled him to determine the true value of the property with -great accuracy. He discovered that the amount of gold in each one of the -twenty specimens would not vary materially from the amount of gold in -proportion to the quartz in each and all of the others. In other words, -the entire body of quartz was uniformly impregnated with gold, and, -therefore, of uniform richness and value. - -There was no better judge of quartz in all Colorado than David Morning. -He had been accustomed, after careful inspection, to estimate within ten -or twenty percent of the value per ton of free milling gold quartz, and -his accuracy had often been the subject of amicable wagers among his -friends. He was able in this instance to say that each one of the ore -specimens carried not less than five hundred ounces of gold to the ton -of quartz, or that the entire lode would yield, under the stamps, an -average of $10,000 per ton. - -This was marvelous! unprecedented! phenomenal! No such deposit for -richness and extent had ever been found in the history of the world. - -Ten thousand dollars in gold, distributed through two thousand pounds of -quartz, may not make much of a showing in the quartz, for in bulk there -is fifty times as much quartz as gold; but one hundred tons of such -quartz would yield a million dollars, and the ledge uncovered by the -waterspout was forty feet in width and thirteen hundred and sixty feet -in length to where it ran under the basalt wall. It cropped twelve feet -above the ground, and extended to unknown depths below the surface. -Thirteen feet of rock in place will weigh a ton. In that rift in the -mountain there was now in sight above the surface, all ready to be -broken down and sent to the stamps, six hundred and fifty thousand cubic -feet, or fifty thousand tons, of quartz, containing gold of the value of -$500,000,000. - -What was to be done with the vast amount of gold which might be -extracted from the Morning mine? How was it to be placed in circulation -without unsettling values, reducing the worth of all bonds, inaugurating -wild speculation, and revolutionizing the commerce and the finances of -the world? - -Would not the nations, so soon as they should be made aware of the -existence of this deposit, hasten to demonetize gold, make of it a -commodity, change the world’s standard money to silver exclusively, and -so lessen the value of the Morning mine to a comparatively small amount? - -Under the plea that increased production of silver necessitated a change -in relative values, that metal was demonetized in 1873 in Europe and in -the United States, and its value reduced one-third. Might not gold now -be similarly dealt with, and, with such a vast deposit known to be in -existence, be diminished by demonetization to the value of silver or -less? - -The entire production of gold in the world for the last forty years, or -since the California and Australia mines began to yield, had been but -$5,000,000,000, and as much might be extracted from the first one -hundred and twenty feet in depth of the Morning mine. All the gold money -of the world was but $7,600,000,000, or less than might be excavated -from the first two hundred feet in depth of this marvelous deposit. The -total money of the world—gold, silver, and paper—was but -$11,500,000,000, and a similar sum might be extracted from the first -three hundred feet in depth of the mine. - -If the ledge extended downward a thousand feet, it contained as much -gold as three times the sum total of all the gold, silver, and paper -currency of the world, and its value was equal to the value, in the year -eighteen hundred and ninety, of one-half of all the real and personal -property in the United States. - -How much of this gold could be added to the circulation of the world -with safety? and how could the existence of the vast quantity held in -reserve be kept secret? - -His studies in political economy had taught David Morning that gold, -like water, if fed to the land in proper proportions, would stimulate -its fertility and add to its power of beneficent production, but if -precipitated in an unregulated and mighty torrent, would, like the -waterspout, prove a destructive power. - -Knowledge of the existence of the gold, if generally diffused, would be -nearly as injurious to the world as to extract it and place it in the -channels of finance. Yet how could the secret be kept? The ledge as it -stood could not be worked without half a hundred men knowing its extent -and value. No guards or bonds of secrecy would be adequate. The birds of -the air would carry the tale. Even now a vagrant prospector or wandering -mountain tourist might reveal the secret to the world. - -Not in any spirit of self-seeking did David Morning ask himself these -questions. All his personal wants, and tastes, and aspirations might be -gratified with a few millions, which could easily be mined and invested -before knowledge of his discovery could destroy or lessen the value of -gold. But the purpose now beginning to take possession of him was to -use, not merely millions, but tens and hundreds and thousands of -millions, to bring peace, and progress, and prosperity to the nations, -to ameliorate the conditions under which humanity suffers, to raise the -fallen, to aid the struggling, to curb the power of oppressors, to -remedy public and private wrongs, to solve social problems, to uplift -humanity, and comfort the bodies and souls of men. To accomplish this -work it was necessary that he should have vast sums at his command, and -it was also necessary that his possession of vaster reserves should not -be known. - -The discoveries in California and Australia by which in ten years -fourteen hundred millions of gold dollars were added to the world’s -stock of the precious metals was a beneficent discovery. It lifted half -the weight from the shoulders of every debtor; it made possible the -payment of every farm mortgage; it delivered manhood from the evil -embrace of Apathy, and wedded him to fair young Hope; it invigorated -commerce, it inspired enterprise, it led the armies of peace to the -conquest of forest and prairie; it caused furnaces to flame and spindles -to hum; it brought plenty and progress to a people. - -But this addition to the gold money of civilization was gradually made, -and the product of forty years of all the gold mines in the world was -not equal to the sum which in less than four years might be taken from -the Morning mine. - -If, as a consequence of Morning’s find, gold should not be demonetized, -if it should be permitted to remain as a measurer of all values, and the -extent of the deposit should be made known to the world, the inevitable -result would be to quadruple the prices of land, labor, and goods, and -to reduce to one-fourth of their present proportions the value to the -creditor of all existing indebtedness. The farmer whose land was worth -$10,000 would find it worth $40,000, and the man who had loaned $5,000 -upon it would find his loan worth but $1,250 practically, because the -purchasing power of his $5,000 would be reduced to one-fourth of its -present capacity. - -All government bonds of the nations, all county, city, and railroad -bonds, and all the mortgages and promissory notes and book accounts in -the world, would, if all of Morning’s gold should be poured at once into -circulation, without preparation or warning, be reduced at one blow to -one-fourth of their present value, and all the owners of land, and -implements, and horses, and cattle, and merchandise would find their -value at once increased fourfold. The laborer who had only his hands or -his brains would remain unaffected. His wages would be quadrupled, and -so would the cost of his living. - -Knowledge of the extent of the Morning mine would immediately enrich the -debtors and ruin the creditors of the world, unless the governments of -earth should demonetize gold, deny it access to the mints, refuse to -coin it, and so degrade it to a commodity. - -An illustration in a small way of the operations of this immutable law -of finance may be found in the history of San Francisco. The foundations -of some of the great fortunes of that city may be traced to the days of -the Civil War, when San Francisco wholesale merchants paid their Eastern -creditors in legal tender currency, the while they diligently fostered a -public sentiment which made it discreditable to the honesty and ruinous -to the credit of any California retailer who should attempt to pay his -debt to them in the despised greenbacks. The interior storekeeper glowed -with pride when Ephraim Smooth & Company gathered in his golden -twenties, and commended his honesty for “paying his debts like a man, in -gold, and not availing himself of the dishonest legal tender law.” But -Smooth & Company paid their New York creditors in greenbacks, and -pocketed the difference. - -Inflation of the currency, or an increase of the money of a nation, if -it can be gradually made, need not prove disastrous to the creditors, -and must prove a benefaction to the debtors of the world. The relation -of wages to the cost of living, whether the volume of money in a country -be contracted or inflated, practically remains the same. It may be -claimed that the workman who receives an increase of wages, and whose -cost of living is correspondingly increased, is no better off at the end -of the year, yet economy brings to him larger apparent accumulations, -and he is thereby encouraged to practice frugality. - -The American mechanic who wandered to the Canary Islands, where he -received $400 a day in the local currency for his wages, was enabled to -save $100 a day by denying himself brandy and tobacco, and but for this -dazzling inducement he might have surrendered to temptations that would -have made him a proper subject for the ministrations of the W. C. T. U. - -But though an inflation of values which should be beneficent might -follow the discovery and working of the Morning mine, clearly the first -thing for the discoverer to do was to take effectual measures to conceal -from human knowledge the extent of his discovery. - -David Morning remained for some time in deep thought, and then, rising -from his seat upon a bowlder behind the manzanita bushes, he tore into -fragments the paper upon which he had been making calculations, and, -excavating with his foot a hole in the sand, he dropped into it and -covered the specimens of gold quartz which he had taken from the ledge, -and, retracing his steps, was soon at the copper-camp, where, in answer -to the queries of his companions, he replied truthfully that during his -absence he had not seen a single quail. - -Two days elapsed, and, the shaft having been cleaned out and the copper -lode thoroughly exposed, Morning took samples of it, and also of -croppings of the other lodes included in the ground located by Steel, -and the party broke camp and started for Tucson, where they arrived -early in the afternoon of the second day. - -Making an appointment with Steel for that evening, Morning deposited his -copper samples with an assayer, and, walking to the Court House, he -filed the notice of location of the Morning mine with the county -recorder. Two hours later he had the report of the assayer upon the -copper samples, showing an average of twelve per cent of carbonate -copper in the ore. This was not so rich as had been predicted by Steel, -but was of sufficient value to warrant the purchase of the copper -prospects at the low price which had been fixed upon them, provided that -arrangements could be made for economically working them, and Morning -had already formulated in his own mind a plan of action by which the -working of the copper lodes could be made to advance his project of -working the gold lode so as to conceal the extent of its yield. - -Morning calculated that the amount of money needed for labor, supplies, -machinery, and buildings, to work the mines in accordance with his -plans, would be about $300,000, and his first thought was to obtain this -money by breaking down, and shipping to reduction works in California or -Colorado, about thirty tons of the quartz before he should commence the -work which he projected for the concealment of the ledge. - -With his own hands he could mine and sack such an amount of ore in a -fortnight, and with the aid of half a dozen pack animals, managed by -himself, transport it a mile or two from the rift, where it might be -thrown into the channel cut by the waterspout, and, with a blast or two, -be covered with rocks and dirt until teams should be brought from Tucson -for it. - -With this idea uppermost, he sought the freight agent of the railroad -company of Tucson. - -Then he came in contact with the system in vogue on the Pacific -Coast—and possibly elsewhere—that of a one-sided railroad partnership -with the producer, on the basis that the producer furnish all the -capital and suffer all the losses, the railroad company providing -neither capital, experience, nor services, but taking the lion’s share -of the profits. - -“What,” said Morning, “will your freight charges be for three car loads -of ore to Pueblo or San Francisco?” - -“What kind of ore?” - -“Gold-bearing quartz in sacks.” - -“What does your ore assay?” inquired the agent. - -“What has that got to do with it?” questioned Morning sharply. - -“Everything,” answered the official. “We charge in car-load lots $12 per -ton to San Francisco, or $24 per ton to Pueblo, and $2.00 per ton in -addition for each $100 per ton of the assay value of the ore.” - -“Very well,” said Morning, “I believe I will ship thirty tons to San -Francisco.” - -“Have you it here?” said the agent. - -“It will not be ready for some weeks yet,” replied Morning. - -“You did not mention its value,” said the agent. - -“I will state its value at $100 per ton,” said Morning. - -“All right,” said the agent, “we will take it at that, subject, of -course, to assay according to our rules by the assayer of the company at -your expense.” - -“Well, I don’t know that I care to trouble the assayer of your company,” -replied Morning. “In fact, the ore is a good deal richer than $100 per -ton. But I will ship it at that valuation, and release the company from -all liability for loss or damage beyond that. In brief, I will take all -the chances, and if the ore shall be lost, or stolen, or tumbled off a -bridge, or overturned into a river, the company will only account to me -for it at $100 per ton. I suppose that will be satisfactory?” - -The agent shook his head. - -“It looks as if it ought to be satisfactory,” said he, “but my orders -are imperative. The ore must be assayed, and you will have to pay two -per cent of its value.” - -“But this,” replied Morning, with some heat, “is unreasonable and -outrageous. If the tax of two per cent is to be regarded in the light of -a charge for insurance, I am sure there is not a marine or fire -insurance company in the world that would charge one-fourth of one per -cent for such a risk.” - -“Company’s orders,” said the agent. - -“Suppose you wire headquarters at my cost, and say that David Morning -wishes to ship thirty tons of gold-bearing quartz from Tucson to San -Francisco, at a valuation of $100 per ton. Say that he will prepay the -freight, and load and unload the cars himself if permitted. Say that he -does not wish the railroad company to take any of the risks of mining, -transporting, or reducing the ore, nor to share any of the profits of -the business. Say that he will release the company from all liability -even for gross negligence or theft, beyond $100 per ton. Say that he -does not wish to acquaint the company’s assayer or the company’s freight -agent with the value of the ore, or permit either of them to form any -accurate judgment for speculative or other purposes as to the value of -the mine from which the ore was taken. Say that he wishes the privilege -of conducting his own business in his own way. Say that if the railroad -company will kindly fix a rate at which it will consent to carry the -freight he offers, without sticking its meddlesome, corporate nose into -his business, he will then consider whether he will pay that rate or -refrain from shipping the ore at all.” - -“Mr. Morning,” said the agent, “if I were to send such a telegram as -that, it would cost me my place, and, indeed, my orders are not to -communicate remonstrances made by shippers at the company’s rules, -except by mail. Of course you can send any message you like over your -own name to the head office, but I can inform you now that they will -only refer you to me for an answer, and I can only refer to my general -instructions, and there the matter will end.” - -“Well,” replied Morning, “I will ship the ore by ox teams or not ship it -at all before I will submit to the injustice of your general -instructions. I suppose I am without remedy in the premises?” - -“You might build another road, Mr. Morning,” said the agent, with a -slight tinge of sarcasm in his voice. - -Morning answered slowly, as he turned away:— - -“I may conclude to do so, or to buy up this road, and if I do I will run -it on business principles that shall give the shipper some little -chance.” - -“When will that halcyon hour for the public arrive, Mr. Morning?” - -“By and by,” rejoined our hero, “and then you may look for better days.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - “The rich man’s joys increase the poor’s decay.” - - -“Forty-five years ago, doctor,” said Professor John Thornton to his -friend, Dr. Eustace, “do you remember that, as barefooted boys, we -fished for pickerel together in this very pond, and from this very -spot?” - -“And caught more fish with our bamboo poles and angleworm bait than we -appear likely to capture to-day with this fancy tackle,” remarked the -doctor. - -“Everything about this lovely little lake seems unchanged,” resumed the -professor, “but elsewhere the great world has indeed rolled on. Then -there were less than one hundred millionaires in this republic—now, -doctor, there are more than eight thousand.” - -“And then,” said the doctor, “we came here in a rickety old stage wagon, -and we were ten hours in making the same journey which to-day we -achieved in an hour while seated in a parlor car. Then the telegraph was -in its infancy, the electric light was unknown, the great manufacturing -cities were unconstructed, the petroleum of Pennsylvania and the gold of -California and Australia were undiscovered, the great Western railroad -lines were unbuilt, and the web of complex industries with which the -land is now laced was unspun. The victim of a raging tooth or a crushed -limb was compelled to suffer without relief from chloroform or ether, -and it was a crime punishable with social ostracism to question the -righteousness of human slavery, the curative virtues of calomel, or the -beneficence of infant damnation. I never could think, John, that the -good old times, whose loss you are always bemoaning, were nearly so -comfortable times to live in as those amid which we now dwell.” - -“Dr. Eustace,” said the professor, “you attach undue importance to a few -physical comforts and conveniences. If our fathers lacked the advantages -of our later civilization, they were also without its vices. In the good -old times which you deride, wrecking railroads, stealing railroads, and -watering stocks were unknown. Senatorships and subsidies were not -procured by bribery; the legislator who sold his vote made arrangements -to leave the country, and bank burglars and bank defaulters kept, in the -public estimation, the lock step of fellow-criminals.” - -“And what, in your opinion was the cause of our descent from this high -estate of public virtue and whale-oil lamps?” - -“The main cause, Dr., of the corruption of the human race -everywhere,—gold. It was the gold of California that revolutionized the -finances, the business methods, and the morals of the nation. After the -year 1849 the advance of values, the aggregation of wealth, the increase -of population, and the magical growth of the West, made additional -facilities for inland travel and transportation a necessity. This -necessity caused the rapid construction of new lines of railroad. The -differences and difficulties of local management suggested the -advantages of consolidation—and then the reign of the centripetal forces -commenced.” - -“But all the millionaires of the country are not railroad men, John.” - -“Concentration of capital began with them, doctor, and their example was -soon followed by others. The Civil War broke down local prejudices, made -East and West homogeneous, introduced communities to each other on the -battle-field, obliterated State lines, and made individual effort in -business, in finance, in manufactures, and even in politics, less -advantageous to the individual than participation in aggregated effort, -where his gains were increased, though his personality was submerged.” - -“I have always thought that our civil war was a moral education to this -people and to the world,” remarked the doctor. - -“War was an educator,” conceded the professor, “yet the tree of -knowledge with its crimson leaves yielded evil fruit as well as good. -The moral nature of the American people has, I fear, reacted from the -tension of generous and patriotic sacrifice which war evolved. Some of -the very men who helped to strike shackles from black slaves have been -busy ever since forging other shackles for white slaves, and in -twenty-five years from the days when we freely paid lives and treasure -to preserve the existence of the nation, and free it from the wrong of -slavery and the rule of a slave-holding oligarchy, we have passed under -the sway of other despots, more selfish, more sordid, more relentless, -and more rapacious of dominion. The dusk-browed tyrant of Egypt has been -overthrown, but in his place Plutus reigns.” - -“I grant you,” interposed Dr. Eustace, “that the wealth owners are the -rulers of our later civilization, but, so far as I have observed, -instead of endeavoring to curb or overthrow them, we are all doing our -best to join their ranks and participate in their power. You appear to -be the only living millionaire who declaims against his class. I know of -no other man who is brave enough to defy the power of money, great -enough to ignore it, or strong enough to resist its influence, and I -dare say you would change your views if you were to lose your millions. -We all defer to the plutocrats. The Spanish nobleman who, for his -ancestor’s services, was permitted to remain with his head covered in -the presence of his sovereign, would have been sure to take off his hat -if he had entered the office of the president of a country bank, with a -view of negotiating a small loan on doubtful security. There was a great -truth inadvertently given to the world in the programme of a Fourth of -July procession, wherein it was announced that the line would end with -bankers in carriages, followed by citizens on foot.” - -“This subservience to King Gold, and pursuit of his favors, must cease, -Dr. Eustace, or this republic will be lost. The people must be taught to -assume a more independent and manly attitude toward the owners of -money.” - -“Ah, John, money is so necessary, and it is so hard to turn one’s back -upon it! This way lies comfort, ease, luxury—that way deprivation and -sacrifice. This way ‘the primrose path of dalliance trends’—that way -‘the steep and thorny road.’ This way the wife and children beckon and -sue for safety and peace—that way only rocks, and bruises, and hunger, -and loneliness summon. What wonder that the Christ, voicing the cry of -the human to the infinite Father, placed as the central thought of the -Lord’s prayer the words, ‘Lead us not into temptation’! But, John, -honestly now, do you think the eight thousand millionaires you rave -about are such an utterly bad lot as you make them out to be?” - -“Individually I dare say they are good husbands, fathers, and -neighbors,” replied the professor, “but they conceal their selfishness -and rapacity, and exercise their despotism from behind the shields of -corporations which they create and govern, and tyranny is none the less -tyranny because it is decreed not by kings, but by entities which fear -neither the assassination of man nor the judgment of God.” - -“Professor, pardon me, but you generalize a good deal, and I fear -somewhat loosely. It would make a difference to me, in my feelings, at -least, whether I was knocked down by a ruffian, or by an electrical -machine.” - -“Doctor, your simile was not considered as carefully as are your -prescriptions. If the machine be guided by the ruffian, what matters it -whether you be struck by his hand, or with an electric current directed -by his hand? If our great newspapers, which are influential, which claim -to be independent, and which ought to be free, are restrained from -publishing articles advocating postal telegraphy, or criticising the -management of a news corporation, what matters it that the freedom of -the press is choked by a board of directors rather than a government -censor? If the citizen dare not give voice to his views on public -affairs, what matters it whether his utterances be choked by the -knuckles of a king, or the polite menaces of an employer? If the voter -cast his ballot against his own convictions, and in accordance with the -will of another, what matters it whether he be coerced by a soldier with -a musket or a station agent with a freight bill? If the settler lose his -land, what matter whether the despoiler be a personal bandit armed with -a rifle, or a corporate robber equipped with a land-office decision? If -capital exempt itself from taxation, and place the burden of sustaining -government upon the broad back of labor, will it alleviate the pain of -the load to know that it is not the law of feudal vassalage but of -modern politics which accomplishes the exaction? - -“Hallo! I have a bite! Ah! ha! my boy, your eagerness to swallow that -minnow has brought you to grief!” - -And the speaker lifted a twenty-ounce pickerel from the placid waters of -Nine Mile Pond, and deposited it, struggling and shining, upon the green -turf at his feet. - -“Well, John,” inquired the doctor, “what are you going to do about it -all?” - -“We will have him split down the back and broiled for luncheon,” replied -the professor absently. - -“Broil who?” queried the doctor, “Jay Gould?” - -“Eh? No; the pickerel I mean, though I am not sure that similar -treatment might not be accorded to Gould, with advantage to the -country.” - -“You ask,” continued the professor, “what shall be done about it all? -The wealth owners themselves should be able to see that existing -conditions must sooner or later find cessation either in relief or in -revolution. Monopolies in transportation, intelligence, land, light, -fuel, water, and food—all concealed in the impersonality of private -corporations—now sit like vampires upon the body of American labor, and -suck its life blood, and they have grown so bold and so rapacious that -they even neglect to fan their victims to continued slumber.” - -“Why, John, you seem to have an attack of anticorporation rabies. You -talk like a sand-lot politician who is trying to sell out to a railroad -company. What is the matter with you? What have these much berated -entities done?” said the doctor. - -“Done?” replied Professor Thornton. “What have they not done? They have -torn the bandages from the eyes of American justice and fastened false -weights upon her scales. They have turned our legislative halls into -shambles where men are bought and honor is butchered. They have written -the word ‘lie’ across the Declaration of our fathers. They have struck -the genius of American liberty in her fair mouth, until, with face -suffused with the blushes and bedewed with the hot tears of shame, she -turns piteously to her children to hide if they cannot defend her.” - -“John Thornton,” ejaculated the doctor, “your remarks would be admirable -in substance and style for an address before some gathering of work -shirkers, organized to procure lessened hours of labor and larger -schooners of beer, but to me you are talking what our transatlantic -cousins call ‘beastly rot.’ I deny that a majority, or even any -considerable number, of the capitalists of this country are dishonest, -or unpatriotic, or indifferent to the rights and needs of their -fellow-men.” - -“I have not said that they were, doctor,” replied the professor. -“Indeed, if such were the case, we might cry in despair, ‘God save the -commonwealth!’ for only Omniscience could work its salvation. What I -claim is that it is full time for the conscientious millionaires who -love their country and their kind, to seriously consider a situation the -perils of which they are every day augmenting by their indifference.” - -“What perils do you mean, professor? How, for instance, would anybody be -hurt or periled if I were to become a millionaire?” - -“A great fortune is a great power, doctor, and not every man is fit to -be intrusted with great power. To-day no second-class power in Europe -can negotiate a treaty or make even a defensive war without the consent -of the Rothschilds, while in America the owner of fifty millions is more -powerful than the president of the United States, and the owner of ten -millions more influential than the governor of a State. - -“And so he ought to be,” interposed the doctor. “The man who can by fair -means make $10,000,000 is more useful to the community in which he lives -than a dozen governors of States.” - -“But look at the danger to the people, doctor, of these great fortunes. -There are ten men in the United States whose aggregate wealth amounts to -$500,000,000, and who represent, and control, and wield the influence of -property amounting to $3,000,000,000. If these men should choose to -settle their rivalries and combine their interests and efforts, they -could about fix the prices of every acre of land, every barrel of flour, -every ton of coal, and every day’s wages of labor between Bangor and San -Francisco. They could name every senator, governor, judge, congressman, -and legislator in twenty States. They could rule a greater empire than -any possessed by crowned kings. They could promulgate ukases more -absolute, more despotic, and more certain of being enforced, than any -which ever went forth from St. Petersburg to carry desolation to a race. -They could say to the laborer in the grain-fields, ‘Henceforth you shall -be reduced to the condition of your brother in England or Scotland, and -eat meat but once a week.’ They could say to the toiler in the humming -factory or over the red forge, ‘Henceforth you must toil twelve hours in -each twenty-four.’ They could say to every wageworker in the land, -‘Henceforth we will take all the results of your labor, and give you -only the slave’s share—existence and subsistence.’” - -“All you need, Professor John Thornton,” said Dr. Eustace, “is a long -beard, a woman with green goggles and a tamborine, a fat boy with a -snare drum, and a pair of bellows in your chest, to be a Salvation Army -seeking recruits for the church of Anarch. You know just as well as I do -that you are talking nonsense, and that the capitalists of our country -would be neither so inhuman nor so unwise as to push their power as you -indicate.” - -“Maybe not, doctor, maybe not, but their ability to so use their power -if they choose is a menace to a free people, and a standing inducement -to disorder, and unless the plutocrats cease their aggressions the -people may invoke the motto, ‘_Salva republica suprema lex_,’ and tax -all great fortunes out of existence.” - -“What aggressions do you refer to, professor? For the life of me I -cannot see that this country or this people have any just cause of -complaint. The census returns of 1890 show that in the preceding ten -years there was added to our national wealth, values amounting to nearly -$20,000,000,000.” - -“The census returns tell only a part of the story, doctor. The cottages -of the land will tell you that while as a nation we may have grown of -late years very rich and prosperous, yet among the individuals composing -the nation its wealth is possessed and its prosperity enjoyed within a -very narrow circle. The value of all the property in the United States -in the year 1890 was $66,000,000,000. Do you know that $40,000,000,000, -or sixty per cent of the wealth of America, is owned by less than forty -thousand people? Do you know that in the last twenty years the laborers -of the United States have added to the general wealth of the nation, -values amounting to $30,000,000,000?” - -“Well, what is there to complain of in that fact?” questioned the -doctor. - -“The complaint is that the money has not been divided among the ten -million workers who earned it. The complaint is that it has not -furnished each of ten million households with a $3,000-shield against -the assaults of poverty. The complaint is that as fast as created it has -been seized by the centripetal tendency which now dominates our -civilization and hurried into the strong boxes of ten thousand -Past-Masters of the art of accumulating the earnings of other people.” - -“The complete answer, professor, to your diatribe is that the -accumulations of which you speak are not the earnings of other people. -The greater portion of this wealth has been developed from the bounty of -nature in ways which could not have been pursued without large -combinations of capital.” - -“That is a mere assumption, doctor.” - -“Not at all, professor. The money taken from gold, silver, copper, lead, -iron, and coal mines, has come from the treasure vaults of nature, and -has not been filched from the earnings of anybody.” - -“Mining is the one exception to the rule, doctor.” - -“I beg your pardon, professor, but it is not. Another avenue to wealth -has been the organization and reorganization of great industries on -unwasteful and remunerative principles. For instance, the beef and pork -packing establishments of the West supply the retail butchers of the -land with meat at a less price than is paid for the live cattle.” - -“Where, then, doctor, do these philanthropists of whom you speak make -their money?” - -“They make it, professor, by scientific utilization of the hoofs and -horns, bones and blood, which in small butcher shops are necessarily -wasted.” - -“You believe, then, in the rightfulness of monopolies and trusts, do -you, doctor?” - -“John, there are no monopolies. No restrictions are placed by law on any -man who chooses to embark in any reputable business. As for the -much-abused ‘trusts,’ they have all resulted in higher wages and more -constant employment to the workman, and lower prices and better goods to -the consumer. I suppose you will not claim that the capitalists alone -are responsible for all the crime and pauperism of the land?” - -“No,” replied the professor, “for the ignorant and vicious poor play -into the hands of the selfish and vicious rich, and between the two the -honest and industrious body of the people is being ground as between the -upper and nether millstone. Indeed, I do not know which is the greater -curse to the country, the stock thieves, whose dens are under the shadow -of Trinity Church spire, and who combine to corrupt courts, juries, and -legislators, or the dynamiters and anarchists who would involve the -innocent and the guilty in one common wreck of social order. I hope I am -no senseless alarmist, Dr. Eustace, but I am sure we must have relief, -or there will be national ruin.” - -“From what source, professor, do you expect relief to come?” inquired -the doctor. - -“Frankly, I don’t know,” was the reply. - -“Maybe your next National Convention will relieve the situation,” -insinuated the doctor, slyly. - -“I am sure that relief will not come,” said the professor, “from -existing political parties, whose orators grow earnest and belligerent -over the ghosts of dead issues, and travel around and around over the -same path, like an old horse on an arrastra, forever going somewhere and -never getting anywhere, neither knowing or caring whether he is grinding -pay rock or waste rock, conscious only of the whip of his driver, and -hopeful only of his allowance of barley.” - -“Why, John, I thought you were a devoted partisan,” said the doctor. - -“Did you?” was the retort. “Well, you were mistaken. What can be hoped -from political parties when legislators who are not free from suspicion -of venality are voted for and elected year after year, because Grant -captured Vicksburg, or Lincoln issued a proclamation of emancipation, or -Stonewall Jackson was killed more than twenty-five years ago? Must the -people forever submit to the rule of brawlers, and vote sellers, and -trust betrayers, because such men hurrah for some flag which other men -once carried into battle? Must the masses lie down in the path of -Juggernaut and invite him to crush them, because the evil-visaged god -parades his devotion to party issues which were long ago remitted to the -limbo of things lost on earth?” - -“The people will right all the evils of which you complain, professor, -so soon as they see that it is to their interest to do so.” - -“How can they doubt that it is their interest to right them? It is they -who suffer both in purse and pride for every unjust exaction and every -dishonest evasion. The poorest do not escape the consequences; it all -comes out of their toil in the end. It depletes their pockets in a -hundred unobserved ways. They pay for it in enhanced taxation of their -homes, in the fuel which cooks their food, in a greater cost of the -necessaries of life, in a higher rent, in the nails which hold their -houses together, and in the increased cost of the blows of the hammer -which drives them. I do not need to tell you, doctor, that labor must -bear the burdens of the State. Labor at last pays all and capital pays -nothing—all burdens of government, all expenses of courts and juries, -and prisons and police, all cost of armies and navies. The diamonds -which glitter upon the shirt front of the purchased legislator, the wine -which hisses down the throat of the lobbyist, the steel doors and locks -which guard watered stock and stolen bonds, the very powder and bullets -which shoot out the life of maddened and insurgent labor, are all paid -for out of the toil of the laborer.” - -“While there is much truth in what you say, professor,” observed the -doctor, “yet where is the immediate necessity for you to work yourself -into such a state of mind about it?” - -“Your remark, doctor, is a representative one,” replied Professor -Thornton, “and the general indifference which it expresses is the most -discouraging feature of the existing situation. Like the villagers who -cultivate their vineyards at the base of Vesuvius, we heed not the -rumblings of the volcano. Like the citizens long resident in Cologne, we -scent the tainted air without discomfort. We cry with the French king, -‘After us the deluge,’ and we seem to care very little what may happen -so long as it shall not happen to us.” - -“There is the mate to your pickerel,” said the doctor, as he landed a -fish upon the grass at his feet. “Two of the millionaires of Nine Mile -Pond have succumbed to their own greed and the patience and cunning of -intelligent labor.” - -“Many of our millionaires,” resumed the professor, not to be driven from -his theme, “and some of the most active and powerful of them all, are as -selfish, as rapacious, as arrogant, as ignorant, as corrupt, and as -despotic as Russian Boyars or Turkish Bashans. At the same time they are -unaware of their danger, are utterly obtuse to their social and moral -responsibilities, and conceited with the invulnerable conceit of -self-made men. They do not seem to recognize that they are unprotected -by an army, or a strong government, or spies, or the machinery of -despotism, or any traditions or practices of rule, and they appear to -take no thought of the infinite possibilities of disaster which line the -path of every to-morrow.” - -“You really fear, then, the fulfillment of Macauley’s prophecy, -professor?” - -“What thoughtful man does not? There is in every large city of our land -a multitude unindustrious, unfrugal of life, uncurbed of spirit, -undisciplined, uneducated, fretful of small gains, accustomed to freedom -of speech and action, jealous of anything which looks like oppression or -class rule, unaccustomed to restrictions of any kind, irrreligious, -materialistic, discontented, idle, envious, and often drunken.” - -“In brief, a powder magazine,” said the doctor. “Great cities have -always presented the same problem to rulers, yet civilization lives, -nevertheless.” - -“Because,” rejoined the professor, “in monarchial Europe the magazine is -guarded by trained armies and watchful sentinels, while in our country -it is left open and unguarded, and anarchists with lighted torches pass -to and fro. In Europe the train of government is built of -carefully-selected materials, it is officered by experienced engineers, -and at every station the testing hammer rings against the wheels. Here -we put in any piece of crystallized iron for wheel or axle, and give the -control of the engine to any loud-voiced braggart who can climb into the -cab, or any ambitious dotard who chooses to hire the tricksters of the -caucus to hoist him there. Then we throw the brakes off, the -throttle-valves open, and go screaming down the grade.” - -“And how do you propose, John, to avoid a smash-up?” queried the doctor. - -“We shall have passed the danger point,” replied the professor, “and -entered upon an era of safer and better life for the republic, only when -the great millionaires of America shall elect to consider themselves not -merely as conquerers on the field of finance, entitled to the spoils of -victory, but as trustees for humanity, as suns whose mission it is to -draw the waters of affluence from overflowing lake and stream, not to -hold those waters above the earth forever, but to distribute them in -bounteous and fertilizing showers.” - -“And do you suppose, John Thornton, that the people would either -appreciate or respond to such seraphic unselfishness on the part of your -regenerated and beatified millionaires? - -“Dr. Eustace, let me tell you that when the great, industrious, -intelligent, patriotic body of workers shall be made to feel that there -is no necessary conflict between labor and capital, —when they shall be -made to know that any considerable number of our millionaires are -seeking further wealth not merely to add to their personal luxury and -power, but in order that labor may be helped in turn to higher planes of -life, when it can be said truthfully— - - “‘Then none was for a party, - Then all were for the State; - Then the great man helped the poor - And the poor man loved the great’— - -In that day professional labor agitators will lose their vocations, the -workingman who never works will be without influence among his fellows, -and the brotherhoods of beer and brawling which infest the purlieus of -our larger cities, and clamor for bread or blood—meaning always somebody -else’s bread or somebody else’s blood—will find occasion to disband. I -do not despair of relief, I know that it must come. Whether it shall -come through ‘a preserving or a destroying revolution,’ whether it shall -come in wrath or in peace, is a question which the capitalists of this -country must answer and answer speedily.” - -“John, you dear old dreamer,” said the doctor, “I know of one -millionaire whose gold has not corroded his humanity. I hope there are -many such, but I fear that if the world looks to its wealth owners to -lead it in a crusade of unselfishness, it will wait a long, long time. -But I do not diagnose the disease as you do. You resemble a boy who has -stubbed his toe. To him there is no world and hardly any boy outside of -that sore toe. Yet if the cure be left to nature, in time the pain will -abate and the toe recover. I do not believe that any law framed by man -can make a pound of flour out of half a pound of wheat, or that any -scheme of government can equalize the inevitable inequalities of human -life.” - -“Then you do not believe in the wisdom and beneficence of compelling the -rapacious rich to aid the deserving poor?” - -“No; I believe in the wisdom and beneficence of exact justice. I believe -that the skillful and rapid bricklayer is entitled to higher wages and -greater opportunities of employment than his stupid and slothful -associate, and that to deny the former his rightful advantage is an -outrage upon justice, whether such outrage be perpetrated by an employer -or a trades union. I believe that every man is fairly entitled to all -the fruits of his labor, his skill, his good judgment, and his good -luck. The pickerel at your feet came by chance to your hook and not -mine, and therefore it is your fish and not my fish.” - -“But by the law of nature, doctor, there is no difference between a -beggar and a king.” - -“There is where you are wrong, professor. The law of nature is a -universal statute of equality of opportunity and inequality of result, -and man distorts her purposes and violates her statutes when he places -an unearned crown on the head of a king, or an unearned crust in the -mouth of a beggar.” - -“Do you think, then, that man has no excuse for his shortcomings, -doctor?” - -“He has many. He is controlled by the occult power of race -transmissions, by laws which he did not help to make, by customs which -he did not help to form, by organizations and environments beyond his -power to change or combat. But because of these he should have no -license to plunder his wealthier neighbor, for, in this republic, it is -within the power of the people to change laws, and alter customs, and -secure to every man the result of his own toil and skill—and that is all -any man is entitled to.” - -“But the wealth owners, doctor, have monopolized nearly all the -resources of nature.” - -“Nonsense. There is not a hungry idler in the purlieus of New York City -but might catch fish enough at the nearest wharf to keep him from -starvation, or find within a day’s walk a piece of land he could -cultivate on ‘shares.’ The resources of nature are inexhaustible. If -every adult male in the land were to build for himself a marble palace, -there would be no perceptible diminution in nature’s supply of marble. -If every farmer were to devote his energies and his acres to the -production of wheat, until enough wheat should have been harvested to -feed the world for five years, yet the capacity of soil and sun, water -and air to produce more wheat would be neither exhausted nor impaired. -For thousands of years the men of every civilization have been hewing -forests, and smelting iron, yet the forests which are untouched and the -mines which are unopened are practically limitless.” - -“Doctor, a man cannot stir the earth without a spade, or cut down a tree -without an ax, or mine iron ore without a pick, and the owners of the -spades, and picks, and axes, exact from the laborer an undue share of -his labor for their use.” - -“Who is to determine whether the share exacted be an undue one? My own -opinion is that the laborer’s share of results has grown larger, and the -capitalist’s share smaller, during the last twenty years. At least, the -rate of interest on money is not much more than half what it was before -the war. But whether this be so or not it is not nature’s fault. Nature -is not only implacably just, she is impartially generous. No suitor is -denied the chance to gain her favors, and none is refused any favor he -may have earned. There are floods and tornadoes, frosts and fevers, -burning suns and chilling winds. Yet these, as well as the fruitage and -the harvests, are the offspring of inexorable law, and science now -interprets the law. It warns us of cyclones ten thousand miles away; it -predicts the date of arrival, speed, and duration of hurricanes; it -brings the ladybug from Australia to combat and destroy the scale-bug in -California; it promises to conquer drought by exploding dynamite bombs -in the air or by chemical production of rain; it restrains floods by -diverting rivers; it destroys malarial germs by planting groves of -eucalyptus; it analyzes soils; it selects seeds; it fertilizes with -electric wires, and it ploughs and plants and harvests fields with -iron-limbed and steam-lunged servants. A hundred years ago one man with -spade and sickle slowly wrested from the earth the sustenance for his -little household, with only sufficient surplus to scantily compensate -the weaver, who, with hand loom, constructed a few yards of cloth -between daylight and dark. Now a girl guides the spindles and shuttles -and makes thousands of yards of cloth in a day, and the labor of one man -industriously applied to so much land as he can advantageously cultivate -with the aid of improved machinery, will in one year produce one -thousand bushels of wheat, or their equivalent in agricultural -products—enough to feed fifty men for a year.” - -“I grant you, doctor, that the production of wealth has greatly -increased. The problem of the hour is how to provide for a more equal -and just distribution of it.” - -“John, the solution of the problem is not difficult. Allow every man to -have that which he earns, and compel every man to earn that which he -has. Accord every man the opportunity to work or starve, with the -assurance that for his work he will receive full value, and for his -idleness a hunger that no public or private charity will alleviate. Hard -labor and hard fare for the criminal, generous diet and tender care for -the sick, an ax or a pump handle for the tramp, and allow no healthy man -to eat his supper until he has earned it. Consider sporadic and -indiscriminate charity as great an evil as injustice. Accord every man -his dollar and demand from every man your dollar, and give and exact -shilling for shilling. Emulate and copy the inexorable justice of -nature.” - -“Doctor,” said the professor, “I am silenced but not convinced. The sun -is getting too high for further fishing. Come, let us go to luncheon.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - “No man can tell what he does not know.” - - -“Bob,” said Morning, as they lighted their cigars, and seated themselves -after supper upon the piazza of the railroad hotel at Tucson, “the -copper assays are not up to your expectations, still I am inclined to -buy the property if I can arrange to employ men at rates that will -enable me to work it. What are miners’ wages hereabouts?” - -“Three dollars and a half a day for ten hours,” replied Steel. - -“And how much for unskilled laborers for road building, wheeling, and -aboveground work?” said Morning. - -“Two dollars and a half; but for work of that kind you can get Chinamen -at $1.50 a day, Mexicans at $1.25, and Papago Indians for $1.00, if you -wish to employ them, though I reckon you would have trouble about -getting white men to work with either.” - -“I don’t wish to cut wages on miners, Bob, for they earn all they get, -but if I buy that property, there will be a lot of road building, and -grading for furnace sites, and wheeling, and other work of the same -nature, and unless such work can be done cheaply, it will not pay to -hire miners for underground work, or, indeed, to work the copper mines -at all. I shall want these unskilled laborers for only a short time, and -I have especial reasons for not hiring either white men or Mexicans, -neither do I care to employ Chinamen if I can avoid it. Could I, think -you, obtain enough Indians for this preliminary work?” - -“Plenty of them at the San Xavier reservation, nine miles from here. I -patter their lingo a little and can get you a gang if you want them.” - -“I may want to drill and blast down a lot of basalt rock to build the -foundations of furnaces and ballast the road with,” said Morning. “Will -they do that kind of work?” - -“Yes, until it comes to firing the blasts. You will need a white man for -that. You will also need a white man for blacksmith work—sharpening -picks and drills. The Indians cannot work at a forge, and they are -nervous about ‘big shoots,’ as they call them.” - -“Bob, if I take those copper prospects of you at your price, will you -hire a gang of Papagoes for me, and take them up there and work them for -two or three months under my direction, you and I sharpening the tools -and preparing and firing the blasts, I paying you say $10 a day for your -services?” - -“Well, Mr. Morning, I don’t quite like such a job as that, but I am -anxious to sell those copper prospects, and I will do it. But if you are -going to hire Indian labor, I advise you to do first all the work that -you intend to do with it. I mean, it will be best to get through with -the Papagoes before you take any white men in there, or else there may -be a row, and the white men will drive away the Indians.” - -“All right, Bob, I will take your advice. You may consider the trade -made. I will take your deed for the copper locations and give you a -check to-morrow for $10,000 on the First National Bank at Denver, or I -will arrange to get you the coin from the bank here if you desire it.” - -“Your check is good enough for me, Mr. Morning.” - -“Very well. Then you can go to the San Xavier reservation early in the -morning and make a bargain with the Papagoes for three months. Obtain -forty good men and agree to furnish them with rations and pay them $1.25 -a day. They have ponies, I suppose, and can take their squaws along if -they choose. It will make them more contented to stay. You might -contract with them also to furnish enough cattle to supply themselves -with fresh meat. They can drive them along, and there is now plenty of -grass in the ravines. Don’t let them come to Tuscon, for I don’t wish -the people here to know what I am doing. The Indians can strike across -from San Xavier by Fort Lowell and meet us, or wait for us at the mouth -of the Rillito. You can return here as soon as you start them, and we -will buy teams and load them with supplies, and drive them out -ourselves. We will do all the blacksmith work and blasting ourselves. -And, Bob, keep your own counsel strictly about everything. I have -reasons for secrecy which I will explain to you later.” - -“All right, Mr. Morning. I don’t clearly see what you are driving at. -It’s a queer way to open a copper mine, but you are the captain, and -I’ve known you a long time, and whatever you say goes with Bob Steel.” - -It was three o’clock the next afternoon before Steel returned from San -Xavier. He was well known to the Papagoes, having often purchased grain -and animals from them for mining companies with which he had been -connected as superintendent. His mission was successful, and Manuel -Pacheco, a leader among the Indians, had agreed to have the necessary -force at the place designated on the third “sun up.” - -Tuscon, although not a mining town, is a commercial center for a dozen -mining camps, and there was nothing in the outfitting of a party of -miners calculated to attract especial notice. Two wagons and twelve -mules were purchased, with all needed supplies, and Morning and Steel -drove away to their destination, where they met the Indians and -proceeded to the old copper-camp. After supper Morning opened the -conversation which he had determined to have with Steel. - -“Bob,” said he, “to tell the truth, I do not intend to work this copper -property at present, though I shall need it by and by for a purpose I -will not now explain. I bought it mainly because I knew you intended to -sell it to somebody, and I wished to keep others away from this -vicinity. I have another use for the powder and the Indians, and, if you -will accept the offer I am about to make, I have another service for -you. I selected you because I know you are as true and as bright as your -name. If you will work with me and for me in this cañon as I require, I -will give you a salary of $1,000 a month for three years, and at the end -of that time I will pay you—don’t think I am crazy—I will pay you -$1,000,000. What do you say to my proposition?” - -“You take away my breath,” rejoined Steel. “If I did not know you so -well, I should say that you had been boozing on mescal, or were -otherwise off your nut. But you don’t talk usually without meaning what -you say, and I reckon you are in earnest. But there is nothing that I -can do to earn $1,000,000, or $1,000 a month either.” - -“Oh, yes, there is,” said Morning, “as you will agree when you know all, -or at least all that I intend to tell you! Listen: When I was up the -cañon while we were here last week, I discovered and located a rich gold -quartz lode that was uncovered by the waterspout. It is very rich and -extensive—indeed, there are many millions in sight in the croppings. It -was through my coming here to look at your copper lodes that I was led -to its discovery, and in a certain way I consider you have a right to -some profit from it, and I can well afford to give you a million dollars -for your services and your silence, or several millions, if you want -that much. The ledge is so rich that the first thing to do is to conceal -it. No person but myself knows its extent or value, and I shall not -disclose these even to you. When I commence working it and turning out -bullion, people will be curious, and they will badger you to tell them -all about. The elder Rothschild is credited with the aphorism that no -man can tell what he does not know, and if you really don’t know the -extent of the Morning mine, it will be a good deal easier for you to -baffle the curious. I propose that you shall not look at the ledge or go -into the box cañon where it is. Will you agree to that?” - -“Oh, I am agreeable!” said Steel. “I appreciate your reasons, and, -anyway, it’s none of my business.” - -Morning then explained to Steel the situation of the cañon where he had -found the lode, and the manner of its discovery, but was silent as to -its dimensions or the quantity of gold contained in the rock. He -informed him as to his plan of operations, which was to pack all the -supplies and tools on the backs of the animals as far up the cañon as it -was possible thus to go, and there make a permanent camp. The Indians -were then to carry the tools, powder, and a supply of provisions upon -their backs up to the summit of the basalt wall near the rift, where -another camp would be made. - -Two Indians were to be left at the copper-camp, with directions if -anyone appeared there to run up the cañon and inform Steel or Morning. -Two Indians were to be placed in charge of the permanent camp and the -animals, four Indians were to carry water in kegs to the top of the wall -for the use of the main party there, two Indians to procure firewood and -prepare food and attend to the camp at the summit, and thirty Indians to -work at drilling holes in the basalt at the summit on both sides of the -rift, and at a distance of about ten feet from the edge of it. - -The squaws were to be suffered to make such disposition of their time as -their social and domestic duties and inclinations might suggest. Steel -and Morning would keep the drills sharpened at the portable forge, -which, with a supply of charcoal, would be transported to the summit -camp, and as often as the drill holes were ready they would place and -explode the blasts. - -It was intended thus to throw rocks from the summit down into the gorge, -and this was to be repeated until its bottom should be covered to a -depth of many feet, and all signs of the existence of the quartz lode -obliterated. From the height of one thousand feet the lode could not be -seen at all, unless one were to crawl to and look over the edge of the -precipice, and then its nature could not—except by an experienced miner -or geologist—be discerned from that of the neighboring rock. The Indians -below would not be apt to disobey orders, leave their posts, and go into -the cañon amid tumbling rocks, and the general stolidity and lack of -interest of the Papagoes would lead them to attribute the entire work to -the eccentricity of their white employer. - -The plan formed by Morning was carried into effect. Drills of different -length had been provided, and the work was systematized. At six o’clock -each morning the Indians commenced work; from eleven to twelve they were -allowed for dinner and rest. At five o’clock drilling was suspended, and -the work of preparing the blasts was performed. The Indians then retired -to a distance, and Morning and Steel would explode the blasts. - -At the end of two months’ hard labor the rift was filled with rock and -débris to a depth of thirty feet, and the lode completely covered from -view. Morning then made a relocation of the mine on the basalt wall -above and on the mountain side below. He located extensions, side -locations, and tunnel locations in every direction for a mile or more, -so as to completely appropriate all approaches to the original location, -and prevent others from obtaining any vantage-ground from which drifts -might be run under his property. He also located the necessary mill -sites, the waters of Rillito Creek, and the timber upon the mountains. - -The plateau where he had tethered his horses on his first visit was, -with the available adjacent slopes, chosen as a site for buildings he -intended to have constructed for the use of the miners and their -families, and a rock and earth dam was built in the Rillito several -hundred feet above, from whence the water should be piped to the -buildings. The Indians were then set to work constructing a wagon road -to the mouth of the Rillito. - -The work being completed, the entire party now journeyed to Tucson, and -the Indians were paid off and returned to the reservation, where they -doubtless regaled their tribe with an account of the work they had -performed at the instance of the white lunatic who had paid them over -four thousand “pesos” in silver to tumble rock into a hole. Yet it is -doubtful if such information ever extended beyond members of their -tribe, for, on parting with them, Morning presented each worker with a -high silk hat, and each squaw with red calico for a gown, and Bob Steel -made a speech to them in the Papago tongue, and asked them to agree not -to tell the Indian agent, or any white man, where they had been working -or what doing, beyond the statement that they had been “building wagon -road.” The Indians—naturally secretive—readily gave the required -promise. - -Having recorded his new location notices, Morning telegraphed to San -Francisco for a portable sawmill. He loaded the wagons with a fresh -supply of provisions and tools and sent them with a gang of -wood-choppers in charge of Steel to the upper camp on the Rillito, with -directions to get out logs and haul them to the site of the proposed -sawmill. - -While awaiting the arrival of the sawmill, Morning visited the -neighboring mining camps of Tombstone, Globe, and Bisbee, and selected -with great care—after watching them at work and informing himself as to -their habits and antecedents—one hundred miners, to whom he agreed to -give a steady job for several years, working in eight-hour shifts, at -$4.00 per day. He preferred and obtained married men, each man being -promised a comfortable cabin, with transportation for his family and -effects from Tucson. - -In ten days the portable sawmill arrived, and with it and a full outfit -of building material, tools, and pipe, Morning, accompanied by a gang of -carpenters, was again _en route_ for the mine. - -It was busy times at Waterspout, for such was the name given to the new -camp, for the next six weeks. By that time the sawmill and shingle -machine had turned out sufficient material, and with the carpenters and -a number of the wood-choppers who were drafted for the purpose, eighty -comfortable board houses had been constructed, with large buildings for -shops and offices, and a suitable edifice for a schoolhouse. Water was -piped to the little plaza about which the buildings were gathered, and -all was ready for the miners. - -The sawmill was now set to work getting out timbers for a mill, and for -timbering tunnels. The men were all alive with curiosity to know where -was the mine for the working of which all these preparations were made, -but both Morning and Steel were reticent, and those who were too -pressing in their inquiries were quietly given to understand that a -continuation of questioning might cause their services to be dispensed -with. - -All being ready, the teams were sent to Tucson at the appointed time and -returned with the miners and their household effects, a number of wagons -chartered for the purpose bringing the women and children. Twenty or -more adventurers on horseback and in wagons accompanied the party, as by -this time curiosity was all ablaze at the proceedings of Morning, whose -location notices had been read by hundreds, and been made the subject of -frequent comment in the Tucson papers. - -Numerous prospecting parties were dispatched to the Santa Catalinas -during the next few months, and their members climbed all over the -mountains, examined Morning’s location monuments, and returned to Tucson -with the report that the Colorado man was clean crazy, that there was -not a sign of quartz, or any place where quartz could exist, and that -Morning’s friends—if he had any—would do well to appoint a guardian for -him. - -The plan of production upon which Morning had settled was to extract -sufficient gold to gradually substitute that metal for paper, or to make -it instead of bonds or credits the basis for paper money in all the -civilized world, and to increase the circulation of all countries to the -volume _per capita_ of the country having the largest amount. - -He learned from the statistics with which he had supplied himself that -the money circulation of France, the most prosperous and the most -commercially active nation in Europe, was $42.15 _per capita_, of the -United States $24.10, of Great Britain $20.40, of Italy $16.31, of Spain -$14.44, and of Germany, $14.23. In the Asiatic, semi-Asiatic and South -American countries the money circulation was still less, being but $5.20 -_per capita_ in Russia, $3.18 in Turkey, $4.02 in British India, $4.90 -in Mexico, $4.29 in Peru, $1.79 in Central America, and $1.29 in -Venezuela. - -Morning noticed that the greater the money circulation of a country, the -greater the civilization, prosperity, and refinement of the people; and -metallic money, or paper currency calling for metallic money, being the -best money, it would be sure wherever obtainable to drive out all other -currency. He proposed, therefore, to increase, as rapidly as was -possible, the metallic money of the United States and Europe to the -standard _per capita_ of France, beginning with the United States, -following with England, and then proceeding to the Continent. - -The process of accomplishing this was to be exceedingly simple. He would -ship gold bars to the mints of the country whose currency he proposed to -increase, and ask that they be coined into the money of the country. The -coin received he proposed to deposit in the banks of that country for -investment or use therein. - -The one danger against which he had to provide was demonetization of -gold by the nations. He could only effectually guard against this by -withholding all knowledge of the extent of his mine until he should have -accumulated a vast deposit of gold bars—say $2,000,000,000 worth—and -then deposit these for coinage suddenly and simultaneously at the mints -of the world before any law could be enacted depriving gold of its -quality as a money metal. Yet it would take several years for the mints -to coin so large a sum, and in the meantime gold might be demonetized. -In order for Morning to place his gold beyond the reach of such -legislation, it was essential to have it coined, or put in form of money -having a legal tender value. A slight change in the currency and coinage -laws would effect this. In the United States it might be accomplished by -an act of Congress requiring the government to receive gold bars, and to -issue legal tender gold notes thereon, without actually coining the gold -at all. The mints of the United States, working to their full capacity -on gold alone, could not turn out more than $50,000,000 in coin per -month, while a government printing press could issue $500,000,000 in a -day. - -Morning concluded that one of his earliest duties would be to visit -Washington while Congress was in session, and promote the necessary -legislation. - -Of the gold which he produced he could ship to the mints openly about -one bar in twenty-five. The other twenty-four bars he could keep at the -mine until he could build a smelting furnace and manufacture pigs of -copper, which should be hollow, and in which gold bars should be -concealed, and thus shipped to financial centers, where they could be -stored ready for any occasion. - -Morning estimated that the production of $100,000,000 per month would -require the activity of two hundred stamps, and that with the aid of -improved machinery he could reach the ledge and commence the production -of gold in about three months. He had now expended for labor, machinery, -and supplies about $25,000, and as much more would be required to meet -the labor expenses of the next sixty days, while the quartz mills he -proposed erecting would require nearly $200,000 more. As the business -methods of the railroad company prevented him from keeping his secret, -and at the same time realizing any money by shipping ore, he determined -to obtain the necessary funds by a sale of his mortgage securities, and, -leaving Robert Steel in charge of the work, David Morning departed for -Denver. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - “Sick to the soul.” - - -On his return to Denver, Morning found no difficulty in speedily closing -up his business and converting his mortgages into money. In about ten -days he was ready to depart for San Francisco, where he intended -purchasing the necessary machinery for five mills of forty stamps each. -His sole remaining business in Denver was the execution and delivery to -the purchaser of a conveyance of some city property which he had sold. - -While breakfasting at the Windsor that morning, his appetite was not -increased by reading from the Associated Press telegrams the following:— - - “MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE. - - “BOSTON, February 13, 1893. - - “There was celebrated this morning at the residence of the bride’s - father, Professor John Thornton, in Roxbury, the nuptials of one of - Boston’s greatest heiresses and acknowledged belles, the beautiful and - accomplished Miss Ellen Thornton, to the Baron Von Eulaw. The happy - couple will sail on the _Servia_ to-morrow, and will proceed directly - to Berlin. It is intimated that our fair countrywoman may be restored - to us after a season by the appointment of the Baron Von Eulaw as - envoy at Washington from the German Empire.” - -Forgotten? Ah, no! there are experiences in life that may never be -forgotten. Time rolls by, and against the door of the mausoleum where we -buried our dead out of sight the years have piled events and emotions -and distractions, and the passion which we once thought immortal becomes -now an episode, and by and by a dream, and at last a vague and shadowy -remembrance, and one day some new and mighty fact stalks forward, and -sweeps away all obstructions, and the doors of the tomb are reopened, -and the dead of our heart come forth, bringing to us sometimes the joys -of life’s morning, and sometimes the bitterness of a new death. - -David Morning walked from the hotel to his office without noticing many -of the friendly greetings bestowed upon him, for his thoughts were busy -with the past, and there was a dull, dead pain tugging at his heart -strings. - -The notary who had taken Morning’s acknowledgment to the deed whose -delivery would complete his business in Denver, brought the instrument -to Morning’s office, and, not finding him in, slipped the paper in the -top of a desk with a circular cover. This desk was one of Morning’s -first possessions in the way of office furniture, and, finding it -convenient and commodious, he had caused it to accompany every change of -quarters which his increasing business had from time to time rendered -necessary. - -Entering his office, Morning hurriedly threw back the cover of the desk, -not noticing the deed in the top of it until it was too late to prevent -the paper from being carried by the revolving cover into the interior of -the desk, where it could only be reached by removing a portion of the -back. The services of a mechanic from a neighboring furniture store were -procured, the back of the desk was removed, and Morning recovered the -deed. - -He also recovered another paper. It was an unopened letter addressed to -himself, which had doubtless reached its resting-place in the old desk -through the same process as that which carried the deed there. The -envelope was covered with dust; it was postmarked “Boston, Mass., -February, 1883”—ten years before—and the superscription was in the -handwriting of Ellen Thornton, now the Baroness Von Eulaw. - -Dispatching the recovered deed to its destination, Morning closed the -door of his private office, and, with breath coming thick and fast, -proceeded to open and peruse the missive. It read as follows:— - - ROXBURY, Mass., Feb. 13, 1883. - - MY DEAR MR. MORNING: This letter may bring you a moment of surprise; - if it be not a surprise mixed with chagrin, I am less justly repaid - than perhaps I deserve for that which may seem my instability of - purpose. But I have heard you say that you scarcely knew which was the - weaker, the man who changed his mind too often or who never changed it - at all, and in this recollection I find refuge. - - With men as intuitive as yourself, explanations are almost - superfluous. Nevertheless, you will bear with me while I pass under - review a few of the causes which have led to this action. - - After the change in my father’s fortunes and our subsequent removal to - Boston, life began to open up new possibilities, and what with the - increased demands upon my time, and the many beguilements of - flattering tongues, together with—let me confess it—an unresting - desire to forget the act of folly which had shut out every ray of - sunshine from my heart, as I found too late, I at length fixed my - footing to the artificial conditions of the situation, and for a brief - time flattered myself that you were forgotten. - - My letter, if written at all, ought to stop here. But thus much I have - learned—that passion tinctured with sorrow is the greatest of - egotists, and that the feeling that brooks no measure of repression or - discouragement inspires a degree of courage little short of defiance. - Thus stimulated, I feel a growing joy in being able to surmount - artificial restraint and to address you as I know you would wish an - honest girl who loves you with her whole heart, should speak. - - What will you think of me? Will you call me fickle and unworthy? - unwomanly? In a word, will you misunderstand me? How could I know till - my eyes were opened that there was but one sun? that the whole world - to me was adjusted to your simple, noble qualities? How could I know - that the music of the spheres meant the remembered tones of your - voice, that your face should haunt alike every scene of splendor and - every secret shadow, or that I would give my patrimony to be able to - pass my fingers through your brown locks for ever so brief a moment? - - What am I writing? I dare not read it. How confident I feel, how - transported with the thought that you may in remembering me forget my - much-repented dictum, or at least relegate it to the Quixotic realm to - which it belongs. - - As I near the close of my letter, I am possessed with a new fear. - Shall I dare send it? What if you shall have discovered new powers in - yourself, new persons out in the broad world, which shall make you - glad of your escape? It is so long since I have heard of you, and life - is so full of new things, I forget that you too have quite the right - to change your mind. If this be your condition, do not, I beg of you, - write me. I could not bear the humiliation as your great heart bore - yours. Consign my letter, then, to the great silence, and only - remember me as ever and always your sincere friend, - - ELLEN. - -What was his colossal fortune to David Morning now? Out of the past came -this message of life and love; of a love gone forever, and a life which -now seemed barren of purpose and hope. - -What is time but a name? The intervening years shriveled into -nothingness, and he was again bathing in the light which shone from the -eyes of the woman he loved, the one woman on earth or in heaven for him, -yesterday and to-day and forever. Again he walked with her under the -whispering foliage along the brow of the hill which crowns the Queen -City of the plains, and watched the burning sunsets illumine the -lavender mountains and change the clouds into embers of glory. Again he -sat beside her, reading some tender or beautiful or stirring passage -from poet or essayist. Again, at the good-night going, he felt her -dainty kiss, thrilling his soul to ecstasy. - -And she was lost to him now, lost through his pride, lost through his -vanity, lost through such dense and inexcusable stupidity as never -before possessed or afflicted a man. He had taken her girlish doubts as -final. He had thought to exhibit his manly pride—which was, after all, -only conceit of self—as an offset to her presuming to question the -possibility of her being possessed by a great love for him. Coward that -he was to surrender this glorious creature without an effort. Dolt that -he was to so mistake her maidenly hesitancy. - -And she—dear heart—had loved him after all. She had condescended to -summon him, and he had never received the message. What had she thought -of his failure to respond? What must she have thought of him, save that -he was a cruel, conceited creature unworthy of her love? What -humiliation his unexplained silence must for a time have brought to her -gentle spirit! What wreck and misery had not this miscarriage of her -missive brought to his life! - -If he could have identified the clerk or postman whose carelessness had -misplaced her letter, he would have beaten him in his fury, and he -wished for an ax that he might hew and batter to splinters the inanimate -desk whose machinery had been instrumental in wrecking two lives. - -Were they hopelessly wrecked? He caught his breath at the thought. He at -least was free, and whatever else might come never would he be -otherwise. Never should wile of woman enchant him, never should desire -for home and love and perpetuation of race and name beguile him. He -would walk lonely to the gates of the eternal morning, and wait for her -beyond the portal, and carry her soul upon the pinions of his immortal -love to the uttermost confines of ether, where no entrapments or -environments of earth could follow or molest them, and in the glow of -the astral light he would claim her as his own, and give himself to her -forever and ever. - -Ellen’s letter released the passion which had been locked for ten years -in the silent chambers of David Morning’s soul, and it possessed the -man, and mastered him with throes of bitter agony and throbs of ecstatic -delight. His cheeks were wet with the tears of disappointment, and again -to the very center of him he laughed with joy as he covered the letter -with kisses. - -“She loved me, my darling, my own, she loved me!” he cried. “Maybe she -loves me yet!” and again his heart beat wildly. “For ten years she -remained unmated. But yesterday she married this German nobleman, this -Baron Von Eulaw. Surely love could not have moved her to the union. -Surely with her nature she could not have forgotten her first love. She -was outraged and humiliated and incensed at the silence and seeming -indifference of the man she really loved, and so she married, for -reasons common enough in society.” - -Was this tie irrevocable? Could it not be severed? Might it not be -possible that happiness should yet be in store on this earth for his -darling and himself? He was now in possession of the lever that moves -the world. Should he not use this power for her and for himself, as well -as for the benefit of mankind? - -Who was this German baron that he should stand against him? There were -hundreds of barons, but only one owner of the Morning mine. He would use -millions piled upon millions to bring his Ellen to his arms. - -Napoleon divorced Josephine and married Maria Louisa. Cæsar put away one -wife and married another. David placed Uriah in the front of the battle. -Many kings had used their power to readjust to their liking their own -domestic relations and those of their subjects. - -He was a mightier king than Darius. He ruled greater armies than any -ever commanded by Bonaparte. Not the Kaiser or the Romanoff upon their -imperial thrones could exercise so great a power as David Morning. - -He would bid his golden armies serve their master. Walpole had -truthfully said that “every man has his price,” and the Baron Von Eulaw -probably had his. How many millions would this titled Dutchman take for -his wife? ten? fifty? a hundred? a thousand?—he should have them -multiplied again and again. - -Morning smiled grimly at the grotesque fancy. Von Eulaw aspired to the -American embassy. Mayhap he was not covetous but ambitious. Very well, -he would ask the Hohenzollern to name his figures for offices and -ribbons and rank to be accorded to the baron in exchange for a surrender -of his American wife. He would pay off the national debt of Germany if -necessary. Or he would buy the baron a kingdom. There were always -thrones for sale for cash or approved credit in the Danubian country. -That of Servia was just now in the market, and even that of Spain or -Portugal might be purchased. - -Maybe the baron loved his wife. How could he help loving her? Curse him, -what right had he to love her? What if Morning emulated the example of -the Psalmist and caused the Baroness Von Eulaw to be made a widow? Money -would accomplish this, and none be the wiser. - -None? Ah, what of the God that rules worlds and directs the eternities, -the God that was in and a part of David Morning, the God that punishes -and pities, the God that smote David, that struck down Cæsar, that gave -Napoleon to an exile’s death, and Henry Tudor to centuries of infamy? - -If Morning gained his Ellen’s arms through wrong to another, through -wrong to his own imperial and impartial conscience, there would be -bitterness in her kisses, and misery in his soul; they would go maimed -and chained to the gates of death, and in the other land they should -meet not again. - -And, inch by inch and minute by minute, Ohromades and Ahriman fought for -the soul of David Morning. The ebon-plumed spirit of darkness and the -silver-armored essence of light battled along the lines of heaven and -hell, and the light triumphed, and darkness was hurled from the -battlements, and peace and strength came to the aching soul. - -He would wait. He would not even jeopardize her peace by righting -himself in her esteem. He would offer no explanation. He would wait, -wait for the decree of the Father, wait for the hour of meeting in -honor. If it came on earth, well; if it came only through the help of -death, still well, for “life is short but love immortal.” In the other -land there would be readjustments, and each soul not mated truly here -would find its true mate there, in a mating that should be prevented by -no power, and limited by no death, but should endure so long as the -planets circle in their orbits. - -How did he know this? Not through any evidence presented to the material -senses, nor through any logic of the schools. It is the spiritual sense -of man that perceives his spiritual life. No priest can give him his -intuitions, no scoffer can take them from him, and the querulous -questionings of science are but as the babblings of infancy in the -august presence of the soul. - -And for full five minutes David Morning sat with his face between his -hands, then rose and went forth a conqueror. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - “Conceal what we impart.” - - -Before leaving Colorado Morning employed a force of skilled workmen, -necessary for the successful conduct of both quartz mills and -copper-smelting furnaces. It was his design to make Waterspout a little -world in itself, the members of which should consent to remain in the -cañon for three years, communicating with the world outside only by -mail. To this end physicians, school-teachers, and a clergyman were -secured, and a library, musical instruments, and theatrical scenery -purchased, with the confident expectation that local histrionic talent -would be developed; for where is the American community of five hundred -souls which does not contain the material both for Hamlet and burnt-cork -opera? - -From Denver Morning proceeded directly to San Francisco, where the -leading iron works were soon busy constructing quartz-crushing -machinery. By the 15th of April everything was on the ground, and in one -month thereafter the stamps were ready to drop. This result was achieved -by working nights by electric light, the Rillito furnishing power for -the dynamos. - -In ordering the mining work Morning had arranged for a double-track -tunnel, which would reach the lode at a depth of about one hundred and -fifty feet from the surface, and there was now a broad, well-ventilated -and well-lighted underground road to and along the entire length of the -quartz lode, at a point five feet from it. From this tunnel Morning -could cause to be run as many crosscuts into the lode as he desired, and -thus control the amount of quartz extracted, and keep within his -exclusive knowledge the true dimensions of the mineral deposit. - -Conjecture was rife, and the general opinion questioned the sanity of a -man who made such costly and elaborate preparations for extracting and -reducing quartz in a place where no quartz or sign or promise of quartz -was visible. But Superintendent Robert Steel kept his own counsel, the -wages of the men were paid promptly, all bills were cashed on -presentation, and the prevailing sentiment was voiced by big Jim -Stebbins, the boss of shift No. 3, who interrupted and terminated a -discussion among his men as to Morning’s movements by saying:— - -“Dave Morning is no mining shark or stock-board stiff. His money is -clean money; he dug it out of the ground; and if he chooses to buck it -off agin a syenite dike, a payin’ you fellers $4.00 for eight hours’ -work, which is a sight more than some of you is worth, why, I reckon -it’s nobody’s business but his own. It’s only five minutes to shift -time; put out your pipes, and get a move on you.” - -The mills were built on the side of the mountain below the tunnel, and -were inclosed—as was the entrance to the tunnel—with a high fence, -within which none were permitted except workmen on duty. - -A light narrow-gauge road was built from the mill yard at Waterspout -down the cañon, past the copper smelters, to the mouth of the Rillito. -The wagon road was destroyed, and the stream dammed in several places, -so that the only means of reaching Waterspout was by rail; and, without -a pass from Superintendent Steel, no person was permitted to ride on the -cars. Tourists, prospectors, and seekers for information who should -overcome these difficulties, and walk, climb, or swim to Waterspout, -would need to carry also their own provisions and bedding, for they -would find neither shelter, food, nor welcome, and could not gain access -to mine or mill. - -These discouragements stained the reputation of Morning for hospitality, -but they helped to keep his secret, and proved effective against -everybody except a special reporter of a San Francisco journal, who, -disguised as a Papago Indian, journeyed to Waterspout, and remained -there several days. He might have made a longer stay, but a Papago -squaw, hearing of his presence, sought him with a view to connubial -felicity. The reporter would have faced death for his journal, but he -drew the line at matrimony and fled. He did not gain access to mine or -mill while there, but he picked up considerable information, the -publication of which might have proved damaging to Morning’s plans. - -It happened that the sagacious manager of the great daily, before -ordering publication, frankly communicated with Morning—who happened to -be in San Francisco—and, being persuaded by that gentleman that the -public interest would be subserved by silence concerning the great gold -mine in the Santa Catalinas, the notes of the reporter were not sent to -the composing room. - -At last all was in readiness. The men whose duties ended with the -construction of mills, furnaces, railroad, and buildings, were sent with -the teams to Tucson and paid off. All idle, dissatisfied, and -unsatisfactory men were discharged, and their places supplied with -others. The best mining and milling machinery obtainable was in place -and ready to run. Supplies of all kinds, sufficient for months, were in -the storehouses, five crosscuts, twenty feet apart, had been run to -within one foot of the ledge, and the doors of the treasure caverns were -ready to open, when the owner of the mine directed that all the men -assemble on the little plaza at Waterspout in front of the company’s -offices. - -“My friends,” said David Morning, “I have called you together that we -may have a more perfect understanding before entering upon the most -important part of the labor that lies before us. You have doubtless felt -surprised at the extent of the work which has been done in this cañon -without there being any ore, or indications of ore, in sight. But your -surprise will change to astonishment when you know, as you soon must -know, how extensive and rich a body of gold quartz is here. It has been -and still is my desire to withhold from the world any knowledge, or, at -least, any accurate knowledge, of the amount of gold that will be -produced. I conclude that the best method for securing secrecy is to -make it in the interest of all concerned to keep the secret, and I -desire to say now that each one of you, whether miner, millman, -mechanic, laborer, teacher, clerk, clergyman, or physician, every man -who is or who may be on the pay-rolls, who shall faithfully discharge -the duties for which he was employed, and shall remain in such -employment for one year, without in the meantime leaving this cañon, and -who shall not by letter, or otherwise, communicate any information -concerning the working or yield of the mine, will be presented by me at -the end of the year with the sum of $5,000 in addition to his pay. Those -who remain until the end of the second year will receive a further -present of $10,000, and those who remain until the end of the third year -will receive a still further present of $15,000. Those who choose to go, -or who may be compelled to leave here because of either misconduct or -misfortune, will receive nothing but their pay. Should any die, the -present for that year will, at the expiration of the year, be paid to -his family—if here. If strangers visit this cañon, I shall expect you -not to entertain them or converse with them. Those of you who correspond -with friends will please say nothing whatever as to any facts concerning -this property, or any opinions you may have about it or about me. It is -only with your co-operation and good faith that the secrets of this mine -can be kept. Any one of you may, to a certain extent, betray those -secrets. Should he do so, he will not only defeat my plans but deprive -himself of the fortune which I expect to pay each of you as the price of -three years of work and reticence.” - -The proposition of Morning was agreed to with unanimity, and with an -enthusiasm and gratitude which can be comprehended when it is understood -that even the sum of $5,000 represented to the most industrious and -frugal workman the savings of from five to twenty years. - -Three days afterwards the crosscuts were in ore, cars loaded with the -yellow-seamed quartz began to discharge into the chutes and feeders, and -the music of two hundred stamps resounded in the Santa Catalinas. - -Morning’s estimate of the value of the ore, which he made from the -specimens taken by him at the time of the discovery, proved singularly -accurate. The quartz contained $10,000 in gold per ton, of which amount -ninety-five per cent was saved in the mill. The reduction power was two -tons to each stamp per _diem_, and the yield of the mine was quite -$4,000,000, or eight tons of gold, each day. The necessity of resting -one day in seven was observed at Waterspout, both as a sanitary measure -and because of the suggestions of the race germs that Morning had -received from his Connecticut ancestors. - -The disposition of the gold bars produced was made in accordance with -Morning’s plans previously made. Each day the product of the copper -furnaces, cast in hollow moulds, was brought upon the railroad, to the -lower part of the mill yard, where were situated the gold-melting -furnaces. Under the personal supervision of Steel, assisted by a few men -specially selected for the work, a gold bar was placed inside each -copper mould, the slight spaces filled with dry sand, a half inch of dry -sand placed upon the end of the gold bar, and the mould then filled with -melted copper. - -When completed there was to all appearance a pig of black copper or -copper matte worth commercially $18 or $20. In truth there was a gold -bar worth $40,000, which a few minutes’ work with a cold chisel would -release. - -The gold bars intended for open shipment were cast one-half the size of -those intended for imprisonment in the copper pigs. Of these small bars -Morning had eight prepared each day, making the ostensible yield of the -mill and mine $160,000 per day, or about $4,000,000 per month. Of the -large bars he had eighty prepared each day, which were shipped as copper -pigs. Their real value was about $4,000,000 per _diem_, or $100,000,000 -per month. These were allowed to accumulate in the warehouse at Rillito -Station until Morning should procure suitable places for their deposit -in Eastern cities. - -On the 1st of August, 1893, everything had been running smoothly for -several weeks, and gold shipments amounting to millions had been made. -Morning concluded that the running of the mill and mine no longer -required his personal attention, while his projects demanded his -presence at the great financial centers. Robert Steel was in full -possession of the plans of his friend and employer, who, leaving -everything in his charge, bade good-by to all and departed for Tucson to -take the train for the East. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - “And then hid the key in a bundle of letters.” - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, March 18, 1893. - -MY DEAR MOTHER: Really I hardly feel equal to a detailed description of -our trip over the ocean. Why is it that I remember only the painful -things about our journey? Surely there were pleasant people, cultivated -men and graceful women, such as one always meets in these days of free -interchange between different nations. But I have observed that some -temperaments catch first and make most visible the shadows upon the -landscape. Much as I love the hues and tints of the changeful waters, I -seem to remember only the rolling ship, and between me and the thought -of the blue skies and the splendid sunsets which I would have carried -away as a treasured memory, comes some trifling but harassing -recollection. So narrow and individual is the composing-stone upon which -our impressions are made up. - -I assume, dear mother, that you remember our serious conversation that -last night before my marriage, as, sitting upon my couch and looking -into my sleepy eyes, you half chided me for that which you called—for -want of a better term—indifference. - -Pardon me, ’tis a word with a sex. A woman may love, she may hate, she -may dissemble, but, pose as she will, there is no profile in her -passion. I do not deny I am going to school to my own heart. I am -honestly endeavoring to follow your advice. I am learning to love. Let -me say in the beginning it is a mistake to believe that men love deeply. -If ever they do, the object of their passion is themselves. Is this a -sound foundation to build domestic faith upon? However, as I have said, -I shall try very earnestly to do my part. - -The baron told me this morning that as Americans were a nation of -plebeians, I would naturally suffer many disabilities even as the -Baroness Von Eulaw, to which I replied rather hotly that honor and -courage required no purple swaddlings to hide their proportions, and -that we Americans sprang full created from the brain of regenerate -thought, whereupon his manly fist gathered muscle for a moment, then as -speedily relaxed, and he only slammed the door of his dressing-room -between us. Believe me, my dear mother, I was very sorry for the scene, -and I have no excuse to offer save the gaping wound to my patriotism, -which I find much more sensitive over here than at home. - -We have constant engagements, and I feel a little worn, though otherwise -quite well. Can you pardon a letter wholly devoted to myself? and in -return will you not tell me all about yourself, dear papa, and everybody -you know? - - Always faithfully your own, ELLEN. - - - _From Mrs. Perces Thornton to the Baroness Von Eulaw._ - - ROXBURY, Mass., April 2, 1893. - -MY DEAR DAUGHTER: I have your first letter written from Berlin, but how -sad! That dreadful sea must have made you bilious. It has always just -such an effect on your father; he sees the whole earth through smoked -glasses. - -But I can only imagine you as in a constant succession of raptures. Such -a marriage for an American girl! A baron with such deportment, and such -a delightful accent! I have no doubt, too, he is much richer than he -represented. I assure you, the young ladies of Boston’s high circles -have turned all hues of the rainbow with envy, and you ought to find -great pleasure in that recollection alone. Besides, such opportunities -as you are having to meet crowned heads, and feel yourself as one among -the titled people of Europe! What elevation! What distinction! You must -not forget to make the most copious notes, so that you will be able to -impress your superiority upon the world of society when you return. - -Really, you should be, as I know you are, very happy. Of course “scenes” -are unpleasant to one like yourself, not foreign bred. But I am told -that such experiences are the real thing with nobility, especially if -there is an American wife. And it is reasonable to suppose that high -blood should feel intolerant toward all forms of assertiveness on the -part of women, especially American women. - -Therefore, be a little discreet, my dear, and remember what an English -woman said to you, that it is not good form to be either clever or -artistic, and above all patriotic. - -You speak of shadows in your life. It was only the other day I read from -one of your own books on the Newtonian theory of color, that dark -objects were such as absorbed the light and reflected only somber tints, -and I am sure it is so with your life; it is holding the light within -itself. - -I will not write more to-day, for your correspondence will be large, and -time precious with you. How radiant you must look with your graceful -gowns and your classic face; almost equal to a born princess! Believe -me, my dear child, I am very proud of your noble marriage and of your -dutiful conduct in making such an one largely, let me confess, to please -me. And of all things, do not trouble yourself too much about the love -business—that will all come about in good time, and if it does not—well, -I can only say you will have a majority with you. - -Greet your noble husband with the pride and joy that I feel in him, and -present your loving father, who so seldom writes. Send fresh photos of -your dear self, the baroness, and the baron, and do not permit them to -exaggerate his nose, which is quite full enough at best, though a true -sign of the blood. - - Your devoted mother, - PERCES THORNTON. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, April 20, 1893. - -MY DEAR MOTHER: So far from the monopolizing effect of minor matters of -which I complained in my last, I seem to be losing my individuality -altogether. Have you ever possessed your mind of one subject or object -to the absolute exclusion of even yourself? What an unpleasant condition -of mind it is! The baron I find to be a man most peculiarly constituted. -The somewhat dominant manner which you suppose to be foreign breeding, -as you expressed it, seems to have developed into an engrossing -self-consequence, which appears to draw its vitality, if I may be -pardoned for saying so, largely from his new marital connection. - -For instance, at the opening of the season we attended the Emperor’s -Easter ball. According to our customs, after concluding the first dance -with the baron, I accepted a waltz with an English nobleman, whom I had -met on some previous occasion. We were resting for a moment after a -round of the spacious ballroom when I felt my arm seized from behind, -and with a muttered oath the baron commanded my instant release and -return home. - -What should I have done? Disregard him and precipitate a scandal? -Impossible. I made excuse in some hypothetical disarrangement of my -dress and retired. I am only able to write because it is my left arm -which suffered the accident. The subsequent explanations of the baron -were, of course, frivolous, but I was too relieved by any form of -apology to add words, which, without reference to their significance, -always irritate him. I mention this little incident in order to show you -how it is that my visible life is subordinated, albeit my spirit is in -no way depressed though severely harassed. - -As I write I am doubtful if I ought to speak of these things at all. I -do not ask myself what is due to my rank here, for that was conferred by -him, but is it womanly to stand before the world an intelligent and -willing indorser of his character and conduct, having given my public -vows for better or worse, and then, cowering behind his faults, denounce -such acts as only, at worst, affect me? Indeed, I must exercise more -courage and less candor. One thing is certain, I am constantly looking -for the better traits in his nature, and am making every effort to call -them forth. Thus I escape self-reproach at least. But I am self-abashed -at my attitude, for I abhor dissembling. The baron loves to taunt me -with this trait, which he calls rudeness, and declares it to be the -result of my “Yankee training.” I only smile at this, for, as I have -said, he cannot brook discussion. - -But, my dear mamma, enough of this, for you will think my marriage a -failure, and contribute my experiences to the building up of Mona -Caird’s theories. By the way, how shocked I felt at reading them, -although I now divine some meanings that I had overlooked! But never can -I tolerate the thought that there are not people—ideal, if you -please—whose marriages might be too sublimated for earthly contract, and -are, therefore—according to the proverb—made in heaven. Dear mother, -pardon me, there is something wanting in your letters. You promised me -to mention everybody we ever knew, or something to that effect. I am -absolutely famishing for news of our old friends. By the way, how -peculiar it is, I seem to remember with singular pertinacity the people -we knew before we came to Boston, and dear, beautiful Denver is ever -before my eyes. Please remember everything, and above all your -affectionate - - ELLEN. - - -_From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Miss Fanny Fielding, Denver, Colorado._ - - BERLIN, May 1, 1893. - -MY DEAR OLD SCHOOLMATE: Your kind letter makes me homesick. Can you -imagine a homesick bride? Even before fruitage appears from the orange -bloom, dismated for the decking of my nuptial robes, or even the -fragrance departed from the yellowing buds on the garniture laid away to -rest and rust, I am sitting with an unwilling face to the open door of -the future, and groping with a blind but eager hand among the rustling -leaves of a near past, for some familiar touch or sound to summon back -the half-tasted joys which I so ruthlessly flung away. - -You ask me for some advice concerning marriage, illumined, as you -tersely put it, by experience. My sweet friend, what a useless task you -impose upon me. Whenever was woman directed by the experiences of -others, however wise or however bitter such experiences may have been? -Always some suggestion or exception to change the verdict. “Mine has -black eyes, yours has blue, which makes all the difference.” Or, “one is -fat, the other lean.” Or, “this one walks, the other rides”—so infinite -the variety of excuses, so single the faith of woman. - -What else, then, shall we call marriage but destiny? The heart knows its -wants and we know its plaintive cry, as a mother knows the wail of her -famishing babe; yet for some frivolous fancy or conceit, some wound to -our vanity, some plethoric ambition, or some glittering paste or bauble, -we stifle the natural cry of the human heart, and wait for the mystic -note upon which is to be constructed the music of our future. Alas! in -the metaphor you understand so well, we too often touch only the -diminished seventh, and the sure, complete, resolving chord is never -sounded. - -Somewhat, too, our institutions of marriage are at fault, or at least -the laws and customs which control them. With a nation of men, free, -rational, and liberal, we have a nation of women enslaved, dishonest, -and miserable, and it is among her noblest and most common phases of -fate that she goes mutely to her grave, a victim of such weak social -prejudices as have grown to be even a subject of satire among Europeans. - -Conscientiousness is a boasted virtue among Boston people of certain -high cult, yet how many of her beautiful women go to the altar with a -lie upon their maidenly lips? Why?—For the reason that there is some man -whom she loves and dares not declare it. For the reason that society -sets a seal upon her lips and turns her life into a drain-channel for -misbegotten vows. For the reason that she cannot break the frost-bound -usages of cowardly error with one stroke of her puny fist, and openly -propose to join fortunes with the man after her own heart and her own -high convictions. And so she rakes over the cold, unfruitful soil in her -own soul, and plants the germ of a falsehood or a folly, and waits for -the accident of some quickening power, in slavish and unheroic patience. - -Witness the result: Some masculine hand, more or less clumsy or more or -less cunning, little matter if it bring a wedding ring, sheds ephemeral -warmth upon the unsanctified ground, and the victim starts upon her -lonely, loveless journey toward race building and sacrifice. - -As I indicated, dear Fanny, I have not drawn for my picture largely upon -individual experiences, neither are my opinions stimulated by any -observations taken from this side the water. Indeed, I even prefer, of -kindred evils, the insipid method which leaves the marriage question in -the hands of the parents. But let me leave this for subsequent -discussion, for my letter is already too long, and I have not gossiped -at all, and I remember, dear girl, how you do love innocent gossip. - -Write to me often and I will fill my letters with the sweetest of -nothings if you will. Love and adieu and think of me as your devoted -friend, - - ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, May 10, 1893. - -DEAREST MOTHER: “Let fate do her worst, there are moments of joy,” and -such moments I owe to my fondness for music. What would have been all -these dreary weeks and months of shallow acting, if the depths of my -soul had not been stirred by the genius of that creative force which, -mocking at our own crude disguises, rehabilitates pain with the fair -seeming of pleasure, which relegates near sorrows to the realms of -tradition, and illusionises common care? - -Art, in any form, I conceive to be the benefactor of the human race. If -truth, shorn of its infinitude of possibilities, constitutes the -religion of the civilized world, if the _deus et machina_, as Æschylus -somewhere has it, unlyrical and unleavened by beauty of device, by -rhetoric or action and climax, be persuasive and instructive and -inspiring, then how ineffably shall truth have gained by the development -of its powers through visible forms of dramatic conceit, through -association with the elements of art, through characterization, through -skillful adaptation, through harmonized mediæ of appeal to the sense or -the sentiment, the sympathies or the imagination? - -I am reminded here of an incident which occurred in our box at the Grand -Opera House, during a late performance of Die Meistersinger, which -resulted—as is not unusual in these days—unpleasantly. My husband, as -you may remember, affects music solely for the paraphernalia of the -stage, for the glitter and show of boxes and stalls, for the exposed -shoulders of the diamonded dames of fashion, for the numbers of men with -eyeglasses and uniforms—anything, in fact, but the music, which rather -bores him. - -Therefore it is I apprehend that he discusses music so -incomprehensibly—to say the least—I would not say irrationally. -Somewhere during the development of the plot I was struck with the -similarity of the dramatic motive with that of the Greek tragedies, -especially the choral odes, where occurs the element of transition which -some scholars call the evolutionary or perhaps the re-incarnating period -of the ancient drama. This similarity—in some ways identical—I -inadvertently alluded to in a more or less critical review of the opera -and its construction, which I ventured between acts, in the presence of -a party of Americans who were our guests for the occasion. - -Suddenly as thought, the baron’s face was aflame. But “what it were -unwise to do ’twere weaker to regret,” and I prepared to defend my -position as best became me. “You call my divine countryman a -plagiarist,” he hissed between his teeth. Our male guest glowered, and -the ladies with heightened color looked at the orchestra. - -“I beg your pardon, sir,” said I, with an assumed smile, “I did not say -so, though I admit that my suggestion was unfortunate in its inference.” - -The baron sprang to his feet and stood over me, his arms akimbo and the -well-known look of suppressed rage upon his face. - -“You called my divine countryman a plagiarist,” he repeated, gazing out -over the audience, and feeling for my slippered foot with his heel, -which he settled firmly upon my silken-clad instep. The hurt made me -wince, but I could not remove my foot from the vise. Then, in order to -mollify his temper, which I had grown to know too well how to deal with, -I added laughingly, though half wild with pain as he deadened his weight -upon my poor instep:— - -“If your countryman were amenable to the charge of plagiarism, so also -is our Shakespeare, for in the comedy of Trinummus, Megaronides says, -‘The evil that we know is best. To venture on an untried ill,’ etc., and -Shakespeare, two thousand years later, said, ‘Rather bear the ills we -have than fly to others that we know not of.’” - -“You call my divine countryman a plagiarist,” half-childishly, -half-insanely repeated my noble lord, grinding my foot beneath his heel. -A cry of pain escaped me, which a timely crash of cymbals in the -orchestra had the effect to drown. - -“Well, what of it” blurted the American, throwing his full weight, as if -by accident, against the baron’s shoulder, and then turning to me with -an apology resumed his place. Now while I never take refuge in my sex -for at least a verbal retaliation of the wrongs I receive from my -husband, it goes without saying that the man who visits brutality in any -form upon a woman is a coward. But I had never seen the baron insulted, -and was therefore wholly unprepared for the profuseness with which he -apologized to our guests, and the blandness with which he offered his -hand as he bade them good-night. But the most humiliating part of this -humiliating affair was the fact that I was forced to repeat an apology -fashioned by himself, the entire length of our journey home, even until -the carriage stopped at the door. - -It is not clear to me, my dear mother, that I am justified in rehearsing -to you, or to anyone, details of my life, which may seem trivial, but -for which I am able to offer no other excuse than your own solicitous -insistence. I am always promising myself that every next letter shall be -dictated in more cheerful spirit. Till then adieu. Present me with -kindest love and beg papa to write me. I do so long for a sight of his -letters. Love to those who love me. - - As ever, devotedly yours, ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, June 21, 1893. - -MY DEAREST MOTHER: How shall we account for our various moods? Yesterday -I was miserable; to-day I am joyful; to-morrow I may be hopeful or -heartbroken, according as—oh! I forgot to say I am all alone; the baron -has gone to St. Petersburg. I am supposed to have accompanied him, and -so nobody comes. But I am not lonely; now that I am left to myself I see -how beautiful is the world about me. - -This morning I looked from my windows upon the river. The sharp lights I -had watched so often swiftly changing to shadows, the warring glances -suggestive only of inner strife, with all its complexity of passion, -were lost in the soft peaceful flow of the waters as they hurried on to -the ultimate sea. And I thought how much of this mood is due to fancy, -that untenable, mercurial, and sublimated quality of the mind, half -trickery, half truth, and altogether elusive as vapor. But how -profligate of that precious sense of pleasure so steadily withheld from -my heart these later months! Too precious, indeed, for the operations -and experiments of the mental laboratory to which I seemingly so -recklessly submitted it, and so I dismissed analysis and clung to my -fancies, which at least made me happy in the present. - -After my breakfast I prepared myself for a walk, with only my little -fox-terrier for a companion. Poor little Boston, how grateful he seemed! -I could see him laugh with joy as his little brown lips quivered with -flexible feeling. Notwithstanding his many years, he could scarcely find -footing for his bounding steps for looking back at me to search my -laughing eyes. You remember who gave me my terrier, away out in Denver? -how he was brought to me in two strong, guardful arms, a little -loose-skinned, wise-eyed puppy, so quiet and serenely happy in the warm -embrace—where was I? oh, yes! talking about Boston—so we pulled some -roses, Boston and I. But never looked roses so red, or green so tender -or so vivid, and I longed to find the secret of their voluptuous bloom -and half-suffocating fragrance, but that I guessed all was again fancy; -only an easy, translatable pinch of dust and a resolvable stain; a -simple stroke of creative power and a dash of ether—only a rose. - -How easy seem the processes of nature with harmonized material for -working out the thought! Nature never experiments; gravitation is her -law, deflection is anarchy, and defiance a destroyer. Love, I deem, is -only obedience to this law. Obscure as are its operations and subtle as -its teachings are, any smallest portion of scholarship, leveled at the -finding out, divested of preconceived ideas and personal bearings, but -persistently and conscientiously agitated by scientific and organized -effort, might revolutionize a world of error, and establish a sure basis -for sentiment and social reform. - -For I believe that unhappy marriages are a direct result of ignorance. -Passions called by various names go to make up the system. Sordidness, -vanity, interdependence, weak abeyance to custom, contribute to the sum -of human misery. But ignorance is the basis of the organized error. For -what manner of men or women would deliberately entail upon themselves -the shackled conditions of a loveless marriage, which has no alternative -but subordination or rebellion? For only in love—another name for -harmony—may be found that unity which leaves no room for sacrifice or -misconceit. - -But, dearest mother, what can you think of my letters? I began to tell -you of my one happy day and have spread my speculations over the whole -human race. I started to take you for a promenade along Unter den -Linden, and to rest by the cool fountain in the Lustgarten, and have -ended with a few feeble remarks upon the possible sources of sentiment -and sorrow. - -But Boston is waiting for his dinner, for he dines with me to-night. -What a jolly day we’ve had, eh, Boston? and we will sleep and dream of -you, dear mamma, and many more, for none but bidden guests must fill my -room to-night. By the way, I do wonder if the poor, weak brain of my -little terrier is in any degree susceptible of being stirred by memories -of his old friends? In any event, I envy him, for he is not amenable to -the necessities of a false life, “a liar of unspoken lies.” - -Dear mamma, a sweet good-night. I am sending you a few pictures picked -up at Lepkes. The group I am sure you will enjoy, though I like better -the portrait by Van Dyck. There is a haunting sort of look about it, -reminding me of someone I have known somewhere. I wonder if you will -discern it? Probably it was only a passing fancy, one of such as have -filled my brain all day long. - - Again love and good-by. ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - MENTONE, Italy, August 10, 1893. - -DEAREST MOTHER: How rebellious my heart and impatient my pen as I take -it up to write words which only your mother’s ear should catch from my -lips! - -Where shall I begin to tell you the history of the past month? Really, -my memory seems too surcharged with a sense of bitterness and wrong to -do me service. But I must lead you step by step, reluctant as I know you -are to follow me behind the gilded arras. - -After his return from St. Petersburg, the baron developed more -pronounced signs of jealousy than had ever appeared hitherto. Perhaps -this feeling was stimulated by my last letter to you, which I -inadvertently left unmailed, and which he opened and read. Suspicious -husbands you know are as jealous of moods as of men, and not to be -miserable “when the Sultan goes to Ispahan” is indeed a crime. I believe -there are few jealous husbands who are themselves guiltless. I do not -think, however, that this test applies to my own sex, albeit I do not -take refuge in the exception—Heaven save the mark! - -But the baron came home, as I said, quite confirmed in many unpleasant -ways I had remarked before. Without any apparent cause he stole about my -room in unslippered feet, and listened furtively at the keyholes. He -locked the doors whenever he passed through, and spoke to the servants -through a crevice. Instead of his usual violence he whined his -complaints of my demeanor toward him in the weakest and most supine -fashion. But that which exasperated me most was, and is still, his -unaccountable pertinacity. He would place his chair close by me and hold -his knee against mine, or his elbow, or his foot, while, with purpling -face and hanging mouth, he entreated me not to leave him, until, in half -insane protest, I would break clear of him and throw open a window, or -bathe my hands and face in utter exhaustion, or—I had almost said—sense -of contamination. In his fits of rage there is something genuine from an -animal, if not from a manly, point of view. But how shall I deal with -this new phase? Ah, well! let me get on with my letter, for I have much -to say, and that is why I am dallying. - -I consented to come to Mentone on account of my health. Finding myself -growing weak and failing, the physicians ordered an immediate change, -and recommended the old cure virtually—to take myself out of their -hands. The baron loves to play, and I suspect is a little too well known -in gaming circles in Berlin. - -Therefore when he proposed Mentone so early in the season, or, indeed, -altogether out of season, I—quite knowing that it meant Monte -Carlo—accepted, and with valet and maid and dear old Boston we came. - -Result, financial ruin! The baron played recklessly. Each time when I -saw him he was feverish and abstracted. I did not ask the cause, whether -he were winner or loser, for, like most women, I believe that everybody -finally loses, but I was not prepared for the dénouement, for he has -absolutely lost not only all his ready money, but is heavily in debt, -and will need to resort to further mortgage of his landed estates. - -Weak and foolhardy as he was, I pity him, for what must have been his -feelings as, driving down the Corniche road overhanging the old sea, he -reflected how many men had sought forgetfulness for just such acts of -folly in the tideless waters. Only that the baron has other ideas about -reparation, for he came home and first proposed that I write my father -for money to make good his losses. Taking courage from my silence, he -suggested that I cable my message at once. - -This latter I proposed not to do, as I informed him in very few words. -He has left the hotel in a terrible fit of rage, vowing revenge with his -last accents. And I am writing this letter while I wait, meanwhile -wondering how much I ought to blame myself for my unhappy life, or if I -ought not to lock the secret in my own breast, even from you, my mother. -But a secret is a dumb devil, and so long as there is another hand to -glance the dart, it rarely wounds to death. I will mail this at once in -order that it shall not fall into his hands. - -Dearest mamma, are these letters never to cease? I think I notice that -your replies are more reserved, and I have thought full of pain and -discouragement. But do not feel discouraged. I realize the resources -within me, and I have a fund of reserved power which I may summon in an -exigency. I have not fairly contemplated anything in the future; to deal -with the present has been my purpose. Each joy and each sorrow in its -turn, so shall no preconceived action operate to the ends of injustice -or unfairness. I close this in haste but lasting love. - - As always your daughter, ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - MENTONE, Italy, September 1, 1893. - -O MY BELOVED MOTHER: While I feel always sure of your earnest -sympathies, how shall I expect you to appreciate the sentiment of horror -which this new and fiendish device for torturing my feelings visits upon -me! How can I write it?—my poor little Boston is dead. - -That fact, with a few silent tears, and a day or two of depression, I -could have borne as the end of all things mortal. But he was as foully -murdered as ever was the victim of the most infernal plot, for he was -given no poorest or most unequal chance to fight for his life, which was -as dear to him as mine to me—and that is the least possible to be said. -I am in no condition of mind to discuss ethics, or to philosophize upon -the events which led to this tragical termination of differences, of -which poor little Boston’s life paid the forfeit. - -It may be that I was wrong, certainly I would have made any terms to -have saved my poor terrier from his terrible fate, few as were the years -he would have lived at most. - -I am not unaware that there are certain concessions, and certain acts of -graciousness, which, in a limited sense, may properly be expected of -every wife toward a reasonable husband. Not his boasted superiority by -any means, but the fact that she is measurably relieved from financial -stress or responsibility, constitutes an unwritten law among -well-thinking wives everywhere, I believe, and makes the demand upon -her. But I considered nothing but the enormity of my husband’s -exactions, and erred in my estimate of the possibility of my husband’s -brutality. I wish there were a stronger word which I might politely use. - -Shall I give you briefly the harrowing details of this ruffianly act of -cowardice? I think I told you in my last how the baron had left the -house, filled with vindictive rage at my refusal to demand of my father -large sums of money for his gambling losses. In about an hour he -returned and renewed his proposition with increased violence, at the -same time seizing a pen and writing a cablegram, which he commanded me -to sign. - -Remembering that I had given him considerable sums of money from time to -time, amounting to many thousands of dollars, I entreated him to wait -for a day, while he should make me understand the condition of his -financial affairs. This proposition he received with the most frightful -oaths. He declared that he would take my life, and would begin by -killing my pet dog. No sooner said than done. He rushed to the veranda, -where poor little Boston lay stretched upon his cushion asleep in the -sun, and, seizing him by the neck, he dashed him violently to the ground -below. A few minutes later my little friend was brought to me still -feebly conscious, but mangled, bleeding, dying. - -How can I ever forget, who ever did who has ever witnessed it forget -that last questioning, beseeching look of affection and dumb fright -which a dying animal turns upon the face of someone he has loved? Is it -less than human or more? Not till the mists gathered across his pretty -brown eyes was that last eloquent appeal swept away. “What have I done?” -“What have I done?” was the question he was asking of me. Who shall say -whether he received his answer in some later and easier translatable -speech than mine, in some new and disenthralled state of being? Who -shall say that he did not carry away with him a love which was all love, -with no taint of selfishness or ulterior thought, quickened by no new -speculation, or tradition, or sanction, or human edict? Who shall say -that the attributes of faith, and self-surrender, and charity, and -forgiveness, and loyalty are lost because in one incarnation they were -tongue-tied? For myself I want to see my dogs again. They were my loved -companions, as are my books or my works of art. And if the fire destroy -them, are their contents naught or worthless because an unlettered man -could not read them? At best an after life is a problem, but let us put -the problems together and one may help to solve the other, for half a -truth is oftenest a lie. - -I have sought distraction in these comments, but my sorrow returns to -me, dear mother, and my eyes are too full of tears to be able to see the -lines. _Vale_, poor Boston, and a grateful throb of gladness that I have -a dear mother to whom I can tell my grief. - - Your loving but unhappy ELLEN. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - “Lo! the poor Indian.” - - -Imperfect definition and classification, followed by hasty, inaccurate, -and unwarranted generalization, are fruitful sources of popular error. -To the misinformed or uninformed mind the Indian is a noble savage, -whose hunting-grounds and corn-fields have been taken from him by the -ruthless paleface, and who passes his time pensively leaning upon his -rifle, with his face to the setting sun, the while he makes touching -appeals to the Great Spirit, and mourns the disappearance of his race. - -In the country west of the Rocky Mountains and south of Green River, the -sentimental Indian with whom Cooper doped American literature, has -absolutely no existence. Uncas and Chingachgook never journeyed so far -westward as the Rio Grande, and prosy old Leather Stocking, with his -Sunday-school soliloquies, and his alleged marvelous marksmanship on -knife blades at three hundred yards, would have been elected president -of the Arizona Lying Club by acclamation. - -Many tribes of Indians in that section of the country have scarcely any -belief in a future state of existence, and no words in their jargons to -represent the ideas of gratitude, of female chastity, or of hospitality. -Their opportunities of obtaining food have been in nowise lessened by -white occupation of the land. There never were any buffalo there, they -never hunted bears or any combative animal, the fish and small game and -pine-nuts are nearly as plentiful as ever, and the bacon-rinds and -decayed vegetables to be found near every mining camp furnish the noble -reds with a food supply more agreeable to their indolent habits than the -hard-won trophies of the chase. - -Yet there are Indians and Indians, as there are Christian bank -presidents and unsanctified bank robbers, and it is as incorrect to -class the devilish Chiricahua Apache with the dirty but gentle Yuma as -it would be to similarly couple a hook-nosed vender of Louisiana lottery -tickets with a blonde-haired solicitor for a church raffle. - -In the mountains of Eastern Arizona and Western New Mexico, occupying a -country hundreds of miles in area, a country which, for their benefit, -has been reserved from miner, settler, and grazier, live the White -Mountain Apaches during the winter months, when they are not “on the war -path,” as their pillaging and murdering expeditions are somewhat -bombastically designated. - -Whatever may be said of other savages in other localities, the Arizona -Apaches are without a single just cause of complaint against the -government, or against any of the Caucasian race. No cruel white men -have ever invaded their hunting-grounds, or given them high-priced -whisky in exchange for low-priced peltry. Red-handed and tangle-haired -have these marauders and their ancestors lived for centuries in their -mountain lair. - -Since the United States of America became, forty years ago, the nominal -suzerain of the territory occupied by these peripatetic “vermin -ranches,” they have been unprovoked invaders, thieves, and assassins, -and their summer raids upon the miners, teamsters, and cattle ranchers -of Arizona and New Mexico, have been as regular as their winter -acceptance of the bacon and blankets with which a generous but mistaken -policy feeds and warms them, at a cost equal to that of providing each -savage with a suite of rooms at a fashionable hotel. - -It is but a few years since a small party of the most vicious and -untamable of these bandits, who were captured with the scalps of their -victims at their belts, were declared by the authorities at Washington -to be not answerable to trial or punishment by the courts of the -Territory whose people they have robbed and murdered with impunity for -many years. But, partly in deference to outraged public sentiment, and -partly in apprehension of the acts of a possible committee of vigilance, -these Indians were condemned for their crimes to imprisonment in a -government fortress in Florida. - -Unlike white prisoners who were condemned to labor and isolation, these -tawny murderers were allowed to be accompanied in their journey across -the country by their wives and concubines, who were transported, fed, -clothed, and made comfortable, at government cost. Arrived at their -destination, it was found, after a few months’ sojourn, that the humid -air, lower altitude, and uncongenial surroundings of Florida, and, -later, of North Carolina, disagreed with the digestion and disgruntled -the disposition of the noble reds, and, upon a proper showing that their -health demanded a return to their former homes, lest confirmed nostalgia -should set in, and possibly remove them permanently from the scene of -human activities, they were surreptitiously returned by the government -to their old reservation, where they promptly expressed their -appreciation of the clemency accorded them by breaking out once more and -heading for the Mexican Sierras, marking their track with burning ranch -houses and murdered settlers. - -In the summer of 1893 a party of about forty of these Apaches, headed by -the most cruel, malignant, and treacherous of savages—the -thrice-pardoned and faith-breaking Geronimo—left the reservation for -their annual raid. The military post at Fort Lowell having been -abandoned and the troops removed in the interest of government -parsimony, the savages found it convenient to make a detour by the -valley of the Santa Cruz, so as to cross the railroad track in the -vicinity of Tucson, and reach their mountain fastnesses in Sonora by the -Arivaca Pass. - -It chanced that David Morning, on his departure from Waterspout for New -York, while riding from the Rillito station into Tucson, and riding by -night, to avoid the heat of an Arizona sun, was seen by the Indians, -who, having emerged from a defile in which they had been concealed -during the day, were now stealthily and swiftly journeying in the same -direction. The opportunity to murder a white man was one not to be -neglected, but the report of a rifle might attract attention and -instigate speedy pursuit, so two of Geronimo’s followers were detailed, -armed only with bows and arrows, to follow the wayfarer through the -dusk, and bring back a scalp, that might be obtained without danger and -without noise. - -If Morning had been riding a horse, this tale might have had sudden -ending, but he had found for his necessarily frequent journeys between -the mine and Tucson no such convenient and comfortable mode of -transportation as a seat upon the back of Julia. The equine in question -was a large jet black saddle mule bred at the ranch of Señor Don Pedro -Gonzales, which was situated at the foot of the mountain, on the -opposite side of the Rillito Valley, about three miles from the road. - -The mule, as an animal, is often both misrepresented and misunderstood. -No creature tamed by man has keener instincts or greater sagacity, or is -governed to so great an extent by intelligent self-interest. A mule is -always logical. His ordinary reasoning is a syllogism without a flaw. A -horse impelled by high spirit, and patient even unto death, will travel -until he drops from exhaustion, and will pull or carry without complaint -a load that causes his every muscle to pulse with the pain of weariness. - -But where lives the man who was ever able to impose upon a mule? Strap -an unaccustomed or unjust load upon the back of this animal of -unillustrious paternity, and he will not move except in the direction of -lying down. Attempt to ride or drive him past his rightful and usual -resting-place, and there may be retrogression, and there may be a -circus, but there will be no advance. - -In addition to his other virtues a mule has an exceedingly keen scent. -He seeks no close acquaintance with either grizzly bears or Indians. He -will get the wind of either of his aversions as quickly as a hound will -whiff a deer, and, like the hound, he will give his knowledge to the -world, in a voice that is resonant, magnetic, and—on the whole—musical. -The bray of an earnest mule is not after the Italian but the Wagnerian -school. It is not the sweet, tender tenor of Manrico, it is Lohengrin -sounding his note of power. It is not, perhaps, equal to an orchestra of -nightingales, but it has a rhythm, and passion, and power, and -sweetness, nevertheless. - -The quick instinct of Julia caught the scent of the Apache assassins, -and as they crept up she was engaged in a struggle with her rider, who, -with voice and spur, was vainly endeavoring to induce and compel her to -proceed along the usual road. - -“Why, Julia,” soliloquized Morning, “you must have been browsing on -rattle-weed! What is the matter with you?”—and he tugged vainly at her -bridle. - -Whizz! whizz! went the arrows. With one shaft quivering in her flank, -the mule fairly sprang into the air, while the other transfixed the left -arm of David Morning, and pinned it to his side. - -And then his question was answered, and he knew what was the matter with -Julia. - -The frenzied animal leaped the Rillito at a bound, and swept across the -valley to the corral adjoining the Gonzales ranch house. Once within the -inclosure, she stopped and uttered her most melodious notes of delight. -With a crescendo of welcome a dozen of her kindred greeted Julia, and -the swarthy major-domo of the ranch, accompanied by half a dozen -vaqueros with lights, rushed out, and Morning, weak from pain and loss -of blood, was half-led and half-carried into the ranch house. - -The Señor Don Pedro Gonzales a year before had journeyed into Paradise, -from the effects of an attack of mountain fever, aggravated by too -copious use of mescal, and left his ranch houses and corral, his two -hundred mules and horses, his two thousand cattle, his brand of G on a -triangle, and his rancho Santa Ysbel to his señora, the Donna Maria, -who, with her family, continued to occupy the place. - -Messengers dispatched to Tucson returned with physicians, who cut out -the arrow and found that the wound was severe, and its result might be -fatal. They agreed that for Morning to endeavor to travel with such a -wound would be simply suicide, and that he must not attempt to leave the -shelter and care which the hospitable Gonzales family were glad to -accord him. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - “It is only mirage.” - - -A long, low, adobe building, roofed with tiles of pottery clay, situated -near the banks of the river Santa Cruz. Long rows of cottonwood-trees -spread their branches nearly over the little stream, and the graceful -masses of pepper, combed to a fringe, drop their courtesied obeisance to -every passing breeze, and throw their uneasy shadows well over the -walls, neatly stuccoed with cobblestones. - -The air curdles with the heat rising from the arid plain, and hangs, a -shimmering sheet of translucent vapor, between the eye and the -ever-lengthening distance, which softly melts into the Santa Rita -Mountains. - -Is that a lake out of which rises the well-outlined range of nearer -hills? or a sea, throwing up billows of foam and shadow, with islands of -green glimpsing their shapes in the placid waters that encircle their -feet? And ships, with well-fashioned hulls and wide-spreading sails, and -pictured rocks, and beating breakers, and lifeboats with men tugging at -the oars. No! it is only mirage, a pretty picture written with the -electric pen of nature upon the parchment hot from the press of her -untongued fancies. In her luring tale strong men have trusted themselves -to fatal deception, and beasts, with lapping tongues, and knotted with -water greed, have gnashed their teeth at her beautiful garments of -fateful film, and lain down to die. Art has been outvied in pictorial -effects, for she filters her shadows from daintiest clouds, and borrows -her bath of oscurial glints from the unfathomed deeps of heaven. Even -austere science hides his forged shackles shamedly away, and turns with -unsatisfied scorn from the flitting gleam of her mocking brow. - -“It is only mirage, one of nature’s cleverest tricks; and what more is -life?” comes once and again from parched lips and longing eyes. For, -although water, sweet and cool, drips from an _olla_ near at hand, yet, -stretched upon a bed carefully prepared of finely-stripped rawhide, -placed upon the well-beaten and smooth earth, under the sheltering roof -of a _ramada_ connecting two sections of the Gonzales _casa_, lies David -Morning, hot with fever, and still unable to leave his couch. - -A little apart, and softly swaying in her hammock of scarlet and gold, -one foot lightly touching the ground, half reclines the small, -undulating figure of Murella Gonzales. - -The ancient blood of Castile had never been suffered by the Gonzales -family to mingle, with the sanction of the church, with ignobler -currents. The late Señor Don Pedro, although only possessed of the -estate of a prosperous Mexican cattle rancher, was yet a Hidalgo of -Hidalgoes, who could have covered the walls of his _casa_ with his -quarterings. As for his wife, was she not an Alvarado? and—Santa -Maria!—what more would you have in the way of blood? Certainly, from her -arched instep to her wealth of blue-black hair, the Señorita Murella was -a wondrously beautiful maiden. - -“Murella,” spoke the sick man, turning his emaciated face toward the -girl, “during the early days of my illness, I gave you a letter to mail, -do you remember?” - -“Si, señor.” - -“Do you remember how many days ago, Murella?” - -“Si, señor, seventeen day,” and the small ears deepened red behind the -creamy oval face. - -“Did you give Jose the letter to post?” - -“Si, señor.” - -“You are very kind, señorita, and I thank you.” - -The girl glanced swiftly across the court at an open door wherein stood -the madroña, the customary shawl of black Spanish lace drawn tightly -across her mouth, leaving two shining black eyes fixed steadily upon -her. - -“A few days more, and I shall be leaving your hospitable roof,” -continued Morning. - -“Why will you not take a me with you?” said Murella, with imperturbable -gravity, and with no change of expression. - -The man illy concealed his look of surprise, as he tucked the richly -embroidered pillow more firmly beneath his head, and replied kindly:— - -“Such a thing could not possibly be, little girl, for more reasons than -your pretty head could contain.” - -“Then you do not a lof me, and you told a me a lie,” and the dark eyes -lit with a flame of Vesuvian fires like the red light in those of a -tiger. - -“What do you mean, señorita?” and a faint flush overspread his own pale -face. - -“I mean you call me your beloved Ella, such name as Americans give a me, -and you hold me close in your arms, and say you will never part from me, -not for one hour—only ten day ago—and now you leave a me!” - -This was an awkward situation, and Mr. Morning recognized its full -significance upon the moment. In his delirium he had used the too -familiar name, and had coupled with its use endearments which had been -compromisingly misappropriated. He reflected a moment. There was nothing -left but to tell the truth and accept the consequences. Another girl -would laugh. What would Murella do? - -“Señorita,” he began slowly, “I have, as you know, been very ill, and on -several occasions have lost my way in delirium, and have been wandering -over scenes belonging to other days. Can you not forgive me if I have -called you by a name which you mistook for your own prettier one? Can -you not pardon me if in my fevered imagination I gave you for the moment -a place long ago sanctified and dedicated to forgetfulness?” - -“Then why cannot you lof a me? Am I not as lofely as she?” - -“You are very beautiful, Murella.” - -“Machacha!” shrieked the duenna from the entrance to the _ramada_, “what -are you saying?” and then followed invective in every key, and words of -scorn in every cadence, until, pale with anger and chagrin, the girl -sprang from her hammock and ran swiftly away. - -For a long time our hero lay lost in speculation. After all, it was only -a misunderstanding, and not liable to be remembered overnight. In any -event, he had not compromised the maiden, and finally he concluded—as -was indeed the truth—that the cunning señorita was all the while -cognizant of the situation, and not at all deceived, and so he dismissed -the subject from his mind. - -And what was the first move of the panic-stricken maiden? Speeding -swiftly over the ground, she sank in the shadow of the ocotilla hedge -inclosure, which formed the corral, and drew cautiously from her pocket -the letter committed to her care by Morning. Reopening it, for the -envelope, sealed only with mucilage, had been carefully broken, she drew -forth a picture of the Baroness Von Eulaw, older by many years than the -name she now bore, and much thumbed and worn beside. - -This unconscious incendiary Murella first regarded disdainfully for an -instant, and then deliberately spat upon it. She then proceeded to -possess herself of the contents of the letter, which was brief, and, -regarded as a wholesome irritant for a recent wound, rather ineffectual. -She spelled it out laboriously, and it read as follows:— - - _To the Baroness Von Eulaw, Berlin._ - - You may have forgotten that several years ago, and through wholly - legitimate means, let me say in self-defense, a specimen of art, of - inestimable value to me, came into my possession. I have hitherto - deemed it no breach of honor to retain it. Finding myself very ill, - however, and warned by my physicians of the probable fatal termination - of my malady, I esteem it prudent and not less just to return to you - the last token of a mutual recognition which I have the faith to - believe is among the things that are undying. - - It is, perhaps, unwillingness to pass the veil which enshrouds the - great mystery, without first vindicating myself in your esteem, that - impels me to tell you that which I have heretofore thought to keep - secret—that your letter, written in February, 1883, was accidentally - mislaid in an old desk, and was never opened or perused by me until - the day after you became the Baroness Von Eulaw. - - Always yours sincerely, - DAVID MORNING. - -Murella spread the letter upon the ground and pondered. Plainly it was -not a love letter, as she had expected—almost hoped! for she missed the -ecstasy and exhilaration of that desire for vengeance which is the -stimulus to passion in the breast of any true scion of the Spanish race, -and devoid of which life has little zest. - -It might have been written to his grandmother for all she could gather -from its contents, and the thought suggested the duenna, with her cruel -eyes and hard, wrinkled mouth, whose duty it was to watch her from all -points of the compass. So she folded the letter, and, taking up the -picture, again scrutinized it. “Devil! devil! devil!” she broke out, as -she smote the pasteboard with her tiny soft fist. Then, folding it away -with the letter, she slipped them into her pocket, and, gliding around -the ocotilla palings, she entered her apartment through an outer door, -where she resealed the missive, and, summoning the messenger Jose, bade -him forthwith journey to Tucson, and deposit it in the post office -there. - -The sun was sinking behind Tehachape Mountains, and its parting rays, -full of the color of leaf and bough, fell brightly upon the prostrate -form of the invalid, and as Murella dropped softly to the ground before -a low window, which opened upon the _ramada_, she parted her muslin -curtains and gazed devouringly upon the well-knit, shapely form, and the -broad-browed, tinted face, while the light faded, and soft voices grew -higher as the family supper hour approached, and tinkling sounds from -mandolin and guitar filled the night with music. Then, taking a last -look, she arose, and, stamping her foot upon the ground, impatiently she -ejaculated:— - -“Oh, bah! He too good for anyting.” - -She joined the family group at supper with a look of high disdain on her -beautiful face, but otherwise undismayed, and ate her _frijoles_ and -_tortillas_, and scrambled for the whitest _tomales_ among her younger -brothers, very much as if David Morning had overruled his physicians, -and departed for Tucson in an ambulance the day after he was wounded, as -he had once determined to do, instead of having lain there for a month, -drawing first upon her pity, and then upon her fancy, and stirring -things in her imagination generally. - -Late in the moon-lit night, the soft summer winds still busy among the -boughs, a sweet girlish voice, melodiously attuned to the notes of the -mandolin, ran through the dreams of David Morning, carrying the -passionful refrain, “Oh, illustrissimo mia,” and he awoke, and still the -sweet refrain, “Oh, illustrissimo mia.” - -Several days went by, summer days full of work and growth and promise -outside, and still Morning was unable to leave the Gonzales ranch. His -pulse, which the doctors declared had never regained its normal beat, -was low and intermittent, and the hectic flush never left his cheek. At -length typhoid fever was developed, and for weeks he lay at the verge of -death, and for as many weeks Murella Gonzales sat at his head by day, -and made her bed at the foot of his couch by night. The señora, the -madroña, even the cocoanut brown _machacha_ of all work, each brought -fruit and drink and delicacies to dissuade him from his delirium and -tempt him back to health, but Murella sat always with her graceful head -resting lightly against his pillow, silent, languid, and lovely. - -Sometimes the doctors remonstrated and begged her to leave him, but she -only said, “_Mañana, mañana_,” and to-morrow never came. But it proved -to be only a question of time, and before the gray linings of the poplar -had slid into umber, or the pomegranate had gained its full meed of -sweet juices, David Morning was brought a picturesque basket of Indian -workmanship, quite filled with letters which had found him out, calling -him back with the imperative voices of business demands, to take his -place again with the rank and file of affairs. - -So the last day came, and Murella, abandoning her customary hammock, sat -all the morning upon a thick rug spread upon the ground, exhibiting her -irritable feeling by nervously tossing the clinging folds of her lace -mantilla back over her shoulder, or tracing the figures of the rug -absently. Morning seemed lost in reverie for a long time; finally he -spoke, evidently a little doubtful where to begin. - -“I do not need to tell you, señorita,” said he, “that I feel the -greatest gratitude toward the inmates of this household, and I ask you -to tell me, not what you would wish me to do for you, but what is the -wish most dear to you if I were not in the world?” - -“Oh, if Señor Morning die, I shall die too.” - -“Oh, no! if some fairy should wave its wand, or some Fortunatus should -drop uncounted gold at your feet, what would you do first?” - -The soft eyes of Señorita Gonzales flamed as never eyes of Saxon maiden -burned, and she quickly replied, rising and drawing nearer:— - -“I would have a _casa grande_.” - -“And where would you have a grand _casa_, here?” - -“No, no!” giving her hand a truly Delsarte sweep of motion. “Long time -ago my mother take a me to Yuma, and there I hear much talk about Castle -Dome; it is twenty, thirty miles up the great river Colorado. One time -we sail up there in steam a boat, and such a rancheria—beautiful! Great -trees, and rocks, and the Indians have been show how by the padres long -time ago, and they have beautiful trees of figs, and oranges, and lemon, -and great vines. And I have tink about it always. When I am rich a I -shall drive the Indians away, and give money for make a them not hungry, -and make a _casa_ all like a same in picture.” - -“We all have our castles in Spain. Why not you, Murella?” and he drew -forth a pencil, and, spreading paper upon the table, asked her to sit -down. - -“Now,” said he, “we will build this fine house upon paper. What shall we -do first?” - -“We shall have a dance-house.” - -Morning smiled grimly; the mining camps enjoy a monopoly of literary -phrasing, and the compound word was familiar, so he only said, “All -right, a salon for dancing.” - -“Si, señor, saloon,” repeated Murella gravely, “and a grande saloon for -beautiful flowers.” - -“A conservatory, of course, though that will be superfluous,” he added, -“in a country itself a hotbed for tropic bloom. Why not hanging gardens -like those of Babylon?” - -“Oh, beautiful!” clasping her little fingers in ecstasy. - -“Very well,” looking into her face, pencil suspended. - -“And a beautiful room for a you,” and she paused for a moment, “with, -with what you call, wall like the sky before the sun a come, and morning -glory flower go all around the top,” pointing to the frieze, “a like a -your name, Señor Mia.” - -Morning suddenly discovered something upon the toe of his boot, and the -girl struggled on in very bad English, but with charming enthusiasm. She -planned and he interpreted. They first laid out the grounds, availing -themselves of the groves already planted by the Indians. They covered -acres of ground with rare exotics, studding them with statuary in -creamiest marble, chiseled from designs of their own, with a Psyche and -Cupid to guard the main entrance to the park. - -“What is that ting she a hold in her hand?” - -“That is a torch,” explained Morning. “Psyche is the soul, and Cupid is -love, and she is going in search of him.” - -“And did she find a him?” archly questioned the girl. - -“I think not,” said Morning, gloomily drawing forth a fresh sheet of -paper. - -“And about the _casa grande_,” continued Morning, “of what shall it be -built?” - -The señorita rested her pretty chin between her two palms and meditated. -Finally she decided it should be like the cupids, of shining marble, -with agate or onyx for columns, and garnets—found in quantities in -Arizona—for smaller decorations. This most elaborate plan having been at -length crudely completed, Mr. Morning folded it, quietly saying he would -submit it to an architect. - -“Not truly?” said the girl, springing to her feet with shining eyes and -hands crossed upon her breast. - -“Yes, really and truly, for your own sweet self, and for your hospitable -family; and with my kindest regards and deepest gratitude.” - -Murella turned very pale. Dreams were not dreamed to be so realized. Was -he teasing her? - -Hitherto her self-love had made her the central figure in her own mind. -All things about her had been dwarfed and become inconsequent in her -egotistic life, because she was wholly ignorant of any possibilities -outside of the power she wielded through her beauty and her grace. - -But a new element had been added to her limited experience, and it had -developed into a magician, or had it done so really? The doubt took -momentary possession of her, and she arose in an attitude of defiance, -her flashing eyes resting upon the amused but open countenance of David -Morning. - -Then she knew that she looked into the face of her god, and she fled to -her room, and, sinking upon the floor, she covered her face with her -mantilla, and sobbed convulsively. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - “Secrecy is the soul of all great designs.” - - -It was October when Morning arrived in New York City. Steel had been -prompt in shipping the gold not covered with copper, and Morning’s bank -accounts in New York now amounted to sixteen millions of dollars, while -the fame of the Morning mine as a producer of four millions of gold bars -per month had already created a marked sensation in financial and -business circles, and in the newspaper world, but none suspected the -immense actual production. - -Morning visited Washington, and bought a stone warehouse near the foot -of Sixth Street. He purchased a similar building in Philadelphia, near -the Pennsylvania Railroad freight depot, and he bought a third warehouse -alongside the track of the New Jersey Central at Hoboken. He caused -switches to be constructed into each of these warehouses, and provided -each of them with heavy iron shutters and doors. He employed four -watchmen for each building, divided into day and night-watches of six -hours each. He arranged that the copper-pigs containing gold should be -loaded on the cars at Tucson by his own men, who were themselves unaware -that they were handling anything but copper, and the cars locked and -sent in train-load lots through, without change or rehandling, to New -York, Philadelphia, and Washington, where they were run into his -warehouses and there unloaded. It was given out that he was at the head -of a copper syndicate, and was storing the surplus product of the mines -for higher prices. His plans worked with perfect smoothness, and his -wealth accumulated openly at the rate of four millions per month, and -secretly at the rate of one hundred millions per month, with a vast -amount of newspaper comment concerning the four millions, and no -suspicion anywhere as to the real sum. - -The advocates of free coinage of silver, who were defeated in the -Congress of 1889–90, renewed their contest in the Congress of 1891–92, -and in February, 1892, a free coinage law passed, but it was vetoed by -President Harrison. The silver men carried the fight into the -presidential election of 1892, and were so far successful that Congress, -in February, 1894, enacted a law the text of which was as follows:— - -“From and after July 1, 1894, any person may deposit at the treasury of -the United States in Washington, or at either of the sub treasuries in -Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, St Louis, New Orleans, Denver, -or San Francisco, gold or silver bars of standard fineness, and receive -the coined value thereof in United States treasury notes. The secretary -of the treasury is authorized and directed to prepare and keep on hand a -sufficient amount of treasury notes to comply with the provisions of -this act.” - -The influence of Morning as the largest single producer of gold in the -world, as the owner already of thirty millions of dollars, and, if his -mine should hold out for five years, of a sum that would cause him to -outrank any millionaire in the world, was very great, and that -influence, legitimately exercised in behalf of free coinage, proved very -potent with senators and representatives, and did much to reconcile the -adherents of a single gold standard to the overthrow of their system. - -It was argued that if the gold supply of the world was to be increased -forty per cent per annum by the yield of the Morning mine, that would -diminish relatively the production of silver, and the ancient parity of -the metals might be restored “without danger to our financial interests, -Mr. Speaker.” - -Thus reasoned the Honorable Senile Jumbo, who represented a New England -district in the House. Jumbo was a banker at home, and because he was a -banker was supposed to know something about finance, and was, in -consequence, accorded a leading position on the House Committee on -Banking and Currency. - -In fact, Jumbo only knew a good discount from a poor one. His definition -of a banker would have been that of the Indiana editor, who described -such a functionary as “a gentleman who takes the money of one man -without interest, and loans it to another upon interest, and places both -depositor and borrower under obligations.” - -By his small shrewdness Jumbo had gained a large fortune, and secured a -seat in Congress; but of the laws which govern finance in its -politico-economic relations he had no more knowledge than has a -locomotive fireman about the law of dynamics, or a drygoods clerk about -the culture of the silkworm. Yet the Honorable Senile Jumbo looked wise, -and talked from the pit of his stomach, and respected the views of other -rich men, and as a congressman he averaged with his colleagues. - -What strange distortion of brain is it that causes men conspicuously -unfit for public life, to seek elevations which can only expose their -intellectual poverty? One who does not comprehend the French tongue or -know anything about science, would be laughed at for seeking to be -elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences, yet senatorial togas -and congressional seats are constantly sought by gentlemen whose -previous pursuits have unfitted them to “shine in the halls of high -debate,” and who, indeed, would be puzzled to put together, while on -their feet, ten sentences of grammatical English. - -The great and growing wealth of Morning caused his society to be -courted, and many a managing mamma was not unmindful of the fact that -the “Arizona Gold King,” as he began to be called, was a bachelor. This -man did not “wear his heart upon his sleeve,” and did not proclaim that -his bachelorhood was confirmed, or had any special reason for its -existence, but all plotting against him was in vain, for the Ellen lost -to him was the constant companion of his thoughts, and to all movements -and plans and purposes of life he applied instinctively the test, “What -would she think of it?” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - “Hopeless grief is passionless.” - - -It was the anniversary of one of the great victories achieved by Germany -in the war of 1870, and Berlin had scarcely known a day so filled with -noise, and glitter, and color, and esprit as this day had been. - -The Baroness Von Eulaw, the beautiful American, was more sought for than -ever, and the too arduous round of social duties and engagements were -beginning to tell upon her delicate constitution. Cards had been -received by the baron and his wife for a reception at the palace, and -such an invitation could scarcely be overlooked, especially as no -entertainment seemed acknowledged by her friends to be complete without -the presence of the baroness. Therefore, retiring a little earlier this -evening than was usual from her own drawing rooms, the baroness was well -advanced with her toilette when she discovered letters which the footman -had left upon her table during her absence, and among them one bearing -the postmark of Tucson, Arizona, and addressed in a well-known hand. - -She felt too excited to trust herself farther, and, before tearing the -envelope, she sent her maid with a message of her sudden indisposition, -which she begged the baron to deliver in person to the emperor, and -asked, furthermore, not to be disturbed. - -It was all one to the baron at this hour, and though he speedily -departed for the imperial palace, it is doubtful whether the high -officials in waiting deemed it advisable to admit him to the imperial -presence. - -Dismissing her servants, the baroness was left alone for the night. Then -she turned to her dressing-table and stood while opening the letters, -glancing hurriedly at their contents, all but one, and this she turned -over many times. What was the burden of its mission, and what did it -contain? Finally her trembling fingers picked absently at the envelope, -as if she had forgotton how to proceed. She might be unafraid, for there -was his own handwriting before her. - -With this thought a thrill went through her heart, and with a sudden -motion she tore the envelope quite apart, and her own photograph fell to -the floor. She did not stoop for it, for her eyes were fixed upon the -page. Slowly she read word by word, lingering over the last, and cutting -it away from its context, as if fearful that another word should -overwhelm her reason. - -She finished, and an awful silence fell upon her. She could hear her -heart beat against her rich corsage, and her breath crackled as it came -through her dry lips. What was the purport of that letter? She had -already forgotten. Something surely had left a heavy pain at her heart. -Just as slowly she read it through again. - -Then he was not dead—or, stay, he might be, for did he not say -“probably,” not “possibly”? Then, still standing before the -dressing-table, she leaned forward, and, putting her face close to the -mirror, she muttered, looking into her own deep eyes the while, “Great -God! what did I do?” For a full moment she stood thus, then, lifting the -powder-puff from the jeweled case, she mechanically swept her cheeks and -brow and sat down. Then she caught the letter and read it again, this -time more clearly and calmly, “the probable fatal termination,” and -again, “until the day after you became the Baroness Von Eulaw.” - -She looked at her toilette. What was she doing bejeweled and brocaded -that night? Where were the sackcloth and ashes she had earned? She arose -and pulled the diamonds from their places, and the beautiful robe from -her lovely shoulders, and put on a gown of creamy plush, bordered with -some dark, rich fur, and, slowly tying the cords, her eyes fell upon the -picture at her feet. - -She took it between her fingers as if it were a dead thing, and thought -at the moment that it weighed a pound at the least. And this was Ellen -Thornton! Then she thought how old-fashioned her dress looked, and for a -moment she felt glad that she had gotten the picture back. Another -revulsion of feeling as she looked upon the torn envelope. What would -she not suffer for the hope, the uncertainty, she had clung to when she -tore that paper half an hour ago? - -If only the doctors could have said “possibly,” not “probably;” perhaps -that was what they meant, and not “probably,” she repeated. Doctors are -so clumsy—especially some—and they do so exaggerate in order to magnify -the importance of their case, and for a moment she took unction in such -logic. - -Suddenly a new thought took possession. The baron—“where did he come -in?” as he himself would have expressed it, and she half smiled at the -grotesqueness of the thought. Was she not married? and did she not owe -him allegiance as a woman of honor? If she had told him all that her -soul held in keeping for another, would he have made her the Baroness -Von Eulaw?—Very likely, but she was not prepared to believe it. She had -no right to hold him responsible for offenses against her while she was -holding perfidy to her heart, and she marveled that she had failed to -make this argument a shield against the shafts of her great sorrow and -her almost greater chagrin. - -She would destroy both the letter and the picture, and put away all -thought of the unhappy occurrence. But, examining the picture again, she -discovered two little punctures just through the pupils of the shadowy -eyes, and she thought and queried for the cause of such an accident. - -Finally she concluded that her old lover had made them inadvertently in -fastening the picture to his wall or mirror frame, and so, pressing her -lips warmly to the tiny wounds on the unconscious paper, where she -fancied his fingers had rested, she locked both the photo and letter in -her desk, and, just as daylight broke, long after the clanging of the -locks had ceased and the brightness was withdrawn, she braided her hair -as she had worn it so many years ago when the image was made, and, with -a long look in the mirror to find a trace of her old self, she turned -away to her couch, and disposed herself for an hour of sleep. - -But the last among her sea of speculations was this: “I wonder who made -those pin-holes in my eyes!” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - “In the name of God, take heed.” - - -The Hod-Carriers’ Union and Mortar-Mixers’ Protective Association, of -San Francisco, adopted a resolution in February, 1894, to fix the rate -of wages of its members at $3.00 per day, and admitting no new members -for a period of one year. The immediate cause of this resolution was the -letting, by certain capitalists, of contracts for the construction of -several blocks of buildings on Market Street, including the new -post-office building. - -Phelim Rafferty, in proposing the resolution, said: - -“The owners and the contractors, Mr. Prisident and gentlemen, are min of -large means, sor, yit they propose to pay us, the sons of honest toil, -sor, widout whose brawny muscles they could not build at all, sor, they -propose to pay us a beggarly $2.00 a day, sor. Why, the min in the -public schools who taich the pianny to our gurls, sor, recaive more nor -that! Now, sor, if we pass this risolution we put our wages to $3.00 a -day, and hould them there. We have the mortal cinch on the contractors, -sor, for if any mimber of our union works for less than $3.00 we’ll -expel him; and by passin’ this risolution we’ll keep min from the East -away, and keep the mimbership in San Francisco shmall, and we’ll be sure -of a job. - -“Faith! the bosses will have to be mighty civil to us to git us at all, -sor. And if they thry to put to work min who are not mimbers of the -union, their buildings will niver rise out of their cellars, sor, for -the other thrades are compilled to sthand by us, sor.” - -Mr. Lorin French, the millionaire contractor and owner of the great San -Francisco Iron Works, read in the journal next morning an account of the -action taken by the Hod-Carriers Union and Mortar-Mixers’ Protective -Association, and he smiled a grim smile. That day he sent invitations to -a number of capitalists and contractors to attend a meeting at his -offices, and the result of the conference was the formation of a -Manufacturers’ and Builders’ League, of which Mr. Lorin French was -chosen permanent president. - -The daily papers the next morning contained the following -advertisement:— - - WANTED. - - On the first day of next month, two hundred hod-carriers and - mortar-mixers to work on the new post-office block. Three dollars per - day will be paid until further notice. Men who have applied for and - been refused admittance to membership in the Hod-Carriers’ Union will - be preferred. - - LORIN FRENCH. - - _1099 Market Street._ - -This base attempt of capital to coerce or bribe the worker into allowing -another worker an equal chance of obtaining employment, was denounced by -Rafferty the next night in a ringing speech at a special meeting of the -Hod-Carriers’ Union, which meeting resulted in a convention of the -Federated Trades being ordered. - -At this convention it was resolved by a three-fourths majority, after a -hot debate, that no member of any trade organization would, on penalty -of expulsion, be permitted to work in or upon or in aid of the -construction of any building, or in any shop, mill, foundry, or factory, -or in or upon any work where any person not a member of some -trade-organization was employed, or where any material was used which -had been manufactured by non-union labor. - -“My frent from the Plumbers’ Association speaks of this resolution, Mr. -President, as a poomerang,” said Gustave Blather, a labor lecturer, who -on this occasion represented the Dishwashers’ Lagerbund. “I don’t know -as such languitch is quite broper coming from him, for a goot many -beople haf their doubts whether plumbing is really a trate or only a -larceny. But, my fellow pret-winners, if the resolution is a poomerang, -it is one that will knock the arrogance out of the ploated -wealth-owners, and teach them that in this republic—established by the -ploot of our fathers [Blather’s great-grandfather was a Hessian soldier -in the British army, and returned to Darmstadt after the surrender of -Cornwallis]—in this republic the time is close at hand when suppliant -wealth will be compelt to enture the colt and hunger it has gifen to -labor for many years.” And, amid a storm of applause, Blather sank to -his seat. - -The post office block was begun on the day appointed, with a force of -men, all of whom were members of the trade organizations, and the work -progressed steadily for a week. At the Saturday-night meetings of the -several trade organizations, the members congratulated themselves that -“old French” had concluded not to carry out his programme, and in -several lodges it was proposed to signalize the magnificent victory of -labor over capital by demanding a general advance of twenty per cent in -the wages of all mechanics; but some of the wiser heads discouraged the -movement as premature, and one pessimistic house carpenter observed, -amid expressions of dissent from his colleagues, that if all the -mechanics followed the example of the hod carriers, it would “bust wide -open every builder and contractor in Frisco, or else put a stop to all -building.” - -On the next Monday morning there appeared on the scene ten men clad in -blouses and overalls. Three of them worked at mixing mortar, three of -them carried hods, three of them commenced laying brick, while the tenth -man directed the labors of the other nine. Each had buckled about his -waist in plain sight a cartridge belt from which hung a dragoon -revolver. - -As soon as their presence and labors became known, word was sent to -labor headquarters, and Delegate Brown was deputed to interview the -strangers and ascertain the situation. - -Pap Brown was a journeyman stone cutter on the other side of the -sixties, who did not often work at his trade. The salary he received -from the trade unions was sufficient for his support, and he fully -earned his salary. He was shrewd, suave, and persistent, and his -fatherly way with “the boys,” and deferential manner to employers, often -secured to the former favorable adjustments of contests that would have -been denied to the “silver-tongued” Raffertys and Blathers. - -Pap Brown approached one of the men who was engaged in mixing mortar, -and inquired whom he was working for. The man addressed made no reply, -but signaled the foreman, who came forward and curtly answered:— - -“We are all working for Mr. Lorin French.” - -“What wages do you get?” asked Brown. - -“Well,” replied the foreman after a pause, “strictly speaking, I don’t -know as that concerns you, but I have no objection to telling you. The -mortar-mixers and hod-carriers get $3.00 a day, the bricklayers $4.00, -and I get $5.00.” - -“Them’s union wages,” said Brown, approvingly. “You are strangers in -Frisco, I jedge?” - -“We arrived last Friday night from Milwaukee,” replied the foreman. - -“Have you got your cards as members of the union?” said Brown. - -“No,” replied the party addressed, “we belong to no union.” - -“Hum! I suppose you are calkilatin’ to jine the unions here?” inquired -Brown in a persuasive accent. - -“I am told,” replied the foreman, “that so far as the Hod-Carriers’ -Union is concerned, we cannot join if we wish to; that they have -resolved to admit no new members.” - -Pap Brown slowly revolved his tobacco quid in his mouth, and rapidly -revolved the situation in his wise old brain. “Hum!” said he at length, -“I reckon that can be arranged for ye, so that ye can all jine.” - -“Well,” replied the man from Milwaukee, “I may as well tell ye that we -don’t calculate to jine anyhow. We don’t much believe in unions -nohow—too many fellers a settin’ around drinkin’ beer, which the fellers -that work have to pay for.” - -“Mebbe you don’t know,” said Pap Brown, “that only union men will be -allowed to work here.” - -“Who will stop us?” said the stranger. - -“There are a good many thousand of the brotherhood in this city,” said -Delegate Brown, still persuasively, “and there are only ten of you.” - -“Well, we ten are fixed to stay,” said the foreman, glancing -significantly at his cartridge belt. - -“Hum!” remarked Pap Brown, as he walked away. - -That night there was a conference at the labor headquarters of the -Executive Committee of the Federated Trades, and Delegate Brown was -called upon to report. - -“I find,” said he, “that these ten men have all worked at their trades -somewhere, and our watchers say that they are good workmen; but clearly -they have been hired more as fighters than as hod carriers or masons. I -jedge, from what I hear, that there is an organized force behind them. -They sleep and take their meals in old French’s building on Market -Street, and don’t go out to the saloons, and we can’t very well get at -them. Old French is as cunning as Satan, and he has fixed the job upon -us, and put these men to work to bring things to a point. There is a big -force of Pinkerton’s men in the city all ready to be sworn in as deputy -sheriffs in case of a row, and I reckon it is put up to call in the -soldiers at the Presidio and from Alcatraz in case of trouble, for the -post-office building, where the men are working, is government -property.” - -“What action do you suggest we should take, Mr. Brown?” said the -chairman. - -Pap Brown rolled his quid from one cheek to the other, and then solemnly -deposited it in the cuspidor. - -“It won’t do,” he replied, “to monkey with Uncle Sam; my jedgment is to -jist let them ten men alone.” - -“But,” interposed a member of the committee, “old French will never stop -there. Those ten men are merely the small end of a wedge with which he -intends to split our labor unions to pieces. He will not give us the -sympathy of the people by lowering wages, but he will put on scabs, a -dozen at a time, and discharge our members, until the city is filled -with new workmen, the unions broken up, and we can all emigrate to -Massachusetts or China.” - -“I shouldn’t wonder,” said Pap Brown, “but violence to them ten men -would simply be playin’ into old French’s hand. He has figgered for a -fight, but we mustn’t give it to him.” - -“We will carry out,” said the Chairman, “in a peaceful way, the -resolution adopted by the Congress of Federated Trades.” - -“That,” said Pap Brown, “means a gineral strike and an all-around -tie-up, that’s what it means, jest at the beginnin’ of the buildin’ -season, with our union treasuries mostly empty, and our brethren East in -no fix to help us, for the coke strikes and the shettin’ down of the -cotton factories and iron foundries this winter have dreened them all. I -was agin that resolution of the Federated Trades at the time, and I’m -mighty doubtful about it’s workin’ any good to us now. It was well -enough for a bluff, but if we are called down we haven’t got a thing in -our hands, that’s a fact.” - -“Well, what can we do, Mr. Brown?” - -“I believe that the best thing all around would be to give in to old -French now, repeal that fool resolution, and wait for a better time to -strike.” - -“What! surrender without a blow? That, Mr. Brown, we can never do.” - -“Well, then,” rejoined Pap Brown, “I reckon we’ve got a long siege -ahead.” - -The Executive Committee appointed a delegation to wait on Mr. Lorin -French and inform him that unless the employment of the ten non-union -men was discontinued, the resolution of the Federated Trades would be -enforced, and all Trade Union members working for him, or for any member -of the Manufacturers’ and Builders’ Union, would quit work. - -Mr. French received the committee very curtly. - -“Those ten men,” said he, “will continue their labors though they shall -be the only ten men at work in the city of San Francisco. If one, or one -thousand, or ten thousand of you are fools enough to quit work at the -high wages you have yourselves fixed, simply because I have given work -at the same wages to men who don’t choose to join one of your bullying -unions, why, you can quit. You can’t hurt me by quitting as much as you -will hurt yourselves. My money will keep and your work won’t. But take -notice that every man who does quit work will be blacklisted, and he can -never get another job in this city from me, or any of the gentlemen who -are members of the association of which I am president, and we include -about all the large employers of labor in this city.” - -“You know, Mr. French,” said the Chairman of the committee, “that if you -insist on keeping these ten non-union men at work we can order a general -strike.” - -“Yes, I know it,” replied French. “I know that you can bite off your own -noses to spite your own faces. I feel sorry for you workingmen at times, -you are such unreasoning and unreasonable and everlasting fools. When -you order a strike, you order the absolute destruction of the only -property you have—your labor—and you do this in order to prevent a few -men from selling their labor; a few men whose only offense is that they -don’t believe with you in the wisdom of harassing and plundering -capitalists.” - -“Well, I suppose we have a right to strike, haven’t we?” said the -Chairman angrily. - -“No,” said French, “you have not. The worker who joins a strike faces at -least the possibility of capital closing its works and retiring from the -field, and the men who have been extravagant, idle, unthrifty, or -unfortunate, and most of you have been one or the other, have no moral -right to bring upon themselves or those dependent upon them, either -suffering or mendicancy.” - -“Mr. French,” said the Chairman, “you know a good many things, but you -don’t know the power of the labor organizations of the land. If we -willed it, we could in one day stop production and transportation all -over the United States.” - -“You would do well to think three or four times,” replied French, -“before exercising any such power as that. You workingmen are -overstepping the bounds not only of moderation, but of common justice -and common sense. Suppose you should do what you threaten, what do you -suppose the capitalists would do in turn? You don’t know? Well, I can -tell you. We would say that we were weary of your exactions, your -interference, and your airs. We would say to you: ‘You have stopped the -wheels; very well, we will not start them. You have extinguished the -furnace fires, we will not rekindle them. You have disabled the engines, -we will not repair them. With the downward stab of your vicious knife -you have cut our surface veins, but you have received the force of the -blow in your own vitals—bleed to death at your leisure. We will retire -for a while and nurse our scratches.’ - -“You don’t know what you are talking about,” continued the old man. “You -don’t conceive the misery and ruin that would result from sixty days’ -stoppage of labor in the fields and foundries and factories and -furnaces, and sixty days’ suspension of traffic over the railroads of -our land. With the disabled engines in the roundhouses, and the cars -covered with dust in the deserted yards; with ships and steamers lying -idle at the wharves or sailed away to trade between the ports of other -lands, whose governments, wiser or more powerful than ours, would not -suffer the moral law to be violated by either individuals or societies; -with moss gathered upon the turbines; with chimneys towering smokeless -to the skies; with the music of forge and anvil hushed; with almshouses -crowded, asylums filled, and jails overflowing; with men suffering and -women growing gaunt from hunger, and little children sobbing themselves -to the fevered sleep of famine; with the furniture in the auction room, -trinkets and clothing in the pawn shop, and families once comfortable -wandering shelterless under the stars; with even disease welcomed as a -friend who should pilot the sufferer to the deliverance of death, would -you find consolation for it all in the reflection that you had, maybe, -carried your point and prevented non-union men, who are as good as -yourselves in every way, from working alongside you at the same wages -you demanded for yourselves?” - -“Mr. French,” said the Chairman, “what do you wish us to do?” - -“I don’t care what you do,” was the response, “but if you have any -sense, you will go home and repeal your fool resolution to strike if -non-union workers are employed.” - -“That, Mr. French,” said the spokesman, “we cannot and will not do.” - -“No?” replied the millionaire. “Well, you must go to destruction then in -your own way. Goodmorning.” - -At noon the next day the hod-carriers dropped their hods, not only at -the post-office block, but at all buildings in process of construction -by any capitalist or contractor belonging to the Builders’ and -Manufacturers’ Union. The brick-masons stopped work because they would -not lay brick with mortar mixed or carried by a non-union laborer. The -house carpenters declined to drive a nail in aid of the erection of any -building in which a brick should be laid by one not belonging to the -Bricklayers’ Union. No plumber or gasfitter would carry his tools to a -building whose timbers had been put in place by a scab carpenter. The -teamsters would not haul sand, brick, lime, or lumber for use in any -building to be erected by any member of the association of which Lorin -French was president. The iron-moulders abandoned in a body the great -shops, rather than work on columns or fronts which had been ordered for -the tabooed buildings. Engineers and firemen struck, rather than attend -to the running of machinery in factories where non-union men were -employed, and all workers engaged in any factory, foundry, mill, shop, -or business owned, in whole or in part, by any member of the Builders’ -and Manufacturers’ Union, joined the general strike, while the railroads -were compelled, in self-protection, to refuse freight offered by any -member of the organization of which Lorin French was president. - -No attempt was made by French or his colleagues to supply the places of -the strikers with non-union workers, although every mail from the East -brought hundreds of applications for employment, but each factory, -foundry, and shop was closed, one after the other, as the workers joined -the strike. The ten men whose labors on the post-office building had -begotten all this commotion, continued steadily at work. They were -surrounded each day, while at their labors, by hooting thousands, who -gathered in the vicinity, but any near approach to them was prevented by -a company of Pinkerton’s men, armed with Winchesters, who had been sworn -in as deputy sheriffs, and who escorted them to and from their labors, -to French’s building, No. 1099 Market Street, where they, as well as -their guards, were accorded quarters, and in the upper story of which -Mr. Lorin French had, under existing circumstances, deemed it expedient -to establish his residence as well as his offices. - -After a fortnight had elapsed these ten men were withdrawn from their -labors, in deference to the request of the Mayor of San Francisco and -the governor of California. - -A committee from the Federated Trades then waited upon Lorin French, and -informed him that, as the _causa belli_ had been removed by the -withdrawal of the ten obnoxious non-union laborers, the strikers were -willing to resume work. His reply was that whenever work should be -resumed generally, the ten “obnoxious” men, as well as all other -non-union men he might see fit to employ, would resume work; and so -negotiations came suddenly to an end. - -At the close of the third week of the strike the Congress of Federated -Trades assembled and declared a boycott against all members of the -Builders’ and Manufacturers’ Union, and against all who should violate -the boycott; the boycott to run also against any railway or steamship -line that should accord them or their families transportation out of San -Francisco. - -It was expected that this last and most drastic measure would bring the -capitalists to terms, for its enforcement would deprive them and their -families of the necessities of life. Their employes left them under the -pressure, and their offices and places of business were closed. Their -house servants departed, and they were unable to obtain substitutes even -among the Chinese, for the Celestial who should labor for a boycotted -household was given his choice between exile and death. Hotel -proprietors were compelled to refuse a boycotted person as a guest, or -lose their own waiters, cooks, and chambermaids. The restaurant -proprietor who should serve one of them with a meal would be compelled -to close his doors for the want of help; and the grocer, fruiterer, -butcher, baker, or provision dealer who sold supplies for their use, -would be posted, and lose his other customers, for the boycott was -declared against all who violated the boycott. - -Mr. French was equal to the exigency. He caused representations to be -made, and influence exerted at Washington, and the United States steamer -_Charleston_ was detailed for special service. The members of the -Builders’ and Manufacturers’ Association, with their families, were -taken on board of the war-ship, guarded by the Pinkerton men, and -carried to Vancouver, where they were dispatched East over the Canadian -Pacific Railroad. Lorin French, with a few of his fellow-members, -refused to go, but, establishing themselves comfortably on the upper -floor of the building No. 1099 Market Street, they managed to provision -themselves and their guards, despite the boycott, and announced their -determination to see the contest out. - -It was the last week in April, 1894, and the tenth week of the great -strike. Business was almost suspended in San Francisco. Thousands of the -strikers had wandered out into the country, and every farmhouse within a -hundred miles of San Francisco was besieged by men glad to work for food -and shelter, while the highways were crowded with tramps. In the city -the streets were filled with idle thousands, and at the daily meeting at -the sand lots twenty or thirty thousand auditors were addressed by -favorite speakers. - -The orators made no appeals which were calculated to incite violence, -and there was no police interference with the meetings. Indeed, there -seemed logically no place or opportunity for violence. The offending -employers had done absolutely nothing that the workers could even -denounce. They had discharged nobody, and they had not attempted to fill -the places of those who reluctantly left. They had simply suspended -operations. They had accepted the refusal of the workers to work, -apparently, as final. They had locked up their factories and places of -business, and, with their families, had left the State. - -The strikers generally regarded Lorin French as the prime mover against -them, but his property they could not reach for the purposes of -destruction if they had been so inclined. It consisted of mines in -Nevada and Utah and Montana, of sheep and cattle in New Mexico and -Arizona, of vineyards and orchards and grain-fields in California, of -mortgages and bonds, and of unimproved real estate in San Francisco. On -this latter he was now preparing to erect business blocks. But the -buildings were in embryo. The mob could neither burn nor dynamite an -unbuilded structure, and there was no visible property upon which to -wreak vengeance. - -Yet the most ample provisions had been made against any mob uprising. -Two batteries of artillery, with guns shotted with grape and canister, -two companies of cavalry, and four companies of infantry of the -California National Guard, were in readiness, a portion being under -arms, and signals were arranged for calling the entire force together at -the armories, ready for action, on less than half an hour’s notice. - -On Saturday night, late in April, 1894, the Congress of Federated Trades -again met, and, after a short debate, it was sullenly resolved to accept -the situation. The strike was declared at an end, and all the -resolutions adopted since the preceding February, including the original -resolution of indorsement of the action of the Hod-Carriers’ Union, were -rescinded, and it was enacted that hereafter the employment of non-union -workers should not be a cause of strike except by workers associated in -the same work, and against the same employer. - -A committee of three, to consist of the President of the Congress of -Federated Trades, the Mayor of San Francisco, and the Chief of Police, -was appointed to wait, early next morning, upon Mr. Lorin French, -communicate to him the action taken by the Federated Trades, and receive -his reply. - -It was surrender on the part of the workers—absolute and unconditional. -It was a blow to their pride, and a relinquishment of that which, with -many of them, was a cherished principle; it was brought about by hunger -and suffering, and they gave up the contest utterly, and placed -themselves at the mercy of the conqueror. Only a brute could have -misused the vanquished, but Lorin French had worked himself into a -relentless fury during the progress of the strike, and, unfortunately, -he had been left in full charge and invested with plenary power by the -departed members of the Builders’ and Manufacturers’ Association. - -At nine o’clock the next morning, in the sunshine of an April Sabbath, -the committee appointed by the Federated Trades was permitted to pass -the Pinkerton guard, and mount the five flights of stairs—for the -elevator service had long been discontinued—which led to the top story -of the building No. 1099 Market Street, where they were received by -Lorin French, who arose from his breakfast table to greet them. He -listened without changing his countenance while the Mayor, as Chairman -of the committee, communicated to him the substance of the resolution -adopted the night before by the Congress of Federated Trades. - -“I expected exactly such a result,” said French; “it would have saved a -great deal of money and a great deal of suffering to these Federated -fools if they had adopted a similar course two months ago.” - -“Well, Mr. French,” said the Mayor, “these misguided men, with their -families, have been the greatest losers and the severest sufferers by it -all. I will not discuss the rights and wrongs of it with you. There is -more than one side to it, and we might not agree. I am rejoiced, for -their sake and yours, and for the sake of the city and State, that it is -all over, and that the workers can now return to their work, and -business resume its usual channels.” - -“These misguided men, as you call them, Mr. Mayor,” said French, “will -be compelled to transfer their opportunities for future misguidance to -some other locality. They are all blacklisted here. Their own signatures -to receipts for wages when they quit, constitute the blacklist. Not one -of them shall ever earn another day’s wages in this city in any -enterprise owned, controlled, or influenced by me.” - -“But, Mr. French,” remonstrated the Mayor, “this is unworthy of you. -These men have homes here; they have families to support; the long -strike has left many of them utterly without resources, either to go -away with or to establish themselves elsewhere. The industries of San -Francisco need them. Why bring in others to take their places? They have -abandoned their strike. They have already been sufficiently punished for -that which was, after all, only an error of judgment. If work be refused -them, they will starve.” - -“Let them starve,” savagely replied the millionaire; “not one of them -shall ever get a job of work from me.” - -The President of the Congress of Federated Trades, who was one of the -committee, had hitherto been silent. He was an iron worker by trade, -who, in twenty years of residence in San Francisco, had almost lost the -Scotch burr which, as a lad, he had brought with him from Glasgow. In -moments of feeling or excitement it returned to him. He addressed -himself to French:— - -“Oh mon,” said he, “but thou art hard; and thou art a fool as well! ’Tis -a mad wolf that cooms oot of the mountain shingle to make a trail -through the heather for the hoonds. Gin ye hae no mercy for God’s poor, -hae ye no fear frae the divil’s dogs that your words may loosen on ye? -Dinna ye ken there be ten, aye, twenty thousand men on the sand lots -this blessed Sabbath morn, who love ye not, and who, if they get your -words just spoken, and get them they maun, unless ye recall them, would, -if they but reach ye, and reach ye they will, for a’ your guards and -guns, would send ye to God’s throne wi’ your bad heart a’ reekin’?” - -“Go and tell the loafers and brawlers of the sand lots exactly what I -have said,” shrieked French. “It is what I mean to say, and mean for -them to hear. If you don’t take the message I will send it through the -press. Let them do their worst. I do not fear the blackguards, and I am -ready for any who choose to visit me,” and the old man snapped his -fingers as the members of the committee sorrowfully departed. - -Half an hour later a speaker who was addressing an audience of thirty -thousand people from the central stand at the sand lots, paused as he -saw the President of the Congress of Federated Trades making his way -through the crowd. The orator had been commenting on the resolutions -adopted by the Workers’ Congress the previous night, and had been -congratulating the people upon the approaching end of the distress -occasioned by the long strike, and on the days of peace and plenty which -were in store for them, and it was with beaming faces and glad shouts -that the multitude welcomed the man who was to announce to them a -resumption of their labors in factory and shop. - -“My friends,” said the tall Scotchman, “I have just come from an -interview with Lorin French, and I am vara vara sorry to bear you the -message with which I am charged. He bids me tell you that the notice he -gave to us all before the strike begun shall be carried out, and that no -man who quit work then shall ever again have work in this city, if he -can help it.” - -The temper of the vast multitude changed in an instant. Shrieks and -yells of anger filled the air, and for many minutes the crowd gave way -to demonstrations of rage and indignation. All at once there walked to -the front of the central platform a tall, angular woman dressed in a -gown of plain black stuff. Her features were unprepossessing, to the -verge of ugliness, but a wealth of white hair crowned a low brow, -surmounting eyes of fierce blue. As she stretched forth a long arm, the -multitude hushed to silence, for they recognized the renowned female -agitator, Lucy Passmore. - -“Friends, brethren, men,” said she, in a voice whose magnetic quality -vibrated to the farthest edges of the crowd, “it seems that it is the -malignant will of one man which savagely condemns thousands to suffering -and starvation. If the rattlesnake is coiled for ye, will ye strike -first or wait for him to strike? If the wolf is waiting upon your -doorstep, will you feed to him the babe he is seeking or will ye give -him the knife to the hilt in his hot throat? The death of Lorin French -would end this struggle, and your wives would cease to weep and your -children to cry with hunger. Men, since God has so far forgotten you as -to suffer this devil to live so long, why do you not remedy God’s -forgetfulness? Are you ready to march now or do you want an old woman to -lead you?” - -A yell arose from the surging crowd, as, with one mind, thousands -comprehended and were ready to act upon the suggestions of Lucy -Passmore. - -Most of the men had long before furnished themselves with arms of some -sort, and their lodge organizations had provided them with elected -leaders, who usually attended the sand-lot meetings. As if by magic they -formed themselves into companies and battalions and marched, an orderly -and almost an organized army, forth from the sand lots, and down to the -building No. 1099 Market Street, which they speedily surrounded. - -The iron shutters of the upper story were at once closed, and the -muzzles of rifles pushed through loopholes previously prepared for such -purpose. An attempt was made from the inside to close the iron gate in -front of the main staircase, but the mob surged past the guard, took -possession of the lower hall, and started up the stairs. They were met -at the top, just below the first landing, by twenty Pinkerton men -standing upon the top five steps—four on each step—who, after vainly -warning the ascending crowd to desist, at last lowered the muzzles of -their Winchesters, and opened a murderous fusillade, which covered the -stairs with dead and dying. - -The mob hesitated for an instant, but only for an instant, for those -below pushed forward those who were above. A hundred revolvers were -fired at the Pinkerton men, half of whom fell, and the other half were -borne down, shot, clubbed, and stabbed as the mob rushed past and over -them, and gained the first landing. The crowd continued to push from -below, and in the same way, with great loss of life on each side, they -gained successively the third and fourth stories. By this time, however, -the forces on the fifth floor had opened fire on the mob outside. Two -riflemen at each of the eighteen windows commanded the main entrance to -the building, and such a rapid and accurate fire was maintained that -Market Street for a hundred feet on each side of the entrance was piled -with bodies, and further re-inforcements prevented from reaching those -within the building. - -At this juncture Battery X came galloping into Market Street from -Fourth. Two guns were placed in position, and one, loaded with -grapeshot, was fired just above the heads of the crowd. The whistling of -the shot in the air above them gave notice to the mob of what was -coming, and, with cries of terror, they fled, panic-stricken, into the -adjacent streets. The assailants inside the building, hearing the noise -of the cannon, followed by the triumphant shouts of the Pinkerton men in -the upper story, and finding no further pressure or re-inforcements from -below, desisted from further assault, and, turning from the fourth -landing, fled down the stairs. - -Lorin French, from a loophole in an iron shutter, watched the firing, -and the dispersion of the mob outside, and in a few minutes he was -informed by a Pinkerton sergeant that the contest was over. - -“It’s a sorry day’s work, sir,” said the officer; “we have lost over -thirty of our best men, and there must be two hundred rioters dead and -wounded on the stairs and in the halls, beside those killed in the -street.” - -“I will help you with the wounded,” said French, starting for the -passage. - -“Better remain here, sir,” said the officer. “It may not be quite safe -for you yet in the lower halls.” - -“Nonsense,” replied French, “the fight is over,” and so saying, he -walked out into the hall, and descended the stairs to the fourth story. -He paused in horror at the sight which met his eyes. The floor was wet -and slippery with blood, and the cries of the wounded pierced his ears. -He stood for a moment as if dazed, and then, turning his back upon the -scene, prepared to ascend the staircase and gain his room. - -And as he turned, a man who was sitting propped up against the wall -twenty feet away, raised a revolver which had been lying in his lap, -and, clearing with his left hand the blood which obscured his eyes, took -rapid yet careful aim and fired. - -The bullet struck Lorin French in his backbone, which it shattered, and, -with a cry of agony and fear, the owner of $20,000,000 fell forward upon -his face on the stairway. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - “Is this law? Aye, marry is it?” - - -“In the matter of the estate of Lorin French deceased, the application -of Louis Browning for letters executory is before the court. Who -represents the applicant?” - -“The firm of Bruff & Baldwin, your honor,” replied a tall gentleman with -spectacled nose and a beardless face. - -“Are there contestants?” said the Court. - -Then from their seats within the bar of the court room there arose a -decorous multitude of lawyers, short and tall, old and young, fat and -lean, the white-bearded Nestors, and the complacent, chirping chipmunks -of the bar, and in various forms of expression it clearly appeared that -there were contestants. - -“I think,” said his Honor with a weary smile, “that my associates might -have sent this case to another department, for I have had a surfeit of -contested will cases. Proceed, Mr. Bruff.” - -“In behalf of the Society of Bug Hunters, who are legatees under a -former will,” said a sepulchral voice, proceeding from the rotund -diaphragm of a bald-headed and full-bearded gentleman, “I have -twenty-three objections to offer to the admission to probate of the -alleged will of Lorin French, and—” - -“Will my learned brother Lester permit me to interrupt him for a -moment,” twanged a catarrhal tone, “while I state that I wish my -appearance entered here on behalf of the recognized natural son of the -deceased, and I protest—” - -“On the part of the Australian cousins of Lorin French,” shrieked a lean -man with red hair, “I have a preliminary objection to offer to the will -being read in court at all, and—” - -“I object!” - -“I except!” - -“Will your honor please note the exception of the Nevada heirs?” - -“I demand to be heard!” - -Then from the entire front of the bar came cries of excited counsel, -learned in all law save that of decorum, while the Court rapped for -order. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, “you will all please be seated. The Court itself -would like to be heard. The will of our deceased fellow-citizen, Lorin -French, who was never more regretted by me than at this moment, or”—and -the Court smiled deprecatingly—“the paper which purports to be his will, -is presented here by our Brother Bruff. Now, unless some gentleman -denies the death of Lorin French, it occurs to me that the reading of -the paper offered as his will can but tend to our common enlightenment—” - -The deep-voiced Lester, with his twenty-three objections, sustained by a -“brief” which covered ninety pages of manuscript, arose. - -“I have not yet finished,” said the Court. “It is apparent that many of -the objections urged will be against the reading of the will. Such -objections may be discussed more intelligently if the Court can be -suffered to gain some knowledge of the contents of the paper offered, -and I shall ask, gentlemen, that you suspend argument or motions while -the clerk reads the will. It will then delight the Court to devote the -remainder of the term to hearing arguments why the will ought never to -have been read. Mr. Clerk, proceed, and I will send to jail for contempt -any member of this bar who shall interrupt you until the reading shall -be completed.” - -There was silence in the crowded court room as the clerk opened and read -the document:— - -In the name of God, Amen, I, Lorin French, of San Francisco, California, -being of sound and disposing mind and memory, but being assured by my -physicians that the wound received by me must within a few days prove -fatal, do make, publish, and declare this my last will and testament, -revoking all wills previously made by me. - -The free use of my hand enables me to make this will holographic, and -this labor I undertake in order to more completely demonstrate to the -court where it may be offered for probate, that it is altogether my own -act, and that I am sane, clear of mind, and fully possessed of my own -memory and judgment. - -The near approach of the world into which my spirit is about to journey, -brings, possibly, a clearer judgment, and I think now that if my -decision to employ no strikers had not been communicated to the mob, I -should have reconsidered such decision. However, my approaching death, -which will incidentally result from that decision, afflicts me less than -the fate of those who fell in the affray, for my own life was drawing to -a close. - -If the example I shall offer in attempting to adjust the relations of -capital and labor shall be followed by others, it will result in -advantage to the workers of this land, and great permanent good may thus -grow from the bitter struggle which ended with the wound which will -terminate my life on earth. - -I am unmarried and childless, and my nearest living relatives are -cousins of remote degrees, with whose names and places of residence I am -scarcely acquainted. No relation of mine has any moral or rightful claim -upon my estate, and the disposition I am about to make of my property -will work injustice to no living creature. - -I appoint as executor of this my last will and testament, my friend -Louis Browning, to serve without bonds, and I direct that for his -services as executor, and in lieu of all commissions, he receive the sum -of $50,000 out of my estate. - -I direct my said executor to forthwith pay to the widows, or next of -kin, of each man slain in the late riot, the sum of $10,000, to each man -permanently disabled by wounds received therein, the sum of $5,000, and -to each man wounded but not permanently disabled, the sum of $1,000. - -I direct my said executor to proceed as speedily as possible to -prudently dispose of all my estate, and convert the same into money, to -be paid over by him to the corporation hereinafter named. - -I request that my said executor, Louis Browning, shall, in co-operation -with the Governor of California, the Mayor of San Francisco, and my -friends David Shelburn, Lawrence Slayter, George Morrow, and Francis -Dalton, proceed forthwith to form a corporation under the laws of this -State, to be entitled the ‘Lorin French Labor Aid Company,’ to which -corporation, when organized, I direct that the proceeds of my estate be -transferred, to be used by it in providing capital for the use of such -co-operative and profit-sharing corporations as may, from time to time, -be organized to avail themselves of its aid. - -The Lorin French Labor Aid Company will not itself engage in any -industrial enterprise, but will confine itself strictly to loaning money -at three per cent per annum to such organizations of mechanics as may -seek its assistance and comply with its rules. Those rules must require -that one-fourth of the wages and all the profits of the members of the -borrowing corporation shall be paid to the Lorin French Labor Aid -Company, until the debt due the latter is discharged, and that the -borrowing corporation shall be organized and conducted in accordance -with certain conditions and rules. - -My meaning may be made more clear by the following illustration:— - -Suppose that five hundred men shall desire to establish a co-operative -foundry. They will make a preliminary organization and apply to the -officers of the Lorin French Labor Aid Company for the capital necessary -to conduct the enterprise. Those officers will—after careful -inquiry—ascertain that the buildings, land, machinery, and plant of such -a foundry will cost $900,000, and that it will require a cash capital of -$100,000 to carry the current business. They will purchase such a -foundry, taking title in the Lorin French Labor Aid Company in trust, -and will select a general manager, who will employ and discharge men, -fix the rate of wages and hours of labor, and have full charge of the -works. After the indebtedness of the Foundry Company to the Aid Company -shall have been fully paid with interest, the members of the Foundry -Company may elect their own general manager, but, until then, that -officer shall be chosen by, and be subject to the control of, the -directors of the Aid Company. - -Each man employed in the works, from the general manager to the -lowest-paid helper in the yard, must be a shareholder, the number of -shares to be held by each being regulated by his wages. If a workman -should die, or leave employment, either on his own motion or because of -his being discharged, his shares would be turned over to his successor, -who would be required to make good to the outgoing man or his widow or -heirs whatever amount had been paid upon the shares, and the money for -such payment might be advanced when necessary out of a fund for such -purpose provided by the Foundry Company, the shares standing as security -for the advance. No shares could be transferred except to a -successor—employed in the foundry. - -A portion, say one-fourth, of the shares of the corporation should be -reserved for allotment to workmen whose employment might be required by -the growth of the works, though it will be the object of the directors -of the Lorin French Labor Aid Company to encourage the continued -organization of new co-operative labor corporations rather than the -enlargement of old ones. Yet such encouragement must be prudently -granted, having reference to the natural growth of business and the -demands of a healthy trade, and overproduction must not be stimulated, -for it is my main purpose to help the laborer to rid himself of the -payment of high interest and large commissions, to bring him as nearly -as possible in direct communication with the consumer, to save him the -waste of strikes, and the salaries of the brawlers who foment -difficulties between laborers and their employers, to make him his own -employer and his own capitalist, to encourage him in sobriety and thrift -and the possession of such high manhood as of right belongs to -citizenship of our republic. - -The capital stock of such an iron-workers’ co-operation might be fixed -at the sum borrowed from the Lorin French Labor Aid Company, say -$1,000,000, divided into shares of the par value of $10 each. - -Thus, five hundred men properly managed, working industriously, and -allowing one-fourth of their wages and their entire profits to -accumulate, might be able in five years to own a plant of the actual -value of $1,000,000, with the good-will of a business worth as much -more, and thereafter the worker might receive full wages and an -additional income from dividends, which, if placed in endowment -insurance, or in similar safe investments, would enable him to retire, -if he wish, in fifteen years with an assured competence. - -The $20,000,000 which will be received from the sale of my property, all -of which I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to the Lorin French Labor -Aid Company, ought to, and I doubt not will, be sufficient to establish -co-operative iron foundries, sawmills, woolen factories, glass works, -brick yards, and other industrial enterprises, in San Francisco, -sufficient to provide remunerative employment for fifteen thousand men. -The fund will be invested safely, for it will be based upon the security -which is the creator and conservator of all property and property -rights, industrious and intelligent labor. The accretions to the fund, -even at the moderate rate of interest of three per cent per annum, will -add, probably, a thousand workers each year to the number of its -beneficiaries, while the repayment and re-investment in similar ways of -the original fund, will add several thousand more each year. - -The practical operation of the plans I have endeavored to outline will -work no injustice to the owners of existing manufacturing -establishments, for it will be in the interest of the workmen to -purchase such plants and business at their value, rather than to build -up new and rival establishments. It is true that some persons now making -a profit off the labors of others will be compelled to enlist their -capital and energies in other lines; but this, if a hardship, will not -be an injustice, and individual convenience must be subservient to the -general good. - -“I think I have made clear the purposes to which I hereby devote the -fortune I have accumulated by fifty years of toil and care—yet in the -accumulation of which I have found great enjoyment. The details of my -plans I must leave to those who now are, or who hereafter may be, -charged with the execution of this trust. In the life upon which I am -about to enter—for I have never so questioned the wisdom of the -Originating and Ultimate Force of the Universe as to suppose that the -death of this body of flesh will be the end of all conscious individual -existence—in the life upon which I am about to enter, I hope to derive -satisfaction from the fulfillment of the objects of this my last will -and testament, to which I hereby affix my signature and seal, this -thirtieth day of April, eighteen hundred and ninety-four. - - LORIN FRENCH [SEAL]. - -We, William Jelly and Thompson Blakesly, declare that Lorin French, in -our presence and on the thirtieth day of April, eighteen hundred and -ninety-four, in the city of San Francisco, California, signed the -foregoing document, which he then declared to each of us was his last -will and testament, and we then, at his request and in his presence, and -in the presence of each other, sign our names hereto as witnesses. - - WILLIAM JELLY, - THOMPSON BLAKESLY.” - -The voice of the clerk ceased, and for a few seconds there was a hush in -the court room, which was broken by the harsh, cold tones of Counselor -John Lyman. - -“I submit to your Honor,” said he, “in behalf of the Public -Administrator for whom I appear, and who asks that he be accorded -administration of the estate of Lorin French. I submit that this -so-called will, although rhetorically and otherwise a very interesting -attempt at unpractical philanthropy, is—as a will—simply waste paper. In -spirit and in letter it is an utter violation of two sections of the -civil code of California. Section 1275 of that code provides that -‘corporations—except those formed for scientific, literary, or -educational purposes—cannot take under a will, unless expressly -authorized by statute.’ The proposed Lorin French Labor Aid Company is, -in its plan, a corporation, neither scientific, literary, nor -educational. Considered as a benevolent corporation, it is not now in -existence, and is, of course, not authorized by statute to receive this, -or any bequest—” - -“How is it,” interrupted Mr. Bruff, “that the Society for the Prevention -of Cruelty to Animals, the Sisters’ Hospital, and other corporations, -have received bequests?” - -“Simply because they have been expressly authorized by act of the -Legislature to do so,” was the reply. - -“Then if I wish to leave a sum of money to found and support an asylum -for one-lunged lawyers, or one-eyed baseball umpires, I am unable to do -so, am I?” said Bruff. - -“You can go to Sacramento and have a law passed to enable your one-eyed -and one-lunged corporations to take your bequest,” said Lyman. - -“How much,” said Bruff, sarcastically, “would I probably be obliged to -pay the statesmen for passing such a law?” - -“My party is not in power,” rejoined Lyman. “I do not know the latest -market quotations for votes in your caucus.” - -“Order, gentlemen, order,” said his Honor, grimly. - -“And suppose,” said Bruff, “the Legislature were not in session, would -it be necessary that I wait a year or two before I could make a valid -will, with the chance of dying in the meantime?” - -“Possibly,” replied Lyman, “you might make a bequest to a corporation -not empowered at the time of such bequest, to receive it, but which -might subsequently be expressly authorized by statute to do so.” - -“I have led my learned friend to the very point desired,” said Bruff. -“Why, then, I ask him, can the corporation which the will of Lorin -French proposes shall be created, not be authorized by the California -Legislature, at its next session, to receive his bequest? I do not -apprehend that the most docile Democratic lamb, or the most fearless -Republican boodle hunter, would dare to refuse his vote for such a law.” - -“But the corporation proposed by the late Lorin French,” said Lyman, “is -not only unempowered to receive, it is not yet in existence as a -corporation. It may never be created, and a bequest to either a natural -or an artificial being, not even quickened with incipient life, not even -conceived at the time of the bequest, may be questioned as of doubtful -validity. But it is profitless to discuss these questions, because there -is another section of the civil code which disposes completely of this -so-called will. I refer to section number 1313. Thirteen is certainly an -unlucky number for the workers of San Francisco. By that section it is -provided that no will devising property for charitable or benevolent -uses, shall be valid unless made at least thirty days before the death -of the testator, and that in no event can a man bequeath more than -one-third of his estate for such purpose, if he have natural heirs. It -is also provided that all dispositions of property made contrary to the -statute shall be void, and the property go to the residuary legatee, -next of kin, or heir, according to law.” - -“That was one of the wise laws that the sand-lot statesmen gave us,” -said Bruff, sarcastically. - -“Deed, and it wasn’t a sand-lot law at all,” interrupted a stalwart, -red-bearded attorney with a slight Milesian accent. “It was passed away -back in the seventies. Old Moriarty was down with typhoid fever, and -Father Gallagher was pressin’ him every day to save his soul by lavin’ -his millions to the Jesuit College and Hospital. But before the priest -could get the old man in condition, Mike Moriarty slipped Nat -Bronton—the king of the lobby—up to Sacramento with $20,000 rint money -that Mike collected while his father was ill, and the bill was rushed -through under suspinsion of the rules. Two days after the bill became a -law, Father Gallagher coaxed and dhrove old Moriarty into signing a will -that cut Mike off wid $50,000, and left $3,000,000 to the church, and -the next week they buried the old man, with masses enough to put him -through purgatory in an express train. They say that there was a -scrappin’ match between Father Gallagher and Mike when the priest found -that he had been outgeneraled, and Mike lost the top of his left ear, -but he saved his father’s estate. Sure, the whole case is reported in -the fortieth California, under the title of the Society of Jesus against -Moriarty, and it decides this will of French’s sure enough.” - -When the ripple of laughter which this interruption provoked had -subsided, Mr. Lyman resumed:— - -“My learned friend Casey is right, your Honor; the case he quoted does -decide this one. If this will had been made more than thirty days before -the death of Mr. French, it could at most have disposed of but one-third -of his property. But it was made only two days before his death, and, -under section 1313 of the code, is utterly void,” and the speaker -resumed his seat. - -The Court turned to the attorney who had offered the will for probate. - -“What have you to say to this, Mr. Bruff?” he inquired. “All the -claimants for the estate will doubtless agree with the position taken by -the attorney for the public administrator. They are joined in interest -in overturning the will. You alone defend the beneficent purposes of the -dead man. What have you to say?” - -“What can I say, your Honor?” said Bruff, bitterly. “It is another -instance of a man conceited and obstinate enough to attempt making his -own will. If my old friend French had called me in, I would have told -him that courts and juries in California seldom allow a man to dispose -of his own estate, if it be a large one, and he must give his savings -away in his lifetime if he wishes to prevent his sixth cousins from -rioting on them. I would have had Lorin French convey his vast property -to trustees to carry out his plans, and have affected the transfer -completely while he was yet alive. But he, great and simple soul, -supposed, naturally enough, that he had a right to do as he pleased with -his own, and that, being without near kindred, and no person having any -claim upon him, he could help the poor with the money it had taken him -half a century to accumulate. He was originally educated to the law, -and, although he had been out of practice for thirty years, he knew how -to formulate a will. But he was not aware of the ravages committed by a -California Legislature among the time-honored principles of the common -law. Mark the result of legislative folly and individual inadvertence. -Twenty millions of dollars, which their owner proposed to devote to a -grand and comprehensive experiment for adjusting the vexed relations of -labor and capital, will now be consumed in court costs and witness fees, -divided among a horde of attorneys, and finally scattered in selfish -enjoyment, and in ways unuseful to man, all over the world from -Australia to Elko. It’s the law, I suppose, and neither your Honor nor I -can help it, but it’s an accursed shame, nevertheless.” - -And Mr. Bruff, pale with excitement, resumed his seat. - -“The Court can not only pardon your emphatic language, Brother Bruff,” -said his Honor, “but indorses it. If I could discover any loophole which -might be crawled through, or any way by which I could break down or -climb over the legislative barrier, and validate the bequest of Lorin -French, I would certainly do so. I will reserve for further -consideration the question of the validity of the legacies to the -wounded, and the families of those killed in the riot. I am inclined to -think that portion of the will may be good, and so carry with it the -right of Louis Browning to letters testamentary. For the present, -however, I am reluctantly compelled to sustain the objection of the -attorney for the public administrator, and refuse the will admission to -probate. It is ordered accordingly. Mr. Clerk, note the exception of Mr. -Bruff to my ruling. I will take my summer vacation now, and go fishing. -I shall adjourn court for one month, and the further hearing of this -case for two months. In the meantime, if the gentlemen who represent the -various applicants for letters of administration, will leave their -papers with the clerk, I will, upon my return, give them careful -attention.” - -“Does your Honor desire that I leave all my papers?” queried the -sepulchral-voiced Lester. - -“All,” replied his Honor and he paused for a moment, and glanced at the -ninety pages of manuscript lying in front of counsel learned in the law, -“all except your brief, Mr. Lester.” - -The proceedings of the day in the superior court were reported fully, -and commented upon freely, by the newspapers throughout the country, and -a fortnight afterwards the proposed executor of the rejected will -received the following letter:— - - OFFICES OF DAVID MORNING, 39 Broadway, } - New York City, June 10, 1894. } - - MR. LOUIS BROWNING, San Francisco, Cal.—_My Dear Sir_: Such a wise and - noble plan as that of the late Lorin French ought not to lack - accomplishment for want of money to execute it. If you, and the - gentlemen named by him as your associates in the trust which he vainly - endeavored to create, will organize such a corporation as he proposed, - I will devote to it a sum equal to the value of his estate, which I - understand to be, in round numbers, twenty millions of dollars. - - Very truly yours, DAVID MORNING. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - “The conscience of well doing is an ample reward.” - - - [From the _New York World_, July 15, 1895.] - -Manhattan Island, west of Broadway and south of Trinity Church, was, -during the last century, occupied by the substantial mansions of the -ancient Knickerbockers, and as late as the first third of the present -century was not relinquished as a place of residence by people of -aristocratic pretensions. Before the civil war, the annual fairs of the -American Institute were held in Castle Garden, within whose walls Grisi -and Mario and Jenny Lind sang, and on summer afternoons children, -accompanied by nursemaids, romped upon the grass under the grand old -trees on the Battery. Then the Bowling Green Fountain, with its -picturesque pile of rocks, was still an ancient landmark; and the goat -pastures above Fifty-ninth Street were being cleared for the planting of -Central Park. - -After the war the few remaining occupants of pretentious residences fled -to the northward of Madison Square, and the sightliest and most -picturesque portion of New York City was abandoned to saloons, emigrant -boarding houses, warehouses, and shops, for, unlike the down-town -section east of Broadway, it was not invaded and colonized by bankers, -brokers, and importing houses. - -Mr. David Morning, now widely known as the Arizona Gold King, selected -this portion of New York City for the experiment of organizing pleasant -and economical home lives for a class of dwellers in cities not -ordinarily the subject of elemosynary effort. - -The poverty of the very poor, who sometimes lack even for food or -shelter, is hardly more distressing to the sufferers than the poverty of -men who struggle to maintain a respectable position upon incomes -inadequate, even with the most economical management, to meet their -expenses. How is a married man, having an income of one, two, or even -three thousand dollars per annum, derived from work which must be -performed by him, as clerk, journalist, physician, or lawyer, upon -Manhattan Island, to live there with such surroundings as are befitting -his education and position? - -He will be compelled to pay one-third or one-half of his income for a -flat; an entire house is out of the question, unless he betake himself -to such a locality in the city as will exile his family from social -consideration. If he live in the suburbs, he must arise at daylight and -stumble along unlighted lanes to the railroad station, and pass two or -three hours of his time each day standing in a crowded ferryboat, or -hanging to the straps of a jammed car, alternately frozen and roasted, -and always stifled with the reeking perfume of unventilated vehicles and -unsavory fellow-travelers, for while it may be true that all men are -politically equal, they are not always equally well washed. - -The alternative is to bring up his family in the brawl and small scandal -of a boarding house. His wife requires always a certain amount of -dresses and bonnets to maintain herself in a respectable position in the -estimation of her friends, and dresses and bonnets entail an uncertain -amount of expenditure. A man’s tailor will inform him in advance exactly -how much his garment will cost, and one can contract for a bridge across -the Mississippi at an agreed sum, but there is no force known in nature -that will induce or drive a dressmaker into foregoing an opportunity for -advantage taking, or persuade her to fix in advance a price for the -making and trimming of a gown. - -The married bookkeeper or salesman on a salary in New York City, is -forever upon the ragged edge of embarrassment, unable to save the amount -of the payments necessary for adequate life insurance, or to provide a -fund for a rainy day. The laborer or mechanic who earns six hundred to -nine hundred dollars per annum is, in comparatively easy circumstances, -for he can live in a tenement house in a cheap neighborhood without loss -of caste, and caste is of almost as much consequence in free America as -in the Punjaub. - -After some thought, Mr. David Morning devised a trial scheme for the -relief of married men of small incomes, whose duties required their -daily presence in New York City, below Canal Street, and in the autumn -of 1894 his agents began to quietly purchase the real estate between -Rector Street and the Battery, and bounded by Greenwich Street and the -Hudson River. Some months were consumed in the acquisition of title to -the realty, and in a few instances long prices were exacted by sagacious -and selfish owners, who held out until the others had sold, but the bulk -of the property was purchased at about its value, and the brokers were -finally instructed to close with all persons willing to sell, without -haggling as to price. - -It required about $15,000,000 to complete the purchase, and for this sum -sixteen hundred lots were secured of the orthodox dimensions of -twenty-five by one hundred feet each. Electric lights turned night into -day, and several thousands of men and hundreds of vehicles, divided into -three armies of eight-hour workers, were at once employed in the work of -demolition. Temporary railroad tracks were laid from the land to the -North River piers, and the material and débris not needed to fill -cellars and vaults was carried on cars to barges, which were towed to -the Jersey flats, where their contents were dumped upon ground -previously acquired by Mr. Morning for that purpose, and by the first of -February, 1895, the lower part of Manhattan Island west of Greenwich -Street was as bare as a picked bird. - -The work, although generally prosaic, was not without its romantic and -interesting incidents. In a stone house on Greenwich Street, which was -once the colonial mansion of Diedrich Von Wallendorf, a walled chamber -was opened. The rugs and hangings it had contained were fallen to -shreds, but the Queen Anne cabinets, tables, and bedstead were in as -good condition as when the room was closed with solid stone masonry, two -centuries ago, without any reason now apparent for the strange -proceeding. - -Under the cellar floor of another house an earthen “crock” was found -filled with sovereigns, coined in the last century, and through the -destruction of an old wall cabinet, there came to light a package of -letters from Lord North to Sir Henry Clinton, letters which indicated -that the British Ministry of that day had been in negotiation with other -patriot leaders than Benedict Arnold for a surrender of the -revolutionary cause. - -The consent of the city authorities to a resurvey and remodeling of the -streets and avenues of the destroyed section of New York, was obtained -without difficulty since Mr. Morning was now the sole owner of the land -affected thereby, and the rearrangements proposed by him were made at -his own cost, and insured greater uniformity and greater convenience to -the public than those which were superseded. - -The land was platted into blocks four hundred feet in length and eighty -feet in width, running north and south, thus giving to the occupants of -the new buildings either the morning or the afternoon sun. These blocks -are divided by streets of a uniform width of one hundred feet, having a -park thirty feet wide in the center of each street, with lawn, shrubs, -ornamental trees, and a fountain in the center of each block. Gas, -water, and sewer pipes, and electric light and pneumatic tubes, have -been laid in the new streets, and by means of a powerful pumping engine, -erected on the Battery, the sewers are flushed every day with sea water. -The new streets are paved with asphalt, with sidewalks of cement. The -city received from Morning land at the foot of Canal Street purchased by -him, in exchange for Castle Garden and vicinage, and the Battery—filled -with fountains, statues, and increased acreage of lawn and garden—is -restored to its ancient functions, and more than its ancient glory. - -The buildings erected upon each of the one hundred blocks thus created, -are of uniform size and style. Each building—occupying an entire -block—is four hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and seventeen stories -high. The roofs are covered with glass, making the structures eighteen -stories aboveground. One-half of the area of the eighteenth story in -each block is laid out in plots filled with ten feet of rich soil in -beds of perforated cement, the other half in broad walks of plate -glass—guarded by copper netting—so as to admit light to the seventeenth -story and to the large air shafts. - -In each of the buildings are one hundred and fifty suites of five rooms, -each suite having a floor area of sixteen hundred square feet, and every -room having an outlook upon the street. A broad hall runs through the -center of the building on every floor, lighted by means of plate-glass -windows at each end, and also by three shafts, one hundred feet apart, -running from cellar to roof. Every room is provided with steam, dry, and -gas heat, and with gas and incandescent lights. Each suite has a -household pneumatic tube service connecting with the store rooms in the -basement, and with the kitchen and dining rooms in the seventeenth -story. Each suite has also a cooking closet, with gas range, hot water, -and steam pipes, porcelain-lined sinks, and pneumatic tubes for carrying -away garbage. - -Six hydraulic elevators furnish ample accommodations for reaching every -floor at any hour of the day or night. A network of perforated steel -pipes is concealed in the walls and floors, with separate connections -for each room with the great tanks on the roof, which are in turn -connected both with the Croton water system, and with the great steel -water main bringing water from Rockland Lake. In case of fire the walls -and floors of one room, or of any number of rooms, can instantly be -saturated with water, and twice in each week, at an appointed hour, a -warm, gentle rain is made to descend for a sufficient length of time -upon the trees and shrubs in the roof garden. - -Each suite has separate sewer connections, and each room is provided -with registers in the wall, from which either hot air or cold air can be -turned on or off at will, the hot air ascending from the furnaces, and -the cold air being forced by a pumping engine from the refrigerating -room in the basement. Those whose fate it has been to swelter on -Manhattan Island in the dog days can appreciate the latter luxury. The -fortunate occupant of a room in one of the Morning Blocks commands his -temperature. Whether the thermometer registers thirty degrees below or -one hundred degrees above zero outside, he can arrange the climate in -his own room to suit himself, and _pater familias_ can connect a wire -with the register in the parlor, and, if “Cholly” protracts his visits -to Gladys to an improper hour, he can shut off the hot air, turn on a -current from the refrigerator, and in ten minutes make the young man -choose between departure and congealment. - -These buildings were planned for the relief of women. The great source -of waste and care in our American domestic life is in the kitchen, and -it is impossible to organize a more advantageous trust for both producer -and consumer than a “kitchen trust.” The daily history of every American -family is one of almost unavoidable waste. In food, in fuel, in the -labor of cooking, and in many other details of housekeeping, there is -uneconomic use of both labor and materials. Probably one-fourth of the -expenditure of every American householder who is able to keep one or -more servants is unnecessary and wasteful, and where only one servant, -or none at all, is employed, the health and beauty and life of the wife -are expended in kitchen drudgery, and her opportunities of growth and -culture are lost. - -The Morning Blocks were designed as theaters of experiment, which, if -successful, will be copied elsewhere, for freeing the household from the -waste and vexation and tyranny of the kitchen. Mr. Morning’s plan for -bringing about this beneficent result is both simple and effective. The -kitchen, or general cooking room for the block, is situated in the -seventeenth story, where there is one large, and one hundred and fifty -small dining rooms. Each dining room is lighted either from the street -or the roof, is perfectly ventilated, and has an electric bell and -pneumatic tube service connecting it with the kitchen, with the market -house in the basement, and with the suite of apartments below, of which -it is an adjunct. - -The happy householder in one of the Morning Blocks will have his choice -of methods. He and family may take their meals at the restaurant or -general dining room in the seventeenth story, either by the carte, meal, -or week. He may use the general dining room, or his private dining room, -or dine in his apartments below—the pneumatic tube service extending to -all, and a private waiter will be furnished at a fixed price per hour. -He can purchase cooked provisions by weight, delivered at either place, -or purchase his own supplies at the market house in the basement and -have them cooked in the general kitchen, or use his own cooking closet, -where, without waste of fuel—gas being used—his selections may be -prepared for the table and served either there or sent by pneumatic tube -to his dining room above. - -Prices for everything furnished, whether of materials or labor, are -fixed from time to time by the manager, and all bills are required to be -paid every Monday, on penalty of the tenant losing his privilege of -occupancy. The prices charged are less than those demanded for similar -service or material elsewhere. An account will be kept of each -householder’s disbursements, and his proportion of the profits made will -be returned to him at the end of the year, according to the usual -co-operative process, the object being to furnish each occupant of the -block with whatever he needs of food or service at actual cost. - -The rent asked for the apartments in the Morning Blocks has been -adjusted upon the basis of paying taxes, insurance, repairs, and three -per cent per annum upon the capital invested in the enterprise. - -Mr. Morning has conveyed the one hundred blocks to the governor of New -York, the mayor of New York City, and the president of the New York -Chamber of Commerce, who, with their official successors, are made -perpetual trustees of this munificent gift. In the trust deed it is -provided that the three per cent interest on cost, received from -tenants, shall be invested in an endowment fund, payable, with its -accumulations, to the tenant whenever he leaves the building, or to his -widow or legal representative in the event of his death while a tenant. - -The tenant in a Morning Block will be supplied with hot and cold air, -hot and cold water, steam, gas, electric light, food, and service at -actual cost. His rooms will be provided him at the cost of taxes, -insurance, and repairs, and he and his family will be made the -beneficiaries of a fund, which he will be required to create for the -contingency of his death or departure from the building. To guard -against overcrowding, no one suite of apartments will be rented to any -family of more than five adults, and no subletting or hiring of -apartments will be permitted. - -The cost of the land is estimated at $16,000,000, and of clearing it and -erecting the new buildings at $30,000,000. The taxes, with insurance, -repairs, employes, and such other expenses as are in their nature -incapable of apportionment among the tenants, will amount to $810,000 -per annum. This sum divided by fifteen thousand, the number of suites of -apartments in the one hundred Morning Blocks, will give $54 as the -annual sum to be paid by each tenant for his apartments, and he will pay -$108 additional annually toward a fund for his own benefit. In all he -will pay about $14 a month for accommodations that it would be difficult -to obtain elsewhere for five times the amount. - -The manager of each block will receive a salary of $3,000 per annum, and -will, in the first instance, be selected by the Board of Trustees, but -on the first Monday of January, 1897, and each year thereafter, the -occupants of each block, by a majority vote, can elect a manager, who -will, however, in the discharge of his duties, and in the employment of -assistants, be subject to the direction and supervision of the trustees. - -Mr. Morning in the trust deed conveying the Morning Blocks has named the -qualifications of tenants as follows: The applicant must be of good -moral character, married, over the age of twenty-five and under sixty. -He must have been at the time of his application for more than one year -previously in the employment of some person, firm, or corporation -engaged in a reputable business in the city of New York south of Canal -Street, and be in receipt of a salary of not less than $1,000 or more -than $3,000 per annum. If a lawyer, physician, dentist, architect, or -civil engineer, author, clergyman, or journalist, his net income must be -of a similar amount. - -Applicants for suites of apartments must file their applications and -references at the office of the Morning Blocks prior to 12 o’clock noon -on the fifteenth day of August, 1895. The credentials of all applicants -will be examined and careful inquiry made as to their habits, -characters, and antecedents, and only those will be accepted as eligible -for tenancy who can strictly comply with the requirements. - -Should there be, as is most likely, approved applications in excess of -the suites to be rented, the fifteen thousand who can be accommodated -will be selected by lot, and the others registered, and whenever -vacancies occur a tenant to fill such vacancy will be selected by lot -from the list. Apartments will be apportioned by lot among the -successful applicants. Tenants will be permitted to exchange apartments -by amicable arrangement, but no transfer of apartments from a tenant to -one who is not a tenant will be permitted. The tenant can surrender his -right to occupy his apartments at pleasure, but he cannot assign it, or -sublet the whole or any part of the premises accorded him. - -Should six tenants who are heads of families on any floor make complaint -against one of the other four tenants on that floor that he is -obnoxious, and that in the general interest his tenancy ought to be -terminated, a jury of fifteen tenants of that building, selected by lot, -one from each of the other floors, shall be made up to try the accused, -who shall have opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses against him, -and to present his defense. The manager shall preside and preserve -order, and if twelve of the fifteen jurors shall concur in finding that -the tenancy of the accused ought to terminate, he may appeal to the -Board of Trustees, and unless they unanimously exonerate him, his -tenancy must cease. - -Our reporter interviewed Mr. Morning, who was found at his offices in -lower Broadway, and inquired of that gentleman if it were true, as -rumored, that he intended to erect similar buildings on another part of -Manhattan Island. - -“I have secured,” replied that gentleman, “all the land for a hundred -blocks in and about the locality known as ‘the Hook,’ and I propose the -erection of buildings there that will accommodate forty thousand -families of mechanics and laborers. There will, of course, be less room -for each occupant than in the blocks just completed, and less expensive -arrangements in many particulars, but the rent and cost of living will -be less, and the premises will be rented and conducted substantially on -the same plan, with only such difference in rules as may be necessary.” - -“What will be the cost of these latter buildings, Mr. Morning?” said our -reporter. - -“With the land, about $30,000,000,” was the reply. - -“It is a pity,” commented our reporter, “that every city in the land -cannot count a David Morning among its citizens, with a gold mine at his -command.” - -“The mine is not necessary,” said Morning. “There are a dozen men in -every large city of our land who, without any gold mine, could do what I -have done. I hope,” continued the speaker, “not to be alone in the work -of helping the people both to employment and homes.” - -“None of our millionaires,” said the reporter, “have thus used their -money.” - -“It must be remembered,” rejoined Morning, “that the very, great -fortunes of this country have mainly been created during the last -twenty-five years, and in the eager and necessarily selfish strife -incident to their acquisition, their owners have not always considered -that their possession is a great trust which brings with it duties as -well as rights.” - -“But I see the dawn of a better day and a better feeling,” continued Mr. -Morning. “I hear of many gentlemen in different parts of the country who -are proposing to use millions for the erection of homes, and the secure -establishment of co-operative industries for the benefit of the workers -of the land. My idea is that no man should be accorded an unearned -dinner who has refused a chance to earn it, but that it is the duty of -society to provide every man with an opportunity of earning. Of what -value at last is wealth unless one can use it for the benefit of his -fellow-men? Charon will not transport gold across the Styx at any rate -of ferriage. Of what use is money here except in one form and another to -give it away? No man can expend on his own legitimate and proper -comforts and pleasures the interest on $1,000,000 at five per cent per -annum.” - -“There are many men, Mr. Morning, who expend a good deal more than -$50,000 a year.” - -“Not in the sense of personal expenditures. Mansions, laces, diamonds, -furniture, horses, carriages, and the like are investments rather than -expenditures. Receptions and banquets may be classed with gifts. He must -be an industrious man who can, with his family, eat, drink, and wear out -$50,000 worth each year.” - -“But is there not the pleasure of accumulation itself, Mr. Morning?” - -“I suppose so,” replied that gentleman, “or men would not pursue it; but -it is a cultivated and not a natural taste. Every man for instance, -requires a pair of trousers and a hat, but after he has acquired enough -of such articles for the use of himself and his family for life, and a -generous supply for his descendants, why work the balance of his days to -fill warehouses with trousers and hats? I do not know,” continued Mr. -Morning—and our reporter thought that there was a deeper shade in his -sea-gray eyes—“I do not know that I shall ever marry, but if I had boys -I would leave them no fortunes larger than would suffice for a generous -support.” - -“Will you, then,” queried our reporter, “expend in your own lifetime all -the great revenues of the Morning mine?” - -“All that I can find time, strength, and opportunity to expend in ways -that will help the world,” rejoined the Arizona Gold King. - - - [From the _New York Times_, July 17, 1895.] - -Mr. David Morning is engaged in works of apparent charity, which to many -thoughtful men will seem an injury rather than a benefit to the world. -Capitalists are entitled to receive interest upon their investments, and -if inducement to accumulation be taken away by the competition of such -Utopians as Mr. Morning, then frugality may cease to be accounted a -virtue. - -On the whole, wouldn’t it be better for the business world, and the -stability of property and property rights, if the tenants of the Morning -Blocks were compelled to pay the full rental value of their apartments? - - - [From the _New York Socialist_, July 19, 1895.] - -Dave Morning is endeavoring to throw dust in the eyes of the working -masses of the country, by erecting seventeen-story palaces for boodle -bookkeepers, and twenty-story tenement houses for mechanics. He has -filled San Francisco, Chicago, and several other cities with his humbug -Co-operative Labor Aid Societies. He is evidently plotting for the -presidency in 1896, and expects to reach the White House by a golden -path. - -“The poor of this country should accept no employment as a boon, nor -consent to engage in any wage-saving and profit-sharing corporation that -will force them to accumulate, and they should take no such favors from -the rich as cheap rents or free homes. Let the unnatural accumulations -of rich scoundrels be distributed among the people. No man is honestly -entitled to have or hold anything except the fruits of his own labor. It -would be better for the world, and for the great cause of socialism -which the pseudo philanthropy of Morning delays and obstructs, if this -Arizona Gold King could be tumbled head first down one of his own -shafts, and his seventeen-story marble-paved Edens be dynamited out of -existence.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - “Plans of mice and men gang aft aglee.” - - -Morning’s business offices were on the west side of Broadway, below -Trinity Church, but he gave attention to his large and increasing -correspondence in his rooms at the Hoffman House, where he had a suite -of apartments fronting on Broadway. - -The largest room of the suite had always been reserved by the -proprietors for a private dining room, but Morning insisted upon its -constituting a part of his suite, and as he permitted the hotel keepers -to name their own price, it was reluctantly surrendered to him. In this -room Morning had a large-sized phonograph receiver fitted into the wall -opposite his desk, the instrument itself being placed upon a long table -against the partition in the adjacent room. A cord which swung over the -desk was fastened to a lever connected with an electric motor, also in -the next room. - -It was Morning’s habit each day after breakfast to seat himself at his -desk, open his letters, pull the cord which started the electric motor, -and “talk” his replies to the phonograph receiver. The instrument in the -next room was arranged to hold a cylinder of sufficient length to -receive a communication an hour in length. After Morning had completed -this portion of his daily labors, it was the duty of his secretary to -remove the cylinders, and place them in other phonographs, where two and -sometimes three clerks received their contents, and reduced the same to -typewriter manuscript. - -This simple contrivance had still another use. Morning knew that there -was no such fruitful source of business difficulties and consequent -litigation as that which emanated from misunderstanding or -misrepresentation of verbal communications. He endeavored, therefore, to -conduct all important business conversations in this room, and all the -utterances of either party were recorded by the faithful and unerring -phonograph, and the cylinders upon which they were reported were -properly labeled, dated, and stored away. He did not fail in any -instance to inform the person with whom he was conversing that all their -words were thus finding accurate record. - -One day in October, 1895, while Morning was in Chicago—where he had gone -to perfect the organization of a Labor Aid Corporation—the great -financier, Mr. Arnold Claybank, stopped at the Hoffman House on his way -down town, and ordered a choice dinner for three to be served at seven -o’clock that day. - -“And have it served in the room fronting upon Broadway, where we always -dine,” said the millionaire. - -“Very sorry, Mr. Claybank,” answered the clerk, “but that room is at -present rented to Mr. David Morning, as a part of his suite, and when he -is in town he uses it as a room in which to receive and answer his -correspondence; at present he is in Chicago.” - -“If he is in Chicago,” replied the Wall Street magnate, “you can have -our dinner served in the room as usual. It will not disturb him, -certainly, even if he should know of it, and he is not likely to know of -it unless you tell him. I have dined in that room with my friends at -least once a week during the last twenty years, and, not supposing you -would ever rent it for other purposes, I have already invited them to -meet me there this evening. I don’t like to change, in fact, I won’t -change, and if you will not accommodate me I will take my patronage -elsewhere.” - -After some hesitation, the clerk agreed to have dinner served in the -room desired, and at seven o’clock that evening Mr. Arnold Claybank, -with his guests, Mr. Isaiah Wolf and Mr. John Gray, assembled to discuss -both the menu and the subject of their gathering. - -Not until the last course was removed, the Burgundy on the table, the -cigars lighted, and the waiter excused from further attendance, did the -great capitalists approach the real object of their meeting. Mr. -Claybank observed that they might need writing materials, and, stepping -to Morning’s desk, he seated himself thereat, and pulled what he -supposed to be a bell cord that would summon a waiter. No waiter -appeared in answer to the supposed summons, and Claybank, taking a -notebook and pencil from his pocket, remarked that they would serve his -purpose. - -These three gentlemen had dined well, and should have been in a pleasant -frame of mind toward the world, for good dinners are, or ought to be, -humanizing in their tendencies. Yet there are natures which will remain -unaffected even by terrapins, Maryland style, and roasted canvas-back -duck, assimilated with the aid of Lafitte and Pommery Sec., and no -tigers crouching in the jungle were ever more merciless and -conscienceless in their rapacity than these three black-coated -capitalists. - -Mr. Arnold Claybank was the leading spirit of the conclave. His wealth -was popularly estimated at $100,000,000. He had inherited none of it. At -thirty-five years of age he was a dry goods merchant in an interior city -in Ohio, possessed of less than $100,000. During his frequent visits to -New York to purchase goods he was in the habit of “taking a flyer” in -the stock market. These flyers proved so continuously successful, and -added so largely to his capital, that in a few years he closed out his -dry goods business, removed permanently to the metropolis, bought a seat -in the stock board, and soon became known as one of the boldest and -shrewdest operators in the street. - -He was rapid and usually accurate in judgment, and always possessed of -the courage of his convictions. He was as cunning as the gray fox, to -which he was often likened. He was suave in manner but merciless in the -execution of his plans. He was identified in the public mind with -several of the boldest and most unscrupulous operations in the history -of Wall Street, and his millions had steadily and rapidly increased, -until now, at sixty years of age, he was one of the acknowledged kings -of New York finance. - -Isaiah Wolf was, as his name indicated, of Hebrew origin. He was about -the same age as Claybank, and had many of the qualities of that -gentleman, lacking, however, his courage and his quickness of -comprehension and movement. He was a gambler by birth, education, and -instinct, and a gambler who never failed to use all advantages possible. - -Thirty years before he had been a clothing merchant and dealer in city, -county, and legislative warrants at Portland, Oregon. He furnished the -impecunious legislators, when they came down from the mountain counties, -with an outfit of clothing; he discounted their salaries at three per -cent per month; he was usually the custodian of the lobby funds, and he -could always introduce senator or assemblyman to a quiet game of “draw,” -where, whenever a huge “pot” was in dispute, Isaiah could usually be -found safely entrenched behind the winning hand. - -When the Comstock mines began to yield their great output of silver in -1875–77, the Wolf Brothers located in San Francisco, made their homes on -Pine and California Streets, and gambled in mining stocks from the -vantage-ground of secret knowledge, for in every mine were one or more -miners under pay, not only from the mining company, but from Isaiah -Wolf. In 1879, when the transactions in the stock board of San Francisco -had dwindled to a tithe of their former magnitude, and when the sand-lot -agitators succeeded in grafting their ideas of finance and taxation upon -the organic law of California, Isaiah Wolf and his brother Emanuel -gathered their assets together and joined the exodus of millionaires. In -New York City they opened a bankers’ and brokers’ office, and were now -accounted as jointly the possessors of $80,000,000, the management of -which was left almost exclusively to Isaiah. - -John Gray was an insignificant-looking old man of seventy. From his -unkempt beard, watery eyes, shrinking manner, and small stature, he -might have been taken for a congressional doorkeeper who had seen better -days. In truth, there was, under his ignoble exterior, one of the -broadest, wiliest, and best-informed minds in America. He was the -acknowledged leader of Wall Street in ability and resources. His wealth -was estimated at quite $150,000,000, and it had been created by himself -in about forty-five years. - -He began life as a Vermont peddler, but at the age of twenty-five -carried his New England education, his capacity for calculation, his -retentive memory, his frugal habits, and his tireless energy into New -York City, where he began as porter and messenger in the office of a -broker. He soon learned the history and methods of the principal -operators of the Wall Street of that day, and his savings were shrewdly, -quietly, and boldly invested on “points” which he picked up while -delivering messages or awaiting replies. He soon accumulated a large sum -of money, yet he kept his humble place, and his employer never suspected -when he paid the faithful porter his $40 at the end of each month, that -the quiet and deferential young man could have purchased not only his -employer’s business, but the building in which it was conducted. - -Gray remained as porter and messenger for five years, declining all -offers which were made to him of promotion to a desk and a higher -salary. The place he held gave him opportunities which could be obtained -in no other way. None suspected the quiet and stolid-looking man, who -seemed so dull of comprehension when any verbal message was intrusted to -him; and words were dropped and conversations held in his presence -which, when fitted by his quick and comprehensive brain into other words -and conversations held in other offices, often enabled him to forecast -events. The man who by any means is accurately advised of the real -intentions of the leaders of Wall Street a day or even an hour before -their execution, has a key to wealth, and Gray used this key, conducting -all his operations through one broker, who was pledged to secrecy. - -At the time of the great deal in Harlem, so successfully engineered -before the war by Commodore Vanderbilt, Gray was still occupying his -place as messenger. He overheard a conversation held in the commodore’s -private office between that gentleman and his confidential clerk, and, -comprehending the magnitude of the opportunity, he directed that all his -resources, which then amounted to nearly $200,000, be placed in Harlem -stock. He was enabled, under the system of margins which prevailed in -Wall Street, to purchase $2,000,000 worth of the stock, which he sold at -an average advance of fifty per cent, clearing $1,000,000 by the -operation. - -The old commodore, who had himself made $6,000,000 by the deal, found -that somebody had been sharing profits with him to the extent of -$1,000,000, and, not supposing that this was the result of guesswork, he -used means to discover who was the cunning operator and what were the -sources of his information. Without much difficulty he traced the -transactions to John Gray, and, remembering the presence of that young -man in the anteroom at the time of giving directions to his confidential -clerk, he was not at a loss to determine how it came about. - -The commodore considered that Gray had gained $1,000,000 which should -have come to his own coffers, and he determined to “give the young -fellow a lesson, sir,” as he said to his confidential clerk. That -morning Gray’s employer received—to his great surprise—a call from -Vanderbilt, who, to his greater surprise, informed him of the true -status of his messenger, who had become a millionaire. Gray’s employer -readily promised to assist in the scheme which Vanderbilt formed for -punishing Gray and “stripping him of his ill-gotten gains, sir.” -Vanderbilt required only that Gray’s employer should next day send Gray -to Vanderbilt’s office, with a verbal message, inquiring, “What is to be -done about Erie?” - -The next day Gray called and delivered his message to the commodore in -his private office. - -“Take a seat, young man, until I can write a reply,” was the direction, -and Gray deferentially seated himself upon the edge of a chair, and -gazed at the carpet stolidly, while the commodore penned the following: -“Buy all the Erie offered at market rates up to fifty-three. C. V.” This -note the commodore placed in an envelope, which he directed, but -apparently forgot to seal, and handed it to Gray, who thereupon -departed. As the door closed behind the messenger, the veteran bull -smote himself upon the sides, and threw his head back and laughed. - -Gray noticed that the envelope was not sealed, and before he reached the -bottom of the stairs, he possessed himself of its contents. - -Then he fell into a train of thought. Erie was selling at $37, and Gray -was thoroughly posted as to the resources, liabilities, and business of -the road, and knew very nearly who were the principal stockholders. He -knew that the commodore held fully one-third of the capital stock of -Erie, which had cost him not more than $30 a share, and he also knew -that the old gentleman had been for some time selling his stock at $37 -as fast as he could do so without breaking the market. Thirty-seven was -really a nursed price for the stock; it was more than the condition and -prospects of the road warranted, and Gray did not believe that -Vanderbilt intended to purchase any great quantity, even at $37, or that -it would be possible for him to run the stock to $53 without purchasing -the entire amount. - -Gray delivered the note to his employer, and asked that gentleman if he -might be excused for half an hour to attend to some matters of business -of his own. Leave of absence was graciously granted, and Gray was -watched to the door of the office of the broker who had bought and sold -his Harlem stock. Then Gray’s employer walked to the office of the -expectant commodore and informed him that the young man had swallowed -the bait, for he had gone to the office of his broker, probably to order -large purchases of Erie. - -Vanderbilt thanked the broker, assured him that in the division of the -spoils he should not be forgotten, and authorized him in furtherance of -their project to purchase all the Erie offered up to $42, to which -figure Vanderbilt proposed to run the stock before letting it drop. - -Gray directed his broker to purchase Erie in one-hundred-share lots, -beginning at $37, and to follow the market up to $53 if it reached that -figure, but not to purchase more than five thousand shares in all. -Having given this direction, he walked into the back office of a firm of -brokers, who, although leaders in the market, had never succeeded in -obtaining any business from Vanderbilt, and between them and that -gentleman there was a business feud of long standing. The quiet -messenger was well known to the head of the firm, who greeted him -pleasantly. - -“What can I do for you, Gray,” said he. - -“I would like to take your time for not more than five minutes,” said -Gray. - -“I am pretty busy,” said the gentleman, “but I will try and oblige you,” -and he led the way to an inner office. - -The broker’s eyes distended with astonishment as Gray rapidly told how -he had made such use of his opportunities as porter and messenger as to -accumulate, by speculation, a large sum of money, and that he desired -now to employ their firm in an operation which, for reasons of his own, -he did not care to intrust to his regular broker. - -The gentleman smilingly agreed to accept Mr. Gray’s business, and opened -his eyes still wider when Gray took from his pockets large packages -containing bonds and securities to the amount of half a million dollars, -and, depositing them as collateral, directed the broker to sell all the -Erie for which he could find buyers at forty and over, and to buy it -whenever it went below thirty-three. - -That day Erie mounted, under the pressure of Vanderbilt’s purchases, and -the flurry created thereby, to $43, at which figure an immense quantity -changed hands. Then it fell rapidly, point by point, back to $37, and, -under the influence of a temporary panic, went down to $32, at which -figure it rallied and mounted to $35, where it stood at the close of the -day. - -Mr. Gray’s regular broker reported to him purchases of five thousand -shares Erie at prices ranging from $37 to $42, and averaging about $39. -He regretted that Mr. Gray had not authorized a sale at $43.25, which -was the highest point reached, and at closing figures Mr. Gray must lose -about $20,000. - -And Mr. Gray’s new brokers reported to him sales of eighty thousand -shares of Erie, at an average of $41.50, which had been repurchased at -an average of $34.50, with a profit to Mr. Gray of $540,000, which they -held, subject to his check. - -And when the returns were all in at the office of the old commodore, and -that white-whiskered, choleric, kind-hearted, and courageous old bull -found that he owned more Erie than ever, at higher prices than those for -which he had sold a small part of his holdings, and that the rattan -which he had prepared for Gray had fallen upon his own shoulders, he -stormed for a while and clothed himself with cursing as with a garment, -and then he cooled off and laughed. Then he sent a note, this time not -to John Gray’s employer, but to John Gray himself, which read as -follows: “Young fellow, you are a genius. Come and dine with me at six -o’clock to-day, at Delmonico’s. C. V.” - -The friendship cemented at that dinner, between the great capitalist and -the ex-messenger—for Gray returned no more to his duties as a -porter—continued until the day of the commodore’s death. - -Gray continued to operate in Wall Street, both in small and large ways, -and seldom made a loss. When the first loud mutterings of the civil -conflict began to shake the land, he became a heavy purchaser of tar, -resin, and cotton, and, later, of gold. When the Union armies were -defeated and the day looked darkest, and gold mounted to two hundred and -eighty premium, he never faltered in his belief in the ultimate triumph -of the nation, and he sold gold and bought government bonds, and -margined one against the other, and risked little and gained much. - -A year after the sun went down upon Appomattox, the Yankee peddler was -worth $20,000,000, and ten years later he was worth $50,000,000. He -abandoned such stock operations as were dependent for their success upon -other men’s movements and plans, and only engaged in such as he could -absolutely control. He gambled only with marked cards and loaded dice. -He bought a control of the stocks and bonds of badly-managed and -bankrupt railroads. He consolidated them, re-equipped them, built -feeders, opened new sources of traffic, and so doubled, trebled, and -quadrupled his investments. He sold short the stock of a prosperous -railroad, and obtained, by purchase of proxies, the control of its -management. He cut rates, diminished traffic, enlarged expenses, and -passed dividends until he depreciated the value of the stock to a point -where he could gain millions by covering his shorts, and other millions -by again restoring the road to prosperity. In one instance, by his paid -emissaries, he promoted a general strike, until, through riot and fires -and suspension of traffic, the stock of the afflicted corporation was -depreciated to the price at which he desired to purchase a controlling -interest. - -John Gray was an exemplary father and husband, a good neighbor, and, in -a small way, generous and charitable; but in his larger dealings with -mankind he was a moral idiot, without conscience or perception. The -world is no better for his life; the youth of the land are the worse for -his example of successful scoundrelism, and those who wish well to their -country and their kind, will have a right to stand beside his coffin and -thank God that he is dead. - -“I suppose,” said Mr. Arnold Claybank, “that we all understand the -general outlines of our project, and that this meeting is for the -purpose of talking over details.” - -“Our purpose,” said Mr. Wolf, “of I gomprehent it, is to use the bower -dot we haf in our hants, to make for ourselves about fifty millions of -tollars apiece. Is not dot apout vot it vas, eh?” - -“We need not, I think, discuss that question,” said Gray suavely. - -“Exactly,” said Claybank. “Now I propose that we list the securities -which we shall place in our pool, at the closing quotations of the Stock -Exchange to-day, each one of us being credited with his contributions. -The stocks contributed will aggregate in value about $150,000,000, at -present market prices, and, as nearly as possible, will be contributed -by us equally. It is also understood that the stocks and bonds placed in -the pool will constitute the entire holdings of each and all of us, in -that class of property. Am I correct?” - -“Quite so,” said Mr. Gray. - -“Dot is also my unterstanting,” said Wolf. - -“Very well,” resumed Claybank, “these securities are to be placed in the -offices of different brokers, and turned into cash as rapidly as -possible without breaking the market. The public will, I think, take -them easily in a week, for the market is rising, and permanent as well -as speculative investment is in order.” - -“Ont then we lock up the gash for which we sells the stock, ain’t it?” -said Wolf. - -“Not immediately,” rejoined Claybank, “it must be left in the banks in -the usual channels for a time, or there will be no money for them to -loan to the buyers of stocks. Having sold our own securities, we will -next proceed to sell short at ruling prices to as large an extent as -possible.” - -“Your plan is admirable,” said Mr. Gray. “We will next arrange at the -banks for borrowing all the money that they can spare without suspending -payment, and we will compel them to withdraw all loans now out. Through -our joint and separate control of, and influence with, the officers and -directors, we ought to be able to borrow in this city, and in Boston and -Philadelphia, as much as $150,000,000, which, added to $150,000,000 -received from sale of our stocks, will give us control of $350,000,000 -in cash.” - -“Will dey loan so much as $150,000,000 even upon the personal security -of such men as we?” said Wolf. - -“They will not be asked to do so,” said Gray. “The money borrowed can be -sealed up and left as special deposits in their vaults as security for -itself, with a small margin of one or two per cent to cover interest.” - -“Dot inderest, of we borrow for thirty days at six per cent, on -$150,000,000 will amount to three kevawters of a million of tollars; ont -that amount we lose out of our bockets; ont the interest on our own -$150,000,000 which will be itle for a month will be another three -kevawters of a million. It makes US$500,000 each to lose. It is a great -teal of money to lose,” said Wolf. - -“That,” said Claybank, “is all we lose, and is practically all we risk. -It is essential to the success of our plans that for a brief period we -shall withdraw from the channels of commerce a large portion of the -money of the country. We cannot withdraw it unless we control it; we -cannot control it unless we borrow it; and we cannot borrow it without -paying bank rates of interest upon it.” - -“How,” said Gray, “do you propose to supply the necessary margins for -the stock which we sell short? When you borrow stock on a -rapidly-falling market, the loaner expects at some time a reaction, and -an equally rapid advance, and you will have to give him a pretty big -margin beyond the money which you receive from a sale of the borrowed -stock.” - -“We shall have for that purpose,” replied Claybank, “the $150,000,000 -received from the sale of our own stock. This, at fifty per cent fall in -prices, will margin borrowings of three hundred millions of stock, and -this money we can arrange to have locked up in special deposits as well -as the money we borrow.” - -“Ont to how low a point shall we put brices before we commence to -cover?” said Wolf. - -“That,” replied Claybank, “will be a matter for future consideration. My -present impression is that we can by thus locking up the currency bear -the market one-half. We must not proceed so far as we might go, or we -will ruin everybody, so that there will be no investors to purchase -stocks when we wish to sell them again after we have loaded up for a -rise.” - -“Ont how much we makes by bearing fifty per cent?” asked Wolf. - -“It is easily calculated,” replied Claybank. “If our plans succeed, we -sell one hundred and fifty millions of our own holdings at present -prices. In order to bear the market fifty per cent below present prices, -we must continue to sell down, diminishing the quantity we sell as -prices recede, and when we begin to cover, we must buy all we can at the -lowest point, diminishing our purchases as prices advance. Those not -familiar with such things would be surprised to know that the ebb and -flow of values in the stock market is almost as regular, and can be -almost as certainly predicted, as the movement of the tides. Such a -movement as we propose is artificial, yet, to an extent, it will be -similarly controlled by the influences of human nature. If we sell one -hundred and fifty millions of stock at an average of say one hundred, -and three hundred millions at an average say of eighty, and buy it all -back at an average of sixty, we will gain one hundred and twenty -millions, and that, I think, is about all we can calculate upon.” - -“But have you considered, gentlemen, the other side of the question?” -said Gray. “Have you fully considered whether there may not exist -influences that will defeat us? Depend upon it, once we inaugurate this -raid, our rivals in business will plot to overthrow us. Such great -newspapers as are not in our control will denounce us. The Treasury -Department at Washington, which is under the control of the Farmers’ -Alliance party, will use every effort to break down our combination, and -we shall be howled at generally as ghouls and villains. I do not care -much about the public or the newspapers, but we must take every possible -precaution against failure.” - -“That is right,” said Claybank. “I have considered all these things and -I do not see how our plan can be defeated. The newspapers may denounce -us but cannot overthrow our plan, which, at last, is very simple. We -produce a panic and depression of prices by locking up the circulating -medium, and prices can only be advanced by unlocking the money and -restoring it, or other money in its place, to the channels of commerce. -The money which we lock up in special deposits must remain in the bank -vaults until we release it. No bank officer would for any reason or -under any pressure dare to touch a special deposit. It would be a -penitentiary offense to tamper with it.” - -“Are you sure,” said Gray, “that other capitalists may not combine, and -provide other money to take the place of that which we lock up?” - -“The only other very large sum of money in the country within the -control of anybody,” replied Claybank, “is $300,000,000 in the treasury -vaults at Washington. The laws authorizing government deposits in banks, -as well as the law authorizing bond purchases in the discretion of the -secretary of the treasury, have, as you know, been repealed. There are -absolutely but two ways to get that $300,000,000 out of the treasury -vaults. One is by the ordinary disbursements of government, which would -take a year or more, and the other is by somebody depositing, under the -law of 1894, gold or silver bars to that amount, and nobody in the world -is able to command three hundred, or one hundred, or even fifty millions -of dollars in gold or silver bullion.” - -“The new mining capitalist, David Morning, might supply the bars from -his mine in Arizona if we gave him a few years’ time,” said Gray. - -“Yes, and if we gave him time he would be crank enough to do it,” -replied Claybank. “But we won’t give him time. How much does his mine -yield, anyhow?” - -“Four millions a month in solit golt,” said Wolf. “It has yieltet that -sum now for teventy months. I hear that it is nearly worked out, but -nopoty can get into it, and you can’t tell anything apout it. If it -continues to yielt at that rate for a few years, dot fellow is going to -make us all some trupple. He is crazy as a loon, though he has taken out -of his mine over eighty millons of tollars.” - -“Even his $80,000,000, if he has them in money, might disarrange our -plans,” said Gray. - -“He has plown them all in, puilding plocks for glerks ont poor people, -ont he disgriminates against Hebrews, or his trustees do. A Jew knows a -goot thing when he fints it, ont there were eighteen thousant -applications from Jew glerks for the prifilege of renting apartments in -the Morning Blocks, ont the committee made up a mean drick to get rit of -them. They requiret every man who applied for rooms to answer whether it -was easier to fill to a bob-tail flush or a sequence, ont those who -answered the question they refused to pass, on the grount that they knew -too much apout draw poker to haf goot moral characters.” - -“I do not see,” said Claybank, after the laughter at Wolf’s indignation -had subsided, “that we need take Mr. Morning into consideration as a -disturbing element in our present plans. If the present output of his -mine shall continue, it must, by and by, greatly advance prices of -stocks and all other property, but that is in the future.” - -“Have we anything further to consider?” said Gray. - -“I think,” replied Claybank, rising, “that we understand each other -perfectly. I will have triplicate memorandums made of our agreement, -which we can execute in my office to-morrow morning at nine o’clock, -where we will have our stocks brought at the same time. This Burgundy is -the genuine article, Clos Voguet, vintage of 1875. I propose as a -parting toast, ‘Success to our enterprise.’” - -And the phonograph needle in the adjoining room wrote in mystic -scratches upon the wax, “Success to our enterprise.” Then came the -shuffling of feet, the sound of a closing door, and the faint buzz of -the electric motor until it ceased, and silence reigned. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - “Uncle Sam to the rescue!” - - -David Morning returned to New York three days after the dinner party -described in the last chapter. His typewriters were in attendance as -usual, and he began opening his accumulated correspondance, when his -secretary knocked at the door communicating with the next room, and, -entering, said to his employer:— - -“Mr. Morning, pardon me for disturbing you, but will you please step -into the phonograph room. There is a good deal of matter on the -cylinders which has been placed there by others in your absence, and, I -judge, placed there inadvertently. I think you had better hear it -yourself before it is transcribed.” - -Morning walked into the other room and was for half an hour an -interested auditor of the revelations of the wonderful phonograph. He -directed his secretary to remove, label, and lock up the cylinders -containing the dinner-party conversation, and said in conclusion:— - -“Mr. Stephens, somebody has evidently been having a dinner party in this -room during my absence. It was not a nice thing for the proprietors to -do, but I shall not notice it. Try to find out who dined here, without -disclosing that I am aware that the room was occupied. I think I -recognize the voices of the occupants, but I wish to be sure.” - -By inquiring among the waiters, the secretary ascertained, and reported -to Mr. Morning, that the guests were Claybank, Wolf, and Gray. - -That night our hero departed for Washington, and early next morning he -was closeted with the secretary of the treasury, to whom he revealed the -knowledge gathered from the phonograph cylinders. - -“It is an infamous piece of business,” said the secretary warmly, “but -what, Mr. Morning, can I do about it?” - -“Mr. Secretary,” said Morning, “will you pardon me for saying frankly -that it is your duty to baffle these conspirators and restore values to -their normal condition. It is the business of the government to provide -a supply of money for the needs and uses of commerce. These scoundrels -will bring about a panic by locking up in the vaults of New York, -Philadelphia, and Boston banks, $300,000,000, which ought to be in -circulation among the people. You have three hundred millions of coin -and paper money in the treasury. Why not pour this money into Wall -Street, break the back of this conspiracy, and relieve the people?” - -“But I have no authority, Mr. Morning, as you must know, to use one -dollar of this money for any other purposes than those designated by -law. If I had the power, believe me, I would be only too glad to -exercise it as you desire.” - -“Does not the Act of Congress of February, 1894, known as the free -coinage law, permit you, Mr. Secretary, to substitute gold or silver -bars of standard fineness, for the coined money and paper money in the -treasury vaults?” - -“Yes,” replied the secretary, “but I do not see how that law can be -invoked to relieve the situation. There are not three hundred millions -of gold and silver ingots in private ownership in the country, or, -probably, in the world. The very large output of $1,000,000 in gold per -week from the Morning mine will not serve us in this exigency. It would -require six years’ yield of your mine, Mr. Morning, to furnish enough -gold to release the money now in the treasury, and baffle Messrs. Gray, -Claybank, and Wolf. Three hundred millions of dollars is a good deal of -money, Mr. Morning—a good deal of money.” - -“Relatively it is, Mr. Secretary, but I have five times that sum in gold -bars here, in Philadelphia, and New York.” - -The secretary glanced at the Arizona Gold King, and looked uneasily at -the bell cord which hung above his desk. - -“No, I am not crazy,” said Morning with a laugh, “though I do not blame -you for thinking so. The time has come somewhat sooner than I expected -for intrusting you with my secret. The Morning mine is a phenomenal -deposit of gold. It is so large that, fearing any general knowledge of -its extent might cause demonetization of gold by the nations, I took -measures to conceal its true yield, and for every ounce of gold which I -shipped to New York or London as the ostensible product of the mine, I -shipped twenty-five other ounces disguised as pig-copper to this city, -or New York, or Philadelphia, or Liverpool. In the latter place -$1,000,000,000 are stored, and there are $500,000,000 in each of the -American cities I have named. A month ago I sent four of my trusted men -from the mine to this city, where they have since been busy with cold -chisels, releasing the gold bars from their copper moulds. They will go -from here to Philadelphia and New York, and thence to Liverpool, for -similar labors. I did not intend, Mr. Secretary, to offer any of this -gold for coinage or sale until able to present it simultaneously at -European and American mints. But the present exigency induces me to turn -over to the United States for coinage, the five hundred millions of gold -bars now ready for delivery in this city. I may add, Mr. Secretary, to -quiet the apprehensions which your deep interest in the commercial -prosperity of the country might lead you to entertain, that I have not -intended, and do not now intend, to throw $2,500,000,000 of new money -immediately into the channels of commerce. I shall change the gold bars -into money at once, in order that the present value may not, by -demonetization, be taken away from gold; but, once transformed into -money, it will be fed gradually to the world, and not precipitated upon -it.” - -“But, Mr. Morning, it will require the constant labor for a long time of -the mint and all its branches to coin this large sum, and you require -the money at once.” - -“I propose, Mr. Secretary, to avail myself of the law of February, 1894, -and claim treasury notes for my ingots. That Act of Congress will enable -you to print in two or three days enough bills of large denomination to -cover the whole sum.” - -“You astound me, Mr. Morning, but I suppose I must believe you.” - -“If you will ride with me to the foot of Sixth Street, Mr. Secretary, I -will exhibit to you $500,000,000 in gold bars.” - -“But, Mr. Morning, even $500,000,000 suddenly poured into Wall Street -will create a wilder panic and precipitate worse results, than those -which may come from the pending conspiracy.” - -“I do not think so,” said Morning quietly. “It is contraction and not -inflation that hurts. A flood may be disastrous to the crops in places, -but a general drought will surely kill them all.” - -“If Congress were in session, Mr. Morning, it would be likely to -demonetize gold. It would never suffer fifteen hundred millions of money -to be thus added to the present currency. Why, such an amount will -double at once the entire paper and metallic money of the country!” - -“But Congress is not in session, Mr. Secretary, and you will pardon me -for saying that, whatever may be your individual opinion as to -consequences, you have no power to refuse to issue gold notes as fast as -you can cause them to be engraved, for any amount of gold bars that I -may offer.” - -“True,” replied the secretary. - -“But I repeat, Mr. Secretary, that I hope to guard against the evils you -apprehend. I should be an unworthy custodian of the great trust which -has come into my hands, if I could misuse it to harm either my country -or my fellow-men.” - -“I believe you, Mr. Morning.” - -“For the present I can only use the ingots which are here in Washington. -The New York and Philadelphia hoards will be ready in about a month, -when I shall require treasury notes for them, but before I offer them to -you, and before their existence shall be known generally, I shall -endeavor to place in the mints at London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Milan, -Vienna, and St. Petersburg, and in the banks of the principal cities of -Europe simultaneously, in exchange for metallic and paper money of those -countries, the one thousand millions now in Liverpool.” - -The secretary bowed. - -“Will you order three hundred millions of gold notes, of the -denomination of $1,000 each, printed at once, and arrange to weigh, -test, and receive the five hundred millions of bars in my warehouse at -the foot of Sixth Street? If it be not irregular, you might receive the -ingots where they are, deliver to me at once the two hundred millions of -paper money now in the treasury vaults, and the remaining three hundred -millions when printed. The gold bars can be removed to the treasury -vaults at your convenience. I ask that this method be followed because, -if I am to relieve the situation in New York, I must be on hand there -with the actual currency. Ordinarily treasury drafts would answer the -purpose, but, under present circumstances, they would be useless, as no -bank could cash them, and they are not a legal tender. These bandits -will have locked up all the money in special deposits, and their -well-devised scheme can only be baffled by one who has—outside of any -channel within their control, and outside of their knowledge—a vast sum -in actual money.” - -“How, may I ask, do you propose to defeat their plans, Mr. Morning?” - -“My brokers will purchase for cash all the stocks they offer, and, on -deposit of sufficient margin, loan them the stocks back again, to be -again sold to me. In brief, I will take all their ‘shorts,’ and all the -stocks sold by others which their conspiracy will force upon the market. -When they have forced prices down to a point where they are ready to -cover their shorts and buy for an advance, I will suddenly jump prices -to the level they occupied before the conspirators commenced their -operations, and thus commend to their own lips the bitter draught they -have prepared for others. I shall know—for I have many sources of -information, Mr. Secretary—I shall know what portion of my purchases of -stock will come from the conspirators, and what portion from men who -will be forced by the panic to part with their holdings. I shall -subsequently make good to those others all their losses. The one or two -hundred millions which I may by this process extract from Mr. Gray, Mr. -Claybank, and Mr. Wolf, I shall not”—and Morning smiled—“restore to -them. I shall devote it to founding and maintaining industrial schools.” - -“Your plan, Mr. Morning, is a brave and gigantic one. Is there no chance -of its failure?” - -“Not if I can have your co-operation, Mr. Secretary, in keeping secret -for a week or ten days the fact that you have, under the law of -February, 1894, received five hundred millions of ingot gold, and issued -treasury notes therefor. These scoundrels will have locked up all the -available money in the great financial centers. They know that, under -the present law, the three hundred millions of paper and coin money in -the government vaults cannot be released so as to flow into the channels -of commerce except by deposits of gold or silver bullion to take its -place. My secret has been carefully kept, and they do not dream of the -existence in private ownership of five hundred millions, or even fifty -millions, in gold bars. If I can keep this secret from them until the -hour to strike arrives, I will give them a lesson that will cure them -for the future of any disposition to lock up money and constrict the -arterial blood of commerce for the purposes of private gain.” - -“But will not their losses be largely on paper, Mr. Morning? What if -they refuse to pay?” - -“I shall not go into court with them, Mr. Secretary, and it will not be -necessary. Let me further illustrate. They sell one thousand shares say -of Northwestern at $110, and I buy it. They take the $110,000 received -by them from my broker and add to it ten or twenty thousand dollars for -margin, and borrow from me the one thousand shares of Northwestern just -sold me, depositing the one hundred and twenty or one hundred and thirty -thousand dollars as security for the return of the borrowed stock. When -Northwestern, under the pressure of their sales, descends to $100, they -put up additional margin for the stock borrowed, and borrow more stock -on the same terms. If they continue this process until they have forced -Northwestern down to $80 or $70, and could then buy enough to replace -the borrowed stock and call in the money they had deposited as ‘margin,’ -they would make as profit the difference between the low price at which -they purchased and the average of their sales. But if Northwestern -should suddenly jump in price to a point higher than the value to which -they had margined it, then my brokers would purchase, at this high rate, -enough Northwestern to make good the stock loaned to them, using for -that purpose the money deposited by the conspirators as ‘margin.’ I -propose to let these gentlemen have all the rope they want, and when -they attempt to turn and become buyers, I will spring stocks at once to -their original price, and confiscate all their margins.” - -“I will aid you, Mr. Morning, as you request, by keeping our -transactions secret as far as possible, though I can’t promise you -success in that. At least a dozen men will be required to print the gold -notes in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and those men will know -of the issuance of so vast a sum as $300,000,000. Half a dozen more must -know of the removal of the two hundred millions of paper money now in -the treasury vaults, and at least a dozen men will be needed to weigh -and remove the gold bars from your warehouse. What is known to thirty -men will soon, I fear, be known to the world. I will detail only -discreet men, who shall work under pledges of secrecy, the violation of -which shall cost them their places, but, after every precaution shall -have been taken, who shall baffle the ubiquitous newspaper reporter in -search of a ‘scoop’? He will crawl through the coal hole or the area -railings. He will walk with the cats on the top of spikes and broken -bottles. He will act as a car-driver, a barber, or a purchaser of old -clothing. I verily believe that if he had lived in the olden days he -would have coaxed Cæsar to reveal the plan of his next campaign, and -wrested from the Egyptian Sphinx her secret. I fear, Mr. Morning, that -the reporters will prove too much for us.” - -“I have had some experience in keeping secrets, Mr. Secretary, and if -you will permit me to direct the details of the movement, I will -undertake that no inkling of it shall reach the ears of the reporters.” - -“How will you avoid it, Mr. Morning?” - -“Anticipating your consent and co-operation, Mr. Secretary, I directed -the captain of my steam yacht, the _Oro_, to come here from New York -without delay, and by to-night she will be moored in the Potomac, -opposite the warehouse at the foot of Sixth Street. I propose that, with -the officials and men whose duty it will be to test and weigh the gold -bars, you shall examine them where they are in the warehouse. You will -take the keys and take possession, and, if you desire, will detail -guards for the warehouse who will not know what they are guarding. As -soon as satisfied of the quality and quantity of the gold, you will -direct the printing of three hundred millions of treasury notes, and -will deliver me the two hundred millions of paper money now in the -treasury vaults. The three hundred millions can be printed in bills of -the denomination of $1,000, and may be packed in five good-sized trunks. -The $200,000,000 now in the treasury, being in bills of smaller -denominations, will require fifteen trunks for their accommodation. My -four trusted men, who have been busy here for the past month cutting the -gold bars out of their copper jackets, will procure fifteen trunks of -different makes and marks, and after they have been filled with currency -at the treasury vaults, will carry them in an express wagon, which I -will purchase, to the railroad depot, and check them for New York in -four different lots, purchasing two or three passage tickets for New -York for each lot of trunks. They will go as ordinary baggage to New -York, and there be taken to my office on Broadway, without exciting -suspicion or comment. Two of the men will return from New York here, and -a similar plan can be pursued with the $300,000,000, which will be -printed in the meantime.” - -“I do not yet see, Mr. Morning, how you propose to close the mouths of -the treasury officials engaged in the business here.” - -“I ask, Mr. Secretary, that for all this work you will select reliable -men, unmarried, and who can be absent from their places of abode for a -fortnight without comment. Inform each man selected that he will be -employed in a matter requiring secrecy, and that it will involve an -ocean trip. I propose that every man connected with the transaction, -except yourself, Mr. Secretary, every man, from the official who tests -the gold, to the official who packs the currency into the trunks, shall, -from the time he enters upon the performance of his duty, until it is -completed, remain in place. I will have food, and, if need be, cots for -sleeping at the warehouse, and the placing of the currency in the trunks -will not require more than an hour or two of time. Each man, as he -completes his duty, will go on board the _Oro_, and when all are on -board, the steamer will put to sea, with orders to cruise for two weeks -and then return here. Each of the gentlemen taking this voyage will be -presented by me with the sum of $1,000 for his services. The examination -and weighing of the gold bars in the warehouse, and the packing and -shipment of the two hundred millions of paper money now in the treasury, -can, I think, be completed by to-morrow, and the _Oro_ steam out -to-morrow night, with a passenger list including the names of all those -who have any knowledge of the fact that two hundred millions of treasury -notes are on their way to New York, and that the government has -$500,000,000 worth of gold bars in its vaults.” - -“And how about the three hundred millions of notes ordered printed?” - -“Those engaged in the printing can be similarly detailed, similarly -instructed, and similarly dealt with. I have chartered the _New -Dominion_, now lying at Norfolk, for a voyage to Port au Prince, on the -island of Santa Domingo. She has steam up, awaiting orders. She will be -here in time, and all those who have knowledge of the printing or -shipment of the other three hundred millions, will, on the completion of -their duties, go on board of her for a trip to Hayti, and, on their -return a fortnight afterwards, receive the same gift of $1,000 each for -his services.” - -“Your plan is ingenious, yet simple, Mr. Morning, and seems likely to be -effective. So far as this department is concerned, its execution will -involve a departure from all rules and precedents, and I shall not -escape hot criticism if I order it, especially from the New York papers -controlled by the conspirators. But I see nothing really wrong or -objectionable in it, and ‘nice customs courtesy to great kings,’ and you -are a great king, Mr. Morning.” - -“Say rather that the exigency is a great king, Mr. Secretary. You will -then aid me as I ask you.” - -“Yes.” - -“Thank you, Mr. Secretary. In the future any favor you may ask of me, -personal or official, will not be denied.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - “The arms are fair when borne with just intent.” - - -It was blue Monday in Wall Street. It was the beginning of the second -week of the most disastrous panic ever known in the history of finance. -Capital fled, affrighted, to its strong boxes, and refused to come forth -at any rate of interest, or upon any security. Values had been going -downward without reaction for six days. The yellings and shoutings in -the stock board were such as might have been indulged in by escapees -from an asylum for violent lunatics. Fortune after fortune had been -swept into the vortex in a vain attempt to stay the current. Stocks -which had ranked for years as among the most reliable of investments, -descended the grade as rapidly as the “fancies.” Northwestern had fallen -from $112 to $60; Western Union from $80 to $45, and Lackawana from $138 -to $70, and even at these prices more stock was apparently offered than -found purchasers. - -The conspirators were, apparently, successful. Three men whose combined -wealth already aggregated $300,000,000, had produced this storm of -disaster merely to increase their millions, regardless of ruined homes. -They sold their own stock as they had plotted, seventy-five millions of -it at full rates, and seventy-five millions at an average reduction of -fifteen per cent, early the preceding week, and before Morning had -perfected his arrangements, or appeared upon the scene. Their subsequent -short sales were made at lower prices than they had estimated, for -others came in competition with them, as vendors. They locked up both -the currency received from their sales, and the currency they had -borrowed, so effectually that merchants, brokers, and others, who were -unable to obtain the usual banking accommodations, were compelled to -throw upon the market their holdings of bank, railroad, and telegraph -stock. - -Wolf, who personally led the bear raid in the board, followed prices -down with fresh lines of shorts, to an amount beyond that originally -intended, and at the close of the previous week, the short sales of the -conspirators amounted to $400,000,000. In one particular they had -miscalculated, for, after stocks had fallen twenty per cent, the brokers -who purchased them refused to loan them again for resale on the -customary margin, but believing, or affecting to believe, that prices -would advance with greater celerity than they had receded, they demanded -an amount of money as margin equal to the difference between the -existing market price of the stock loaned and the market price that -ruled before the break. - -This demand was made under the direction of Morning, who did not appear -in public, but, from his private office on Broadway, sent orders to a -dozen different brokers whose services had not been engaged by the -Gray-Claybank-Wolf syndicate. After the first break, Morning was the -purchaser of nine-tenths of the stock sold, and after each purchase the -money paid for the stock, with the margin added, was locked up in the -vaults of one of his brokers, or in banks not under the control of the -conspirators. In this way the syndicate had been compelled to add -$60,000,000 to the $140,000,000 they had received from the sale of their -own stock. - -On the morning of the second Monday of November, 1895, the “Gold King” -was the owner, by purchase, of stocks which had cost him $400,000,000, -but which were worth, at the prices which prevailed before the raid, -$600,000,000. - -These stocks had been loaned to the conspirators by Morning, repurchased -by him, loaned and repurchased again, until he now held in his control -two hundred millions of money, put up by the syndicate as margin, or -security, for the delivery to him of stocks which needed only to be -restored to their former value to cause the conspirators to lose -$200,000,000, and Morning to gain that sum. If, however, prices could be -kept at panic figures until the conspirators could turn buyers, and -cover their shorts, they would gain $200,000,000, which would be filched -from whomsoever had been compelled to sell. - -There were $400,000,000 at stake on the game. The bear syndicate thought -they were playing with loaded dice, and so they were, but the load was -against them, instead of being in their favor. - -On Sunday night a private conference was held at Mr. Claybank’s -residence, on Fifth Avenue. - -“To-morrow,” said Gray, “let us stop selling and begin buying, and cover -as rapidly as possible. There are some features of the situation which -fill me with uneasiness.” - -“Ont so I thinks, Misder Gray,” said Wolf. “I don’t gomprehent where the -money comes from on Fritay and Saturtay with which our sales were met. -As I figure it, we hat every tollar locked up on Thurstay that was -anywhere available, but so much as a huntret, or, maby, a huntret and -fifty millions of new money came into the street on yesterday and -Fritay.” - -“It probably came from Chicago,” said Claybank. - -“No,” replied Wolf. “Chicago sent only fifty millions, ont it vas all -here by Wednesday. It buzzles me, ont I ton’t like it, ont I believe it -is full time to commence closing the deal.” - -It was, accordingly, agreed to close it, and on Monday morning these -three worthies appeared in their seats in the Stock Exchange, for they -were all members of that body, although they seldom or never -participated in its proceedings, preferring to transact their business -through other brokers. - -Morning was also a member of the Stock Exchange, having purchased a seat -a year previously, but he did not often appear there, and had never -bought or sold a share of stock himself in open board. Even amid the -excitement of the panic, his presence gave interest to the occasion, for -his sobriquet of the “Gold King” attached legitimately to his ownership -of a mine that was yielding $4,000,000 per month, with the probability -of making its owner in a few years the greatest billionaire in the -world. - -There were probably few among the active members of the Stock Exchange -who did not, at this time, know nearly as much about the causes of the -panic as even the three men who produced it, and among all the brokers, -except those in the employment of the syndicate, only indignation was -expressed at the operations of Wolf, Claybank, and Gray. The New York -stockbroker is neither a Shylock nor a miser. He is usually a genial, -generous sort of fellow, who prefers a bull market to a bear raid. He -likes to make money himself and have everybody else make it. A boom is -his delight, and a panic his abhorrence. If a majority of the board of -brokers could have had their way, they would have hung the members of -the syndicate to the gallery railings, and the question of reaching them -in some lawful way, and relieving the board from the effects of their -conspiracy, had been informally discussed. - -But nothing was attempted, because nothing seemed really practicable. It -was well known that the existing condition of things had been produced -by locking up the currency. So long as it remained locked up, prices -must remain at whatever figures the conspirators might choose to place -them. Only the power that withdrew the money from circulation, could -restore it to the channels of commerce. There was absolutely nothing for -those not already ruined to do except to hide in the jungle until the -three tigers should have fully gorged themselves. When Claybank, Gray, -and Wolf should graciously permit the money to be unlocked, then stocks -would advance to their real value, business would resume its proper -channels, and the panic would be over—and not until then. - -In the Exchange, stocks were called alphabetically, and the first upon -the list of railroad securities was the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. -This was not a dividend-paying or favorite investment stock, and, -probably, three-fourths of it had been held in the street for years, in -speculative and marginal holdings. Morning had special reasons for -securing control of this road in addition to his general purpose of -thwarting the conspirators. Prior to the panic, Atchison, Topeka, and -Santa Fe had vibrated for months between $27 and $33, and on the -Saturday previous to the Monday which saw the beginning of the bear -raid, it had closed at $30. Under the operations of the conspirators, it -had been hammered down to $15, at which figure it closed on the previous -Saturday. - -One of the syndicate brokers who sat by Wolf, opened the ball by -offering two hundred shares of Atchison at $15. - -“Taken,” cried Morning, from his seat. - -“Five hundred Atchison at $15½,” said the broker. - -“Taken,” replied Morning. - -A shade of uneasiness covered the features of the broker, but, in -response to a gesture from Wolf, he called again:— - -“One thousand Atchison offered at $16.” - -“Taken,” said Morning. - -The broker dropped into his seat and mopped his face with his -handkerchief. - -“Any further offers of Atchison for sale?” cried the caller. - -And there was no reply. - -“Two hundred Atchison, Brown to Morning, at $15; five hundred Atchison, -Brown to Morning, at $15½; one thousand Atchison, Brown to Morning, at -$16. Are there further bids for Atchison?” said the caller. - -Wolf arose and cried, “Fifteen dollars is offered for one thousand -Atchison.” - -There was no higher offer, but the caller did not proceed to cry the -next stock on the list. Somehow everybody seemed to feel that a crisis -had been reached; it was in the air, and, amidst a hushed and expectant -silence unprecedented in the history of the New York Stock and Exchange -Board, the voice of David Morning rang out like a trumpet. - -“I will give,” said he, “$30 per share for the whole or any portion of -the capital stock of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad -Company.” - -Then pandemonium reigned. The quick wit of the stockbrokers comprehended -the situation in an instant. It was all as clear to them as if it had -been written and printed. They knew that Claybank, Wolf, and Gray had -joined forces, locked up the currency, brought about a panic, broken -down the market, and ruined half the street. They knew that the country -was prosperous, the mines prolific, and the crops good. They knew that -the depression in prices was wholly artificial, and that it must, sooner -or later, be followed by a reaction and restoration of values, and they -had so advised their customers, but they supposed that the period of -such reaction was wholly within the control of Gray, Claybank, and Wolf. - -They had no reason to expect that relief would come from any other -source, and the appearance and action of Morning burst upon them like a -revelation. Here was a man who was a new-comer to fortune and to -finance, a man who had devoted the immense revenues of his mine to -beneficent rather than business purposes, and who was above the -necessity or the temptation of increasing his wealth by speculation. His -presence in the Board, and his bid of $30 a share for Atchison, -demonstrated that he knew of the Claybank-Gray-Wolf conspiracy, and that -he proposed to baffle it. He must have measured the forces of the -members of the syndicate and be advised as to the amount of money -necessary to meet them. Possibly he had found a way to unlock the -federal treasury, or had from some source obtained the necessary -millions. Certainly he had obtained them or he would never have thus -challenged the magnates of Wall Street to combat. Clearly, the panic was -at an end, the man from Arizona was about to lead them out of the -wilderness. - -And they shouted, and roared, and cried, and hugged each other, and -mashed each others’ hats, and marched up and down and around the floor, -and joined hands and danced around Morning, and disregarded all calls to -order, and were finally quieted only when Morning, escorted by the -President of the Stock Exchange, ascended the stand. - -The President, as soon as silence was secured, said:— - -“Gentlemen, it seems to be the general wish that the regular call shall -be temporarily suspended, and that we shall hear from Mr. David -Morning.” - -That gentleman, after the roar of greeting had subsided, said:— - -“GENTLEMEN: I think you will agree with me in believing that the prices -of securities listed on this exchange have, during the past week, ruled -altogether too low. I propose to put an end to this condition of things, -which ought never to have been brought about, and I have authorized my -brokers here to offer, during to-day and to-morrow, and for the rest of -this week, to purchase, to the extent of $700,000,000, any and all -railroad stocks listed on this Exchange, at the prices which ruled at -the close of the board on Saturday week, before the panic began.” - -A great cheer went up from the throats of the multitude, and, after it -subsided, Isaiah Wolf, livid with rage and excitement, arose and -exclaimed:— - -“Does this lunatic then expect to make fools of us all? Is it to be -beliefed dot this crazy man has got seven huntret millions of tollars in -cash to buy stocks mit? His golt mine has turned his prain. It vos -better dot we don’t all pe too fresh apout this pizness.” - -Morning quietly continued:— - -“Anticipating that my purchases of stock might possibly be large to-day -and during the week, I have made arrangements to dispense with the -customary methods, and so will avoid the usual delays in receiving and -paying for stock. I have quadrupled my usual force of clerks, and my -offices on Broadway will be open every day this week from nine o’clock -in the morning until nine o’clock at night. No checks, certified or -otherwise, will be issued by me, but the stocks bought by my brokers -will be paid for on delivery at my offices at any time during the hours -named, and paid for in treasury and national bank notes.” - -“Where,” roared Wolf, “did you get such a sum of money as seven huntret -millions of tollars? You are either a liar, a lunatic, or a -counterfeiter.” - -“Two hundred millions of dollars of the money which I hold,” replied -Morning, “was deposited by you and your colleagues in the conspiracy, as -security for the return of stocks which I bought of you, and then loaned -to you to sell to me again and again. Under the rules of the stock board -these $200,000,000 will be forfeited to me unless you restore the -borrowed stocks on the usual notice. The notices will be served on you -to-day, and when you begin to buy in to cover your shorts, you will be -compelled to pay full value. I think I can count upon your $200,000,000 -to aid in paying for to-day’s purchases, Mr. Wolf.” And, amid continued -cheers and laughter, Morning descended from the caller’s stand, and -started for his seat. - -Claybank and Gray had left the hall, but Wolf remained, and as Morning -passed along the aisle, the Jew, with face white and twitching, and with -foam on his mustache, stepped out and confronted him. - -“You have made a beggar of me,” said he with a curse, “but I will have -your heart’s blood for this,” and he reached for Morning’s throat. - -But the man from Arizona stepped backward and then forward, and at the -same moment his right arm went swiftly forth from his shoulder. - -“Smack! smack! smack!” and the nose of Wolf was spread over his face, -and the crazed man was hustled and hurried by the crowd, and greeted -with oaths and blows as he went, until, with torn clothing and battered -face, he was literally kicked into the street. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - “These are things which might be done.” - - - [From the _New York Times_, November 20, 1895.] - - FINANCIAL. - - Holders of stock and bonds in the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, - Denver and Gulf, Kansas City and Chicago, Lakeshore and Michigan - Southern, New York and Erie, and New York and New England Railroads, - who desire to dispose of their holdings, will find a purchaser in me - at the rates prevailing at the close of the Stock Exchange yesterday. - I already own a majority of the capital stock of the roads named, and - intend to consolidate them in one company without any bonded - indebtedness, with the intention of providing the public with a - double-track road between Portland, Maine, and San Francisco, - California, _via_ Boston, New York, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Kansas - City, and Denver, with a branch to Galveston. This consolidated road - will not be run with a view to profit beyond four or five per cent per - annum above operating expenses. In making this experiment I deem it - only right to relieve the present holders of stock and bonds from - loss, and this offer of purchase will remain open for one month. - - DAVID MORNING, - _39 Broadway, N. Y. City_. - - _2 sq. 1 m., November 19._ - -We copy from our advertising column the foregoing, which presages the -most important event of the century. Whatever may be thought of the -wisdom of Mr. Morning’s plans in any direction, there can now be no -question as to his ability to carry them forward. The brilliant -strategetical movement by which he bagged two hundred millions of -piratical money from Gray, Claybank, and Wolf, and, while defeating -them, restored values and prosperity, is still fresh in the public mind, -and his subsequent course in searching out all other persons who lost by -the panic, and reimbursing them the amount of their losses, will not -soon be forgotten. - -The brave and sagacious action of the Secretary of the Treasury in going -outside of the channels marked by red tape in order to promote Mr. -Morning’s plans, is generally commended by the public, and meets with no -criticism except from the baffled syndicate of scoundrels. - -Whatever action, if any, Congress may take next month when it assembles -with regard to the demonetization of gold, and whatever may be the -course pursued by the German Reichstag, the French Chamber of Deputies, -and the British Parliament, all of which are now wrestling with the -great economic problem which the vast gold yield of the Morning mine -presents, yet one thing is certain, David Morning has quietly and -shrewdly placed two thousand five hundred millions of gold in the mints -and treasuries of Europe and America, and obtained therefor money, the -legal tender quality and value of which, no future legislation can -impair. - -It is fortunate for the world that this vast sum is in the hands of a -man who seems to comprehend the nature of the problems which its -existence, its introduction to circulation, and its subsequent use, will -create, and who also seems disposed to treat his great treasure-trove as -a public trust rather than a personal possession. It is a curious fact -that some statesmen who have, without much reflection, been -characterized as visionary, urged vainly for years upon the public -attention the wisdom and feasibility of creating vast sums of fiat -money, which were to be loaned upon land and crop values. It will not -escape notice that the Congress of the United States might, at any time -within the past few years, by passing a land and property loan law, have -created the same conditions, whether they prove to be conditions of -prosperity or disaster, which are now upon the world by reason of Mr. -Morning’s gold discovery. But it is not our purpose to attempt -discussion of the situation generally. We intend only to give to the -public a reliable account of the railroad projects of Mr. Morning. On -reading his advertisement, we dispatched a reporter, who found him, as -usual, frank and communicative. No comment of ours would add force or -importance to the utterances of the Arizona Gold King, and we will let -him tell his story in his own way. - -“My plan,” said Morning, “is not complicated, and not original with me. -I only supply the means to try an experiment which it has often been -suggested should be tried by the United States Government. If successful -it will be of incalculable benefit to the people of this country. It -will require not more than $250,000,000 to carry it out, and its failure -would not involve a loss of more than $50,000,000. - -“I marvel,” continued the gentleman, “that public opinion did not years -ago act upon Congress so as to cause it to deal with the transportation -question in the interest of the people. I marvel that some of our great -capitalists have not joined efforts, and devoted a portion of their -possessions to providing the people with cheap transportation. Suppose -that a dozen of them should have together made a pool of $200,000,000, -and undertaken a work—not of charity, but of helping the toilers to help -themselves. It would not have taken one-third of their possessions; it -would have deprived neither them nor their children of a single luxury, -and yet it would have allayed the disquiet and antagonism of multitudes, -and, more than bronzes or marble shafts, it would have linked their -names to immortality.” - -“Will not Messrs. Gray, Claybank, and Wolf have supplied the funds for -your experiment?” queried the reporter. - -Morning laughed as he answered: “Well, in a way, yes; and if I had not -already devoted their contributions to founding and maintaining -industrial schools, there would be a sort of poetical justice in making -such application of that fund.” - -“Will you give me, for the _Times_, the details of your plans, Mr. -Morning?” - -“Certainly,” replied that gentlemen. “I have nothing to conceal. The -railroad lines of this country, especially the transcontinental lines, -were built when material and labor were much higher than now, and some -of them when gold was at a high premium. Stock and bonds of many roads -have been watered, and in paying present market prices for them I shall -probably pay much more than the sum for which the roads could be -duplicated if constructed honestly and economically at present cost of -labor and materials, and allowing nothing for subsidies, bounties, -stealings, and profits of speculators, contractors, and legislators. But -it would not, I think, be right to punish present holders of stocks and -bonds for the sins of their predecessors in interest, and I therefore -propose to pay the present inflated value of these securities. I shall -not, however, attempt to make the reorganized road carry the burden of -paying interest and dividends upon the sums which I shall pay.” - -“What do you estimate to be the present market value of the roads you -propose to purchase, Mr. Morning?” - -“At present market rates, and I shall pay no more, the total amount that -will be required to buy in both stocks and bonds, will be, in round -numbers, $150,000,000. I am advised by experts that the cost of widening -roadbed and bridges, and laying additional iron, so as to make four -tracks from New York to Kansas City, and a double track from the -Missouri River to the Pacific, will, with the necessary buildings and -shops, be about $70,000,000.” - -“Then the proposed line, when completed, will have cost you about -$220,000,000?” - -“Exactly, less the sum which may be received for rolling stock, which I -propose to sell. But I am informed by my engineers that a similar line -might be built now for $150,000,000, and I therefore take $150,000,000 -as the actual value of the roadbed, station buildings, and shops for -repairs, and I estimate traffic charges upon that basis.” - -“Why do you sell the rolling stock? How can a road be used without -locomotives or cars?” - -“I propose that the company I will cause to be organized shall, except -in certain contingencies, run no trains whatever on the road except -repair trains. The roadbed will be open at uniform tolls to any person, -firm, or corporation who may wish to run trains upon it. The tolls will -be fixed upon such a basis as will provide means sufficient to keep the -roadbed up to the highest standard, and pay five per cent per annum upon -the actual value of the road, which, in the first instance, will be -fixed at $150,000,000.” - -“Will not the value of the road advance, Mr. Morning?” - -“I expect so,” was the reply. “All values will advance with the increase -of standard money, caused by the yield of the Morning mine, and there -will be a revaluation of the roadbed each year, by disinterested and -competent engineers. If the amount received for tolls in any one year -shall exceed the sum of five per cent on the valuation of the previous -year, the tolls will be reduced for the next year. If it shall fall -short of that sum, the tolls will be increased for the next year.” - -“Will not the ownership of the roadbed by one company, and the ownership -and management of rolling stock by a dozen or a hundred other companies, -be productive of confusion and accidents?” - -“Not at all. On the contrary, accidents will be almost impossible. -Switches and side tracks, capable of accommodating from one to a dozen -trains or more, will be provided every five miles, with buildings for -receiving freight and passengers, at every station. Between Boston and -Kansas City two tracks will be devoted to passenger trains and two to -freight trains, and a uniform rate of speed be established, of -thirty-five miles per hour, including stoppages on the main track, for -passenger trains, and fifteen miles an hour for freight trains. Between -Kansas City and San Francisco, so long as there shall be only one double -track, on which both freight and passenger trains must run, a uniform -rate of speed of twenty miles an hour for both freight and passenger -trains will be established, except on mountain grades, where the speed -must be lessened. There will be an interval of not less than fifteen -minutes between trains east of the Missouri, and half an hour west of -it, and whenever a train leaves or passes by a station, its passage over -the rails at that station will, through an electric wire, be made to -ring a bell, set a signal, and close a switch at the next station behind -it, and no train will be allowed to leave or pass by a station until a -signal shall be received that the preceding train has passed by the -station ahead.” - -“Suppose a train conductor or engineer should proceed without receiving -the signal, and in defiance of orders from the station master?” - -“His train would be automatically shunted off upon a side track, where -it would run up against elastic buffers of rubber, filled with air. The -main track would not be clear until the train passed the station ahead. -Until then the switch leading to the side track would be open.” - -“And how would that switch be again opened, after being closed?” - -“Automatically, by the passage of the train over the rails ahead of it.” - -“That is a very ingenious and original idea, Mr. Morning.” - -“Ingenious and simple, but it is not my own. A similar contrivance was -in use on the Italian roads twenty years ago, although the idea was -suggested to me by an Arizona rancher, who was averse to having cattle -straying in his alfalfa fields, through which several public roads ran. -In order to avoid the cost of fencing the roads, he put up automatic -gates. The weight of the horses and vehicle upon a platform a few yards -from the gate, on either side, operated upon a lever, and swung open the -gate, which was released automatically by the passage of the wagon, and -so swung shut.” - -“You seem, by these arrangements, to have secured the safety of -passengers and train hands, but how about the speed? Will the traveling -public be content with twenty miles an hour between Kansas City and San -Francisco?” - -“I do not know. If they shall not be, still the speed would be -satisfactory to the freighters. My own belief is that the greater safety -and lower rates of passage that will prevail on this road will attract -to it a large share of the passenger traffic. Those who are in haste can -travel over one of the other lines.” - -“Your object seems to be to give to the public cheaper railroad -service.” - -“It is partly that and partly to give the railroad employes better pay -and greater regularity and permanency of employment. I will try to -divide the benefits equitably.” - -“Will not those who run trains upon your road defeat your object by -combinations among themselves, to put up the price of freight and -passage, and put down the wages of railroad hands?” - -“It will be practicable, I think, to guard against both these things. If -the Brotherhoods of Locomotive Firemen, and Locomotive Engineers, and -Train Hands, will establish and maintain reasonable rates of -compensation and hours of labor, and will enable all qualified workers -to become members at will, then the directors of the company owning the -roadbed will only allow its use to trains managed by Brotherhood -members. If persons or companies owning rolling stock shall advance -freight or passenger rates beyond maximum, or reduce them below minimum, -rates, fixed by the directors of the Railway Company, they will lose -their right to run trains, and if a combination should be made to -diminish facilities to shippers or travelers, then the Roadbed Company -will itself place a freight and passenger service on the track.” - -“Will you expect to personally superintend this great work, Mr. -Morning?” - -“No, I must leave it to others. Once it shall be well started I have -other projects which will require my attention.” - -“Who will run it, Mr. Morning?” - -“The Board of Directors will, in the first instance, consist of the -governor of each State through which the roadbed shall be constructed, -from Maine to California. To these fifteen or sixteen governors will be -added thirty experienced railway managers, who will be selected by me. -Each governor will serve as director only during his term as governor, -and will be succeeded as director by his official successor as governor. -The thirty directors appointed by me will receive liberal salaries, will -not be permitted to be interested in any other railroad, and will serve -until they resign, or die, or are removed for cause by a two-thirds vote -of the other directors. Vacancies thus occurring will be filled by a -similar vote. Subject to the principles of management I have endeavored -to outline, the control of the affairs of the company will be with the -Board of Directors.” - -“Will not the vast sums of money which the yield of the Morning mine -must add to the standard currency of the world so inflate values as to -make difficult any equitable adjustment of freight or passenger rates, -or of the wages of railroad workers?” - -“Freight and passenger rates, and wages, will necessarily advance with -the increase of all values. It will be like the tide at the Dardanelles, -which never ebbs. No man who has any knowledge, or exercises any care, -need be overwhelmed or hurt by it, and all men who try can guide their -barks to prosperity upon its swell.” - -“Would you consider it really a healthful state of affairs if, by an -inflated currency, prices were so increased that a dinner which one can -now buy for fifty cents should cost $5.00, and a $20 coat sell for -$200?” - -“Why not if prices were similarly advanced over all the world? People -indulge in a good deal of loose talk about inflated currency, debased -currency, and fiat money. In truth, all money is fiat money, for a bar -of gold is not a legal tender, and inflation of values is the law of -commercial growth. In the middle ages a penny was the price of a day’s -wages or of a bushel of wheat. Money which has for its basis either -precious metals or substantial property in lands or merchandise is good -money, while money lacking such basis is bad money. Clipped shillings, -French assignats, and Continental and Confederate currency, were no more -fiat money than are American double eagles or five-pound Bank of England -notes. It is the stamp of the government, the fiat of its power, that -turns the metal or the paper into money.” - -“But do not all financiers consider inflation a disaster, Mr. Morning?” - -“Inflation,” replied the gentleman, “whether of metallic or paper -currency that is accepted by the world or by a great commercial nation -as a legal tender, can do no harm except to those who loan money. A -dollar is a mere term. You pay now five dimes, or fifty cents, or five -hundred mills, for your dinner. Suppose by large continued increase in -the production of gold and silver, the money of all countries shall be -inflated so that you must pay fifty dollars instead of fifty cents, or -five hundred dimes in place of five hundred mills, for your dinner. What -of it? You could carry as much paper money as now. It would need only to -increase the denomination of the bills. All property and services would -advance proportionately. Only the loaners of money would be left, and -they would soon find it to their interest to put their money into -property, which would necessarily advance in value, rather than in -loans, which would, in their relation to property, necessarily decrease -in value. Under such conditions interest would not compensate the money -owner for the depreciation of his principal, and the loaning of money, -except for brief periods, would cease, while property of all kinds would -always be saleable for cash, because always sure to increase in value, -while idle money would not so increase.” - -“What will be the effect of your project on the other railroads, Mr. -Morning?” - -“My hope and expectation is that the successful working of my project -will induce large aggregations of capital to acquire and conduct all the -railroads in the country under one management, which should itself be -under the direction and control of the Federal Government. Four thousand -millions of dollars would purchase and free from bonded indebtedness all -the interstate railroad and telegraph lines in the United States, and -$1,000,000,000 more would improve such property to the highest point of -efficiency. A company with a capital of $5,000,000,000, having no bonded -debt and economically and honestly managed, could pay dividends of five -per cent per annum on its stock, which stock might be increased in -amount as other values increased. Present railroad bondholders would be -transformed into railroad stockholders, and the stock of the United -States Consolidated Railroad Company, guaranteed by the United States -Government to pay five per cent per annum, and so conducted as to earn -that dividend, above cost of repairs and construction of new lines, -would be a favorite investment. Such stock might be made the basis of -currency issued thereon to national banks. It could be held by -benevolent and educational institutions, and trust funds could be -invested in it. It would take the place of the present United States -bonds as a lazy fund, and it would not be a lazy fund, for it would be -an investment in earning property. It would substitute the earned -increment of labor for the unearned increment of interest. Interest on -money at best belongs to conditions which are passing away. It is an -attribute of a former civilization, and I predict that during the next -century it will come to an end altogether.” - -“How would the United States Consolidated Railroad Company affect -railway patrons and railroad employes?” - -“By adjusting freight and passenger charges, and wages of employes, so -as to produce an income of five per cent on the investment, and by -discontinuing non-paying lines, building new ones, and developing -profitable connections—in brief, by running all the railroads in the -land as one company under one management, in such manner as to produce -from earnings a net income of five per cent, on a capitalization of all -existing stocks and bonds at their market value to-day—the prices of -freight and passage would be reduced, and the wages of railroad workers -increased.” - -“I think,” continued the Arizona Gold King, “that the entire system -should be under government supervision, or even under government -direction, and, depend upon it, nobody would be harmed, except about -forty thousand people, who now own sixty per cent of all the real -property in America, and even the damage to them would be slight, for -they could purchase stock in the Consolidated Company, and learn to be -satisfied with five per cent and no stealings.” - -“You spoke of a provision being made in your company for the future of -railroad employes. How would that be done?” - -“In the company which I propose each employe will be required to agree -that not less than fifteen per cent of his wages shall be withheld from -him and annually invested in the stock of the company, which stock shall -be non-transferable. It will be delivered with its dividends, likewise -invested, at his death to whomsoever he may designate, or, if he live to -the age of sixty, it will be paid to him.” - -“Do you think that the worker needs this sort of compulsory -guardianship, Mr. Morning?” - -“I certainly do. For one of them who lays up for a rainy day, nine are -possessed by the very genius of unthrift. I have known miners to work -for months, and mining is the hardest work in the world, and then draw -their wages and expend hundreds of dollars in one spree. Where the -worker uses liquor—as most of them do—he lives from hand to mouth, and -even among the temperate, it will be the rare exception to find one who -has enough savings to support his family for six months.” - -“Is it only the workers who are imprudent, Mr. Morning?” - -“No, the habit of careless unthrift is common to all men. It is not -confined to the worker. It appears more frequently in him only because -his necessities are more urgent and apparent, and, in this respect, he -lives more in public. But extravagance is a part of the original savage -man, the leaven which has survived all civilization. I have known -lawyers, and doctors, and divines, and journalists who, with their -families, might have been saved from embarrassment and suffering if -there had been some power every month to seize a portion of their -earnings or income and make a compulsory investment of it for their -future benefit.” - -“But,” said the speaker, “to return to my subject. There is yet another -advantage to be considered. If the United States operated, or even -supervised, all the railroads, it would not be difficult—by requiring -each railroad hand to report for drill and practice one day in each -month—it would not be difficult to provide the nucleus and material for -a great army, if such should ever again be necessary.” - -“Will the time ever come when armies can be dispensed with, Mr. -Morning?” - -“I think it has come. I am about to have made some experiments with the -new explosive ‘potentite,’ which, if successful, will, I think, -demonstrate to the world that hereafter war will mean simply mutual -annihilation, and that in conflict there will be small odds between the -weakest and the most powerful of nations. But I wander into the domain -of speculation, and you newspaper men require only facts.” - -“Do you propose any reform or changes in the present methods of railroad -management, Mr. Morning?” - -“Several.” - -“For instance?” - -“There will be a uniform rate per mile for passage, all tickets will be -transferable, no inducements will be offered to travelers to perpetrate -falsehood and forgery, and freighters will not be required to expose -their business secrets to the officers of the railroad company. - -“Do you know,” said Mr. Morning, “that a demand has actually been made -upon me by the railroad companies for freight at regular express gold -bullion rates on $2,500,000,000 worth of gold bars which they carried -from Arizona to the East disguised as copper? For freight on the -supposed copper I paid their regular rates of charges, amounting to -about $200,000. They say that if I had shipped it as gold their charges -would have been six and one-quarter millions, and they claim the -difference.” - -“But you shipped it as copper at your own risk, did you not, Mr. -Morning?” - -“Of course I shipped it as copper at my own risk, and on ten bars, worth -really $400,000, which were lost from the ferryboat in transporting -freight during the flood at Yuma, I collected from the company only -their supposed copper value of $320, and I had no end of trouble and -delay in making the collection. But they assert that in covering the -gold bars with copper sheaths, I worked a ‘gold brick swindle’ on them, -and they want the difference.” - -“Will you pay the $6,000,000 claimed, Mr. Morning?” - -“Not if I can help it,” smiled the gentleman. “I have other uses for the -money. I have in view several other reforms in railroad management. -Railroad employers who, through no fault of their own, are hurt in -railroad accidents caused by the negligence of a fellow employe, shall -have the same right of recovery at law against the company as an injured -passenger would have. Train men, in stopping at country stations, shall -consult the convenience of passengers rather than their own, and shall -not halt the baggage car in a sheltered spot, while they compel -disembarking passengers to wade through the mud. Brass-mounted -conductors shall not glower at question-asking passengers, and, to all -requests for information, answer flippantly, ‘Damfino,’ and small dogs -shall not be torn from their friends and suffered to wail their strength -away in mute despair in a strange and comfortless baggage car, without -bones to beguile or friendly faces to encourage them; but every -reputable lapdog who pays his fare, and abides noiseless and contented -in the same seat with his mistress, shall be left in peace.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - “Their country’s wealth, our mightier misers drain.” - - -It was a bright, warm day in December, 1895, when a tall man, with iron -gray hair surmounting a wrinkled and careworn face, paused for a moment -before the plate-glass front of the Tenth National Bank of Birmingham, -Alabama. - -Making his way into the building, he walked to the cashier’s office in -the rear, which he entered without knocking. A short, stout gentleman of -forty years looked up from the desk at which he was writing, and -inquired of the stranger who it was that he wished to see? - -“I kem in, suh, to see the Kashyea,” was the reply. - -“I am the cashier of this bank, sir. What can I do for you?” - -“Well, I allowed to bowwow some money foh to stock my fahm foh a cotton -crap, and to cahy me ovah the season, suh, and I heard as how the money -might be had heah.” - -“Take a seat, sir. What is the name?” - -“John Turpin is my name, suh.” - -“And what amount do you wish to obtain, Mr. Turpin?” - -“I reckon about $3,000 would answer the puppus, suh.” - -“Where is your property, Mr. Turpin, and what does it consist of?” - -“It is on the White Creek, in Madison County. There are foh hundred -acres of cotton land. There is a house, bahn, and outbuildings in faih -condition, suh, but I don’t count them as much, in a money way.” - -“What do you estimate to be the value of the land?” - -“Befo the wah it sold for fohty dollahs an acre. Land went very low -aftahwuds, but the land has not been crapped, and of late yeahs, -business has picked up mightily in old Alabama, and it ought to be wuth -as much now as it ever wor.” - -“How long have you been farming it there?” - -“Well, not at all, suh. The place was owned by my uncle, and he jest -lived there since the wah, and never tried to make a crap. He was -Captain of Company K of the Ninety-third Alabama. He was wounded at -Chickamauga. Both of his sons were killed at the second battle of the -Wilderness; his wife died while they were all away, and when he kem back -he seemed to lose all interest like. He couldn’t abide free niggahs -ever, and there were no othahs, and foh twenty-seven yeahs he jest moped -around the old place, raisin’ only a little cohn, and a few hogs and -some geyahden truck. Last spring he died, and the place has fallen to -me. There is no debt on it, and it’s prime cotton land, but it will take -right smaht of money to clean off the land and put in a crap.” - -“Are you farming elsewhere, Mr. Turpin?” - -“No, suh, I have been wuking for several yeahs for the Louisville and -Nashville Railroad Company, as their station agent at Coosa, but I was -raised on a cotton plantation, and I know all about the wuk. I have two -likely boys; one is twenty and the othah eighteen. My wife is a wohkah, -and so is our daughtah. We all want to go on the old plantation and live -thar.” - -“Will $3,000 clear the land and stock it?” - -“Yes, suh. It will buy us mules and fahm implements, and seed, and -supply us with provisions and foddah, and pay the wages of such niggahs -as we will hiah to help us.” - -“How soon could you repay the $3,000.” - -“Well, in the old times we could moh than pay it with one crap, but thar -ain’t the money in cotton that thar used to be. Cotton is powerful low, -I do allow.” - -“And it costs more to raise it now than it did when you had slaves to -work for you, does it not, Mr. Turpin?” - -“Well, I allow that don’t make much diffahence, suh. I can hiah niggahs -now for $16 a month, and they find their own keep, while befoh the wah -we had to pay that much and moah, and feed them beside. The interest on -the value of a good niggah then was nigh onto as much as we pay him now -foh wages. The niggah don’t get much moah now than he did when he was in -slavery. He just gets his keep and a few clothes: No, suh, I can raise -cotton now cheaper than I could befoh the wah, but cotton kain’t be sold -foh no such prices. Still, thar is some money in cotton, and my boys and -I can pay off the $3,000 with interest, out of the profits on the craps, -in three yeahs, and if we live powerful close mebbe we can do it in two -yeahs.” - -“Why do you not get the money you want from the bank at Huntsville?” - -“Well, suh, I went thar before I kem yeah, and the kashyea thar tole me -that they wah not fixed to make any but shote loans. He said as how they -wah a nayshunal bank, and couldn’t loan money on land nohow, and he -advised me to come heah, suh.” - -“But this is also a national bank, and subject to the same restriction, -Mr. Turpin.” - -“Yes, suh, I know; so he tole me, suh. But he said as how you wah also -loan agents for Northern capitalists, who had money to invest in long -loans, on good security.” - -“We are such agents, but our instructions do not permit us to loan on -anything but improved city property. Our clients do not like to put -their money in plantations.” - -“But, suh, what will become of the cities if the people do not help -those in the country? My place is wuth easily foh times the money I want -to bowwow, and every dollah of the money bowwowed will go into the -place.” - -“It does look, Mr. Turpin, as if money ought to be had for such -purposes. But all of our local capitalists have their money tied up in -the city, and outsiders won’t loan on farms.” - -“Then I kain’t bowwow the money, suh?” - -“I am afraid not, Mr. Turpin. You might try elsewhere, but, to be candid -with you, I do not believe you will succeed.” - -“Well, suh, then I will have to go back to my wuk at the railroad -station, and let the land lie idle. Why kain’t the govuhment loan us on -our fahms the money needed to cultivate them? ’Pears like I hearn tell -thar was a man out in Calafohnea what wanted the govuhment to do that -likes.” - -“Yes,” replied the cashier, “there is such a scheme, but it is totally -impracticable. Of course the government cannot embark in the business of -loaning money on landed security.” - -“But ain’t the govuhment in the loanin’ business now, suh? Whar do you -get the circulatin’ notes of youah bank? Don’t you bowwow them of the -govuhment, without interest, by puttin’ up United States bonds as -security?” - -“Oh, that, you know, is quite a different thing,” answered the cashier, -smilingly. - -“Whar’s the difference in principle?” persisted the man from Coosa. “If -a govuhment bond foh $1,000 air good secuhity foh $900, what is the -reason that a piece of land wuth $1,000 kain’t be good secuhity foh -$500?” - -“The bond,” said the cashier, “could always be sold at par. It is not so -easy to find a purchaser for land, even at half its value; it might be -worthless, you know.” - -“I am not supposin’, suh, that the govuhment would loan money on -wuthless land any moah than on counterfeit bonds. I’m talkin’ about sich -land as ain’t wuthless, and kain’t evah be wuthless. I’m talkin’ about -land that has an airnin’ capacity, when human labor is applied to it. I -allow that sich land, when valooed honestly, and not countin’ any -buildings or improvements, or anything that can be burned up or carried -away—I allow that sich land is just as good security foh a loan of half -its value, as any govuhment bond is security foh a loan of nine-tenths -its valoo. If the land ain’t wuth nothin’, I’d like to know what the -bond is wuth? As I argefy, all the valoo’s on the yearth, suh, bonds and -banks and govuhments theyselves rest upon the land and the labah that -tills it.” - -“But the amount of national bank notes that can be issued on government -bonds is limited by law,” remonstrated the cashier. - -“Suppose they be. Kain’t the govuhment limit the amount of greenbacks it -would loan on the fahms? Kain’t it allot jest so much to each State or -to each county, or to each numbah of folks? I don’t see no use of a -limit nohow. Govuhment don’t limit the bales of cotton or bushels of -cohn, or numbah of hogs a man can raise, noh the tons of ihon he shall -smelt, noh the numbah of days’ wuk he shall do in a yeah. What foh do -they want to limit the numbah of dollahs that shall be made? Why not -leave that to be settled outside of papah laws? If you raise cohn for -which there is no demand you kain’t sell it, and if you print dollahs -for which there is no demand you kain’t lend them. A dollah ain’t got no -nateral valoo nohow. Ye kain’t eat it, noh drink it, noh weah it. Ye -kain’t sleep on it, noh ride it, noh drive it around. A dollah is just a -yahdstick foh the cloth, a scale foh the sugah, a quart measure foh the -vinegah. Suppose govuhment went to limitin’ the numbah of weighin’ -scales and yahdsticks and gallon cans thar should be in the land, and -then didn’t allow enough to be made foh to go around!—A nice fix the -country stohs would be in wouldn’t they? You city folks would corral all -the yahdsticks, and all the scales, and all the pint pots that the -govuhment allowed to be made. You’d organize measurin’ companies and -bowwow all the scales that the govuhment made, and pay nothin’ to the -govuhment for the use of them; and then you’d hiah them out to folks at -a big rent, and make the folks as hiad them leave half the measures on -deposit with you, and you’d hiah that half again to other folks, and -you’d squeeze the people, and squeeze ’em, and squeeze ’em, until you -turned every man who wasn’t an ownah of measurin’ tools into a puffeck -slave to them as was ownahs. That’s what you hev been a doin’ with us -right along. I mean no disrespeck to you, suh, puhsonally, for you have -treated me moh politely than a bankah usually treats his bowwowin’ -customahs; but you bankahs and capitalists have jest been a monkeyin’ -with the currency until you have got every fahmah, and wukin’ man, and -stoahkeepah in the country tied hand and foot, with no chance to wuk at -all unless they wuk foh you. We have been a lot of everlastin’ fools, -suh, to stand it, and we aint a goin’ to stand it much longah.” - -“What will you do about it, Mr. Turpin?” said the cashier, quietly, but -with a shade of satire in his tone. - -“I allow, suh, that we’ll tell the yawpers who run political conventions -to get along without our votes, and we’ll elect men to the Legislatoor -and to Congress, and mebbe a President, who’ll take their ideahs from -the fahmas and wukahs of the Sooth and West, and who won’t go to Wall -Street foh ohdahs; and we’ll give all the old questions a rest, and -we’ll make it lonesome for the politicians who fight us, and we’ll kind -o’ resolute that so long as this govuhment won’t let any State or any -puhson go into the business of manufacturing money to supply the -necessary wants of the people, it is likely that the govuhment itself -ought to do it, and we’ll fix it so that no man who is willin’ to wuk as -I am, and knows how to wuk as I do, and has land to plow as I have, will -have to see his land lie fallow, and his boys loafin’ around, just -bekase he kaint bowwow from nobody, even at ten per cent a yeah, -one-fifth of the valoo of his land, to buy a few mules, and a plow or -two, and some seed cohn.” - -“You will compel the government to go into the business of printing and -loaning all the money that anybody wants, will you?” said the cashier. - -“Well, suh, I’m no bankah, and no lawyah, but I take it that it is the -business of govuhment to provide all the money necessary foh the use of -the people, and if the govuhment itself won’t do it, then let it untie -the cohds it has put around States and people, and suffah them to do it -foh theyselves.” - -“You would go back to the days of State banks and unlimited currency, -Mr. Turpin, with a wild-cat bank at every crossroads, when the man who -traveled never knew whether the bank bill he got in change, when -purchasing his breakfast in Alabama, would buy him a supper in -Tennessee,” said the cashier. - -“Well, suh, I remembah those days, and while they may not have been so -agreeable foh those that traveled, they war a heap better foh folks as -stayed at home. A wild-cat bank at the crossroads on White Creek, that -would let me have $3,000 of its missuble money, which my neighbors would -take in exchange foh mules, and the stohkeepah would take for goods, so -that I could put in a crap on foh hundred akahs of the puttiest cotton -land in Noth Alabama, would be a heap bettah foh me just now, suh, than -a national bank with a plate-glass front, in Buhmingham, that won’t even -look at the security I offah foh a loan. Good-day, suh.” - -And Mr. John Turpin, of White Creek, arose, and, with a heavy and -sorrowful step, walked out of the Tenth National Bank of Birmingham, -Alabama, and the rotund cashier smiled at the episode, and adjusted his -gold-rimmed eyeglasses, and resumed his interrupted labors. - -Yet relief was in store for Mr. John Turpin, for on that very day the -mail from New York to Washington carried the following communication:— - - OFFICES OF DAVID MORNING, } - 39 Broadway, N. Y., Dec. 15, 1895.} - - _To the President of the United States_— - - SIR: Under certain conditions I will donate to the Government of the - United States the sum of $2,400,000,000 in gold bars, which I will - deliver to the treasury department at the rate of $100,000,000 per - month, during the ensuing two years. - - The money coined from, or issued upon, these gold bars, shall - constitute a perpetual fund, to be loaned at two per cent per annum to - the farmers of the country, the fund never to be diminished or - appropriated for any other purpose, although the interest received - from it may be used to aid in defraying the ordinary expenses of - government. - - The amounts to be loaned may be apportioned among the several States - and Territories, according to their populations as given by the last - census, but the loaning must proceed from, and be under the control of - a department of the Federal government, to be created by Congress for - that purpose. Loans may be made payable at any time, at the option of - the borrower, and may remain indefinitely, so long as the interest is - paid, and must be secured by pledge of productive land. - - Not more than one-half the actual cash value of the land, without - estimating improvements, must be loaned, or more than $10,000 to any - one borrower, or more than $20 per acre in any case. - - The celerity with which Congress, during the War of the Rebellion, - created an effective system of revenue and finance, leads me to the - conclusion that it will be equally apt in the creation of the - necessary legal machinery to speedily effectuate a permanent and safe - system for making loans to the people. I shall trust implicitly to the - wisdom and patriotism of Congress to carry out details if my gift is - accepted, as I think I may assume it will be, and I shall attempt no - interference with its action, even by suggestion, beyond stating the - conditions upon which the fund of $2,400,000,000 will be provided. - - It will, possibly, not be out of place for me to assign here a few of - the reasons why I require that loans be limited to the owners of - productive land, and why I do not permit dwellers in towns and cities, - and those engaged in commerce and manufactures, to share in the - opportunity for procuring cheap money. - - To this very natural inquiry I might answer that I have already - arranged in San Francisco, in Chicago, and in New York, for aiding - co-operative labor corporations to procure, at a low rate of interest, - the money necessary for their use; that I design extending similar aid - in other localities, and that I hear of several instances of other - gentlemen conveying large sums in trust for such purposes. - - But the duty of aiding the farmers to cheap money is so great, and so - pressing, and extends to so many persons, and over so large an area, - that any concerted effort in such direction is not only beyond the - capacity of individual wealth owners, but requires the machinery and - power of government for its adequate discharge. - - The farmers, of all men, most need the aid of capital, and of all men - they find it most difficult to secure such aid. For years before the - accidental, or, rather, providential, discovery of an immense deposit - of gold-bearing quartz in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona - enabled me to attempt alleviation of some of the evils under which the - world suffers, I had observed that even when the manufacturing and - commercial interests of the land were in a fairly prosperous - condition, the farmers did not share in the general bounty, and I - observed that usually the produce of the farmers’ land could only be - sold at such low prices as left them, at the close of the season, a - little more in debt, and much more discouraged. - - The official report of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture for - 1889 exhibited the distressing fact that the corn crop of that State - for that year actually sold for $10,000,000 less than it cost to - produce it, and conditions since then have only slightly improved. - Even as I write, there are thousands of families all over the land, - not merely in a few localities where the crops have failed, but on the - virgin prairies of Dakota, on the rich soil of the Mississippi - bottoms, and in the fertile valleys of Virginia, who are in distress, - not because they have been idle or dissolute, but because their last - crops did not sell for enough to pay the cost of their production and - transportation to market, including interest at six, eight, and ten - per cent per annum on the value of the land. - - Low prices, according to all standard writers on political economy, - are the direct results of a contracting currency, and a consequent - increasing scarcity of money, and the cost of production is not only - greatly increased by inability of the producer to obtain money except - at high rates of interest, but the terms upon which money can be had - at all are often so exacting as to discourage permanent improvement. - The farmer will not cultivate except for immediate crops if he sees no - hopeful outlook for the future, and not only fears but expects that - the mortgage he has given will, in the end, cause his home to be - transferred to a purchaser at sheriff’s sale. - - The yield of the Morning mine has already largely increased the volume - of standard money all over the world, and this may do much toward - removing some of the unfortunate conditions to which I have referred; - but such yield may also have a tendency to discourage the loaning of - money on long loans, for men who have means to invest may prefer to - place them in property, the value of which must advance with the - increase of the volume of money, rather than in loans, the value of - which must remain stationary absolutely, and cannot but diminish - relatively. - - It has been and will continue to be my purpose to use the gold - produced at the Morning mine, either in the purchase of existing - loans, or the making of new loans, so that whatever of loss may come - from diminution of the purchasing power of a dollar may fall not - altogether upon those who have loaned money, but in part upon those - who have deliberately or accidentally caused such increase. I suggest - that if such increase in the currency be caused by the government, a - similar moral obligation would rest upon it. - - The addition of $2,400,000,000 to the currency of the country will - unquestionably largely increase all values. It will at the same time - encourage—nay, almost compel—capital to seek investment in active - industries rather than in dormant funds. For the present it will - supply those who can use money to advantage with a sure and convenient - method of obtaining it at a cheap rate of interest, while its ultimate - tendency must be to eliminate interest on money from the world’s - transactions, and bring money to what I conceive to be its true - function—a measurer of values only. - - When no interest can be obtained for the use of money, then money will - cease to be the most valuable and become the least valuable form of - property, and the investor will be required to share the risk, if not - the labor, of producing values, instead of leaving this to others, - while he absorbs the profits to himself. - - I believe that civilization is ready for this forward step. The - discovery of gold enough to compel it may have precipitated the - movement, but the movement would have come all the same if the Morning - mine had never been discovered. - - There is not a single benefit which the donation of twenty-four - hundred millions of gold will confer upon the people of the United - States that might not equally be conferred by an act of Congress - providing for the issuance and loaning of the same number of paper - dollars, not based upon gold at all. - - The credit of this great government used for the purpose of - accommodating the business, increasing the resources, and stimulating - the industrial activity of this great people, and, supported by the - indestructible and undepreciable security of land, would be quite as - solid a basis for twenty hundred millions of paper dollars as five - thousand tons of yellow metal. - - I am, Mr. President, your obedient servant, - DAVID MORNING. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - “The product of ill-mated marriages.” - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, November 1, 1895. - -DEAREST MOTHER: What an insufferable egotist I must appear to you. A -life made up of local coloring—a central figure with no accessories—a -record of ways and means unwisely, perhaps, submitted to you, since they -may only pain you. Better a gray and monotonous sea, without sail or -sound, if so I could spare you the burden of apprehension which every -anxious mother must feel for a destiny she has helped to direct. -Following the train of argument, think you the loving Father acquits -himself of responsibility when a helpless soul is launched for eternity? -Truly no! and this conviction sustains my courage, and makes me unafraid -to do my heart’s bidding. - -It has been an observation that the thing we most condemn in others, we -shall find in ourselves. Many years ago I conceived a prejudice against -the popular cry concerning the wrongs of woman, a movement affirmatively -named “woman’s rights,” for while it undoubtedly aided some women in -obtaining justice, its aim was largely the gratification of some -hysterical ambition or some love of conspicuousness. - -Thus I am brought to question if, in my individual case, I am not -exaggerating evils and magnifying wrongs by placing them under the -strong light, if not of worldly criticism, at least of self-love and -secret pride; if, instead of dealing soberly and wisely with flesh and -blood, I am not following an ideal, or whether my matrimonial point of -view is not interrupted by such inappreciable angles as seldom vex the -eye of faith and perfect love. - -All these questions, and many more, I wish to make clear to my own -conscience and your mind, that you may be able to advise me when, if -ever, the time shall come for me to ask your loving counsel. - -To speak more personally, I conclude, after mentally reviewing the -characteristics peculiar to my husband, the baron, that his faults are -less of malice than of temperament, and that he would not really -sacrifice any actual interest of his wife, not even her permanent peace -of mind, any more than I would compromise those of the baron. If it were -not so, I could less well afford the many hours of thought I give toward -the fashioning of apologies for him, lest in my own mind I do him an -injustice. - -But, so believing, I must take many things on trust, and, after all, I -am full of faults myself, no doubt of it. You know it is a popular -theory over here that American girls must be broken like bronco horses -before they are fit for wives, and I must say that my own mouth is a -little tender to the foreign bit already. - -We have invitations to a grand ball, although I have not yet seen them. -Kindest love to papa, and a heart full of devotion for you, as always. -When will you write to tell me you are coming to your affectionate -daughter - - ELLEN. - - - _From Mrs. Perces Thornton to the Baroness Von Eulaw._ - - BOSTON, November 10, 1895. - - _To my daughter, the Baroness Von Eulaw._ - -DEARLY BELOVED CHILD: In these revolutionary times, the air thick with -maledictions and curses, “the putrid breath of poverty, and the beetling -brow of labor,” to quote the press, hot with greed for the ground they -are slowly but surely losing—in these times I say, I am thankful that -you, my child, are resting in the security of strong and wise rule. - -There seems to be no end to the vindictiveness of the common people -here. Your father, as you are aware, is president of the new Aerial -Navigation Company, and, although, as he says, his policy is -unaggressive, and his weight of counsel unswervingly in the direction of -the interests of the poor and the laboring classes, they seem determined -to make the breach as wide as possible, and go so far as even to demand -a division of the proceeds of every enterprise, based upon the labor of -either brawn or brain, and insolently propose to tax the companies to -the extent of what they call their “labor investment.” - -What nonsense! It makes me so mad I don’t know what to do. Papa says—he -is always so conservative, you know—that the poor fellow who effected -the invention of air navigation, really ought to have been paid better -for it, but that he was a genius, with no common sense—none of them -have, you know—and nearly starved, at that; that there is a man out -West, whose name I have not heard, who is going to make it very warm for -men concerned in such transactions as this, which he denounces as -highway robbery, and in a short speech, wherein he maintained that labor -was as much a factor and an investment as capital, in all successful -enterprise, he called one Jack Spratt, and the other Jack Spratt’s wife, -which simile pleased me immensely. We don’t know where it is going to -end, but hope for the best. - -Now, my darling, I want to say how gratified I am at the contents of -your last letter. In it I discern a spirit of what Christians call -humility, very consistent and very encouraging, considering the noble -personage whom you are so lucky as to have captured by your charms and -graces alone, for of course your fortune had nothing whatever to do with -it. - -If your husband were an American, I would advise you to stand up for -your rights. American husbands, uxorious though they are, and they have -earned the name, bring you no title, have no legitimate entrée to -foreign courts, and even the most stupendous fortunes only inoculate and -leave a scar. Really, the only clean business is an out and out -marriage, love or no love, though, for the matter of that, one must feel -toward the dear baron as the hero-worshiping woman said concerning the -wife of Henry Ward Beecher, that she ought to be proud to bow her head -and allow the great divine to pluck every individual hair out by the -roots. “A most touching test of devotion,” I hear you say. - -Do write, my dear, and tell me all the court gossip. Since the -California practice of shooting obnoxious editors has been introduced in -Boston, there has grown up a virtual censorship of the press hereabouts, -and the newspapers are as dull as death. Every woman’s character is kept -in a glass case, and one would suppose the men graduated from a -meetinghouse. In fact, the reading public who lived upon scandals are -dying of _ennui_, hence, I have no news to write you to-day. Present me -with continued assurance of high respect to the baron, and receive, -yourself, my undying love. - - As ever, - PERCES THORNTON. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, November 20, 1895. - -MY DEAR MOTHER: The grand ball, the mention of which seems to catch your -fancy, is to be given at the Chateau d’Or, a magnificent edifice on the -heights overlooking the river. Its turrets, and domes, and roofs, and -arches, and balustrades, glitter against the background of bluest skies -like shining gold—hence its name. Indeed, its architectural device is so -cunningly conceived as to catch and fill the eye with radiant color like -the facets of a diamond, while its proportions suggest all the beauties -of form to be found in the scale of harmonized effects. - -It is just completed, and is a wonder. Its occupants are not much talked -about; indeed, I do not even know who they are, though I fancy the baron -does, for I recall that he replied curtly to my question concerning -them, that I should not wish to know them, by which I fancied they might -be Americans. - -Neither can I give you any idea of the bidden guests, although, of -course, it promises to be a magnificent affair. As you know, in -compliance with custom, I could, in no event, make excuse for -non-appearance with my husband. Such women as accept their titles and -position from their lords, are expected to follow, unquestioning, his -leadership through all social labyrinths, and I am no exception to the -rule. - -Dear mother, forgive me, if I say I feel very disinclined to these -gayeties. Since our experiences at Mentone, I decided to give over all -control of the exchequer into the hands of the baron, accepting only a -regular stipend. I find this the only means of securing harmony and -altercations weary and depress me overmuch. Wherefore it is I have lost -interest in handsome toilets, and therefor it is I shall have nothing -new for the occasion. - -Did papa receive my letter acknowledging and thanking him for his -munificent gift? and does it occur to you that it is a good deal of -money to invest in methods of pacification? But what is the remedy? This -is a question I am puzzling my head about to a much larger extent, let -me say, than about what I shall wear to the ball. - -The baron dines at home to-day, so I will close, in order not to be a -moment late. You see I am growing to be a model wife, if not a heroic -woman. I see the baron from my window beating a poor dwarf, at the -entrance of the alley. He has lost at play. In haste and love, dear -ones, adieu. - - Faithfully your own, ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton._ - - BERLIN, December 2, 1895. - -DEAR MOTHER: Is there but one depth for a creature like him I call -husband? What mockery in a name! What have I suffered for him, and what -concealed in my pride! And this is my reward!—To have been made the dupe -of a dastardly plot to ensnare cowardly victims! to have sullied my -skirts with the dust of a usurer’s and gambler’s den! to have my name -blazoned side by side with the modern Cora Pearls in every court journal -in Europe! to have been led into the lair blindly, by one who is sworn -to be my protector! to have followed in faith the man who could load the -dice of his self-imposed despair, with a wife’s dishonor! - -But I must remember that all this is a riddle to you, and must read like -the ravings of a maddened brain, so I will give you the story of my -shame and rage, albeit it has probably already been telegraphed over two -continents. Verily, it is too sweet a morsel to escape the newspapers. - -As I believe I mentioned to you, invitations were issued for a ball, to -be given at the Chateau d’Or. I noticed that the occurrence was making -rather a stir, and especially that the baron was unwontedly nervous over -the event, insomuch that when I proposed sending regrets, he fell into a -violent rage, and declared that I would ruin him, past and future. -Naturally, I did not comprehend his meaning, but, seeming to take it so -much to heart, I readily consented to accompany him, asking no further -questions. - -Arrived at the place of what later proved to be a scene of the most -disgraceful orgies, we entered the salon, and instantly my heart misgave -me. There was present a mixed assemblage of people, among them a few -whom I had met in the best circles—a few who seemed equally out of place -with myself—and many of that nondescript quality found in every society, -who defy comment. But not until we were presented to the receiving -party, was my amazement at its climax. I am not yet sufficiently in -possession of myself, to describe the magnificent apartments of the -interior of this most superb mansion. All that wealth could bring from -the uttermost ends of the earth, contributed to the sumptuousness of -these most artistic apartments. No smallest detail had been forgotten in -the programme for this entertainment, even to the grottoes with singing -birds, and floes of ice in seas of wine. - -But the recollection is hateful, and I hurry on. The host was a tall, -sinewy, middle-aged man, with a strongly-marked Hebraic cast of face, -and an oily, obsequious manner, quite at variance with his prominent -features. He greeted us with an air of the most profuse cordiality, and -passed us along to a bevy of much-painted and overdressed, or, rather, -underdressed women, who vied with each other in chattering society -phrases. - -From the first moment, an undeniable air of dissoluteness pervaded the -entire place, and I looked to the baron for an explanation. He pressed -my arm nervously, and politely warned me to hold my tongue. There was no -mistaking the animus of this party. It was revelry, riot, unrestraint. -Answering a sign from the host, the baron soon left my side, and joined -the convivialists, I being politely led to the main salon, where there -was dancing. - -Pleading indisposition, I declined to take part, and remained aside -observing the dancers. I noticed that many of the women were singularly -lovely and exquisitely attired, but generally lacking in grace of -movement and aplomb. I observed, also, groups of women, some of them -deathly pale, others flushed with indignation, evidently discussing the -situation, and the truth slowly dawned upon me that these were women of -the demi-monde, and that I had been tricked into an attendance upon this -reception. - -After two or three attempts I succeeded in bringing the baron to my -side, much the worse for wine but quite docile. I demanded to be led to -my dressing-room, and at first he temporized. Finding me insistent, he -begged me to remain, promising to be among the first to depart at the -proper hour. His conduct was unusually conciliatory, and when I referred -to the character of the entertainment, his manner was full of conscious -guilt, while he assured me that he would explain everything later, but -that he dared not precipitate a scene by taking me home. - -At this juncture Count Volenfeldt, whom we knew, accompanied by the -Prince of Waldeck, came our way, and, saluting, faced us, and, remarking -somewhat satirically upon the unexpected numbers in attendance, gave me -an opportunity to ask if his wife were present. - -“The countess is not here to-night,” replied the count, a little dryly. -“She is not well.” - -“And my wife is here,” put in the prince bluffly, “but she will not be -longer than till I shall have made my way through this crush.” - -“Let us join the prince’s party and leave this place at once,” said I. - -Meanwhile the music had for the moment ceased, and loud laughing and -shrill voices, mingled with smoother tones and words of entreaty, were -heard, and there was a simultaneous movement toward the dressing-rooms -and places of exit. Suddenly word came back that the doors were locked, -and the frightened lackeys had fled from their posts, with orders that -no one should be allowed to leave the house. Then followed a scene of -consternation and confusion,—wives demanding redress from their -husbands, and husbands denouncing the violation of hospitality by their -host, and through all the din the guttural tones and the piping taunts -of the unsainted. - -Presently the tall form of Herr Rosenblatt showed, a head above the -crowd, adding to his length the height of a fauteuil, upon which he -balanced, with a drunken man’s nicety of poise, for he was drunk but -coherent. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, “we have met together, as we have met before, for -the purpose of proving which man among us has the staying qualities, and -who is willing to risk his money in this little game. You come to me and -say, ‘Open your doors, my lady wishes to go,’ but how many of you dare -to go when I say to those who will go, ‘To-morrow I shall expose you, -to-morrow you will sign over your estates to me, to-morrow you shall be -ruined and I shall be winner.’ I did not make this party for your -money—nor that you shall play, at my tables and lose, for that you have -already done, but one thing I want which money will not buy,—social -recognition,—and that you shall give me. You will not leave my house, -gentlemen, till morning. The ladies will not talk about this -entertainment. It is too beautiful; they will not attempt to describe -it. Now, gentlemen, I bid you to stay and I shall make myself sure that -you enjoy yourself. These remarks make it long for the champagne to -wait, and the ladies, poor things, will be wanting refreshments. And -such refreshments! Oh, _mon Dieu_, that the gods could sup with us,” and -the speaker was helped caressingly to the floor. - -My dear scandalized mother, what did I do? I, an American girl, with the -blood of heroes in my veins? Why, I remained and supped and smiled with -the others, for not a man even tried the doors. Thereafter there was no -restraint. It was, as I have said, a night of orgies. Each man felt that -he was no more deeply involved than his neighbor, and that Herr -Rosenblatt had told the truth when he said to all, that he held their -fates in his fist, otherwise they would not have been there. - -He was right, the affair was not talked about except among themselves. -But some mischievous astral,—some ubiquitous spirit of a reporter,—was -floating about, and before twenty-four hours had elapsed, the court -journals had published an account of the whole affair, comments -included. - -Dearest mother, this letter is long, and I can write no more to-night. I -have decided upon nothing so far. So soon as I have done so, I will -write, but I must have time for reflection. In tears and love adieu. - - As ever yours, ELLEN. - - - _From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Professor John Thornton._ - -BERLIN, December 5, 1895. - -MY DEAR, DARLING PAPA: I have your telegram telling me to come home -without delay, also message for the American Minister in case I should -need it, as well as that to my banker. Wise and loving provisions all, -for my fortune is squandered, my home dishonored, and my heart more than -broken, in that I perfidiously assumed to give a love which was not mine -to give, and if I had obeyed my first impulse I should have been on the -way to your arms, and to the dear old hearth I so thoughtlessly -deserted. But can you understand me when I say that all this I have -brought upon myself? I was not a child; I had a fitting experience and -was of sound judgment. I knew I did not love this man as it was in me to -love, indeed, I felt for him neither the admiration nor esteem which -must form the basis of genuine passion. I respected, aye, coveted his -position, his title, and I brought myself feebly to hope that some day I -should be a devoted wife. I staked my future, as he staked my fortune, -and lost. If the money was not his own to lose, neither was my heart -mine to lose. - -One other test I have applied, and the result is in his favor. If I did -love the baron as I might love another, would I be so ready with my -revenge?—Verily, no; I would wear my life out in the effort to cancel or -correct the wrong against myself. Sacrifice is the residue found in -love’s crucible; passion is the flux which passes off in the process of -retorting. In my crucible, alas! I find nothing but dross—the more the -pity. - -And so I have decided to remain in Berlin for the present. I am -sketching out my plans for the future, but they are crude and unformed, -and are of a sort of lighthouse quality, meant to warn people of the -rocky places. But more of this anon. Tell my mother, dearest papa, how -condemned I feel to give her so much agony on my account. Don’t worry; I -will be quite happy now that my mind is settled. Possibly we shall come -over in a few weeks, but only possibly. I am sorry I wrote my last to -mamma with so much feeling. Good-night, and good-by. - - Your devoted, ELLEN. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - “Happy peace and goodly government.” - - -“Shut that door!” thundered the baron from over the washbowl in a -Pullman car, as he stood half-dressed in a small apartment, taking his -morning bath. - -“Who are you addressin’?” answered a pale-faced young man—who was -passing—from under a broad, stiff-brimmed hat, the crown of which was -encircled with the skin of a huge rattlesnake. “I reckon you want your -nose set back about an inch anyhow, and I’m the man that can perform -that little blacksmithin’ job right here.” - -The baron glanced at the gray-clad figure, with its gleaming silk -’kerchief knotted carelessly, and arms akimbo, then down at the high -boots with their fair-leather tops, behind which gleamed the ebony and -silver handle of a bowie knife, and then, meeting the steady, mild blue -eyes of the Arizona cowboy, said apologetically:— - -“Beg pardon. I thought it was the madam. She just left the compartment.” - -“You did, did you?” said the youth. “That’s what I allowed, en that’s -why I tuk an interest in ye. Look a yer. That woman ain’t no slouch, and -Gila monsters like you ain’t popular nohow, yearabouts, so you jest keep -a civil tongue in your mutton head, an’ it’ll be all right.” And with -the movement of a leopard, he glided quietly away, while the baron, -after softly closing the door, sank into the nearest sofa, and awaited -the return of his wife. - -“Benson,” shouted the keen-eyed brakeman. “Change cars for Tombstone, -Nogales, Hermosillo, Guaymas, and all points on the Gulf of California. -Passengers for Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San -Francisco remain in the car.” - -The baron’s party consisted of the baroness and her maid, Professor and -Mrs. Thornton, Doctor Eustace, who had accompanied the Von Eulaws from -Europe, and Miss Winters, an old friend of the baroness and a graduate -of a woman’s law school, who had left a thriving practice in Denver -rather than sacrifice her life in the pursuit of a profession for which -no woman is really fitted either mentally or physically. The party was -_en route_ to Coronado Beach—the baron as one of a score of -representatives selected by the emperor of Germany to attend the -“dynamic exposition,” as it was generally designated. - -Six weeks or less before the Prime Minister of every recognized -civilized power had received a letter couched in the following phrase. - - OFFICES OF DAVID MORNING, } - 39 Broadway, N.Y., January 1, 1896. } - - To ................ - - I respectfully invite your government to appoint so many - representatives, not exceeding twenty in number, as it may desire, to - be present in San Diego, California, during the first week of April - _proximo_, to observe and report upon experiments which will then be - made in aerial and submarine navigation, and use of the new explosive - “potentite.” It is my hope to demonstrate that hereafter international - differences should be submitted for adjustment to a Congress or Court - of Nations, and that land and naval warfare—as at present - conducted—must come to an end. - - The gentlemen who may be credentialed by you will be my guests upon - their arrival in San Diego—if they will so honor me—and I beg to be - informed at your early convenience, by cable, of the names of those - who may be expected. - - I take the liberty of inclosing exchange on London for twenty thousand - pounds, to defray such expenses as your government may incur in - complying with my request. - - I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, - - DAVID MORNING. - -The fame of Morning, as the greatest wealth owner in the world, was now -coextensive with civilization, and his invitation had been promptly and -generally accepted. The Emperor Wilhelm II. chose for the German -delegation, five of his most distinguished field marshals, five high -officials of the German navy, five great civil engineers, and five -members of the diplomatic corps. Among the latter was the Baron Von -Eulaw, who was indebted for his appointment—although he did not know -it-to an urgent unofficial representation made by the American envoy to -the German Chancellor, to the effect that, for certain personal reasons, -Mr. David Morning greatly desired the attendance of the Baron and -Baroness Von Eulaw. Such a request from such a source was favorably -considered, and the baron—greatly to his astonishment, for he had not -been in favor at court since the affair at the Chateau d’Or—received the -appointment. - -Professor Thornton and Doctor Eustace had received invitations to -attend, and the baron, finding it convenient to leave Berlin in advance -of the other members of the German delegation, sailed from Hamburg late -in January, and, after a brief visit with his wife’s parents at Roxbury, -the party journeyed to the Pacific Coast, to enjoy its climate and -scenery for a month or more in advance of the “dynamic exposition.” - -“I feel,” said the baroness, as the train rolled out of Benson, “as if I -had a renewed lease of life; these delicious airs stir the blood like -wine, and, entranced with the perfume of almond and oleander and jasmine -bloom, I forget that it is still midwinter in the East.” - -“You are drugged, madame,” said the doctor, slowly passing his finger -scrutinizingly over the soft flesh upon his hand. “You could be lured to -your death in a few hours by—I wonder what ails my hand?” he broke off -meditatively, still feeling for the insidious and evasive little hair. - -“Cactus, sir,” put in an “old-timer” across the car, “and you ain’t got -no use to look for it, if it does feel like an oxgad. I could hev tole -you when I see you foolin’ around them fine flowers at the station, but -you fellers hev all got to try it once; another time you’ll know -better.” - -“This is Mr. Morning’s state, I believe,” observed the doctor, after the -laugh at his expense had subsided, and all sat dreamily looking away to -the dimly-outlined mountains in the distance, “and we must be nearing -the place of the wonderful gold deposit, with the results of which he is -rapidly revolutionizing the world.” - -“You are right, sir,” said a bright-eyed, smooth-shaven, portly -gentleman, of forty years of age, who occupied an adjoining seat. “It is -Morning’s state in every sense of the word. He has made it—industrially, -politically, and socially. His enterprise and money have constructed -great reservoirs, and laced the land with irrigating canals, and changed -its wastes into orchards, and its deserts into lawns. He is the idol of -its people, as he ought to be, and his ideas are embodied in our -constitution and laws. They are all the product of his thought, from -marriage contract-laws to abolition of trial by jury.” - -“Abolition of trial by jury,” said Doctor Eustace. - -“Yes, sir; at least the jury is composed of judges, instead of men who -don’t know the plaintiff from the defendant, and we have no Supreme -Court.” - -“No jury, and no Supreme Court!” observed Miss Winters. “What a capital -idea. I shall come here to practice.” - -“Well, miss, if you practice law here, and wish to patronize the twelve -men in a box, or enjoy the luxury of an appeal, you must bring your case -in the United States Court, or take it there. In our State courts we -have dispensed with all that ancient rubbish.” - -“Rubbish!” exclaimed the doctor. - -“Even so,” rejoined the stranger. “The judicial system in vogue -elsewhere than in Arizona is as much a relic of barbarism as slavery or -polygamy. It is no more fitted to the wants and enlightenment of the age -than the canal boat for traveling, or the flint lock musket for shooting -pigeons. Suppose you wish to recover a piece of land from a jumper in -California or Maine, and one side or the other demands a jury trial. -Every good citizen who is busy shirks duty as a juryman. Every -intelligent citizen who reads the newspapers forms an opinion and is -excused. From the residue—which is sure to contain both fools and -knaves—you get twelve clerks, mechanics, laborers, merchants, farmers, -and idlers—none of whom have any training in untangling complicated -propositions, weighing evidence, remembering principles of law and -logic, and according to each fact its just and relative importance. - -“After these twelve men have listened to a muddle of testimony, -objections, law papers, and speeches, concluding with bewildering -instructions, which half of them fail to remember, and the other half -fail to understand, they retire to the jury room and guess out a -verdict. The losing party appeals, and, after wearisome delay, the -Supreme Court decides that ‘someone has blundered,’ and, without -attempting to correct the error by a proper judgment, sends the case -back for another trial, another batch of blunders, and another appeal.” - -“And how does your Arizona system correct the evils you depict?” queried -the doctor. - -“We commence at the other end of the puzzle,” said the stranger. “We -place the Supreme Court in the jury box. We have a preliminary court of -three judges in each judicial district. Every plaintiff must first -present his case informally to this court. He states on oath the facts -he expects to prove, and gives the names of his witnesses. Any willful -mis-statement of a material fact, is perjury. If the evidence would, if -uncontradicted, entitle him to recover, an order is issued giving him -leave to sue. In practice, not one-half of the proposed suits survive -the ordeal. The saving of time and money is great. Under the old system, -after a jury had been impaneled, and days consumed, the plaintiff might, -after all, be nonsuited. Now it is all disposed of in an hour or two. -The preliminary court practically puts an end to all blackmailing -litigation.” - -“And when leave to sue is granted, what is the next step?” inquired the -doctor. - -“The case is brought under the same rules of procedure as of old,” -replied the stranger, “with only such changes as were necessary to adapt -litigation to the new conditions. We have three judicial districts in -the State, and nine judges for each district. Upon questions of law -arising during the trial, the judges pass by a majority vote, and in -making the final decision, from which there is no appeal, seven judges -must concur.” - -“Does this system satisfy litigants?” asked the doctor. - -“Much better than the old method,” replied the stranger. “What honest -litigant would not prefer to have his rights determined by nine men, who -were trained to sift truth from error, who were honest and just, and -without other duties to distract them, rather than by twelve men such as -ordinarily find their way into the jury box? The judgment of seven out -of nine judges will be as nearly right as human conclusions can well be, -and people affected by it are better satisfied—even when they lose—than -by the guess of a stupid and sleepy jury.” - -“Can the courts you have organized attend to all the business?” asked -the doctor. - -“Easily,” was the rejoinder. “No time is consumed in procuring juries, -and much less in objections to testimony. Arguments are abbreviated, and -instructions eliminated. In practice, four cases out of five are decided -from the bench.” - -“Are not the salaries of so many judges a heavy tax upon you?” asked the -doctor. - -“The system costs the public treasury less than the old one,” was the -reply. “Many court expenses are dispensed with, and the expense to -litigants is reduced, although the loser is now compelled to pay the fee -of his opponent’s attorney, which is fixed by the court.” - -“As you have no court of appeals, I suppose no record is made of court -proceedings,” remarked the doctor. - -“Oh, yes, each court room is provided with one of the new automatic -noiseless receiving and printing phonographs.” - -“And how about lawyers who have bad cases?” - -“They endeavor to take them into the United States Court, where the old -practice prevails.” - -“Beg pardon, ma’am,” said the Pullman conductor, approaching Mrs. -Thornton, “but we are passing over the new line, which runs north of -Gila River, and a view may be had of the sleeping Montezuma now, and the -passengers generally like to see it.” - -“The sleeping Montezuma! What is that?” asked the lady addressed. - -“It is the giant figure of an Indian resting on his back on the top of -the mountain. You can see it now quite plainly from the right-hand -windows of the car.” - -And across the plain—in centuries gone densely peopled by some -prehistoric race, and then for centuries a waste, and, since the -completion of the Gila Canal, a checker-board of orchard, vineyard, and -meadow, the eye looked upon the lavender-tinted mountains to the -northward, and it required no aid from the imagination to behold, upon -the summits of those mountains, the profile of a stately figure and -majestic face, with a crown of feathers upon the brow, lying upon its -back. - -Once there lived, in the shadow of this giant, a race, of which traces -may still be found in mounds containing pottery, and in the ruins of -great aqueducts, and in stone houses seven stories in height, a portion -of the walls of which are still standing. - -“The Indians hereabouts have a story,” said the conductor, “to the -effect that Montezuma went to sleep, when the sun dried up the waters, -and his people died, and they say now that Morning’s canal is making the -country green again, the old chief will awaken.” - -“You were saying,” said Doctor Eustace, by way of suggestion to the -stranger, “that there are some peculiar marriage contract laws here.” - -“It is all expressed, sir, in the preamble to the law, and in the law -itself, a copy of which I happen to have with me, as I am on the way to -attend court at Yuma. Here it is,” and he offered the book to Professor -Thornton. - -“Read it aloud, professor,” said the doctor, and the professor read:— - -“The Senate and Assembly of the State of Arizona recognizes the truth -that not easy divorce laws, but easy marriage laws, are at the root of -the conjugal evil; that men and women have been accustomed to marry, -disagree, and divorce in less time than should have been allowed for a -proper period of betrothal; that the loose system now prevailing often -results in children destitute of the inherent virility of virtue and -affection; that no adequate defenses have hitherto been builded for the -protection of young females too unthoughtful and too trusting; that the -laws underlying the physical as well as the mental constitution, with -their multiple of subtile, gravitating, and repellant forces, have -hitherto been wholly unstudied, or disregarded; that the arbitrary -conditions of society compel woman to accept marriage, in violation of -her higher aims; that in certain human organizations the conditions -created by propinquity are altogether false and ephemeral; that certain -other human organizations are, by nature, filled with inordinate vanity -and self-love, which qualities, beguiling the judgment, constitute -fickleness and instability of purpose, and that the true solution of the -great social problem is likely to be found in preventive rather than in -remedial laws. Therefore, be it enacted”— - -“Hold up, John,” said Dr. Eustace. “That is all my mentality can -assimilate without a rest. Are you not reading from an essay by Mona -Caird, or a novel by Tolstoi? Is that really and truly the preamble of a -law enacted by a Western Legislature? Have all the cranks, and all the -theorists, and all the moonstruck, long-haired, green-goggled reformers -on earth, been turned loose in Arizona?” - -“Doctor,” said the professor solemnly, “the truth is a persistent fly, -that cannot be brushed away with the wisps of ridicule. The Arizona -legislators have fearlessly attempted to deal with conditions which -every close observer of our social life knows to be existent.” - -“Papa,” said the baroness, interestedly, “in what way is it proposed to -deal with the problem? Please read further.” - -“The law is too lengthy,” said the professor, after glancing over a few -pages, “to be read in detail, but I will summarize it for you. Marriages -are declared void unless the parties procure a license, which can only -be issued by an examining board of men and women, composed in part of -physicians, and in part of graduates of some reputable school, dedicated -to physiological observations and esoteric thought and investigation.” - -“Anything about ability to boil a potato or sew on a button?” -interrupted the doctor. - -“Peace, scoffer,” said the professor. “It seems to be required that all -applicants for license shall have had an acquaintance of at least one -year, and be under marriage engagement for six months, and shall pass -examination by the board upon their mutual eligibility, as expressed -through temperament, complexion, tastes, education, traits of character, -and general conditions of fitness.” - -“Is red hair, or a habit of snoring, or a fondness for raw onions, -considered a disqualification?” queried the doctor. - -The professor, ignoring the interruption, continued: “It is required -that one or both of the applicants shall possess property of sufficient -value, to support both of them for one year, in the manner of life to -which the proposed wife has been accustomed.” - -“A gleam of common sense at last in a glamour of moonshine,” said the -doctor. “But how can such a marriage law be enforced?” - -“The act provides,” said the professor, “that children born to parties -who have no license, shall be deemed born out of wedlock, and all such -children, as well as all children born to extreme poverty or degrading -influences, may be taken from their parents and educated at the public -expense.” - -“How does this experiment of turning the State into a moral kindergarten -for adults, and wet-nursery for infants, succeed?” said Doctor Eustace -to the stranger. - -“The law was enacted only a few weeks since,” replied the gentleman, -“and it is too soon to answer your question.” - -“Humph! have you any more of such revolutionary legislation?” - -“Nothing so important as the marriage contract act, but on page 72 you -will find some provisions of law which may interest you.” - -The doctor read:— - -“Women who perform equal service with men shall be entitled to recover -an equal sum for their labor, and all contracts made in derogation of -this right shall be void.” - -“Good!” applauded Miss Winters. - -Again the doctor read:— - -“The men who represent the State of Arizona in the United States Senate -shall be chosen by a majority of the voters, and not by the Legislature, -as in other States of the Union, and no man, however favored, shall be -eligible for the position whose property interests, justly estimated, -exceed in value the sum of $100,000.” - -“That will exclude Mr. Morning from the millionaires’ club, will it -not?” queried Dr. Eustace. - -“Yes, sir,” answered the stranger, “but he favored the law. Of course, -under the United States Constitution, this section is not legally -operative; but it is morally binding, and the Legislature has always -elected to the Senate gentlemen who were previously designated by the -people at the polls, and thus far no man suspected of solvency has -ventured to be a candidate. Arizona is friendly to progressive -legislation. You will find our law for the prevention of cruelty to -animals on page 56; it may interest you.” - -The professor read:— - -“Any person or persons convicted of having beaten, abused, underfed, -overworked, or otherwise maltreated any horse, mule, dog, or other -animal of whatever kind, may thereafter be assaulted and beaten by any -person who may desire to undertake such task, without the assailant -being responsible civilly or criminally for such assault.” - -“That,” said the doctor, “to quote a Boston girl on Niagara Falls, ‘is -neat, simple, and sufficient.’ Have you any further novelties in the way -of legislation to offer?” - -“Our law of libel is in advance of all other states,” said the stranger; -“you will find it on page 163.” - -The professor read:— - -“Any man or woman or newspaper firm lending themselves to the -dissemination of scandal, or defamation of private character, to the -moral detriment of innocent parties, shall, on conviction, be adjudged -outlaws, and may be lawfully beaten or killed at the pleasure of the -party injured.” - -“Lord,” said the doctor, piously raising his eyes, “now lettest thou thy -servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have beheld thy glory.” - -“We take a great deal of pride in that libel law,” said the stranger. -“It has inspired a degree of courtesy on the part of Arizona editors -that would have made Lord Chesterfield ashamed of himself. The Yuma -_Sentinel_, which was accustomed to personal journalism, lately alluded -to a convicted highwayman as ‘a gentleman whose ideas on the subject of -property differ from those of a majority of his fellow-citizens;’ and -the Tucson Star, which used to be the chief of slangwhangers, reviewed a -sermon and spoke of Judas Iscariot as ‘that disciple whose conduct in -receiving compensation in money from the Romans for his services as a -guide, has caused his memory to be visited by all religious -denominations with great, and probably not altogether undeserved, -criticism.’ But we are at Yuma, sir, and I must bid you good-by. Boats -run up the river from here to Castle Dome. There is an excellent hotel -here. Tourists usually stop over to visit the Gonzales place, and I -suppose you will not neglect the opportunity. The house is a marvel of -beauty. It was built by direction of Mr. Morning.” - -“Does he live there when at home?” queried the baroness. - -“Oh, no, madame! The Gonzales family nursed Morning through an attack of -fever, after he was shot by the Apaches near the old Gonzales hacienda -several years ago. The Señorita Murella never left his bedside for -weeks. Really, the doctors say the girl saved his life. He was, -naturally, very grateful, and, when he recovered, he bought the Castle -Dome rancheria from the Indians, and had a rock tunnel run into the -Colorado River, and took out the water and carried it in irrigating -canals over a thousand acres of land, which he had planted in oranges, -lemons, vines, olives, and other fruit. It will pay a princely revenue -to the Gonzales people in a few years. - -“Morning ordered built upon the dome overlooking the river the most -beautiful marble palace on the coast, and they say it is not surpassed -anywhere on earth. The whole business must have cost him several -millions, but money is nothing to him. The place is kept up in princely -style by the Señora Gonzales and her daughter. They entertain a great -deal of company, and are always delighted to welcome strangers who may -visit the place.” - -“And I suppose that Aladdin is a constant visitor at his palace?” -sneered the baron. - -“Morning? Oh, no; strangely enough, he has never been near the place -since its completion, two years ago! Too busy, I suppose, helping the -world out of the mud. But he is on the coast now, preparing for his -‘dynamite exposition,’ and may put in an appearance here.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - “A hospitable gate unbarred to all.” - - -“All aboard for Castle Dome,” and the baron’s party filed up the -carpeted gang plank, and looked smilingly about them. - -“I have often heard of the sumptuousness of the Mississippi steamers, -now grown traditional, but this exceeds even their reputation,” -commented Miss Winters. - -“This is the Morning line, madame,” answered the gaudily-dressed steward -boastfully, “and they do nothing by halves, you know,” and he pompously -led the way to the ladies’ saloon. - -“Except by half millions,” returned the doctor jocosely. - -“These steamers were built for the accommodation of the people who came -to the World’s Fair at Chicago,” explained the steward. “Morning’s a -queer sort of fellow”—and he grew confidential. “He could have brought -his air ships and new-fangled things, such as he had on exhibition at -the fair, but he wouldn’t. He said it was kind o’ throwing off on -nature, that God never made but one Colorado River, and he for one -hadn’t the brass to discount it.” - -“Do you have many visitors belonging to the nobility?” asked Mrs. -Thornton, evidently inclined to change the conversation from its -personal trend. - -“Oh, lots of ’em! There’s a Spanish count and an Italian prince stopping -up at the Gonzales place now. The Italian has been there some time, -making himself solid with the señorita, I reckon. And we are expecting a -party this week, Baron Von Boodle, or some such name, with his -friends”—here the baron rose abruptly and walked out of the saloon—“at -least Mr. Morning telegraphed the captain from San Diego that when this -party arrived he meant to run over here and make his first visit to -Castle Dome, which will be an event, for, after all the millions of -money he has spent on the place, he has never been near it, and -everybody is wondering at it.” - -After a night’s rest at the great Rio Colorado Hotel, built upon the -bluff at Yuma, the party had made an early start, and had been on board -the _Undine_ for some time before the line was thrown in and the steamer -began to move. - -The steward bustled away, and the baroness rose, with a deep breath of -relief, and walked to the mirror. It may have been observed of many -women that any new or sudden sensation or condition or emotion suggests -a looking-glass. Not that they see or are thinking of themselves, but -they seem thus best able to collect their thoughts. So it was with this -woman, only that now she did observe two very bright eyes and a radiant -face, with the swift blood coursing back from her cheeks, across the -smooth white surface of her neck, to the closely-defined growth of -hair—that oracle of beauty which no ugly woman ever wore, whatever her -features. She turned quickly away, and, following the doctor and her -father, the three ladies went out to view the scenery. - -“You observe this bend in the river,” a voice was saying, “where many a -poor fellow has gone to his death, for there swoops the most fatal pool -of eddies, perhaps, to be found in the whole channel of these whimsical -waters.” - -The baroness turned to look for the speaker, whose voice seemed -familiar, and there, under the shade of the awning, in full silhouette, -looking in the face of her husband, with whom he was pleasantly -conversing, stood David Morning. - -Her first thought was to retreat to the saloon and wait for him to -present himself, but as his swift eye swept the deck, he caught sight of -her face, and came quickly over, followed by the baron, saying, as he -cordially took her hand, and held it closely for a long time, “I enjoy -one advantage over you, baron, my acquaintance with the baroness dates -back of yours. I hope she has not forgotten me.” - -The woman made no reply to this remark; she simply said, “How do you do, -Mr. Morning,” and presented him to her friends. - -The brief trip up the river among the cliffs and cascades and whirlpools -and caves and cañons and towering cathedral rocks, furnished prolific -and auspicious topics for conversation, but it need not be said that -neither the baroness nor Mr. Morning knew altogether what they were -talking about. She could not fail to see the pupils of his sea-grey eyes -grow very large when he looked at her, and he in turn observed that she -scarcely looked at him at all. - -The professor talked a little dryly at first, and Mrs. Thornton sat -apart, evidently nursing her chagrin, for Mr. Morning was at this moment -not only the wealthiest but the most famous and powerful man in all the -world, and, had he sought it, could have obtained orders of high -nobility from every crowned head in Europe. The baron, who would have -seen “Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt,” if that brow possessed the -attribute of Midas, looked at the situation from an altogether different -standpoint, and was thinking at what period of the new-formed -acquaintance it would be prudent to ask the loan of a few, or, possibly, -more than a few, thousand pounds. - -Presently the boat rounded into a little cove and stopped. The brief but -eventful journey was over, and the party stepped from the boat to a -flight of marble-flagged steps, leading up to shining floors, out of -which arose columns supporting a light roof in Pagoda style. Easy -swinging seats, with hammocks and tables, with a few racks and stands, -completed the pretty “Rest” for the landing, and the party began to look -about for the path of ascent. - -Suddenly a tinkling sound was heard, and, softly as if it fell from the -clouds, a car, sumptuously carpeted, cushioned, and canopied, appeared -before them. It was, evidently, meant for the accommodation of the -party, and one by one they stepped in. Morning was the last to follow, -and as he came aboard and closed the plate-glass door, it shut with a -tinkle, and the car arose, moving proportionately aslant as the grade of -the terrace—which had been fashioned and grown in the short space of two -years—inclined. - -“My invention works like a charm,” Morning was heard to mutter to the -outer air, as they neared the summit and surveyed the height. The -awe-filling overhanging crags, thousands of centuries old, had been -blasted and chiseled and coaxed into shelves, and steps, and nooks, and -resting-places, softly carpeted with moss, and decorated with growing -ferns and lichens. The wind came down the river and shook the leaves -above their heads, and stirred the birds into a flood of song, and larks -sat upon the twigs and warbled with joy. - -“Only two years,” said Miss Winters, as they stepped from the car; “’tis -not so long in which to make a beautiful world.” - -“It is much more difficult to people it with the right sort,” mused -Morning. - -“The first builders had to try that two or three times, if my memory -serves me,” remarked the doctor. - -“Are these people of the right sort?” asked Mrs. Thornton significantly. - -The baroness shot a quick glance at Morning, and looked over at her -rather too loquacious maternal. - -“I am too much of an ingrate to answer for them,” said Morning, -undismayed. “I only know that I owe them my life, and that I have never -had the grace to come and thank them.” - -They had now arrived at the main entrance to the grounds, and the scene -presented was one of indescribable beauty and splendor. The dazzling -proportions of the structure rose into the air with such exceeding -lightness and grace of outline, melting away against the silvery -softness of the clouds, that it seemed swinging in the ambient air, and -only for the cornices and columns and spires and turrets of onyx and -agate which defined the outlines against the sky, one would look to see -it float away like dissolving views of the Celestial City. The -magnificent dome was rounded with bent and many-colored glasses, the -eloquent figures storying events of history both classic and local, in -pigments not known since the days of Donatello, who went mad because his -figure could not speak. And there, upon its pedestal of purest -alabaster, stood the chaste statue of Psyche, just as Morning had hewn -it out of his captious fancy so long ago, and Cupid opposite, half -eager, half evasive, and restless. Ah, well! and he looked into the -deep, appreciative eyes of the woman by his side, and said not a word. - -Having selected the most thoroughly skilled architects, artists, and -artisans, and no limit having been placed to expenditure, it was evident -that every detail of Morning’s plan had been faithfully executed. But -beyond this his power, or, rather, his supervision or direction, had -ceased. At last it was the estate and home of the Gonzales family and -not his own, and concerning its management, or the manner in which they -should enjoy it, he did not offer even a suggestion. Morning’s -instructions, left with the Bank of California more than two years -before, were to pay all checks signed by the Señora or the Señorita -Gonzales, no matter what amount, and charge them to his account. - -The Gonzales family had taken their good fortune with great equanimity. -Their inclinations led them to a generous and exceedingly promiscuous -hospitality, and they had not hesitated to arrange the ménage of their -household without regard to conventionalities. Instead of the solemn and -ubiquitous functionary at the open door, there was vacancy, while the -party stood upon the tessellated floor of the broad vestibule for -several minutes. - -Presently a young Spaniard in boots and clanking spurs, with -silver-laced sombrero and flaming tie, threw wide the door, and -simultaneously Morning caught a glimpse through an open court of a -female figure leaning upon the rosewood balustrade, mounted with a cable -of silver, which surrounded a corridor, and idly tossing with her fan -the light, half-curling locks of a man who sat upon a low seat, resting -his head against her knee. - -It was only a glance as the sun strikes against the steel, sharply -cutting its way upon the eye, or like the incisive impress of some -exceptional face in passing, whereby one seizes every detail of color -and form, void of conscious effort. It was easy to recognize the -graceful outline of the swaying figure as she sat poised under the -sunlight, and swift and unbidden even as the _coup d’œil_ was, the -senses of David Morning thrilled with gladness. Was it the sight of -Murella again that sent that shaft of ecstasy through his soul? or was -it the all up-building, all-leveling lesson that the Señorita Gonzales -was being amused? - -The arrival of the party had been manifestly unexpected, and no formal -announcement was made, but no sooner had they entered the magnificent -reception hall at one extremity than Señorita Gonzales appeared at the -other. She entered with a movement of the most exquisite grace, robed, -rather than dressed, in a gown of acanthus green satin, flowing in the -back from the half-bared neck to the gold-embroidered border of the -demi-train. The front was gathered at the shoulder and fell with lengths -of creamy lisse to the perfect foot, with its slippers of gold. A -corselet of rich embroideries rounded the waist. The sleeves were -loosely puffed and draped with softest lace to the white and flexible -wrist, while the web-like lace of her mantilla rested lightly upon the -shining coils of her abundant hair. - -As Mr. Morning advanced toward the center of the room to greet his -beautiful hostess, she drew an audible breath, and lifted her -finely-arched brows, but no sign betrayed other emotion. Mr. Morning -presented his friends in the most casual and easy manner, but when the -Baroness Von Eulaw came forward, taller by some inches than the Señorita -Gonzales, and with an exquisite manner was about to speak, the little -hostess, with an air of special affability and simplicity, asked, -showing her small white teeth the while:— - -“To who owe I a the honor of this visite of a noble baroness?” - -It was a bombshell in satin and lace which fell at the feet of Morning, -and for an instant he saw no way to the rescue of the baroness. Then, -rallying, he quickly replied:— - -“To the reputation for hospitality of the fair owner of this house, and -that of her charming family.” - -“I no know if my name travel so long time a,” she rejoined, looking at -Morning. - -The baron then came forward, and, politely holding her fingers, said in -Spanish, “I hope that the Señorita and Señora Gonzales are quite well, -as who should not be in this Italy of rare delights?” - -“Oh, Italy! that is the home of my parteekler friend. He paint Italia, -he sing Italia, and he make me promise for go many times.” - -“That settles it,” Morning muttered sententiously, but no one heard. - -Then the conversation became general, the baroness commenting kindly -upon the encroachments upon the time of the señorita in receiving -curious visitors. - -“Oh,” retorted Murella with pretty nonchalance, “I no care! I lofe amuse -myself,” leading the way to the main saloon. “I haf always parteekler -frent, same as baroness, ess it not?” and she sank indolently into the -cushioned depths of a primrose sofa, waving the baroness to a place -beside her, and leaving the party to make choice of seats. - -A glance at the original design and superb appointments of this interior -suggested the incongruity of hammocks and _ollas_, yet here they were -many times repeated, for “ice is the devil’s nectar,” runs a Spanish -proverb, and the _olla_ has no rival save the mescal jug. - -Every well-to-do Mexican family keeps beneath its roof a corps of female -retainers, who are neither servants nor guests, but something between -the two. They dine—except on occasions—at the family board, and mingle -always at the family gathering, but they assist in the household labors, -and sometimes, though not often, receive a stated money compensation. -They are usually relatives, more or less distant, of the mistress of the -household. The beautiful casa and great wealth of the Gonzales family -had nearly depopulated the neighboring Mexican State of Sonora of all -the needy Alvarados who could claim kinship with the Donna Maria, and a -dozen of these señoritas now appeared shyly at the doors, their -mantillas closely drawn, though the day was warm, and many voices and -excellent music were heard from all quarters of the house and grounds. - -After a few moments the Señora Gonzales, with her brother, Don Manuel -Alvarado, who acted as major-domo of the estate, were presented, but the -señora soon glided away unobserved, leaving her brother to the honors of -guide over the mansion. - -“You are very beautiful,” spoke Murella with apparent naiveté, as they -arose to follow the party who had preceded them. - -The smile of the baroness was tinged with bitterness as she turned to -look into the Madonna face beside her, and ventured to reply. - -“And Señor Morning lofes you like heaven and the angels,” she continued -unctuously. - -“Señorita, you forget that I have a husband.” - -“Is he jealous?” - -“Surely no,” replied the baroness sincerely. - -“Then I no know what you mean a.” - -“I mean that I owe a wife’s duty to the baron,” slowly, with rising -color. - -“And what you owe a to the other fellow?” meaning Morning. - -The baroness was too much confused to speak. - -“You know him a long time?” - -“Before I married the baron and went abroad.” - -“And you lofe him all these a year? Oh thunner!” - -Murella’s English must be taken with many grains of allowance. The -strongest words in a foreign or unfamiliar tongue seem ineffectual and -weak. - -“I must plead the indulgence of a guest,” laughed the baroness, “and -withdraw myself from the searching operations of your cunning catechism, -or turn the lights upon you. How long have you known—” - -But the señorita had softly glided away, standing apart and giving -hurried orders for luncheon. - -Morning was in a dilemma. It will have been observed that, after the -first moment of greeting, Murella had given him no farther thought. -Gratitude is not with the Spaniard one of the cardinal virtues, as he -was aware, so that was an unvexed question. If his name had not been so -prominently before the world, doubtless they would—the entire family -included—have forgotten it ere this. But was it pique, was it pride, or -was it embarrassment, that led Murella to thus overlook him? - -Certainly she had recognized the baroness at the first glance, to his -amazement and bewilderment, for the episode of her examination and -temporary custody of the photograph was unknown to him, and just so -surely her first impulse had been to render that lady as uncomfortable -as possible. But, with her usual swift sagacity, she had, with an eye -single to her own cunning tactics, quite changed her base of action, -and, with admirable finesse, proceeded at once to make a friend of the -baroness, through her charming frankness and unsophisticated -confidences. The steady, unflinching eye of Morning, therefore, while -trained as the eagle’s to catch the fiercest rays of the noonday sun, -could no more follow the erratic and elusive movements of the elfish -fancy of this fascinating woman than the eye of his horse could follow -the flash of a meteor. - -“Come, señora,” said Murella to the baroness a moment later, “I know the -ting you was ask a me, how long time I know Señor Morning lofe a you.” - -The baroness knew that she had not meant to ask any such question, but -rather how long the señorita had known Mr. Morning. But she had scarcely -opened her lips when Murella talked on. - -“You tink I no know lof when a I see a? Eh! what that on his face when -he a tak a your hand for make a me know you Baroness Von Eulaw? Eh? what -you call proud, courage, lof, beautiful life!” and her flashing eyes -burned like stars in heaven’s night. - -Strange caprice! the track was cold over which she had set out to run -the race for a life, and many a prize had been won and thrown away since -then, and now she was burning with the wish that her rival should gain -that which she had lost. Was it magnanimity, or was it a natural-born -desire to defraud some man of his marital rights, and give some woman a -victory? - -“Now we will go to the Morning room so I call a;” and together they -walked over the exquisite mosaic floors, and halls of parquetry, and -stairway glittering as the sun, and figures of classic art looked down, -and fold on fold of hues of soft-blent shadows dropped from tinted panes -and fell around them. In apparently the most casual way they passed a -studio filled with light and color, where, in violet velvet blouse, and -cap upon his poetic locks, worked and smoked the master of Italian art. - -“This is my parteekler fren—the Baroness Von Eulaw, Señor Fillipo,” and -they hurried on. - -Arrived at the suite, they first entered the dressing room. It was -plainly finished in French gray, with gold and blue enamel, the same -colors repeated in drapery and cushions. But one piece attracted -particular attention. It was an alabaster fountain, the elaborate -accessories half concealing a full-sized bust of Morning, the identity -of which could not be mistaken. It was exquisitely chiseled, and falling -jets, and icy foam, and cascades like cobwebs, built up masses of soft, -misty whiteness, shutting back all save an incidental glimpse of -outline, and thickening by contrast the boldness of the water plants at -the base. - -“A very pretty conceit,” said the baroness, approvingly. “Who is the -designer?” - -“Me,” said the señorita, coldly, leading the way to the main chamber, to -which apartment Murella carried the key. Unlocking the door, the -baroness had scarcely time to take in the mute, indescribable effects of -the auroral tints on the walls, stippled and faded into thinnest ether, -with its golden sky overspread with winged cherubs in high relief, laid -in tints such as are only painted on angels, when the baron’s party were -heard approaching. One thing, however, had struck the baroness, even at -a cursory glance. The dust lay thick and undisturbed over all the -furniture of the room. A superb curtain of corn-colored brocade hung -over one end of the apartment, which also showed signs of not having -been disturbed at least for a term of many months. A gesture of -impatience was made by Murella as she spoke, in an irascible tone of -voice, “What for a he bring a they here?” - -However, the party, following their guide, entered, expressing surprise -at finding the ladies had preceded them. - -The baron at once walked over and engaged their pretty hostess in -conversation, laughing genuinely at her piquant expressions and -unworldly-wise ways, while Morning talked about some irrelevant thing -with Miss Winters, and the rest of the company sauntered to the remoter -quarters of the apartments. Mrs. Thornton, however, coveted a view -behind the maize curtain, and to this end plied the major-domo with such -blandishments as were at her command, and using vigorously the little -Spanish she possessed. The Spaniard turned to look for the señorita—she -had momentarily disappeared with the baron—and he flung aside the fatal -curtain. - -There, in a regal frame, in a painting by the famous hand of Prince -Fillipo Colonna, master of arts in the Royal Academy at Rome, appeared -two full-sized figures. They were those of David Morning and Señorita -Gonzales. It was an interior of an adobe house. The saints upon the mud -walls, with rosaries suspended beneath them, and the crude decorations -about the fireplace, with the hammocks in the shadow were dimly visible. -Light came in through a low window, and fell upon the white face of -Morning, just tinged with returning health. One hand held suspended a -pencil, while with the other, just discernible from out the shadows, he -clasped the girlish figure of Murella Gonzales. - -It was a master work of art, and more than condoned all malicious or -vain intent on the part of the author. The expression upon Morning’s -face was one of placid amusement, while that upon the girl’s was anxious -and arch, questioning and trusting, open, yet elusive, like the mimosa -growing sturdily from the potted earth in the rude casement, which -receded at a sound of the human voice. The noble artist had evidently -caught an inspiration from the local color—filtrated through the hot -brain of the lovely señorita—and had touched the face of Morning with -the light of his lovely companion. - -Mr. Morning had just crossed over to catch a word with the baroness when -the tableau was unveiled. Her whitening face frightened him, and he -looked quickly over her shoulder at the picture. At the same moment a -piercing shriek, and Señorita Murella rushed wildly down the room. - -“_Madre de Dios!_” she yelled. “What a you do that a for?” and she -menaced the poor Spaniard with her small fist. - -“It was I, it was I,” pleaded Mrs. Thornton. “Don’t blame him.” But -Murella turned from her with high scorn. - -“Fool, I will kill a him,” she shrieked, again turning to the place -where the man had stood. - -But Señor Don Manuel Jose Maria Ignacio Cervantes Alvarado, knowing -something of the temper of his niece, had attended not upon the order of -his going, but slipped away, and in his place stood Morning. For one -brief moment Murella looked at him, then, drawing a pearl-handled -stiletto from beneath her girdle, she gashed and stabbed the unconscious -canvas in twice a dozen places, crying all the time, “Take a that, and a -that, and a that!” - -Morning thought that his time had come, but he manfully stood his -ground, secretly smiling at the bloodless assassination, until, -exhausted, Murella fell upon the carpet in a genuine hysterical rage. -After a moment he lifted her to her feet, placed her hand within his -arm, and led her unresistingly from the room. - -An hour later she stood at the boathouse, leaning upon the arm of Prince -Fillipo, and gayly waving an adieu to the party, Morning among them; -then, with the artist’s arm about her waist, they slowly returned up the -terrace steps, while the decorated steamer went out of sight around the -cove. - -And the Baroness Von Eulaw guessed now who it was that had made the pin -holes in her eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - “No more shall nation against nation rise.” - - -The Congress of 1892 builded even better than it knew, when it dropped -partisan prejudices, and arose superior to local fetterings, and, in a -truly national spirit, secured for the United States of America dominion -of the seas and control of the commerce of the world. - -The Act of Congress which guaranteed the payment of five per cent bonds -of the Nicaragua Canal Company to the extent of $100,000,000, and which -provided that the canal tolls upon American ships should never be more -than two-thirds the amount charged the vessels of other nations, enabled -the company to construct the canal with unexpected rapidity, without -calling upon the United States for a dollar of the guaranty, while, more -than any subsidy or favorable mail contract, it aided to place the Stars -and Stripes at the mastheads of the vast fleet of ships and steamers -which, upon the completion of the canal in the autumn of 1895, began to -pass between the Atlantic and the Pacific. - -The local traffic developed by the canal proved something phenomenal. -Early in the history of its construction it became generally known that -the country, for hundreds of miles about Lake Nicaragua, was not an -unhealthy tropical jungle, but an elevated, breezy table-land, environed -and divided by snow-clad mountains, with an average temperature only a -few degrees warmer than that of California, and with a much more even -distribution of rainfall. - -A knowledge of these advantages was followed by a large incursion of -American settlers. There is perhaps no product of field or forest more -profitable than the coffee plant. Steadily the demand for the fragrant -berry is upon the increase, while, beside having few enemies in the -insect world, the area within which coffee can be advantageously grown -is very limited. While the coffee plant does not require an -exceptionally hot climate, it will not thrive where frost is a -possibility. The hill slopes and table-lands of Nicaragua were found to -be peculiarly adapted for its growth, and thousands of acres of young -plantations were already thriving where for centuries only wild grasses -had waved. Short lines of railroad, centering on Lake Nicaragua, and -running in every direction, had made accessible a large extent of -country. The scream of the gang saw was heard amid forests of dyewoods, -rosewood, and mahogany. Mines of gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal -were opened. Cotton, sugar, and indigo plantations were developed, and -Millerville, on Lake Nicaragua, when the war ships passed through the -canal to attend David Morning’s dynamic exposition, was already a city -of fifty thousand people, provided with electric lights and cable roads. - -The advantages to the people of the United States of the completed -Nicaragua Ship Canal were almost incalculable. The freight-carrying -business of the world between the east coast of Asia and Europe was -rapidly transferred to American bottoms. The iron manufacturers of -Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia were given an opportunity, previously -denied them, of marketing the product of their furnaces and foundries on -the Pacific Coast of North America. The dwellers in the Mississippi -Valley could now send their cotton, meats, and manufactures to -trans-Pacific and Antipodean markets, and California redwood and Puget -Sound fir and cedar lumber could be sent over all the Northwest. - -On the Pacific Coast the canal added twenty-five per cent to the -productive value of every acre of grain and timber land. The cost of -sacking, and half the cost of transporting wheat was saved to the -farmer, and the freight upon all machinery and heavy goods brought from -the East was greatly lessened. - -On Puget Sound the construction of a ship canal, costing less than -$2,000,000, connecting the fresh waters of Lake Washington with the salt -water in Elliott Bay, gave to Seattle such facilities for warehousing, -loading, and dry-docking, and such independence of tides and teredos, -that a commercial rival of San Francisco was spreading over the hills of -the fir-fringed Queen of the New Mediterranean, while at the extreme -southwestern corner of the republic the city of bay and climate—San -Diego—was rapidly regaining the population and prestige which -temporarily slipped from her grasp at the subsiding of the boom which, -during 1886 and 1887, enkindled the imagination, and beguiled the -judgment, and encrazed with the fever of speculation, the people of -Southern California. - -Even during the dull times which annihilated so many promising fortunes -in Southern California, the attractions of Coronado Beach were -sufficient to secure for it exemption from the dire distress which -overtook other localities. - -The company owning this enterprise successfully defied not only a -bursted boom but the very forces of nature, for they riprapped the beach -in front of their hotel, and baffled the Pacific Ocean, which, after -gnawing up the lawn and shrubbery which fronted its restless waters, had -set its foam-capped legions at work to undermine the foundations of the -great ballroom. - -Parks, avenues, and streets were improved, museums and gardens -developed, and races and hops and fishing and boating parties -encouraged. Excursions from neighboring cities were organized, the East -was flooded with pamphlets praising Coronado, and the pleasure-loving -and health-seeking world was in every way reminded that in this land of -rare delights it could pick ripe oranges and enjoy surf bathing in -midwinter, while Boston was shivering and New York swept with blizzards. - -The band at the hotel was kept playing every day at luncheon and dinner, -and it discoursed sweet music in the ballroom regularly upon hop nights -to auditors, who found—as all people can find—more of the physical -comforts and delights of life at Coronado Beach than anywhere else in -the world, for nowhere else is there such music in the sea, such balm in -the air, such sunshine, and fragrance, and healing, and rest. - -The faith and patience of the owner of the great hotel were, in the end, -rewarded. Month by month and year by year did the numbers of his guests -increase, until, in 1895, the capacity of the house was more than -doubled, by the addition of a building something over a quarter of a -mile in length, and the great hotel could now accommodate quite two -thousand guests. - -David Morning selected Coronado Beach for his dynamic experiments, and, -with some difficulty, chartered the entire hotel for one month, during -which time it was reserved exclusively for his guests. He also leased -the northerly end of the Coronado Beach peninsula for the construction -and equipment of his air ship, and for a laboratory for the manufacture -of potentite. - -The real Coronado Islands are within the territorial jurisdiction of -Mexico, situated about sixteen miles south and west from San Diego Bay, -and were, except in cloudy weather, distinctly visible from Coronado -Beach. Irregular and ragged masses of red sandstone a few thousand acres -in extent towered to a height of several hundred feet above the ocean, -faintly staining the horizon with patches of blue, resembling an -unfinished sky in water color. - -These islands were destitute of water and vegetation, and never -inhabited save by a few laborers who were engaged in quarrying rock -there, and Morning found no difficulty in purchasing them from their -owners, and removing all the occupants. - -On the northern end of the Coronado Beach peninsula, Morning caused to -be erected a laboratory for the manufacture of potentite, with which to -load the steel shells to be carried by the air ship. This new dynamic -force, or, rather, storehouse of force, consisted of a combination of -explosive gelatine with fulminate of mercury, and possessed a power -equal to thirteen hundred tons to the square inch, or sixty times that -of common blasting gunpowder, and nine times that of dynamite, and fifty -pounds of it properly directed would sink any ironclad afloat. It is -quite safe for manipulation, because it is unexplosive, except when -brought in contact with a chemical substance—also non-explosive except -by contact—which is only added immediately before using. - -The _Petrel_, the air ship used at the dynamic exposition, was built by -the Mount Carmel Aeronautic Company at their works in Chicago, and sent -by rail in sections to Coronado Beach, where she was put together. She -was cigar-shaped, one hundred feet in length and twenty feet in -diameter, and was built of butternut—the toughest of the light woods. -Her engines, with their fans and propellers, as well as the gas -generator and tank for benzine, were all constructed of tempered -aluminum, made by the new Kentucky process, at a cost of only eight -cents per pound. Being stronger and tougher than the finest steel, and -only one-third the weight of that metal, aluminum was especially adapted -for the construction of air ships. - -The machinery of the _Petrel_ was propelled by a gas generated from -benzine. The fluid was carried in an air-tight aluminum tank, from which -it passed, drop by drop, to the generator. This gas, almost as powerful -as the vibratory ether discovered by Mr. Keely, was much safer because -more certainly controlled. - -The _Petrel_, with all her machinery in place, with two tons of benzine -in her tanks, and ten men on board of her supplied with sufficient water -and food for use for fifteen days, weighed but ten tons, and the force -generated from two tons of benzine was sufficient to lift her, with a -freight of ten tons more, to a height of five thousand or even ten -thousand feet, and, without any aid from her folding aluminum parachute, -was able to maintain her there for a fortnight, at a speed—in a still -atmosphere—of fifty miles per hour. No balloon was attached to the -_Petrel_, as she relied entirely upon her paddles and wings both for -propulsion and as a means of maintaining herself in the air. - -She was constructed upon the principle of aerial navigation furnished by -the wild goose. That bird maintains himself in the ether during a flight -of hundreds of miles without a rest, simply because his strength, or -muscular power, is greater, in proportion to his weight, than that of -creatures who walk upon the ground. Man could always have constructed -wings of silk and bamboo which would have enabled him to fly if he had -only possessed the strength to flap his wings. - -Aerial navigation never presented any other problem than that of -procuring power without weight. Once able to obtain the power of a -ten-horse engine, with a weight, including machinery, of less than one -ton, one might fly all over the world, and, by taking advantage of the -air currents, a knowledge of which will soon be gained, fly at a speed -of fifty or even one hundred miles an hour. The recent discovery of the -immense power of a gas which it is possible to generate from benzine -without the use of fuel, has made the air as available for the purposes -of rapid transit by man as the ocean or the land. The great cost of -locomotion by this means will doubtless prevent its use for the -transportation of freight, or, indeed, of passengers, except for those -who can afford the luxury, and for them it will supplant all other -methods. - -The _Petrel_ was provided with the new patent condensed fuel, one pound -of which for cooking and heating purposes is equal to ten pounds of -coal. She was furnished with parachutes made of thin sheets of aluminum -closely folded one above the other. These, when not in use, formed an -awning or canopy over her deck, while, in case of accident, they could, -by pulling a convenient lever, be instantly spread over an area large -enough to insure her a gradual and safe descent, and should such descent -be into the water, she was so constructed as to float as buoyantly as a -cork upon its surface, while, by lessening the number of revolutions per -minute of her aluminum propellers, they could be used as paddles for her -propulsion through the water. - -The freight of the _Petrel_ consisted of two hundred shells of -potentite, weighing one hundred pounds each, and the result to the -Coronodo Islands of their falling upon it from a height of a mile or -more, was predicted long in advance of the experiment. “If,” it was -said, “fifty pounds of this explosive will destroy an ironclad, what -will twenty thousand pounds of it do to an island of rock? What would a -dozen _Petrels_ accomplish, hurling two hundred and forty thousand -pounds of it upon an army, a city, or an enemy’s fortress?” - -They could level Gibraltar with the sea; they could extirpate an army of -a million men; they could obliterate London or Berlin or New York from -the face of the earth. A fleet of a hundred _Petrels_ could ascend from -New York, cross the Atlantic in three days, destroy every city in the -United Kingdom in six hours, and, leaving England a mass of ruins, with -two-thirds of her people slain, return in three days to New York, with -unused power enough to go to San Francisco and back without descending. - -England, or any other nation, could likewise destroy America, for -neither aerial navigation nor the manufacture of potentite are secrets -locked in any one man’s brain. - -“If Mr. Morning’s dynamic exposition,” it was said, “shall fulfill its -promise, he can, if he chooses, as the possessor of so complete an air -ship and so powerful an explosive, be the ruler of the world. Emperors -and Parliaments must, for the time, be the subjects of the man who can -destroy cities and camps, and who can make such changes in the map of -the world as he may choose.” - -“If the experiment this day to be made at Coronado,” said the President -of the United States, “shall be successful, armies may as well be -disbanded, for there can be no more war, and governments all over the -world must, henceforth, rest upon the consent of the governed.” - -Before sending the _Petrel_ upon her mission, an examination of the -territory to be devastated was in order, and the Hotel del Coronado was -nearly emptied of its guests, for the _Charleston_, the _Warspite_, and -the _Wilhelm II._, steamed away to the Coronado Islands, where the -American, British, German, French, Russian, Italian, Mexican, and -Brazilian engineers, with their assistants, landed, took measurements -and altitudes, and a number of photographic views, and examined the -islands thoroughly, verifying the accuracy of the topographical maps and -profile models in clay previously made by engineers employed by Morning. -It was projected to make another survey and set of maps after the -potentite had done its work, so as to preserve an accurate and -unimpeachable record of the result of what our hero modestly called his -“experiment.” - -The vessels returned to their moorings about three o’clock in the -afternoon of the first day of the exposition, in ample time for their -passengers and officers to attend the dinner given by Morning that -evening to his royal and imperial majesty Edward the Seventh, king of -Great Britain and emperor of India. This sagacious prince, rightly -conceiving that the dynamic exposition of citizen David Morning was -likely to be the preliminary of an entire change in the methods of -government, if not in the governments themselves, of the civilized -world, determined to head in person the British delegation, which was -brought on the _Warspite_ from Vancouver to San Diego. - -The manner in which King Edward has impressed the American people may be -deduced from a remark made at the dinner by a shrewd observer and -leading citizen of San Diego. - -“That king,” said he, “is a dandy. He is credited with being the -cleverest and most adroit politician in England, and I believe it, or he -could never have steered his canoe out of that baccarat whirlpool. If -Dave Morning’s dynamics should sort of blow him out of a job at home, -let him come over here, and in one year I will back him at long odds to -get the nomination for the best office in the county from either the -Democratic or Republican convention, and, maybe, from both. What a -roaring team he and Jack Dodge and Sam Davis would make for a county -canvass! Jack to do the fiddling and dancing, Sam the all-around lying, -and Edward the hand shaking and the setting ’em up for the boys!” - -The ample gardens of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Santa -Barbara were stripped for the decoration of the banquet hall. All day -flowers were arriving by the train load, and several hundred floral -artists were at work in the great dining room. The effect was -surpassingly beautiful. Suspended from the great dome by ropes of smilax -was a gigantic figure of Peace, wrought in white calla lilies, bearing -in her right hand a branch from an olive tree, while her left held to -her lips a trumpet of yellow jasmine. On the walls the arms of all -nations were wrought in camellias, carnations, fleur-de-lis, and roses -of every hue. The music and the menu were both incomparable, and, in -accordance with the later and better practice of great dinners, formal -speech making was altogether dispensed with. - -The next morning the shores of Coronado Beach were black with people, -and in the great hotel every piazza and window facing southward or -westward was occupied. There was a light breeze blowing from the north -as the _Petrel_ left her berth and rapidly mounted in the air to a -height of seven thousand feet, which altitude she achieved with her fans -in seven minutes’ time. She then put her propellers in motion and was -soon a mere speck against the cloudless sky, scarcely discernible by the -most powerful glasses. - -But though out of sight she soon made her existence and her work known -to the multitude. In thirty-five minutes from the time she left her -berth, she had compassed a mile and a half in height and sixteen miles -of distance and was hovering over Coronado Islands. In twenty minutes -more six men on board of her had thrown over the two hundred potentite -shells, and in half an hour thereafter the aerial wonder was again -resting quietly on the peninsula. - -It was a clear day, and the islands were distinctly visible. Sight -travels more swiftly than sound, and before any noise was heard, the -immense mass of rock, crown shaped, from which the islands take their -name, was seen by the gazers on the beach to leap from its place and -fall into the sea. Other masses in swift succession followed; then came -roars of sound, as if heaven and earth were coming together; roars of -sound which rattled the doors and casements of the hotel as if shaken -with a high wind. For twenty minutes this awe-inspiring exhibition -continued, and when the tremendous cannonading ceased, the Coronada -Islands—in the form in which they had previously existed—were no more. - -The work of resurveying and making new topographical maps was -subsequently performed, as a part of the duty of those connected with -the dynamic exposition, but it needed no measurements to demonstrate the -awful power of the potentite. An area of solid rock a mile square was -rent into fragments for a depth of one hundred feet. - -Many improvements in machinery and management were suggested to the -officers of the _Petrel_, but the experiment was conceded by all the -great engineers who witnessed it, to be so completely successful as to -practically eliminate land warfare from the future of nations. - -“It is fortunate,” said the Marquis of Salisbury, who was one of the -British delegation—“it is fortunate that the manufacture of even a small -quantity of potentite requires months of time, great skill, and a costly -and extensive laboratory, so that it will be not impracticable to -prevent its preparation by private persons. But given a piece of land -anywhere in the civilized world large enough to permit of the building -of air ships and the manufacture of potentite, and sufficiently defended -to afford to its garrison three months’ time in which to perfect the -making of that explosive, and any power, however insignificant, could, -with a hundred air ships, destroy in three days all the great cities in -Europe.” - -“As it now appears,” continued the Marquis, “this method of warfare -would not be so available against a moving object on the sea, such as a -war ship. But if the submarine torpedo boat, whose operations we are to -witness to-morrow, shall be anything nearly as effective as Mr. -Morning’s air ship, it seems to me that a convention of civilized powers -to adjust international relations and provide for a Congress and Court -of Nations, to which all international differences must be submitted, -will be an absolute necessity in the future,” - -“And how would the decrees of such a court be enforced, your lordship,” -inquired Prince Bismarck, who was listening. - -“By the only aerial war vessels equipped with potentite which the allied -nations would suffer to exist, your highness, and which vessels would be -subject to the orders of the Court of Nations. If any nation refused to -obey such decree, it could be disciplined, and if any nation attempted -to put a potentite air ship under way, it would be necessary, in -self-defense, for the allied powers, after adequate warning, to -extirpate the offending parties.” - -“Might not a potentite air ship be secretly fitted out, your lordship?” -asked the prince. - -“Hardly,” replied the Marquis, “for, with the aid of a corps of -observation air ships, and of international detectives in every center -of population, the world, both savage and civilized, could be adequately -policed at a very small cost.” - -“And what, in your lordship’s opinion, will be the condition in or -before the Congress of Nations, of a people who desire separate -government and who have been unable to obtain it?” said Mr. Michael -Davitt, who was standing by. - -The Marquis looked the Irishman squarely in the eye and replied slowly: -“I think it will be quite out of the power of any government to retain -by force under its rule any considerable number of people, who, with or -without, a grievance, are practically unanimous for a separate -government. The Congress of Nations will, or at least ought to, require -that any people seeking separation shall be nearly unanimous. But do you -think, Mr. Davitt, to be candid, that the people of Ulster and the -people of Galway would ever be brought to agree to any proposition on -earth?” - -“Begorra, your lordship, if you don’t mind me takin’ the answer to your -question out of the mouth of Misther Davitt,” said the Honorable Bellew -McCafferty, Home Rule member from Mayo—“begorra, there’s one great -principle upon which Oireland is, and ever will be, united. Catholic and -Protestant, Fardowner and Corkonian, Priest and Peeler are all heart and -soul agreed”— - -“To do what?” queried his lordship. - -“Never,” replied the McCafferty, “never to pay any rint.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - “’Tis less to conquer than to make wars cease.” - - -The _Siva_ steamed out of San Diego harbor at nine o’clock on an April -morning in the year 1896, carrying as passengers the naval and ordnance -officers commissioned by the various European and American governments -to examine and report upon the result of the dynamic exposition. The -civil and diplomatic representatives were apportioned among the -different members of the fleet, which had gathered from the Pacific -squadrons of every naval power in the world, and was now lying in San -Diego Bay. The success of the air ship the day before in almost -obliterating the Coronado Islands, filled every mind with eager -anticipation of the results likely to be achieved by the torpedo boats, -and there was an especial pressure for places on board the _Siva_, which -carried the novel engines of destruction. - -The _Siva_ had been built at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, from -plans and models furnished by engineers employed by Morning, and no -expense had been spared to make her the largest, swiftest, and -best-appointed war vessel afloat. Indeed, every other consideration had -been sacrificed to speed, and, as a result, a ship was constructed of -ten thousand tons’ burden, drawing but twenty-one feet of water when -fully loaded, and able, when under a full head of steam, to make -twenty-six knots an hour. Relying upon her speed to keep out of range of -the guns of an enemy, and intended rather for a carrier of torpedo boats -than a war vessel, she was, for her size, neither heavily armed nor -heavily armored, yet she was covered with steel plates of sufficient -thickness to resist the largest ordnance, and she was equipped with -rifled cannon and pneumatic dynamite guns, equal in size and range to -any constructed. Her cost was $8,000,000, and it was Morning’s avowed -intention to present her to the alliance of nations which he expected -would result from the dynamic exposition. The _Siva_ rode the seas like -a gull, and was as graceful and beautiful as a swan. - -Forward of her engines the hull of the vessel was devoted to -accommodations for housing, launching, and rehousing the two torpedo -boats, the _Etna_ and _Stromboli_. Each of these was cigar-shaped, one -hundred feet in length and twenty feet in diameter. They were built of -steel, with an inner and outer shell. The admission of water between -these shells would cause the submersion of the boat to any depth -required for the purposes of destroying an enemy, while by the expulsion -of water they were enabled to ascend to the surface. In the inner shell -was an electric engine, with sufficient power stored in its dynamos to -propel the boat under water at a speed of twenty-five miles an hour for -a period of five hours. Enough compressed air was stored in steel tanks -to supply the needs of ten men for eight hours, and the _Etna_ had, on -several occasions, as a test, remained submerged with her crew for four -hours without coming to the surface. - -The construction of torpedo boats for harbor defense was no longer a -novelty, but this was the first attempt made to demonstrate that a -submarine torpedo vessel could be used on the high seas to overtake and -destroy a flying enemy. The _Etna_ and the _Stromboli_ each carried one -hundred shells, each shell being loaded with five hundred pounds of -potentite. Chain cradles for holding these shells were suspended to huge -fans of finely-tempered steel, shaped like pincers, and the machinery -for fastening one or more of these cradles to the bottom of the vessel -it was intended to destroy was both simple and ingenious, as were the -arrangements for exploding them when fastened. A fuse or wire attached -to a steamer running away at the rate of a mile in three minutes would -have been impracticable, and the inventor had therefore arranged a time -or clockwork cap, which could be set to explode at any given number of -minutes from the time the shell should be fastened. - -The _Siva_, containing Mr. Morning, the foreign engineers, and the -ordnance officers of the American Navy detailed for the service, left -her moorings at nine o’clock and steamed down the bay, followed by the -_Warspite_, flying the British flag, the French corvette _Garronne_, the -Russian frigate _Tsar_, the Italian ironclad _Victor Emanuel_, the -Spanish ship _Pizarro_, the Chilean man-of-war _Cero del Pasco_, the -Swedish sloop-of-war _Berdanotte_, the American iron batteries -_Charleston_ and _San Francisco_, and the great German steel war ship -_Wilhelm II._ It was intended that this latter vessel should follow the -_Warspite_, but there was some delay in getting her under way, and she -was the last in the naval procession, being followed only by the -_Esmeralda_—the vessel to be destroyed. - -At the termination of the Chilean insurrection it was found that the -_Esmeralda_—the war ship controlled by the insurgents—was, though not -unseaworthy, yet too badly damaged by a contest with gunboats to be -serviceable for the purposes for which she was constructed, and she was, -therefore, sold by the Chilean Government to Mr. Morning for -$1,000,000—something less than one-third her cost. - -He purchased her for use as a transport in connection with the -construction of the Nicaragua Canal, in which he was interested, and he -now devoted her to destruction, as a test of the power of the new -explosive, and the efficiency of the submarine torpedo boats. - -The _Esmeralda_ was an ironclad steamer of the largest size, capable of -a speed of twenty miles an hour. She was armored with steel plates, and -in every way staunch. On this occasion she carried only sufficient force -to navigate her, and she towed a large steam launch, into which her crew -would be transferred and conveyed to a place of safety so soon as the -torpedoes should be fastened to her. Two lifeboats were also swung, -ready for launching in case of accident. - -Baron Von Eulaw had been indulging the previous night in deep potations, -and was, consequently, so belated that the carriage containing the -baroness and himself did not reach the Coronado wharf until the _Siva_ -had steamed away, and was being followed by the other vessels in the -order described. The launches and small steamers, with the guests -apportioned among the different vessels of the fleet, had also left the -wharf, and two-thirds of the vessels which were to accompany the _Siva_, -with their steam up and whistles blowing, were impatiently awaking the -signal to move, and were uneasily churning into a foam the placid waters -of the harbor. - -Hastily summoning a boat lying at the wharf, the baron escorted the -baroness on board, and, seating himself beside her, directed the crew to -row for “that ship,” pointing to the _Esmeralda_. It will never be known -whether this direction was the result of accident or design, for the -_Esmeralda_, in size and general appearance, strongly resembled the -_Wilhelm II._, which was anchored just ahead of her in the stream, and -it was the _Wilhelm II._ to which the Baron Von Eulaw, as one of the -representatives of the German Empire, had been assigned. - -Arrived at the _Esmeralda_, however, the anchor of which was then being -hoisted, the baron was politely informed by the officer in charge of the -deck that no arrangements had been made to receive guests on board the -vessel, as she was destined to destruction. The baron, with real or -affected dismay, remarked that the _Wilhelm II._ was already under way; -that it would be impossible for him now to gain her deck, and, unless -permitted to board the _Esmeralda_, and remain upon her, they would lose -altogether the great spectacle they had, by designation of his imperial -majesty Wilhelm II., come all the way from Berlin to San Diego to -attend. - -He would be in lasting disgrace at home if compelled to admit that, -through his own negligence and error, he had not witnessed the -destruction of the _Esmeralda_ at all. Might not the baroness and -himself, under the circumstances, be suffered to trespass upon the -hospitalities of the officers of the _Esmeralda_ until the time came for -abandoning the vessel, when they could join the officers and crew on the -steam launch, and be placed on board the _Wilhelm II._, or one of the -other vessels of the fleet, or return on the launch to San Diego, as -might be most convenient? - -With some hesitation, the deck officer of the _Esmeralda_, after brief -consultation with his superior, consented to the request of Von Eulaw, -and, apologizing for the condition of the cabin, which, in anticipation -of the destruction of the vessel, had been stripped of everything save -the standing furniture and a few chairs, he invited them to make -themselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. - -With salvos of cannon and music of bands, the gaily-decked fleet sped -out to sea. Through the narrow channel they steamed, past Point Loma, -with brow of purple and feet of foam. When they reached the open sea, -they spread out in line abreast, the _Siva_ taking a position on the -extreme north, and slackening her speed a little so as to accommodate it -to that of her companions. - -Arrived at the scene of the proposed experiment, sixteen miles west of -San Diego bar, the speed of all the vessels was slackened so as to -afford only steerage way, and the _Esmeralda_ was signaled to leave her -position next the _Siva_, and steam away at full speed to the north. -Simultaneously with this order, the hatches on the _Siva_ were opened, -chains and ropes tightened, the vast power of the engines applied, and -the _Stromboli_, with her crew and cargo in place, was lifted from the -hold of the _Siva_, swung over the side, and launched in the ocean. - -It was four minutes from the time the whistle sounded until the launch -of the _Stromboli_, and in the meantime the _Esmeralda_ steamed quite -one mile away. The _Siva_ was a few hundred yards ahead of the other -vessels, and the _Stromboli_ was launched form her port side, so that -the launch was witnessed by those who thronged the starboard side of the -other vessels. The entire fleet then resumed its former rate of speed, -and the distance between it and the _Esmeralda_ was soon placed at one -mile, at which it was subsequently maintained. - -The _Stromboli_ glided away for a minute on the surface of the sea, and -then, admitting water to the space between her steel shells, rapidly -sank to a depth of forty feet. The _Esmeralda_ was still at full speed, -and making twenty knots an hour, but the _Stromboli_ was pushing her way -under the sea, propelled by her powerful electric engines, at the rate -of twenty-five knots an hour, and in fifteen minutes had overtaken the -doomed vessel, and was preparing to make fast the torpedo which should -destroy her. - -One pair of great steel claws, holding a chain basket containing five -hundred pounds of potentite set by clockwork to explode in sixty -minutes, was, by the power of the electric engine, raised above the -cigar-shaped steel monster gliding through the cool, quiet waters, and -driven through the plates of the _Esmeralda_, just forward of the stern -of that vessel. A second was placed amidship, and a third near the bow. - -The upper deck of the _Stromboli_ had a dozen plate-glass openings, -through which a number of powerful electric lights illuminated the -depths of the ocean, and enabled the men in charge of the machinery to -direct with accuracy the work of fastening the torpedoes. If it had been -necessary, men in submarine armor, fastened to steel arms projected from -the _Stromboli_, and supplied with air through rubber tubes, could have -been placed at work on the bottom of the _Esmeralda_, and maintained -there for hours, even while she was coursing through the seas. But it -was not necessary to invoke this process, for, by the aid of the -ordinary machinery of the _Stromboli_, the three great shells were -fastened in twenty minutes’ time, and the _Esmeralda_ was proceeding on -her journey with fifteen hundred pounds of potentite fastened to her -keel. The officers and crew of the _Esmeralda_ all subsequently -testified that this work was performed noiselessly and without jar, or -any evidence that it was going forward. - -But had they possessed all knowledge, they could not have prevented it. -No rate of speed possible to the doomed vessel would have enabled her to -outrun the speedier submarine torpedo boat, and no machinery or -appliance could have reached her under the keel of the _Esmeralda_, or -prevented her work, and once the potentite shells were in place, it was -beyond the power of man to remove them, and no human skill could prevent -the explosion taking place at the appointed time. - -The introduction of this deadly force into naval warfare was not -intended to be unaccompanied with some merciful provisions for -preventing unnecessary destruction of human life, and a code of signals -had been prepared for all naval powers, to be used whenever a vessel was -to be destroyed. - -The _Stromboli_, having performed her duty, glided from under the keel -of the _Esmeralda_, and, at a distance of a few hundred yards, shot up a -signal pipe above the surface of the ocean, and with her electric -whistle shrieked through it a succession of signals that were heard by -the multitude upon the fleet a mile away. - -“Submarine torpedo boat has been underneath your keel,” said one short -shriek, and one more prolonged. - -“Fifteen hundred pounds of the most powerful explosive known to science -are fastened to you,” said fifteen short shrieks. - -“Make ready to count your minutes of life,” said one long and two short -shrieks. - -“In thirty-six minutes your ship will be hurled in fragments into the -air,” said thirty-six short shrieks. - -“Leave your ship to her inevitable fate. Launch your boats and save your -lives. Your enemy will pick you up and receive your honorable -surrender,” said one shriek, continued for five minutes. - -Standing on the deck of the _Warspite_, King Edward the Seventh looked -at his watch. If in thirty-six minutes the _Esmeralda_ should sink -beneath the waves, the navies of England, with those of all other -powers, would be as obsolete for the purposes of attack or defense upon -the high seas as the galleys of Cæsar, or the barge of Cleopatra. -Another Trafalgar would be as impossible as another Actium. The little -_Stromboli_ and _Etna_, carried in the hold of the _Siva_, could destroy -every ironclad afloat. The latter vessel, with her immense speed, could -keep out of range of the enemy’s guns, and she could send forth the -torpedo boats and destroy ship after ship. She could pick up the torpedo -boats, recharge their storage batteries, refit their magazines with -potentite shells, and their tanks with compressed air, and send them -forth again and proceed with such work of destruction until not a ship -should live on any sea, except by license of the _Siva_, and subject to -her rule. - -What revolutions and what changes would this dynamic exposition not -precipitate upon the mistress of the seas? India would give her new -emperor the choice between walking out and being potentited out, and -Canada, and Australia, and every other colony, would be taking leave. -And Ireland—well, here was a state of things! Ireland would have -whatever Davitt, and McCarthy, and Dillon should agree upon asking, or -else every British war ship would be blown up, and every Irishman who -could raise the money, would try the effect of a balloon loaded with -potentite, upon his friends across the channel. Of course, it was a game -in which one could give blows as well as take them, but that is a very -unequal game between an anarchist and a king. It looked as if King -Edward might be compelled to “rustle” to keep the British crown on his -royal brow. It might be well to look up a good cattle range in Colorado -where he and nephew William, with the Hapsburgs, the Bourbons, and the -Romanoffs might retire, should it be necessary. - -Among the stores of the _Esmeralda_ which had not been sent ashore was a -decanter of brandy, which the baron found in the cabin, and to which he -devoted himself so assiduously that when the whistles sounded, -announcing that the torpedoes were fastened to the ship, he was, from -the combined effects of past and present potations, in a condition -closely bordering upon delirium tremens. - -The first officer proceeded to the cabin, where Von Eulaw and the -baroness had withdrawn, and, attempting to open the door, found it -locked. The voice of the baroness in a pleading tone was heard, followed -by oaths and maniacal laughter from the baron. - -“The torpedoes are fastened to us, and in thirty-four minutes this ship -will be in the air,” said the officer through the closed door. “Our -orders are to leave the vessel ten minutes before the explosion. You had -better go on board of the launch at once.” - -“Is that so?” yelled the baron. “Well, we will go into the air along -with the ship, my American wife and myself. My estates are all gone. The -Queen of Diamonds has seized them and given them to the Jack of Spades. -This earth has nothing more for me, and we will take now a trip to the -stars above.” - -The officer comprehended the situation in an instant. “He has the -jimjams, sure enough,” he muttered, “Best way is to humor him.” “All -right, baron,” said he, in a conciliatory tone. “But you don’t want your -wife to go with you, you know. Open the door and let her come with us.” - -“Ah, no!” said the maniac. “The Baroness Von Eulaw will go to heaven -along with her dear husband, that she loves so much, so much!” - -“Madam,” said the officer, “can you not unlock the door? If not, I will -have it broken down.” - -“No,” shrieked the baron, “she cannot unlock the door, for I have thrown -the key into the sea through the window, and if anybody makes any -trouble with the door, I have a little pistol, and I will shoot first my -beloved American wife, and then the man at the door, and at last myself, -and we will all go to the skies in one trip.” - -“Madame,” said the officer, “is he armed?” - -“He is, and will, I fear, do as he threatens,” replied Ellen, with -trembling voice. - -“The situation is serious,” said the officer. “The torpedoes won’t wait -for us, and the crew will be getting nervous. In fact, I am nervous -myself,” added the officer, _sotto voce_. “Suppose one of those infernal -machines should go off ahead of time?” - -“Leave us, sir,” said the baroness. “If I can get the pistol from him by -persuasion, I will discharge it as a signal, and you can then break down -the door. If I cannot do this, you must save yourselves without us. It -would be useless for you to jeopardize your lives for us, for he will -surely kill me, and will probably shoot you if you attempt to force the -door now.” - -“What is the matter there aft, Mr. Morton?” shouted the captain. - -“Dutch baron crazy drunk, sir. Has locked the door, and swears he will -be blown up with the ship. Has a pistol, and will kill his wife if we -try to force the door, sir.” - -“Get a rifle, Mr. Morton, and stand ready to shoot him through the -skylight. But I will first signal the _Siva_ for orders.” - -“_Aye_, aye, sir,” said the first officer cheerily. - - -“Something wrong on board the _Esmeralda_, sir; she is signaling us,” -said the first officer of the _Siva_ to the captain. - -Morning, who was conversing with a Russian admiral, overheard the -speaker and came forward to where the signal officer—the code spread -before him—had just answered, “Ready to receive signal.” - -The little scarlet flag in the hand of the signal officer on the foretop -gallant yard of the _Esmeralda_ rapidly spelled out the message. - -“Baron Von Eulaw and wife came on board as we were starting. He has -delirium tremens, and is locked in cabin with her. Refuses to board -launch, and threatens to shoot her if we break down door. We can kill -him with a rifle through the skylight. We wait orders.” - -The face of David Morning was white with the whiteness of death, but, -with a voice in which there was scarcely a tremor, he addressed himself -to the commander of the _Siva_. - -“Captain, how far are we from the _Esmeralda_?” - -“About a mile, sir.” - -“How long will it be before the explosion?” - -“Twenty-two minutes, sir.” - -“Is there any way by which the torpedoes now fastened to her can be -removed, or their explosion prevented, captain?” - -“None whatever, sir.” - -“Captain, signal the _Esmeralda_ to have riflemen in place, but not to -shoot the baron unless he offers violence to his wife. Signal her also -to slacken speed while we run down to her. Signal the fleet to slacken -speed, and fall behind. Get out a boat with crew to put me on board the -_Esmeralda_.” - -There was a rapid fluttering of scarlet flags from main and foretops, -and the orders were obeyed. - -“I will go with you, Mr. Morning,” said the captain of the _Siva_. - -“And so will I, and I, and I,” came in chorus from a dozen officers and -guests who had remained breathless auditors of the conversation. - -“No,” said Morning quietly, “I will go alone. I do not propose to risk a -single one of these valuable lives, or this ship.” - -Morning picked up a coil of light rope from where it hung on a belaying -pin, and descended into the boat, which, with crew in place, was now -suspended a few feet from the water. “Captain,” said he, “as soon as we -are launched you will steam away with the _Siva_, and rejoin the fleet: -The steam launch towed by the _Esmeralda_ will be sufficient to provide -for the safety of all. Run us as close to the _Esmeralda_ as you can, -captain, before you drop us,” and Morning rapidly knotted a slip noose -in the rope. - -Clang! clang! clang! sounded the signal to reverse the engines; the -_Siva_ glided alongside and within three hundred feet of the -_Esmeralda_, and the boat containing David Morning dropped gently into -the foaming water. Clang! again went the gong, and by the time David -Morning sprang up the ladder at the companion-way of the _Esmeralda_, -the _Siva_ was half a mile away. - -As the foot of Morning touched the deck of the doomed vessel, it lacked -thirteen minutes of the time set for the explosion. - -“What is the situation?” said Morning to the captain of the _Esmeralda_. - -“Through the skylight we can see that the baroness has evidently -abandoned all effort to move the baron, and is on her knees in the -corner, apparently in prayer. The baron is walking up and down the cabin -floor flourishing a cocked revolver, and muttering to himself. The first -officer with three gunners, each with a Winchester rifle, are at the -skylight with sites drawn on the baron, anxious to fire as soon as they -get the order, and six men with a piece of timber are in place, ready to -burst open the cabin door. It is only twelve minutes to the blow-up, -sir, and the men are getting uneasy. Shall we shoot and rescue the lady, -sir?” - -“Not yet, captain. Can you open the skylight from above noiselessly?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Do so at once.” - -With his noosed rope coiled in hand, Morning approached the skylight. -Often in Colorado he had, from love of sport, attended rodeos and -learned the trick of the lasso. His skill with it was the admiration of -the cowboys. “Kin Dave Morning handle a riata?” said one of his -enthusiastic admirers to a correspondent of an Eastern newspaper. “Well, -stranger, I should smile! Kin he? He kin throw his lariat a matter of -forty feet around any part of a jumping steer, hoof or horn. He kin -throw a bull buffalo at the head of the herd. He kin make a buckin’ -broncho turn two somersaults, and land him on head or heels, just as he -likes. He kin stop a jacksnipe on the wing if he don’t fly too high. Oh, -I’m talkin’ to ye, stranger! Often I’ve seen him, when he felt right -well, throw his little lasso across the room of the big hotel at -Trinidad, and smash a fly on a window pane without breaking the glass. -Oh, you can laff, of course! I ain’t got nothin’ agin your hilarity, but -if any gentleman feels inclined to doubt the entire truth of anything -I’ve been a sayin’, or has anything to say agin Dave Morning, either as -a vaquero or a man, he kin get his gun ready, for my name is Buttermilk -Bill from the San Juan Range.” - -Poising his improvised riata, Morning looked down through the open -skylight. The baron, attracted by the shadow, stopped in his nervous -walk and looked up. As he did so the noose dropped over his head and -shoulders, and pinioned his arms to his side, and he was thrown to the -floor, while the cocked pistol he held in his hand was harmlessly -discharged. Like a cat, Morning dropped from the skylight upon the floor -of the cabin, followed by the first officer and the gunners, all of whom -proceeded—none too tenderly—to wrap and tie the rope around the arms and -legs of the baron. - -“Now, then,” sounded the voice of the second officer outside the cabin -door; “now, then, my hearties, once, twice, thrice, and away!” and, with -a crash, the door flew from its hinges nearly across the cabin. - -Morning half supported and half carried the baroness to the launch, -which was now lying alongside with steam up, and they descended to the -deck, followed by the crew and officers of the _Esmeralda_ and the crew -of the boat from the _Siva_. - -“Where is the baron,” said the baroness faintly. - -The captain looked at the first officer, who made reply, “He is in the -cabin, sir.” - -“We have still five minutes if anybody chooses to bring him aboard,” -said the captain. - -And after a pause of a few seconds nobody stirred. - -Ellen looked at Morning. - -And Morning leaped upon the deck of the _Esmeralda_, followed by the -captain, first officer, and one of the men. - -In less than a minute the Baron Von Eulaw, writhing, cursing, and -foaming at the mouth, was deposited on the deck of the launch, which -steamed away rapidly in a direction opposite to that taken by the doomed -vessel. - -There were just two minutes to spare. The wheel of the _Esmeralda_ had -been lashed so as to head her away from the fleet. Her chief engineer -was the last man to leave the engine room, and just before he left, he -pulled the lever to increase her speed, so that in the two minutes which -passed after the steam launch and the _Esmeralda_ separated, they were -quite a mile apart. - -Suddenly a dull sound like the throb of a great muffled drum was heard. -An immense arch of water arose in air. Upon its summit was the -_Esmeralda_, broken into a dozen fragments, which writhed like a python -twisting in the agonies of death. For a moment the cloven mail of the -giant flashed and scintillated in the sun, and then, with a sound of -sucking water—the death gurgle of those engulfed by the sea—each -fragment went out of sight forever, and great billows of foam rolled -over the spot where the mighty ship went down. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - “As a guide my umpire conscience.” - - -Morning accompanied as far as Chicago the special trains containing -those of the European guests whose official duties required their -immediate departure, but very many, including the Baron Von Eulaw and -his party, remained at Coronado. - -With a good deal of effort, the episode of the baron’s conduct, and the -circumstances of the rescue of his wife and himself, were kept out of -the press reports, yet the affair was, nevertheless, one of those open -secrets with which many people enliven conversation. - -Mrs. Thornton was, for once, disinclined to suffer her admiration for a -title to induce her to overlook the homicidal freak of her son-in-law, -and she urged Ellen in vain to formally separate her life from that of -her husband. Possibly her appreciation of the fact that Morning was now -more renowed than any European potentate, and outranked any king on -earth, and her comprehension of the further fact that he was still -deeply in love with her daughter, may have influenced her counsel. - -Moved by some impulse, which perhaps she could not have explained to -herself, she took occasion when thanking Morning for saving her -daughter’s life, to confide to him the history of how Ellen’s marriage -had been brought about, to which she added the story of her married -life, and concluded by pressing upon him for perusal, a package of her -daughter’s letters. These Morning carried with him to Chicago, and their -reading induced him, after parting with his distinguished guests, to -hasten his return to Coronado, where he was advised that the Von Eulaw -party would remain for some weeks. - -On a delicious afternoon the baroness, with Mrs. Thornton and Miss -Winters, sat in the gallery overhanging the old music hall on the sea. -Although a new and costlier edifice had been built, with improved -acoustics and elaborate design, the little gem at the corner of the -hotel, long washed by the waves and threatened by the breakers, seemed -still a favorite resort for concert and afternoon recitals, and thither -came many who sought for a restful hour under the eloquent discourse of -the old white-haired professor’s violin. - -“It is a pity for the world,” said Miss Winters, during a pause in the -performance, “that so few are able to look into the soul of Tolstoi’s -labors. In one of his chapters he expresses the epitome of all musical -sensations in half a dozen lines.” - -“I hope you are not referring to the ‘Kreutzer Sonata,’ Miss Winters,” -broke in Mrs. Thornton. - -Miss Winters smiled rather than spoke reply. But the baroness took -greater liberty and rejoined rather saucily, “The regular thing, dear -mother, is to ask for some palliative to remove the taste from your -mouth after the mention of the much-abused ‘Kreutzer Sonata.’” - -Mrs. Thornton replied with a look of high disdain and much fluttering of -ribbons. - -“I am not punctilious, but I could not sit and listen to a defense of -that man.” - -“I am not defending him, though I might, especially if he were my -client,” laughed Miss Winters. “I am only deploring that the world will -not forgive his truths nor forget his faults in the universal power of -his genius.” - -It was well that the next on the programme was Beethoven’s seventh -symphony, and that the men strolled in soon afterwards, for nothing is -so prolific of enmities as the subject of Tolstoi, unless it be that of -tariff. - -The enchanting numbers were ended, and the ladies left the hall, the men -taking another direction. At the foot of the stairway they were accosted -by David Morning, who, after a greeting, turned and joined the baroness. - -“When did you return?” said she, looking full into his bronzed face, and -again at his traveling clothes. - -“Only this moment. And how are you? and has the baron entirely -recovered?” - -“Completely, I believe, and for me, one could not be so ungrateful as to -be ill in this place.” - -“I trust not,” replied Morning absently. - -There was silence for a moment, then, turning shortly, and looking into -the handsome face of the baroness, he said, without calling her by name, -but earnestly, and it may be added a little peremptorily, “I wish to -have a few moments’ conversation with you after dinner, if you will be -good enough to consent.” - -“For what purpose? When? Alone?” - -“Your first question let me answer later. Here, under the palms, on the -beach, anywhere, but alone, certainly.” - -Each question was superfluous, of course, but she was gaining time. At -length she answered slowly, “I could wish you had not asked me for this -meeting, Mr. Morning.” - -“But I am going away. Will you, knowing this, still refuse?” - -“I will come,” she said after a pause. “We will sit here upon the -veranda, after eight. The others are going, I believe, to look at the -dancers.” - -And, thanking her, he lifted his hat and withdrew. - -The halls were not ablaze on this night, for there is not light enough -in the world to coax the sullen shadows from their lurking-places in a -modern interior. But the arches of heaven, albeit moonless, were more -obedient, and the electric scintillations searched and filled every rood -of ground with their unwarm but willing light, or chased with exact -pencil the willful outlines of orange and oleander, or the more tender -ways of acanthus, pepper, and palm. - -Morning had wheeled a luxurious easy-chair alongside of his veranda -“shaker,” and sat with his hands upon the upholstered back, waiting for -the one woman in the world to him, while the promenaders, in full -evening toilet, filed in pairs along the thronged corridors, and the -soft strains of “La Paloma” floated down from the balcony and mingled -with the plash of the sea. - -“Engaged,” spoke Morning curtly, as a youthful lord, accompanying the -British delegation, attempted to move the fanteuil aside. - -“Beg pardon, I wish I were,” retorted the scion of a noble house, -striding away with the fair one upon his arm. - -“There is hope for that fellow,” Morning muttered. - -“I left the baron to be taken to his room by his valet,” explained the -baroness approaching. “He is a little tired and nervous,” and she -loosened the lace about her throat impatiently. - -“Yes,” dryly, was the only comment. - -“He said he might get around here before he retired. I hope you would -not mind, he is so very capricious, you don’t know.” - -“Oh, no, I don’t mind, but if he comes I am going, for I ‘don’t mind’ -saying also I’ve had enough of that fellow!” - -The baroness looked up with surprise, but Morning went on excitedly:— - -“Oh, I know I ought not to say this to you, but I must say it, and a -great deal more, unless you stop me! I say you are in deadly terror of -that man, and you hate him beside, as you ought.” - -“How can you—who told you this? Surely you are assuming—” - -“No, pardon me, I am assuming nothing. I read your letters.” - -“Who gave you my letters?” asked the baroness in amazement. - -“Your mother urged them upon me, and I was disloyal enough to read them, -every line,” a little triumphantly. He arose hastily and walked away for -a few paces, drying and fanning his face with his handkerchief, then, -returning, he leaned upon the back of her chair, and, dropping his -voice, said huskily, and with quite uncontrollable emotion:— - -“Ellen—let me call you so this once, it remains with you whether I ever -utter the name again—dear Ellen, answer this from your own sweet lips, -have you a spark of love for that beas—man?” correcting himself too -late. “I know how capricious the heart of a woman is, and perhaps—but -no! take your time to answer, only give me your word,” and he walked -swiftly away, and looked out on the sea, and saw the waves beat their -soft white arms upon the sands, then returned. - -The woman had turned to ashen paleness. The ever-repeating and -distributing electric light had forgotten the delicate tints of her -dainty gown, and the color of her hair and brows, with the roses upon -her bosom, and only the waxen face, with its dark eyes filled with -glistening tears, uprose whiter than the beams. - -“Poor heart!” said he, noting the quiver of the sensitive mouth. “It -ought not to be so difficult to speak the truth.” - -At length the tortured woman found voice:— - -“David Morning,” she said, in tremulous tones, “I am not meaning to -question your right to give challenge to my despair, though, for reasons -you can understand, it is from you, more than from all the world, I -would have disguised it. You ask me if I love that man? I answer, No, -no, a thousand times no! But my sense of obligation as his wife is as -much stronger than my hate as misery is stronger than the social bars -which contain it, and I deem it neither noble nor just to utter -complaints against one who is, whatever may be said, my legal protector -before the world. I do not deny that I have suffered untold agonies, but -I may as well bear them in one cause as another.” - -“I confess,” said Morning, with a manner suddenly grown cold, “I do not -fully understand you. You speak of ‘obligations,’ and ‘social bars;’ you -cannot mean that you would deliberately sacrifice your woman’s soul, -with all its honor and its aims, to a life of dishonor and deceit—for so -I dare to name it—for dread of the idle dictum of a malicious social -scarecrow?” - -The baroness winced, but quickly rallied, and, leaning forward in her -chair, so near that he caught the perfume of the roses on her corsage, -she replied:— - -“No! though I will say in passing that, whatever I might do, no woman, -be she termagant or angel, has ever lived long enough to escape the -opprobrium arising from the poisonous effluvia of the divorce courts! -However, that is not the subject under discussion, and my unhappy feet -are placed upon more tenable ground. I confess myself, then, not strong -enough to defy the convictions of a life given much—the maturer portion, -at least—to an examination of the ethics of the question. And I -resolutely affirm that, in my own mind, I am convinced that to seek to -evade the results of my own deliberate action, would be sinful, and in -violation of my own conscientious perceptions—‘a grieving of the -Spirit,’ in the language of a very old author, and, therefore, a sin -against the Holy Ghost.” - -Is it possible, thought Morning, forgetful for the moment of the purpose -that had brought him there, that in this evening of the nineteenth -century a cultivated woman, herself the victim of a system fiendish in -its power to forge public opinion, and cruel as the Inquisition, should -have the courage thus to look her awful destiny in the face tranquilly, -and smilingly set upon it the cold white seal of conscience? And for a -brief moment he wondered if she were a saint or a lunatic. - -Then he thought of the many shafts of argument that might be let loose -to pierce the diseased cuticle of her morbid philosophy, but he had not -the heart, or, rather, he lacked entire faith in their efficacy, so he -sat silently counting his heart beats. Finally, taking alarm at his -protracted silence, she resumed:— - -“Do not misunderstand me; I am not narrow enough to convict, or egotist -enough to try to convert, others to my way of thinking; I only speak for -myself.” - -“Your missionary seed would fall upon stony ground if you were so -disposed,” he answered quickly, almost rudely. “Ellen Thornton,” he -continued, ignoring the hateful title that seemed to have engulfed her -body and soul for all of him, “for thirteen years fate has been -circumventing our lives. I have heard your name over seas as you have -heard mine, familiar to all but each other. I have loved you with hope -and without it. Great wealth has been my portion, yet I would be a -beggar to-night if you would but share my crust with me, with love like -mine.” - -Into the eyes of the woman, fierce with resolution and despair, there -came tears, half of pity, half of joy—pity for his fate and hers, joy -for that the love she had deemed lost and gone from their lives was -here, tireless and strong as the sea, immortal and sweet as the morning, -and the voice of the man whose head was bent near her own thrilled her -with its music. - -“During all the years of parting,” continued Morning, “I have been -neither despairing nor misanthropic, but I knew that the passion of my -life had glowed and burned, and—as I thought—died to ashes upon the -altar whose goddess was the dark-eyed maiden whom my young manhood -adored. When, less than a fortnight ago, I was able to deliver you from -the awful death that madman would have inflicted upon you, my exultation -had but one sting, that I had saved you for another, and for such a -fate; and then, in my insane rage, I cursed myself that I had not let -you die under my dizzy eyes, and so have rounded my despair. - -“But I have come near to you now, our paths have crossed. O God, how I -have waited for the hour! and how can I let you go? If I do, our ways -will again diverge, and every remove will bring us farther apart. Do you -know what this means to me? It is the dividing of my soul from my body, -of my heart from my brain; it means a galvanized life, a career of -eviscerated motives, a gibbering, masquerading existence, emasculate of -manly and fruitful purpose, a hopeless love”—and his voice trembled and -sank—“ashes and dust and nothing more.” - -The baroness listened with passion tearing at her heart, while her white -lips were fashioning word of wise restraint. Could she trust herself to -speak? She envied in her soul the women she had known abroad, women of -convictions, with uncoddled consciences, charming, virtuous women too, -but without the monitor to guide the wayward thought, a sky without a -polar star, a ship without a rudder, and then she recalled the burning -words of the man beside her. - -“I know,” said she at length, “that I owe you my life, and, in the logic -of natural sequence, I should give back that which you won. But it is -love’s sophistry, and, in truth, perhaps for no better reason than -because I so much desire it, I dare not. One phase of your argument -pricks my conscience in turn. You tell me that your usefulness must pay -the penalty of my decision. Unsay those words, I entreat you”—and she -leaned far toward him. “God has singled you out for a great destiny. -Fulfill it. You have the world at your feet; let that suffice you for -the present. I do not ask you to forget me!”—and her lips grew -tremulous. “I should die if I thought you could. But work on, as you -have been doing, for the sake of humanity, and wait heroically, as you -have done.” - -“Wait for what? for somebody to die?” broke in Morning hotly. “For -somebody to die, that is the English of it. Most lives are made what -they are by some woman. She may be a mother, a sister not likely. Since -I received that long-lost letter—anathemas upon that circular desk,” and -he pounded the “shaker” arm with his fist—“I have had but one -inspiration in my projects, one question always ringing in my -ears,—‘What will she think of it?’ Now I have found you only to hear -from your own lips that my life is a failure, and yours a moral suicide, -which I seem as helpless to prevent as I am to put a stay upon yonder -waves that lash themselves to spray upon the rocks.” - -“David Morning,” and her voice was firm now, “I think I owe it to you as -well as myself to tell you, even with the marriage ring upon my finger, -that I wish I were free from the yoke of this fateful marriage; that if -I could be delivered from the body of this death, then could I mount -with glad wings the great height to which your love would raise me. But -I could have no weight of a crying conscience upon my feet, no wail of -wounded justice behind me, and so I will bear it to the end.” - -“You say, even with that marriage ring upon your finger. What care I,” -said he, rising and standing before her, “for that circlet of gold upon -your beautiful hand? I know it is a mockery, so do you, and but for it -that hand might have been mine, and all these years have been saved to -love and the heart’s gladness. What signifies the sanction of the law if -you have not the sanction of your own soul? I shall not seek to dissuade -you more, but one question I will ask of you, and if wealth could buy -words eloquent enough to couch it in, I would surrender my possessions -and delve for it again, if need be, in the depths of the earth. But -truth is simple, and so I beg of you to answer from your soul, and -thereafter I will do as you bid me. Do you love me, darling? do you?” -and he bent over her chair. - -She lifted a face radiant with beautiful light. “Dearest,” said she -softly, and David Morning thrilled with delight—“dearest, I am glad that -this meeting and this understanding have come to us just here, where -hundreds of eyes are upon us, for, if it were otherwise, I should forget -all else except my desire to comfort you, and should place my arms about -your neck, and ask you to seal upon my lips your forgiveness of me for -all that I have made you suffer. God help me, I do love you, and I never -loved any other. You are my hero, my darling, and my heart’s delight. -All these years I have loved you, until the hour of death I shall love -you, and beyond the gates I shall love you forever, and forever more.” - -Only a great sob came from the breast of David Morning. - -“Noble man,” she continued, “you have accomplished a great work in the -world. God has selected and armed you for the deliverance of his -nations. You have other and greater work to do. In the doing it the -luster of your shield shall never be tarnished, as it would be were we -to wrong another now. Go forth, my hero, my life, and my darling; go -forth panoplied in your high manhood to your duty. In spirit I shall be -with you ever. I shall rejoice in your mighty deeds. I shall live in -your nobler thoughts. Day and night, my beloved, will my soul dwell with -yours. Only in perfect honor and faith can I join you. If the hour for -such union shall ever be given to us on earth, come to me and you will -find me waiting. If it come only in the other land, I shall still be -waiting. But here, my darling, my own, my heart’s solace, here we must -meet not again.” - -And she placed her ungloved fingers in his. - -The man and the woman sat silently hand in hand. The music floated out -from the lighted ballroom, where “the dancers were dancing in tune;” the -sea curled its beryl depths to crests of foam, and sounded in musical -monotones upon the beach which lay a white line upon the edge of the -dusk, and the old, old world, the sorrowful, disappointing world, the -weary world, was as sweet and young as when the first dawns were -filtrated from chaotic mists. - -She broke the silence and withdrew her hand: “Yonder comes the baron.” - -“Good-by,” said he, and he walked away into the night, and as he reached -the edge of the balcony overhanging the beach, and felt the sting of the -salt spray in his eyes, he muttered something. It might have been a -good-night prayer, but it sounded like, “Damn the baron.” - - [From the San Diego _Union_, May 15, 1896.] - - We regret to announce the death yesterday, at the Coronado Hotel, of - Baron Frederick Augustus Eulaw Von Eulaw, eleventh Count of - Walderberg, eighth Baron of Weinerstrath, and Knight Commander of the - order of the Golden Tulip. - - The immediate cause of the baron’s death was hyperemia of the brain, - but he never recovered from the nervous prostration induced by heat - and long exposure to the sun, while in the performance of his duty as - one of the representatives of the German Empire, on the occasion of - the dynamic exposition. - - This distinguished nobleman, during his brief sojourn among us, had - endeared himself to all with whom he came in contact, by the - gentleness and grace of his manner, his kindly sympathies, and - unselfish courtesy. The _Wilhelm II._ has been detailed to receive his - remains, which will be embalmed for transportation in state to Berlin, - where they will be interred with fitting pomp. - - The baroness, who to the last was devoted in her attentions to the - late baron, will, it is understood, remain in this country in the home - of her parents, Professor and Mrs. John Thornton. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - “All’s well that ends well.” - - -It was a lovely morning in June, in the year of our Lord eighteen -hundred and ninety-seven, when a carriage containing a red-headed and -red-bearded man drove rapidly down upon Pier No. 2, North River, where -the occupant emerged from the equipage, and, elbowing his way through -the throng, approached the gangway of an immense steamer gaily decorated -with flags of all nations. - -He was stopped by two officials in uniform, one of them saying civilly -that no strangers were allowed on board. - -“Is not this Mr. Morning’s steam yacht the _Patience_?” said the -stranger. - -“Yes, sir, if the largest and finest vessel in the world can be called a -yacht. Certainly this is Mr. Morning’s ship.” - -“I was told at the hotel that he would sail to-day for Europe.” - -“Your information is quite correct; he goes as one of the three -delegates appointed by the President to represent the United States at -the Congress of Nations, which will meet in Paris next month.” - -“Well, I want to see him before he sails,” replied the stranger. - -“It is too late, sir, even if you had a card of admission. His friends -are now bidding good-by to the bridal party, and in a few minutes the -order will be issued of ‘all ashore.’” - -“Bridal party? Whose? Not Morning’s?” - -“Haven’t you heard of it? Why, the papers have been full of it for days. -He was married yesterday, in Boston, to the Baroness Von Eulaw.” - -“Well,” said the stranger, “I only arrived this morning from Arizona. I -am the superintendent of his mine there, and am here on business of -importance. He will be mightily disappointed if I don’t see him. Suppose -you send word to him that Bob Steel is here and wants to see him before -he sails. I reckon he’ll give orders to admit me.” - -The request of Steel was complied with, and directions given for his -admittance. After exchanging greetings with Morning and being presented -to the bride, Steel stated that he had business of importance to -communicate. The whistle had sounded “all ashore,” and the guests were -rapidly departing. Morning quietly instructed the captain not to have -the lines cast off until he should have finished his interview with -Steel, and then, summoning the latter to follow him into a private -salon, said:— - -“Well, Bob, what is it?” - -“Mr. Morning,” replied Steel, “the news ain’t good, but it is so -important I did not dare to trust to mail or wire, so I left the mine in -charge of Mr. Fabian, and came on myself. We didn’t find no ore last -month on the new level at two hundred feet, and I set three shifts to -work at every station, and—I’m afraid to tell you the result.” - -“Out with it, Bob. I was married yesterday, and you can’t tell me any -news bad enough to hurt me much.” - -“Well, Mr. Morning, there ain’t no ore in the mine below the one hundred -and fifty feet level. _The quartz has come to an end._ We are at the bed -rock, and the syenite is as solid and close-grained as the basalt wall -where we did our first work, you and I, blasting with the Papago -Indians.” - -Morning whistled. “How much do we lack, Bob, of the $2,400,000,000 I -donated to the United States?” - -“About eight hundred millions, sir; but there is more than enough ore -not stoped out in the upper levels to pay that twice over. We have -seventeen hundred millions at least.” - -“That,” said Morning, “will finish the payment to the government, -complete all the enterprises I have projected, give you ten millions, -and all the men who have stood by us from the start half a million each. -It will serve also to make some donations I have in mind, and will leave -over six hundred millions for the Morning family. It is not so much -money now as it was when I made the discovery, but it will keep the wolf -from the door. Bob, the whistles are sounding and I shall have to bid -you good-by and send you ashore. There is no possibility, I suppose, of -this being only a break, or a horse? No chance of the ore coming in -again lower down?” - -“None in the world, Mr. Morning. In that formation it is impossible. The -Morning mine, as a mine, has _petered_!” - -“Bob,” said our hero, extending his hand with a smile, “put it there!” - -And Robert Steel and David Morning clasped hands with the clasp of men. - -“Bob,” said Morning, “on my soul I am glad of it. The problem of -overproduction of gold will no longer vex the world, and now I shall -have a chance to pass a few hours in quiet with my wife.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. P. 282, changed “the fasces of a diamond” to “the facets of a - diamond”. - 2. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 3. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 4. 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Fitch</title> - <link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover" /> - <style> /* <![CDATA[ */ - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 10%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; } - h3 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: large; } - .pageno { right: 1%; font-size: x-small; background-color: inherit; color: silver; - text-indent: 0em; text-align: right; position: absolute; - border: thin solid silver; padding: .1em .2em; font-style: normal; - font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - .fss { font-size: 75%; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .lg-container-b { text-align: center; } - .x-ebookmaker .lg-container-b { clear: both; } - .lg-container-l { text-align: justify; } - .x-ebookmaker .lg-container-l { clear: both; } - .lg-container-r { text-align: right; } - .x-ebookmaker .lg-container-r { clear: both; } - .linegroup { display: inline-block; text-align: justify; } - .x-ebookmaker .linegroup { display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; } - .linegroup .group { margin: 1em auto; } - .linegroup .line { text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em; } - div.linegroup > :first-child { margin-top: 0; } - .linegroup .in12 { padding-left: 9.0em; } - .linegroup .in2 { padding-left: 4.0em; } - .linegroup .in20 { padding-left: 13.0em; } - .linegroup .in28 { padding-left: 17.0em; } - .linegroup .in4 { padding-left: 5.0em; } - .linegroup .in7 { padding-left: 6.5em; } - .linegroup .in8 { padding-left: 7.0em; } - .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; } - ol.ol_1 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 2.78%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: decimal; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - .x-ebookmaker hr.pb { display: none; } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:40%; } - .x-ebookmaker .id001 { margin-left:30%; width:40%; } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: justify; margin: 0.5em 0; } - .c000 { margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c001 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c002 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c003 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c005 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c006 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c007 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c008 { margin-top: 1em; font-size: .9em; } - .c009 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c010 { font-size: .9em; } - .c011 { font-size: .9em; text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; - margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c012 { page-break-before: auto; margin-top: 2em; } - .c013 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 2em; } - .c014 { margin-top: 1em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c015 { margin-top: 2em; font-size: .9em; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;background-color:#E3E4FA; - border:thin solid silver; margin:2em 10% 0 10%; font-family: Georgia, serif; - clear: both; } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align: justify; } - .x-ebookmaker .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block; } - .figcenter {font-size: .9em; page-break-inside: avoid; max-width: 100%; } - .x-ebookmaker img {max-height: 30em; max-width: 100%; } - p,h1,h2,h3 { clear: both; } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .ol_1 li {font-size: .9em; } - .x-ebookmaker .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } - body {font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; padding: 1.5em .5em 1em; page-break-inside: avoid; - clear: both; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - .fixed { font-style: oblique; } - .x-ebookmaker p.dropcap:first-letter { float: left; } - /* ]]> */ </style> - </head> - <body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Better days, by Thomas Fitch</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Better days</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>or, A Millionaire of To-morrow</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Authors: Thomas Fitch</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Anna M. Fitch</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 14, 2022 [eBook #67835]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTER DAYS ***</div> - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><strong>Transcriber’s Note:</strong></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>BETTER DAYS:<br /> <span class='small'>OR,</span><br /> <span class='xlarge'>A Millionaire of To-morrow.</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>BY</div> - <div class='c003'><span class='large'>THOMAS FITCH <span class='fss'>AND</span> ANNA M. FITCH.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c002'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'>“Philosophy consists not</div> - <div class='line'>In airy schemes, or idle speculations;</div> - <div class='line'>The rule and conduct of all social life</div> - <div class='line'>Is her great province. Not in lonely cells</div> - <div class='line'>Obscure she lurks, but holds her heavenly light</div> - <div class='line'>To Senates and to Kings, to guide their counsels,</div> - <div class='line'>And teach them to reform and bless mankind.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='sc'>San Francisco, Cal.</span>:</div> - <div><span class='large'>BETTER DAYS PUBLISHING CO.</span></div> - <div>1891.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div><span class='small'>Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1891,</span></div> - <div><span class='small'><span class='sc'>By</span> THOMAS FITCH,</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.</span></div> - <div class='c002'><span class='small'>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c002'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='fixed'><span class='sc'>Pacific Press Publishing Company,</span></span></div> - <div class='line in12'><span class='fixed'><span class='sc'>Oakland, Cal.</span></span></div> - <div class='line in2'><span class='fixed'><span class='sc'>Printers, Electrotypers, Binders.</span></span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_millionaires_a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>TO THE</div> - <div class='c003'><span class='sc'>Eight Thousand Millionaires of America</span></div> - <div class='c003'>THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED.</div> - <div class='c003'>IF, THROUGH A PERUSAL OF ITS CONTENTS, ONE AMONG THEM ALL SHALL BE LED TO SO DISPOSE OF A PORTION OF HIS FORTUNE AS TO HELP THE WAGE-WORKERS OF OUR LAND TO HELP THEMSELVES, THEN THESE PAGES WILL NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN VAIN.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_millionaires_b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER I.<br /> <span class='small'>“The earth trembled underneath their feet.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Chicago,” said Professor John Thornton, “Chicago, -my dear doctor, is the typical American city. -New York and San Francisco may be classed as metropolitan. -Philadelphia, St. Louis, and New Orleans -are local to their surroundings; Boston is—Boston, but -Chicago is <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">sui generis</span></i>. Notwithstanding its large -permanent foreign population, and the presence of the -throngs of strangers attracted by the Columbian Exposition, -Chicago remains intensely and distinctively -an American city.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I quite believe you, professor,” said Dr. Eustace. -“Certainly in all the world elsewhere there is no race -track for locomotives, no place where iron horses are -speeded, and purses of gold and diamond badges -awarded to the winners.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is an innovation certainly, doctor, but just such -a one as might have been expected in Chicago. The -people of this city have not yet passed the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">noblesse -oblige</span></i> period. You know that in all large cities there -is liable to come a time when the citizens divide into -separate communities, usually with separate interests, -and without any general public spirit. In New York, -for instance, Madison Square takes no pride in the -East River bridge, Avenue A does not care whether -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>the Grant monument shall ever be completed, and the -Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island is as strange to -many a resident of Harlem as if she were planted on -the banks of the Neva. But the people of Chicago, -though locally divided into Northsiders, and Southsiders, -and Westsiders, are joined in interest for Chicago -against the world. Any project that promises -glory or profit for the Lake City will cause her citizens -to open their pocket books. These Illinois Don -Quixotes never tire of sounding the praises of their -Dulcinea, and are ever ready to break a lance in her -honor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is not this race,” said Dr. Eustace, “under the -auspices of the National Exposition?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not at all,” replied the professor. “As I am informed, -a party of speculators leased a thousand acres -of land here, ten miles from the city limits. They -have, as you see, inclosed it and provided it with the -usual buildings, including seats for one hundred thousand -spectators. The race course is circular in form, -four miles in length, and seven railroad tracks are -laid around it. The officers of the leading railroad -corporations of the country readily consented to send -locomotives and engineers here to compete for the -prizes offered, and—you witness the result. This is -the third day of the races, and still the interest seems -undiminished.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was late in the month of July, 1892, and although -the World’s Exposition was not yet formally opened, -tens of thousands of strangers thronged the hotels of -Chicago and added to the gayety of her streets. The -great attraction of the day was the locomotive railroad -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>race, and about twenty acres of people, representing -all nations, filled the benches and spread over the -outer circle of the great four-mile track.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Seven of the largest locomotives in America, selected -or constructed for this race, were steaming up -and down the tracks, waiting for the signal to range -themselves under a white cable, which was stretched -diagonally across the race course at such an angle as -to equalize the difference of length of inner and outer -tracks. Each locomotive was draped with its distinguishing -colors, worn also by its attendant engineer -and fireman. The favorite engine in the pool rooms -was the Chauncey M. Depew, entered by the New York -Central Railroad Company.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The furnishings of this engine were of polished -silver, with draperies of blue silk, and the engineer -and fireman wore shirts and caps of the same color.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The engine which most attracted the admiration of -the throng was the Collis P. Huntington, entered by -the Southern Pacific Company. All the furnishings as -well as the wheels of this locomotive were gilded and -burnished for the occasion. The attendants wore -shirts and caps of crimson, and the drapery consisted -of ropes of crimson roses, the freshness of which, -while coiled around smoke stack and boiler, was accounted -for by the fact that they were cut from asbestos -cloth made and tinted for the purpose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The directors of the railroad corporations centering -in Chicago had readily extended aid and co-operation -to the company organized in that city for the -construction and conduct of a locomotive race track, -for it was conceded that no more instructive school -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>for engineers and firemen could have been devised, -and that there was no better field in which to make -experiments in machinery, tests of fuel consumption, -and economical creation and application of dynamic -force. Almost every railroad company in the United -States and Canada entered one or more locomotives -for the races, which were advertised for the last week -of July, 1892, and, notwithstanding the large sums offered -for premiums, and the great expense of building -and maintaining the race course, the enterprise proved -exceedingly profitable to its projectors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Among the one hundred and fifty thousand spectators -of the contest was Professor John Thornton, of -Boston, who, ten years before, had been the hardworking -principal of the Denver public schools, but -who, through the death of an uncle, inherited a fortune -of five millions of dollars, and was now one of the solid -men and social magnates of the Hub.</p> - -<p class='c007'>During the years of poverty and struggle which -antedated Professor Thornton’s introduction to the -ranks of wealth, he had grown to regard very rich -men with aversion and contempt. He was fond of -quoting the aphorism that the Lord expressed his -opinion of money by the kind of men he bestowed -it upon, and he was stout in the belief that any man -who, in this world of human misery, could make and -keep five millions of dollars, was too selfish, if not too -dishonest, for an associate. He did not carry his -opinions so far as to refuse the estate which fell to him, -but he was exceedingly generous with his income, and -he never ceased to criticise the millionaires.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Professor Thornton was generally regarded by his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>friends as a Crœsus with the instincts of a Bohemian, -a sort of gilded <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">sans-culotte</span></i>, with very radical opinions -and a very conservative bank account.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor was accompanied to the race course -by his family physician and old friend, Dr. Eustace. -This gentleman, unlike the professor, was optimistic in -his views of life. Pessimism, according to his belief, -might be sometimes necessary for ballast, but as -a rule he preferred to throw the sand and rocks overboard, -and load up with the silks and spices of Cathay.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What a country!” ejaculated the doctor, as, amid -the cheers of the multitude, one of the locomotives -dashed up the track to try her speed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is a great country,” said Professor Thornton, -“but will its peace and prosperity endure?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why not?” sententiously interposed Doctor -Eustace.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are we,” replied the professor, “so much wiser -than the people of the republics which once encircled -the Mediterranean, that we can afford to disregard -the lesson imparted by their history?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you pretend to compare the ancient civilizations -with ours?” queried the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It may not be gainsaid,” rejoined Thornton, -“that our civilization is superior to that of the ancients -in control and utilization of the forces of nature, -and it is also true that in the relations of the individual -to his government the former has gained in freedom -and in security of personal rights. But otherwise we -seem to be traveling the same round of national life -from infancy to decay, which marked the course of -Assyria, of Egypt, of Greece, and of Rome.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>“But conditions were different with them,” remonstrated -the doctor. “Rome, even when a republic, -was such only in name. There was never any basis -of universal suffrage. The government of Rome was -always a military despotism, and her prætorian guard -sold the imperial purple, and rich men bought it, and -she fell because of her corruption.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And we have legislators and bosses who sell offices, -and ambitious incapables who buy them,” answered -the professor. “And we are having now the same -vast accumulations of fortune in individual hands that -have ever proven the forerunners of national destruction -elsewhere. Wealth, corruption, weakness, decay, -the mob, and the despot have been the six stages -of national life with other republics, and I doubt -whether by harnessing steam and electricity to our -chariot we shall do more than expedite the journey.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Professor, you should go out as a missionary to -millionaires,” interposed the doctor, “and preach to -them the doctrines of nationalism.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor, you are satirical,” replied the professor, -“but I am not so sure that events are not fast making -missionaries of some such doctrine. Certainly the -pressing problem of the hour is that of dealing wisely -and justly with the new and unparalleled conditions -which vast wealth has created throughout the world, -and especially in these United States.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We shall prove equal to the problem,” said the -doctor cheerfully. “A people who, North and South, -were adequate to the achievements and sacrifices of -our Civil War, will never allow their government to be -overturned by a mob, or their politics to be always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>ruled by a few thousand wealth owners. And then -the personnels of the pauper and the capitalist are ever -changing. We have no law of entail by which the -founder of a fortune can perpetuate it in his descendants. -The vices and the brainlessness of the sons of -rich men will come to our aid, and in the third or -fourth generation the boatman’s oar and the peddler’s -pack will be resumed. Let the millionaires add to -their millions without molestation, say I. They cannot -take their gold away with them. It must remain -here, where it will again be distributed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor,” said the professor solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, John,” interrupted the doctor, laying his -hand familiarly on his friend’s shoulder, “possibly -the country may be going to ruin, but we shall have -time to see the race out. They are bringing the locomotives -in line ready to start. If they should come -out close together at the end, how are they going to -tell which wins?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The judge of this race, doctor,” explained the -professor, “is electrical and automatic and cannot -make a mistake. As soon as the engines are arranged -in line for starting, a wire will be stretched across the -track behind them. This wire will connect with a -registering apparatus, dial, and clock in front of the -grand stand, and each track is numbered. At the signal -bell for starting, the clockwork will be put in motion. -The first locomotive that crosses this wire will, -in the act of crossing, telegraph the number of its -track, close the circuit, and stop the clock, thus registering -the number of minutes, seconds, and quarter -seconds consumed in the run.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>“How clever!” said the doctor. “Well, there -sounds the signal bell—they are off!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a shrill shriek of challenge from their throats -of steel, like unleashed hounds the giants bounded -away, gaining speed as they ran. In thirty-eight -seconds they rounded the curve by the half-mile post -without much change in their relative positions. The -next mile was made in fifty-five seconds, with the -Chauncey M. Depew, which had the inside track, -fifty yards ahead of the Collis P. Huntington, and the -others all the way from fifty to one hundred yards behind. -At the third mile post the Huntington and the -Depew rounded the curve almost side by side, with -trails of fire streaming from their smoke stacks, and -mingling in a luminous cloud, which hovered above -their distanced competitors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then, with thunderous leaps and bounds, they came -down the home stretch, the one a streak of blue and -silver, the other a streak of gold and crimson, and the -roar of the multitude fairly drowned the shrieking of -the whistles as engineer James Flanagan, of the Southern -Pacific Company—his crimson cap gone, his black -hair streaming in the wind, and his red flannel shirt -open at the breast and almost blown from his massive -white shoulders—rode across the signal wire five feet -ahead of his competitor, winning the first prize of -$10,000 for his company and the diamond badge for -himself, making the run of four miles in three minutes -nine and one-quarter seconds, or at a rate of over -eighty miles an hour.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was nothing, sor,” said Flanagan to the vice -president of the Southern Pacific Company, who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>climbed upon the cab of the locomotive to shake -hands with his engineer. “If it wasn’t for the time -lost in getting under way I’d engage to sind the Collis -P. around the four-mile track in two minutes and a -half. Sure, the machine was never built that could -catch her on a straight run. She’s a dandy and a -darlin’ and a glory to old California,” and he patted -the throttle valve affectionately.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Flanagan,” said Vice President Crocker, “the -owners of this race track have made one mistake -They give the diamond badge, worth $1,000, to the -engineer, and the purse of $10,000 to the company. -Suppose we trade and let the company take the -badge and you take the purse.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, more power to you, Misther Crocker,” said -the delighted engineer. “It’s thrade I will, and may -you live until I offer to thrade back, and whin you -die may you go straight up, wid never a hot box to -delay you on your run to glory. I’ll give twinty-five -hundred dollars of the money to Dan Nilson, that -shoveled the coals unther the boiler, like the good -man he is, and wid the balance I’ll buy a chicken -ranch in Alameda that will be the makin’ of Missis -Flanagan and the kids.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the bench behind the professor and the doctor -two men were seated engaged in earnest conversation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am not asserting,” said one, “that the ore is so -very rich. It will average fifteen per cent in copper -carbonates, and that is good enough for anybody. -But I do say that the lode is an immense one.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How long do you suppose it would last, Bob, with -a dozen forty-ton furnaces at work on it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>“Last? why, if you had Niagara for a water-power, -and the State of Colorado for a dumping-ground, and -hades for a smelting furnace, you couldn’t work that -ledge out in a million years.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Bob,” laughed the other man, “I will go -and look at your mine. Can you start to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your time is mine,” was the response.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very good; shall we go by the Iron Mountain -route, or by Kansas City?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will have to go by some other route than either,” -was the reply. “I cannot cross the State of Missouri; -I am honorably dead there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Honorably dead?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, sir. It was this way: I lived at Atchison for -a while when I was a young fellow, and Abe Simmons -and me were always at outs about something, and at -last we quarreled in dead earnest about a girl, and he -sent me a challenge to fight a duel. I always held -that dueling was a fool way to settle things, but I -wasn’t going to take water for no Missourian, and so -I placed myself in the hands of my second, as they -call it among the chivs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Abe’s second and my second were good -friends of both of us, and they were in for a sort of a -lark, and they fixed it up to paint two life-sized pictures, -one of Abe and one of me, on the door of an -old stable, and we was each to fire at the picture of -the other at the word. They had three doctors to examine -the wounds on the paintings, and if they decided -that the wound was mortal, then the fellow whose picture -was killed had to consider himself honorably dead, -and was to leave Missouri and never return. If the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>wound was not mortal, he had to lay up and keep his -bed for such time as the doctors agreed would be -necessary.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, sir, they made a circus of us, that’s a fact. -We both signed a paper agreeing on honor to carry -out the arrangement, and we went out one broiling -afternoon in August in pursuit of each other’s gore. -The boys had passed the word, and we played to a -bigger audience than was ever at a Democratic barbecue. -I was the best shot, but I was getting ashamed -of the whole business, and I fired in a hurry, and only -plugged Abe’s picture through its gambrel joint. He -took a dead sight and shot my picture plumb through -the heart. I wanted three days to settle my business, -but the doctors decided that the weather was so hot I -wouldn’t keep more than twelve hours, and accordingly -I lit out for Pike’s Peak—as it was then called—the -next morning, and I have never touched the soil -of Missouri since.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How about Abe?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The doctors agreed that he had to go on crutches -for three months, and the boys laughed at him—so I -heard—so much that at the end of the second week he -limped out to his father’s ranch, and stayed there until -his time was up, when he went to St. Louis.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And the girl?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, of course I was a corpse, and she had no -use for me, and Abe had, before the duel, invited her -to a dance, and, naturally, being a cripple, he couldn’t -go, and she allowed that she would neither go to a -dance or tie herself for life to a man with a lame leg, -and she married another fellow altogether. But you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>see I cannot honorably go into Missouri unless I can -travel on a corpse ticket.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Bob, your remains shall not violate your -pledge. We will keep out of Missouri this trip.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Mr. Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor turned at the sound of the name, and, -looking his neighbor in the face, exclaimed:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“David Morning, have you altogether forgotten an -old friend? True, it is nearly ten years since I saw -you last, in Denver, but surely I have not changed so -very much since then?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Forgotten you, Professor Thornton?” replied the -party addressed, as he shook hands warmly, “forgotten -you? no, indeed. I do not need to ask if you -are well—and your wife and daughter? Are they both -with you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Both are in Boston, and well, thank you. Do you -remain long in Chicago?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I leave to-night for the West. Pray convey to -your family my remembrances and regards.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will not fail to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The crowd seems to be going, professor; I suppose -we must say good-by.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good-by, then, and a pleasant journey to you.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER II.<br /> <span class='small'>“The light that shone when hope was born.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In the early dawn of an August day in the year of -grace eighteen hundred and ninety-two, David Morning -stepped through the French window of his bedroom -out upon the broad and sheltered piazza of the -railroad station hotel at Tucson, Arizona.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A mass of straight brown hair crowned rather than -shaded a broad, high brow, over the surface of which -thought and time had indented a few lines which gave -strength and meaning to the face. Eyes of sea gray -hue, as candid and as translucent as the deeps which -they resembled, were divided by a nose somewhat too -thick at the base for perfect features but running to -an aquiline point, with the thin and flexible nostrils -of the racer. A short upper lip was covered with a -luxuriant chestnut brown mustache, shading a chin -which, though long and resolute and firmly upheld -against the upper lip, was yet divided by a deep dimple -which quivered with sensitiveness. A thick-set -but graceful and erect figure, clothed in a suit of dark -blue flannel, completed the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">tout ensemble</span></i> of the subject -of our sketch, who, with thirty-two years of human -experience behind him, had stepped five hours -before from the West-bound Pullman sleeper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>David Morning—the only child of a Connecticut -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>father and a Knickerbocker mother—was born and -passed the days of his boyhood in the city of New -York, where he was a pupil of the public schools, -and where he was making preparation for entering -upon a course at Yale, when, at sixteen years of age, -the sudden death of his father, followed within a fortnight -by that of his mother, compelled him to surrender -his studies and seek a means of livelihood.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A distant relative offered him a place as clerk in a -general merchandise store in Southern Colorado, -whither the lad journeyed. For two years he faithfully -served his employer. Always of an exploring -and adventurous disposition, he had, while “geologizing”—as -he called it—in the neighboring hills, in -company with a prospector who had taken a fancy to -“the kid,” discovered a quartz lode, which his companion -located on joint account, David being under -age. This location was soon afterwards sold to an -Eastern company for the sum of $20,000, of which -the lad received one-half. Declining several friendly -offers to invest the money in promising mines, he -wisely determined to return East and resume the -studies which had been interrupted by the death of -his parents; but, guided by his Colorado experience, -and having a strong inclination for the vocation of a -mining engineer, he determined to study in special -lines which were outside of the usual collegiate -course. He had not deemed it necessary to leave his -own country to obtain the necessary instruction, and, -four years later, he found himself with $5,000 left of -his capital, with no knowledge of the Greek alphabet -and but small acquaintance with Latin, yet able to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>speak and write fluently French, Spanish, and German, -and possessed of a good knowledge of geology, -metallurgy, chemistry, and both civil and mechanical -engineering, and with a cultivated as well as a natural -taste for politico-economic science.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At twenty-two years of age, having completed his -studies, David Morning located in Denver, adopted -the profession of a civil and mining engineer, and -promptly proceeded to fall in love with the only -daughter of Professor John Thornton, the principal -of the Denver public schools.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ellen Thornton at seventeen gave abundant promise -of the splendid womanhood that was to follow. -Above the middle height, slender in form, and graceful -in carriage, with a broad, low brow crowned with -silky, lustrous, dark hair, and eyes of chestnut brown, -that, in moments of inspiration, grew radiant as stars, -she captivated the young engineer and was readily -captivated by him in turn. An engagement of marriage -followed, to be fulfilled as soon as the clientage -of Morning should be sufficient to warrant the union.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But business comes slowly to young men of two -and twenty, and Ellen’s mother grew impatient of the -fetters which she deemed kept her charming daughter -from more advantageous arrangements. Ellen was -proud-spirited and ambitious, and, although she was -earnest and conscientious, she was not so stable of -purpose as to be unaffected by the arguments and appeals -of her mother. At times she was sure that she -loved David Morning, and at other times she was not -so sure that her love was of that enduring and devoted -character which a wife should feel for her husband. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>Her reading had created in her mind a conception of -an ideal passion which she could not feel had as yet -come into her life. She believed that her affianced -had undeveloped powers that would some day bring -him fame and fortune, and again she was not so sure -that he possessed the tact and persistence to utilize -his powers to the best advantage. This doubt would -not have deterred her from fulfilling her engagement -of marriage if she had been entirely certain of her love -for him. But she was divided by doubts as to whether -the affection she felt was really the ideal and exalted -passion of her dreams, or only a strong desire for a -companionship which she found to be exceedingly -pleasant.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She was not quite certain in all things of her affianced, -not quite certain of herself, not quite certain of -anything, and one day, yielding to an irresistible -impulse of doubt and hesitancy, she asked to be released -from her engagement.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning was amazed, indignant, and almost heartbroken -at her request. Had he been of riper age and -experience he would have known how to allow for the -doubts and self-questionings of a young girl in her -first love affair, but he was as unsophisticated as she, -and more secure in his own possession of himself. -Frank and proud, he took her at the word, which she -regretted almost as soon as it was uttered. He neither -sued nor remonstrated, but with only a “God bless -you” and a “good-by,” and without even a request -for a parting kiss, which, if given, might have opened -the way to a better understanding, he hurriedly left -the house.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>The next day he was on his way to Leadville, in -fulfillment of a professional engagement, and when he -returned two weeks later he found that his former -affianced had accompanied her parents to Boston, -where Professor Thornton had been suddenly called -by the death of a relative, to whose large fortune he -succeeded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Our hero did not despair, and, having no natural inclination -for dissipation, did not make his rejection an -excuse and an opportunity for self-indulgence. He -was of an intense and earnest nature, and he was really -in love with the girl who had discarded him, but life -was not dead of duty or achievement to him because -of her loss, which he looked upon as final, for her -newly-acquired position as a wealthy heiress made it -impossible to his self-respect to seek a reconciliation. -He applied himself with assiduity and industry to his -profession, and soon became an exceedingly skillful and -reliable mining expert.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ability to comprehend the story written upon the -rocks cannot always be gained by study or experience. -At last it is a “faculty,” rather than the result of reading -or training. Fire and flood, oxygen and electricity, -the tempests of the air and the volcanic throbbings -of the earth, have been busy for ages with the quartz -lode, and have left their marks upon it. It is possible -sometimes to decipher these hieroglyphics so as to -answer with a degree of accuracy the ever-recurring -question, “Will it pay to work?” Yet such possibility -cannot be reduced to a science. Professors of -geology and metallurgy are often wrong in their conclusions, -and even old prospectors are frequently at -fault.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>Go across a piece of marsh land on a spring morning -accompanied by a bull-dog and a Gordon setter. -The former will flush no snipe save those he may -fairly run over as he trots along. But the fine nose -of the dog with the silky auburn coat will catch the -scent of the wary bird, and follow it here and there -around tufts of marsh grass and across strips of meadow, -until the sagacious canine shall be seen outlined against -earth and sky. It is difficult to be certain of anything -in this world of human deceptions, but one may be -absolutely sure under such circumstances that the dog -will not lie, and that he cannot be mistaken. There -is a snipe within a few yards of that dog in the direction -in which his nose is pointed. If the sportsman -fails to secure the bird, the fault will be with his aim or -his fowling-piece—the dog has done his part.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Some men—even among experienced miners—have -the bull-dog’s obtuseness, and some have an eye for -quartz equal to the nose of a pointer for snipe. David -Morning was of this latter class, and to the thorough -training which he had received during his four years’ -studies he speedily added that practical knowledge of -the rocks which, guided by natural aptitudes and intuitions, -will enable the wooer of the hills to gain -their golden favors. His honesty, good judgment, -and fidelity caused his services to be eagerly sought -by the mining companies, which—after the Leadville -discoveries—abounded in Colorado, and at the date -at which our narrative opens he had acquired a fortune -of about $300,000, which was invested mainly in -mortgages upon business property in Denver. But -he made no attempt at further attendance on Cupid’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>court, and, indeed, gave but little attention to -society.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Yet, while the physical Ellen Thornton thus passed -out of the young man’s life, there came into his soul -instead an ideal, whose influence was ever an inspiration -to higher thinking, purer life, gentler judgments, -and loftier deeds. Well has the poet said, “’Tis -better to have loved and lost than never to have loved -at all.” No man can be possessed by love for a good -woman without being thereby moved upward on all -the lines of existence. Damps cannot dim the diamond; -its facets and angles of fire will never permit -the fog to abide with them. From the hour that his -heart is touched with the electric passion, the lover -is in harmony with all delights.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The waters tinkle and the lark sings for him with -sweeter notes, while the sunlight is more radiant, and -the hills are robed with a softer purple. The woman -who has evoked the one passion of a man’s life may -become as dead to him as the occupant of an Etruscan -tomb, but the love itself will abide with him to enrich -his life, and journey with him into the other country.</p> - -<p class='c007'>David Morning found in books the most pleasant -and absorbing companionship, and those who gained -admittance to his library were surprised to learn that -there was a dreamy, speculative, poetical side to the -busy, practical mining engineer. All the great authors -on mental, moral, and political economy were well-thumbed -comrades, and the covers of the leading -English and German poets and essayists were free -from dust. Especially was he a close and interested -student of social science, and he had his theories -concerning changes of various natures in society and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>governments which might ameliorate the condition -and elevate the lives and purposes of mankind.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In religion Morning was neither an accepter nor an -agnostic. His reading taught him that all religions -inculcate the righteousness of truth, honesty, and unselfishness, -and that any form of faith in the hereafter -is better for the world than no faith at all. The Persian -who bowed devoutly to the highest material sign -of Deity, the sun, was thereby filled with a spirit -which made him readier to relieve the misery of his -brother. The Egyptian who brought tribute to the -priests of Isis and Osiris, was the better for his self-denial. -The Greek who believed in Minerva was a -closer student. Odin’s followers scorned a lie. Confucius -taught love of home and kindred. Mahomet -prescribed temperance, and the pure and gentle faith -of Buddha in its benefactions to the human race has -been exceeded only by the benign power of the religion -of Jesus.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Skeptics strengthen their scoffings by recounting -the wars and cruelties—in bygone centuries—of zealots -insane with fervor. But these are only spots upon the -sun. The rusty thumbscrews of the Inquisition, and -the ashes of the fires amid which Servetus perished—fires -unkindled and dead for three hundred years—may -be forgotten when one considers the hospitals, -and schools, and houses of shelter which now link -their shadows across continents.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A few days before, while attending the locomotive -races in Chicago, Morning had met an old mining -friend, at whose earnest insistence he had been induced -to visit and examine, with a view of purchasing, a -large and promising ledge of copper in the Santa -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>Catalina Mountains. It was the pursuit of this purpose -that had brought him to Tucson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>From his seat on the hotel piazza David Morning -gazed into the little triangular garden beneath, with -its splashing fountain guarded by fragrant honey locust -trees, its close-knit, dark green lawn of Australian -grass, and its collection of weird and ugly cacti, -transplanted from their native sand for the edification -of passing tourists.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then, raising his eyes, he beheld the ancient adobe -pueblo, with a few belated saloon lights blinking -through the murk, which was now slowly changing -into ashen dawn. In the east a pencil line of light -was beginning to glow, and to the northward the -blackish purple of the Santa Catalina Range upreared -itself against the night sky.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In yonder mountains, as tenantless, as forbidding, -as inaccessible, and almost as unexplored as when they -were first upheaved from the tortured breast of chaos, -there reposed the golden power which, in the hands of -David Morning, was to change the economic and -social relations of mankind, and, possibly, the governments, -the boundaries, and the history of nations.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nothing of these ripening purposes of Omniscience -were then revealed to the soul of our hero; none of -them even rested in his dreams. Yet the nations, -weary of centuries of error, centuries of wrong, centuries -of toil and tears and martyrdom, were waiting, -even as he was waiting before commencing his work, -for the light which every moment grew brighter in its -scarlet beauty against the eastern horizon—the light -which was to guide humanity to its destiny of better -days.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER III.<br /> <span class='small'>“The storm is abroad in the mountains.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Santa Catalina Mountains, although commonly -designated as a part of the Sierra Madres, are, -in truth, a small, isolated range, towering to a height -of seven or eight thousand feet above the surrounding -plains. They are steep, rugged, and practically -inaccessible, except at the eastern end, where they may -be entered through a long, narrow, crooked canyon, -which runs from the plain or mesa to within a short -distance of the summit. This canyon widens at intervals -into small valleys, few of which exceed a dozen -acres in extent, and through it the Rillito, a mountain -stream, carrying, ordinarily, about five hundred -miner’s inches of water, tumbles and splashes. Along -and above the bed of this stream, at a height of fifty -feet or more, in order to avoid the freshets created by -the summer rains, runs a very primitive wagon road, -which was constructed for the purpose of allowing -supplies to be transported to the miners, who, during -the era of high prices for copper, were engaged in -taking ore from the carbonate lodes which exist in -abundance in a range of hills half way to the summit -and ten miles from the mouth of the canyon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The lower hills of the Santa Catalinas are covered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>with a scant growth of mesquite and palo verde, along -the Rillito there is a fringe of willows and cottonwoods, -and near the summit is a large body of pine timber, -but its practical inaccessibility and distance from any -available market have protected it from the woodman’s -ax. The absence of any extent of agricultural or -grazing land in the Santa Catalinas has proven a -bar to their occupation by settlers, and their isolation, -rugged nature, and unpromising geological formation, -have deterred prospectors from thoroughly exploring -them. Such searchers for treasure as visited them -always returned with a verdict of “no good,” until a -<i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">quasi</span></i> understanding was reached by the miners and -prospectors of Arizona that it was useless to waste -time looking for gold or silver in their fastnesses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Above the copper belt no prospector was ever able -to find trace or color of any metal, and the low price -of copper and the high charges for railroad freight -which prevailed in 1883 and succeeding years, caused -abandonment of the rude workings for that metal, and -at the date of the opening of our narrative it might -have been truly said that the entire Santa Catalina -Range was without an occupant.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the western and southern end of the range its -summit and rim consist of a huge basaltic formation, -towering perpendicularly one thousand feet, upon the -apex of which probably no human footstep was ever -placed, for its character excluded all probability of -quartz being found there, even by the Arizona prospector, -who will climb to any place that can be reached -by a goat or an eagle, if so be silver and not scenery -entice him.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>In the spring of 1892 Robert Steel, who, in years -gone, had acted as superintendent of a copper company -operating in the Santa Catalinas, and was familiar -with the ground, had been inspired by a considerable -advance in the price of copper to visit the scene -of his former labors and relocate the abandoned claims. -It was at his solicitation and representations that -David Morning, who had known him well in Colorado, -was induced to take a trip to Arizona to examine the -properties.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Robert Steel was designated by those who knew -him best as “a true fissure vein.” With hair that was -unmistakably red, and eyes that were blue as the sky, -with the upper part of his face covered with tan and -freckles, and the lower part disguised by a heavy -brick-red beard, his personal appearance was not entirely -prepossessing to the casual observer. But under -the husk of roughness was a heart both tender and -true, a loyalty that would never tire, a thorough -knowledge of his business as a miner, and a tried and -dauntless courage that, in the performance of duty, -would, to quote the vernacular of the Arizonian, “have -fought a rattlesnake, and given the snake the first -bite.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He carried his forty years with the vigor of a boy, -and his occasional impecuniosity, which he accounted -for incorrectly by saying that he “had been agin faro,” -was in fact the result of continued investments in giving -an education to his two young brothers, and furnishing -a comfortable home and support for his parents -and sisters in Wisconsin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There are many Robert Steels to be found among -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>the prospectors of the far West. They are the brightest, -bravest, most generous, enterprising, and energetic -men on earth. They are the Knights Paladin, -who challenge the brute forces of nature to combat, -the soldiers who, inspired by the <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">aura sacra fames</span></i>, -face the storm and the savage, the desert and disease. -They crawl like huge flies upon the bald skulls of lofty -mountains; they plod across alkaline deserts, which -pulse with deluding mirages under the throbbing light; -they smite with pick and hammer the adamantine -portals of the earth’s treasure chambers, and at their -“open sesame” the doors roll back and reveal their -stores of wealth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>They are readier with rifle or revolver than with -scriptural quotation, and readier yet with “coin sack” -at the call of distress, and they are not always unaccustomed -to the usages of polite society, though they -scorn other than their occasional exercise. Under -the gray shirts may be found sometimes graduates -from Yale, and sometimes fugitives from Texas, but -always hearts that pulse to the appeals of friendship -or the cries of distress, even “as deeps answer to the -moon.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Among these pioneers no one man assumes to be -better than another, and no man concedes his inferiority -to anybody. In the last forty years they have -carried the civilization, the progress, and the power -of the nineteenth century to countries which were beforetime -unexplored. In their efforts some have found -fortune and some have found unmarked graves upon -the hillside. Some with whitened locks but spirits -yet aflame continue the search for wealth, and some, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>wearied of the search, patiently await the summons to -cross the ridge. Wherever they roam, and whether -they spin the woof of rainbows upon this or upon the -other side, they will be happy, for they will be busy -and hopeful, and labor and hope carry their heaven -with them evermore.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Two days after the arrival of David Morning at -Tucson he left for the Santa Catalinas. The party -consisted of Morning and Steel and two miners who -were employed for the expedition. A wagon drawn -by four serviceable mules was loaded with tools, tents, -camp equipages, saddles and bridles, provisions, and -grain for the animals sufficient for a week’s use. Late -in the afternoon of the second day the site of the -copper locations was reached, and a camp made upon -the mesa a few hundred feet from and above the bed -of the stream.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A cursory examination of the copper locations -made before nightfall satisfied Morning that before -he could form any judgment upon which he would be -willing to act in making a purchase, it would be necessary -to clean out one of the old shafts, which had, -since the mines were abandoned, been partially filled -with loose rock and earth. This work it was estimated -could be performed by Robert Steel and his -two miners in about three days, and while it was being -done Morning proposed to explore, or at least -visit, the source of the stream, near the summit of the -range ten miles away. Assuring Steel that he was -an old mountaineer, and that no apprehensions need -be felt for his safety if he did not return until the end -of two or three days, Morning saddled one animal, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>and, loading another with blankets, camp equipage, -a pick, a fowling-piece, and three days’ provisions, he -departed next morning, after an early breakfast, for -the trip up the cañon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Above the old copper camp the wagon road came -to an end, and only a rough trail running along and -often in the creek took its place. Following the -trail, Morning proceeded, driving his pack mule ahead, -until, at a point about six miles from where he had left -his companions, further progress with animals was -found to be impossible.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One hundred feet above the bed of the stream, -which here emerged with a rush from a narrow gorge, -was a plateau of probably ten acres in extent, on -which were a number of large oak trees, and the -ground of which was at this season covered with a -heavy growth of alfilaria, or native clover. Here -Morning unloaded and tethered his mules, and made -for himself a temporary camp under a huge live oak -tree.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After eating his luncheon, he buckled a pistol about -his waist, that he might not be altogether unprepared -for a possible deer, and, using a pole-pick for a walking -staff, he climbed out of the cañon and commenced -the ascent of the mountain to the southward. It appeared -to be about a thousand feet in height, and upon -its summit towered, one thousand feet higher, the -basaltic wall which Morning recognized as that which -was visible from Tucson, and which formed the southern -and western rim of the Santa Catalina Mountains. -His purpose was to reach at least the base of this wall, -and ascertain if there were any means of ascending -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>it to its summit, from which it might be possible to -obtain an extended view of the country.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After half an hour’s hard climbing, our adventurer -gained this wall and found along its base a natural -road, with an ascent of probably three hundred feet -to the mile. Slowly plodding his way among the -loose rock and débris, which had, during many ages, -scaled and fallen from the basalt, he soon reached an -opening about sixty feet in width.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Supposing that this might be a cañon or gorge -that would furnish a means of ascending the wall, he -turned into it. In a little more than a quarter of a mile -it came to an abrupt termination. It was a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">cul de sac</span></i>, -a rift in the wall made in some convulsion of nature. -It ascended very slightly, being almost level, and at -both sides and at the end the basalt towered for a -thousand feet sheer to the summit, without leaving -a break upon which even a bird could set its foot. -It was now midday, but the rays of the sun did not -penetrate to the bottom of this rift, and the atmosphere -and light were those of an autumn twilight.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After ascertaining the nature and extent of the gorge, -Morning turned, and, plodding through the sand -and loose rock to its entrance, resumed his journey -along the base of the great wall. The ascent of the -little ridge or natural road grew steeper and steeper, -until at length the top was reached, and our explorer -stood upon the summit of the great basaltic formation, -a mile in width and ten miles in length, which forms -the southwestern rim or table of the Santa Catalinas. -From near the outer edge spread as grand a prospect -as was ever vouschafed to the eye of mortal. Tucson, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>seven thousand feet below and fifteen miles away, -seemed almost at the foot of the mountain. To the -southeast stretched a narrow, winding ribbon of green, -the homes of the Mexicans, who, with their ancestors, -have for more than two centuries occupied the valley -of the Santa Cruz. Farther yet to the southward the -lofty Huachucas towered. Northward a higher peak -of the Catalinas cut off the view, but to the southwest -broad mesas and billowy hills stretched for more than -a hundred and fifty miles, until at the horizon the eye -rested upon the blue of the Gulf of California, penciled -against an ashen strip of sky.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As Morning gazed in awe and delight, there appeared -in the sky, scudding from the south, flecks of -cloud, chasing each other like gulls upon an ocean, -and remembering that this was the rainy season, and -feeling rather than knowing that a storm was about to -gather, Morning retraced his steps. He had proceeded -on his return to a point about five hundred -yards above the mouth of the rift which he had visited -on his upward journey, when the rapidly-darkening -clouds and big plashes of rain drops warned him that -one of the showers customary in that section in August -was about to fall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Such storms are usually of brief duration, but are -liable to be exceedingly violent, the water often descending -literally in sheets. It would have been impossible -for Morning to reach the camp where he -had left the animals in time to avoid the storm, and -a hollow in the basalt wall—a hollow which almost -amounted to a cave—offering just here a complete -shelter from the rain, which was approaching from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>the south, over the top of the wall, he sought the -opening, and was soon seated upon a convenient rock, -while his vision swept the slope to the cañon a mile -below, and thence followed the meanderings of the -Rillito until it vanished from sight.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And the clouds grew and darkened. Like black -battalions of Afrites summoned by the “thunder drum -of heaven,” they trooped from distant mountains and -nearer plains to gather upon the summit of the Catalinas. -The south wind—now risen to a gale—swooped -up the fogs from the distant gulf, and hurried them -upon its mighty pinions, shrieking with delight at the -burden it bore up to the summit of the basalt, above -which it massed them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then the demons of the upper ether reached their -electric-tipped fingers into the dense black watery -masses, and whirled them into a denser circle, whirled -them into an hour glass, whose tip was in the heavens -and whose base was carried by the giant force thus -generated slowly along and just above the top of the -great wall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Whirled in a demon waltz to the music of the shaking -crags, yet touching not those peaks, for to touch them -would have been destruction, the circling ocean in the -air sailed, roaring and shrieking, to the eastward, growing -denser and more powerful, and black with the -blackness of the nethermost pit, as it journeyed on. -At last it reached the blind cañon so lately visited by -our explorer. The air—imprisoned between the earth -and the clouds—rushed with a tortured yell down the -rift in the mountain. The wall of water sank as its -support tumbled from beneath it; its base touched -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>the ragged rocky edges of the cleft; the compactness -of the fluid mass was broken, and the forces fled and -left to its fate the watery monster they had engendered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then, with a roar louder than a thousand peals of -thunder, with throbs and gaspings like the death -rattle of a giant, the waterspout burst, and its vast -volume descended into the gorge, down which it -seethed with the power of a cataclysm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Out of the mouth of the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">cul de sac</span></i> a torrent issued, -or rather a wall of water hundreds of feet in height. -Down the mountain side it sped, tearing a channel -deep and wide, and crumbling into a thousand cataracts -of foam, which spread and submerged the slope. -A deep depression or basin on the side of the mountain -just southward of the bed of the Rillito deflected -the torrent for a few hundred yards, and it rushed into -this basin and filled it, and, leaving a small lake as a -souvenir of its visit, went roaring down the cañon, -which it entered again about a quarter of a mile below -the spot where Morning had tethered his mules.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Not more than fifteen minutes had elapsed since the -bursting of the waterspout when the storm was over, -the sun was shining, the water had departed down the -cañon, and our awe-stricken witness to this mighty -sport of elemental forces started to retrace his steps. -He had witnessed the deflection of the water wall, and -knew that his animals were safe, and he also knew that -no harm would come to his companions down the -cañon, for their camp was hundreds of feet above the -bed of the ravine.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A few minutes’ walk brought Morning to the mouth -of the gorge which he had visited an hour or more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>before. From it a small stream of water—the remains -of the waterspout—was yet running, and, being curious -to observe the effects produced upon the spot which -first received the fury of the waters, he descended into -the channel which had been torn by the torrent, and -again entered the rift.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The tremendous force of the vast body of water -precipitated into the gorge had excavated and swept -through its opening the fallen and decomposed rock -and sand and bowlders which had been accumulating -for centuries. The channel rent by the waters as they -emerged was quite twenty feet in depth and sixty feet -in width, and Morning found that the floor of the box -cañon had been torn away to a similar depth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The waterspout had accomplished in one minute a -work that would have required the industrious labor -of one thousand men for a month. The gorge was -swept clean to the bed rock, which showed blue limestone, -and in the center of this limestone bed there -now stood erect, to a height of twelve feet, a ledge of -white and rose-colored quartz of regular and unbroken -formation, forty feet in width, running from near the -entrance of the rift to the end of it, where it disappeared -under the basalt wall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The experienced eye of Morning taught him at a -glance that this was a true fissure vein of quartz, and a -brief examination of some pieces which he knocked -off with his pole-pick convinced him that it was rich -in gold. But for the waterspout which had swept away -the sand, gravel, and loose rocks which ages of disintegration -of the face of the wall had deposited over -this lode, its existence must ever have remained undiscovered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>for there were no exterior evidences of the -existence of quartz, to tempt a prospector to sink a -shaft.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The primal instinct of the miner is to locate his -“find,” and Morning proceeded forthwith to acquire -title to “the unoccupied mineral lands of the United -States” so marvelously brought to light. His notebook -furnished paper for location notices, and an hour’s -work enabled him to build location monuments of -loose stone, in which his notices were deposited.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was now more than two hours since the waterspout -had expended its force. Morning conjectured -that Steel and his miners, after the flood had passed -them, would probably set out in search of him, and he -did not wish his location to be discovered until he -should have perfected it by recording at Tucson, and -possibly not then. But he knew that it would require -at least three hours for the men at the copper-camp to -reach him, and, though the light in the cañon was beginning -to grow dim, he determined not to leave there -without further examination of the ledge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Accordingly, he walked around it and climbed over -it. From its summit and its sides at twenty different -places he broke off specimens, which he deposited in -his pockets until they were full to bursting. It was -beginning to grow dark when he emerged from the -rift and started along the base of the basalt. He had -not proceeded a hundred yards from the mouth of the -rift, when he beheld three figures a quarter of a mile -distant, rapidly picking their way along the channel -which had been worn by the torrent in its descent of -the mountain.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>Five minutes more in the gorge and his secret -would have been discovered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He shouted to his friends, who responded to his hail, -and in a few minutes they met and descended the -mountain together to the plateau under the trees, -where the tethered animals, surfeited with alfilirea, were -whinnying loudly for human companionship.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was too late to attempt to return to the copper-camp -that night, and, indeed, daylight was needed for -the journey, for the trail had been in many places -washed away by the flood.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a supper, which made havoc with the three -days’ rations, a large fire was built, more for cheerfulness -than for warmth, blankets were divided, and all -retired.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning slept less soundly than his fellows, for his -quick and accurate brain was filled with an idea of the -colossal fortune and the mighty trust that the events -of that day had placed in his hands.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IV.<br /> <span class='small'>“Gold is the strength of the world.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Morning concluded it would be unwise to make another -trip to his location, lest suspicion might be excited -and discovery follow, so, breaking camp early -the next day, he returned with his comrades to the -copper-lodes, which they reached before noon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Work was resumed by Steel and his two miners in -clearing the old shaft, and Morning, taking a fowling-piece, -avowed his purpose to look for quail down the -ravine. Having reached a point where he felt secluded -from observation, he began a critical examination of -the quartz specimens, which until now he had not -dared to withdraw from his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As with his microscope he scrutinized piece after -piece, he grew pale with excitement and astonishment. -With the habit of a mining expert, he had sampled the -ledge as for an average, and the average value of the -twenty different specimens of quartz, taken from -twenty different localities, enabled him to determine -the true value of the property with great accuracy. -He discovered that the amount of gold in each one of -the twenty specimens would not vary materially from -the amount of gold in proportion to the quartz in each -and all of the others. In other words, the entire body -of quartz was uniformly impregnated with gold, and, -therefore, of uniform richness and value.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>There was no better judge of quartz in all Colorado -than David Morning. He had been accustomed, after -careful inspection, to estimate within ten or twenty percent -of the value per ton of free milling gold quartz, -and his accuracy had often been the subject of amicable -wagers among his friends. He was able in this -instance to say that each one of the ore specimens -carried not less than five hundred ounces of gold to -the ton of quartz, or that the entire lode would yield, -under the stamps, an average of $10,000 per ton.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This was marvelous! unprecedented! phenomenal! -No such deposit for richness and extent had ever been -found in the history of the world.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ten thousand dollars in gold, distributed through -two thousand pounds of quartz, may not make much -of a showing in the quartz, for in bulk there is fifty -times as much quartz as gold; but one hundred tons -of such quartz would yield a million dollars, and the -ledge uncovered by the waterspout was forty feet in -width and thirteen hundred and sixty feet in length -to where it ran under the basalt wall. It cropped -twelve feet above the ground, and extended to unknown -depths below the surface. Thirteen feet of rock -in place will weigh a ton. In that rift in the mountain -there was now in sight above the surface, all ready to -be broken down and sent to the stamps, six hundred -and fifty thousand cubic feet, or fifty thousand tons, of -quartz, containing gold of the value of $500,000,000.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What was to be done with the vast amount of gold -which might be extracted from the Morning mine? -How was it to be placed in circulation without unsettling -values, reducing the worth of all bonds, inaugurating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>wild speculation, and revolutionizing the commerce -and the finances of the world?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Would not the nations, so soon as they should be -made aware of the existence of this deposit, hasten to -demonetize gold, make of it a commodity, change the -world’s standard money to silver exclusively, and so -lessen the value of the Morning mine to a comparatively -small amount?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Under the plea that increased production of silver -necessitated a change in relative values, that metal -was demonetized in 1873 in Europe and in the United -States, and its value reduced one-third. Might not -gold now be similarly dealt with, and, with such a vast -deposit known to be in existence, be diminished by -demonetization to the value of silver or less?</p> - -<p class='c007'>The entire production of gold in the world for the -last forty years, or since the California and Australia -mines began to yield, had been but $5,000,000,000, -and as much might be extracted from the first one -hundred and twenty feet in depth of the Morning -mine. All the gold money of the world was but -$7,600,000,000, or less than might be excavated from -the first two hundred feet in depth of this marvelous -deposit. The total money of the world—gold, silver, -and paper—was but $11,500,000,000, and a similar -sum might be extracted from the first three hundred -feet in depth of the mine.</p> - -<p class='c007'>If the ledge extended downward a thousand feet, it -contained as much gold as three times the sum total -of all the gold, silver, and paper currency of the world, -and its value was equal to the value, in the year eighteen -hundred and ninety, of one-half of all the real -and personal property in the United States.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>How much of this gold could be added to the circulation -of the world with safety? and how could the -existence of the vast quantity held in reserve be kept -secret?</p> - -<p class='c007'>His studies in political economy had taught David -Morning that gold, like water, if fed to the land in -proper proportions, would stimulate its fertility and -add to its power of beneficent production, but if precipitated -in an unregulated and mighty torrent, would, -like the waterspout, prove a destructive power.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Knowledge of the existence of the gold, if generally -diffused, would be nearly as injurious to the world -as to extract it and place it in the channels of finance. -Yet how could the secret be kept? The ledge as it -stood could not be worked without half a hundred -men knowing its extent and value. No guards or -bonds of secrecy would be adequate. The birds of -the air would carry the tale. Even now a vagrant -prospector or wandering mountain tourist might reveal -the secret to the world.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Not in any spirit of self-seeking did David Morning -ask himself these questions. All his personal wants, -and tastes, and aspirations might be gratified with a -few millions, which could easily be mined and invested -before knowledge of his discovery could destroy or -lessen the value of gold. But the purpose now beginning -to take possession of him was to use, not -merely millions, but tens and hundreds and thousands -of millions, to bring peace, and progress, and prosperity -to the nations, to ameliorate the conditions under -which humanity suffers, to raise the fallen, to aid -the struggling, to curb the power of oppressors, to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>remedy public and private wrongs, to solve social problems, -to uplift humanity, and comfort the bodies and -souls of men. To accomplish this work it was necessary -that he should have vast sums at his command, -and it was also necessary that his possession of vaster -reserves should not be known.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The discoveries in California and Australia by which -in ten years fourteen hundred millions of gold dollars -were added to the world’s stock of the precious metals -was a beneficent discovery. It lifted half the weight -from the shoulders of every debtor; it made possible -the payment of every farm mortgage; it delivered -manhood from the evil embrace of Apathy, and -wedded him to fair young Hope; it invigorated commerce, -it inspired enterprise, it led the armies of peace -to the conquest of forest and prairie; it caused furnaces -to flame and spindles to hum; it brought plenty and -progress to a people.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But this addition to the gold money of civilization -was gradually made, and the product of forty years of -all the gold mines in the world was not equal to the -sum which in less than four years might be taken from -the Morning mine.</p> - -<p class='c007'>If, as a consequence of Morning’s find, gold should -not be demonetized, if it should be permitted to remain -as a measurer of all values, and the extent of -the deposit should be made known to the world, the -inevitable result would be to quadruple the prices of -land, labor, and goods, and to reduce to one-fourth -of their present proportions the value to the creditor -of all existing indebtedness. The farmer whose land -was worth $10,000 would find it worth $40,000, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>the man who had loaned $5,000 upon it would find -his loan worth but $1,250 practically, because the purchasing -power of his $5,000 would be reduced to one-fourth -of its present capacity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>All government bonds of the nations, all county, -city, and railroad bonds, and all the mortgages and -promissory notes and book accounts in the world, -would, if all of Morning’s gold should be poured at -once into circulation, without preparation or warning, -be reduced at one blow to one-fourth of their present -value, and all the owners of land, and implements, -and horses, and cattle, and merchandise would find -their value at once increased fourfold. The laborer -who had only his hands or his brains would remain -unaffected. His wages would be quadrupled, and so -would the cost of his living.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Knowledge of the extent of the Morning mine -would immediately enrich the debtors and ruin the -creditors of the world, unless the governments of earth -should demonetize gold, deny it access to the mints, -refuse to coin it, and so degrade it to a commodity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>An illustration in a small way of the operations of -this immutable law of finance may be found in the -history of San Francisco. The foundations of some -of the great fortunes of that city may be traced to the -days of the Civil War, when San Francisco wholesale -merchants paid their Eastern creditors in legal tender -currency, the while they diligently fostered a public -sentiment which made it discreditable to the honesty -and ruinous to the credit of any California retailer -who should attempt to pay his debt to them in -the despised greenbacks. The interior storekeeper -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>glowed with pride when Ephraim Smooth & Company -gathered in his golden twenties, and commended -his honesty for “paying his debts like a man, in gold, -and not availing himself of the dishonest legal tender -law.” But Smooth & Company paid their New -York creditors in greenbacks, and pocketed the difference.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Inflation of the currency, or an increase of the -money of a nation, if it can be gradually made, need -not prove disastrous to the creditors, and must prove -a benefaction to the debtors of the world. The relation -of wages to the cost of living, whether the volume -of money in a country be contracted or inflated, practically -remains the same. It may be claimed that the -workman who receives an increase of wages, and -whose cost of living is correspondingly increased, is -no better off at the end of the year, yet economy -brings to him larger apparent accumulations, and he -is thereby encouraged to practice frugality.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The American mechanic who wandered to the Canary -Islands, where he received $400 a day in the local -currency for his wages, was enabled to save $100 a -day by denying himself brandy and tobacco, and but -for this dazzling inducement he might have surrendered -to temptations that would have made him a proper -subject for the ministrations of the W. C. T. U.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But though an inflation of values which should be -beneficent might follow the discovery and working of -the Morning mine, clearly the first thing for the discoverer -to do was to take effectual measures to conceal -from human knowledge the extent of his discovery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>David Morning remained for some time in deep -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>thought, and then, rising from his seat upon a bowlder -behind the manzanita bushes, he tore into fragments -the paper upon which he had been making calculations, -and, excavating with his foot a hole in the sand, he -dropped into it and covered the specimens of gold -quartz which he had taken from the ledge, and, retracing -his steps, was soon at the copper-camp, where, in -answer to the queries of his companions, he replied -truthfully that during his absence he had not seen -a single quail.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Two days elapsed, and, the shaft having been cleaned -out and the copper lode thoroughly exposed, Morning -took samples of it, and also of croppings of the other -lodes included in the ground located by Steel, and the -party broke camp and started for Tucson, where they -arrived early in the afternoon of the second day.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Making an appointment with Steel for that evening, -Morning deposited his copper samples with an assayer, -and, walking to the Court House, he filed the notice of -location of the Morning mine with the county recorder. -Two hours later he had the report of the assayer upon -the copper samples, showing an average of twelve per -cent of carbonate copper in the ore. This was not so -rich as had been predicted by Steel, but was of sufficient -value to warrant the purchase of the copper -prospects at the low price which had been fixed upon -them, provided that arrangements could be made for -economically working them, and Morning had already -formulated in his own mind a plan of action by which -the working of the copper lodes could be made to advance -his project of working the gold lode so as to -conceal the extent of its yield.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>Morning calculated that the amount of money needed -for labor, supplies, machinery, and buildings, to work -the mines in accordance with his plans, would be about -$300,000, and his first thought was to obtain this -money by breaking down, and shipping to reduction -works in California or Colorado, about thirty tons of -the quartz before he should commence the work which -he projected for the concealment of the ledge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With his own hands he could mine and sack such -an amount of ore in a fortnight, and with the aid of -half a dozen pack animals, managed by himself, transport -it a mile or two from the rift, where it might be -thrown into the channel cut by the waterspout, and, -with a blast or two, be covered with rocks and dirt until -teams should be brought from Tucson for it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With this idea uppermost, he sought the freight -agent of the railroad company of Tucson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then he came in contact with the system in vogue -on the Pacific Coast—and possibly elsewhere—that of -a one-sided railroad partnership with the producer, on -the basis that the producer furnish all the capital and -suffer all the losses, the railroad company providing -neither capital, experience, nor services, but taking -the lion’s share of the profits.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What,” said Morning, “will your freight charges -be for three car loads of ore to Pueblo or San Francisco?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What kind of ore?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gold-bearing quartz in sacks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What does your ore assay?” inquired the agent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What has that got to do with it?” questioned -Morning sharply.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>“Everything,” answered the official. “We charge -in car-load lots $12 per ton to San Francisco, or $24 -per ton to Pueblo, and $2.00 per ton in addition for -each $100 per ton of the assay value of the ore.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well,” said Morning, “I believe I will ship -thirty tons to San Francisco.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you it here?” said the agent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It will not be ready for some weeks yet,” replied -Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You did not mention its value,” said the agent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will state its value at $100 per ton,” said Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right,” said the agent, “we will take it at that, -subject, of course, to assay according to our rules by -the assayer of the company at your expense.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I don’t know that I care to trouble the assayer -of your company,” replied Morning. “In fact, -the ore is a good deal richer than $100 per ton. But -I will ship it at that valuation, and release the company -from all liability for loss or damage beyond that. -In brief, I will take all the chances, and if the ore shall -be lost, or stolen, or tumbled off a bridge, or overturned -into a river, the company will only account to me for -it at $100 per ton. I suppose that will be satisfactory?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The agent shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It looks as if it ought to be satisfactory,” said he, -“but my orders are imperative. The ore must be -assayed, and you will have to pay two per cent of its -value.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But this,” replied Morning, with some heat, “is -unreasonable and outrageous. If the tax of two per -cent is to be regarded in the light of a charge for insurance, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>I am sure there is not a marine or fire insurance -company in the world that would charge one-fourth -of one per cent for such a risk.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Company’s orders,” said the agent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppose you wire headquarters at my cost, and say -that David Morning wishes to ship thirty tons of gold-bearing -quartz from Tucson to San Francisco, at a valuation -of $100 per ton. Say that he will prepay the -freight, and load and unload the cars himself if permitted. -Say that he does not wish the railroad company -to take any of the risks of mining, transporting, or reducing -the ore, nor to share any of the profits of the -business. Say that he will release the company from -all liability even for gross negligence or theft, beyond -$100 per ton. Say that he does not wish to acquaint -the company’s assayer or the company’s freight agent -with the value of the ore, or permit either of them to -form any accurate judgment for speculative or other -purposes as to the value of the mine from which the -ore was taken. Say that he wishes the privilege of -conducting his own business in his own way. Say -that if the railroad company will kindly fix a rate at -which it will consent to carry the freight he offers, -without sticking its meddlesome, corporate nose into -his business, he will then consider whether he will pay -that rate or refrain from shipping the ore at all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Morning,” said the agent, “if I were to send -such a telegram as that, it would cost me my place, and, -indeed, my orders are not to communicate remonstrances -made by shippers at the company’s rules, except -by mail. Of course you can send any message -you like over your own name to the head office, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>I can inform you now that they will only refer you to -me for an answer, and I can only refer to my general -instructions, and there the matter will end.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” replied Morning, “I will ship the ore by -ox teams or not ship it at all before I will submit to -the injustice of your general instructions. I suppose -I am without remedy in the premises?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You might build another road, Mr. Morning,” -said the agent, with a slight tinge of sarcasm in his -voice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning answered slowly, as he turned away:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I may conclude to do so, or to buy up this road, -and if I do I will run it on business principles that -shall give the shipper some little chance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When will that halcyon hour for the public arrive, -Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By and by,” rejoined our hero, “and then you -may look for better days.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER V.<br /> <span class='small'>“The rich man’s joys increase the poor’s decay.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Forty-five years ago, doctor,” said Professor -John Thornton to his friend, Dr. Eustace, “do you -remember that, as barefooted boys, we fished for pickerel -together in this very pond, and from this very -spot?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And caught more fish with our bamboo poles and -angleworm bait than we appear likely to capture to-day -with this fancy tackle,” remarked the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Everything about this lovely little lake seems unchanged,” -resumed the professor, “but elsewhere the -great world has indeed rolled on. Then there were -less than one hundred millionaires in this republic—now, -doctor, there are more than eight thousand.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And then,” said the doctor, “we came here in a -rickety old stage wagon, and we were ten hours in -making the same journey which to-day we achieved -in an hour while seated in a parlor car. Then the -telegraph was in its infancy, the electric light was unknown, -the great manufacturing cities were unconstructed, -the petroleum of Pennsylvania and the gold -of California and Australia were undiscovered, the -great Western railroad lines were unbuilt, and the web -of complex industries with which the land is now -laced was unspun. The victim of a raging tooth or a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>crushed limb was compelled to suffer without relief -from chloroform or ether, and it was a crime punishable -with social ostracism to question the righteousness -of human slavery, the curative virtues of calomel, -or the beneficence of infant damnation. I never could -think, John, that the good old times, whose loss you -are always bemoaning, were nearly so comfortable -times to live in as those amid which we now dwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dr. Eustace,” said the professor, “you attach -undue importance to a few physical comforts and -conveniences. If our fathers lacked the advantages -of our later civilization, they were also without its -vices. In the good old times which you deride, -wrecking railroads, stealing railroads, and watering -stocks were unknown. Senatorships and subsidies -were not procured by bribery; the legislator who sold -his vote made arrangements to leave the country, and -bank burglars and bank defaulters kept, in the public -estimation, the lock step of fellow-criminals.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And what, in your opinion was the cause of -our descent from this high estate of public virtue -and whale-oil lamps?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The main cause, Dr., of the corruption of the -human race everywhere,—gold. It was the gold -of California that revolutionized the finances, the -business methods, and the morals of the nation. -After the year 1849 the advance of values, the aggregation -of wealth, the increase of population, and the -magical growth of the West, made additional facilities -for inland travel and transportation a necessity. This -necessity caused the rapid construction of new lines of -railroad. The differences and difficulties of local -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>management suggested the advantages of consolidation—and -then the reign of the centripetal forces commenced.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But all the millionaires of the country are not -railroad men, John.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Concentration of capital began with them, doctor, -and their example was soon followed by others. The -Civil War broke down local prejudices, made East and -West homogeneous, introduced communities to each -other on the battle-field, obliterated State lines, and -made individual effort in business, in finance, in manufactures, -and even in politics, less advantageous to -the individual than participation in aggregated effort, -where his gains were increased, though his personality -was submerged.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have always thought that our civil war was a -moral education to this people and to the world,” remarked -the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“War was an educator,” conceded the professor, -“yet the tree of knowledge with its crimson leaves -yielded evil fruit as well as good. The moral nature -of the American people has, I fear, reacted from the -tension of generous and patriotic sacrifice which war -evolved. Some of the very men who helped to strike -shackles from black slaves have been busy ever since -forging other shackles for white slaves, and in twenty-five -years from the days when we freely paid lives and -treasure to preserve the existence of the nation, and -free it from the wrong of slavery and the rule of a slave-holding -oligarchy, we have passed under the sway of -other despots, more selfish, more sordid, more relentless, -and more rapacious of dominion. The dusk-browed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>tyrant of Egypt has been overthrown, but in -his place Plutus reigns.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I grant you,” interposed Dr. Eustace, “that the -wealth owners are the rulers of our later civilization, -but, so far as I have observed, instead of endeavoring -to curb or overthrow them, we are all doing our -best to join their ranks and participate in their power. -You appear to be the only living millionaire who declaims -against his class. I know of no other man who -is brave enough to defy the power of money, great -enough to ignore it, or strong enough to resist its influence, -and I dare say you would change your views -if you were to lose your millions. We all defer to the -plutocrats. The Spanish nobleman who, for his ancestor’s -services, was permitted to remain with his head -covered in the presence of his sovereign, would have -been sure to take off his hat if he had entered the office -of the president of a country bank, with a view of -negotiating a small loan on doubtful security. There -was a great truth inadvertently given to the world in -the programme of a Fourth of July procession, wherein -it was announced that the line would end with bankers -in carriages, followed by citizens on foot.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This subservience to King Gold, and pursuit of his -favors, must cease, Dr. Eustace, or this republic will -be lost. The people must be taught to assume a more -independent and manly attitude toward the owners of -money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah, John, money is so necessary, and it is so hard -to turn one’s back upon it! This way lies comfort, -ease, luxury—that way deprivation and sacrifice. -This way ‘the primrose path of dalliance trends’—that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>way ‘the steep and thorny road.’ This way the -wife and children beckon and sue for safety and peace—that -way only rocks, and bruises, and hunger, and -loneliness summon. What wonder that the Christ, -voicing the cry of the human to the infinite Father, -placed as the central thought of the Lord’s prayer the -words, ‘Lead us not into temptation’! But, John, -honestly now, do you think the eight thousand millionaires -you rave about are such an utterly bad lot as -you make them out to be?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Individually I dare say they are good husbands, -fathers, and neighbors,” replied the professor, “but -they conceal their selfishness and rapacity, and exercise -their despotism from behind the shields of corporations -which they create and govern, and tyranny is none the -less tyranny because it is decreed not by kings, but -by entities which fear neither the assassination of man -nor the judgment of God.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Professor, pardon me, but you generalize a good -deal, and I fear somewhat loosely. It would make a -difference to me, in my feelings, at least, whether I -was knocked down by a ruffian, or by an electrical -machine.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor, your simile was not considered as carefully -as are your prescriptions. If the machine be guided -by the ruffian, what matters it whether you be struck -by his hand, or with an electric current directed by -his hand? If our great newspapers, which are influential, -which claim to be independent, and which -ought to be free, are restrained from publishing articles -advocating postal telegraphy, or criticising the management -of a news corporation, what matters it that the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>freedom of the press is choked by a board of directors -rather than a government censor? If the citizen dare -not give voice to his views on public affairs, what -matters it whether his utterances be choked by the -knuckles of a king, or the polite menaces of an employer? -If the voter cast his ballot against his own -convictions, and in accordance with the will of another, -what matters it whether he be coerced by a soldier -with a musket or a station agent with a freight bill? -If the settler lose his land, what matter whether the -despoiler be a personal bandit armed with a rifle, or a -corporate robber equipped with a land-office decision? -If capital exempt itself from taxation, and place the -burden of sustaining government upon the broad -back of labor, will it alleviate the pain of the load to -know that it is not the law of feudal vassalage but of -modern politics which accomplishes the exaction?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hallo! I have a bite! Ah! ha! my boy, your -eagerness to swallow that minnow has brought you to -grief!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And the speaker lifted a twenty-ounce pickerel from -the placid waters of Nine Mile Pond, and deposited it, -struggling and shining, upon the green turf at his -feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, John,” inquired the doctor, “what are you -going to do about it all?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We will have him split down the back and broiled -for luncheon,” replied the professor absently.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Broil who?” queried the doctor, “Jay Gould?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh? No; the pickerel I mean, though I am not -sure that similar treatment might not be accorded to -Gould, with advantage to the country.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>“You ask,” continued the professor, “what shall be -done about it all? The wealth owners themselves -should be able to see that existing conditions must -sooner or later find cessation either in relief or in revolution. -Monopolies in transportation, intelligence, -land, light, fuel, water, and food—all concealed in the -impersonality of private corporations—now sit like -vampires upon the body of American labor, and suck -its life blood, and they have grown so bold and so -rapacious that they even neglect to fan their victims -to continued slumber.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, John, you seem to have an attack of anticorporation -rabies. You talk like a sand-lot politician -who is trying to sell out to a railroad company. -What is the matter with you? What have these -much berated entities done?” said the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Done?” replied Professor Thornton. “What have -they not done? They have torn the bandages from -the eyes of American justice and fastened false weights -upon her scales. They have turned our legislative -halls into shambles where men are bought and honor -is butchered. They have written the word ‘lie’ -across the Declaration of our fathers. They have -struck the genius of American liberty in her fair -mouth, until, with face suffused with the blushes and -bedewed with the hot tears of shame, she turns piteously -to her children to hide if they cannot defend -her.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“John Thornton,” ejaculated the doctor, “your -remarks would be admirable in substance and style -for an address before some gathering of work shirkers, -organized to procure lessened hours of labor and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>larger schooners of beer, but to me you are talking -what our transatlantic cousins call ‘beastly rot.’ I -deny that a majority, or even any considerable number, -of the capitalists of this country are dishonest, or -unpatriotic, or indifferent to the rights and needs of -their fellow-men.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have not said that they were, doctor,” replied the -professor. “Indeed, if such were the case, we might -cry in despair, ‘God save the commonwealth!’ for only -Omniscience could work its salvation. What I claim -is that it is full time for the conscientious millionaires -who love their country and their kind, to seriously -consider a situation the perils of which they are every -day augmenting by their indifference.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What perils do you mean, professor? How, for -instance, would anybody be hurt or periled if I were -to become a millionaire?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A great fortune is a great power, doctor, and not -every man is fit to be intrusted with great power. -To-day no second-class power in Europe can negotiate -a treaty or make even a defensive war without -the consent of the Rothschilds, while in America the -owner of fifty millions is more powerful than the -president of the United States, and the owner of ten -millions more influential than the governor of a State.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And so he ought to be,” interposed the doctor. -“The man who can by fair means make $10,000,000 -is more useful to the community in which he lives than -a dozen governors of States.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But look at the danger to the people, doctor, of -these great fortunes. There are ten men in the United -States whose aggregate wealth amounts to $500,000,000, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>and who represent, and control, and wield the influence -of property amounting to $3,000,000,000. If -these men should choose to settle their rivalries and -combine their interests and efforts, they could about -fix the prices of every acre of land, every barrel of -flour, every ton of coal, and every day’s wages of -labor between Bangor and San Francisco. They -could name every senator, governor, judge, congressman, -and legislator in twenty States. They could rule -a greater empire than any possessed by crowned kings. -They could promulgate ukases more absolute, more -despotic, and more certain of being enforced, than any -which ever went forth from St. Petersburg to carry -desolation to a race. They could say to the laborer -in the grain-fields, ‘Henceforth you shall be reduced -to the condition of your brother in England or Scotland, -and eat meat but once a week.’ They could -say to the toiler in the humming factory or over the -red forge, ‘Henceforth you must toil twelve hours in -each twenty-four.’ They could say to every wageworker -in the land, ‘Henceforth we will take all the results -of your labor, and give you only the slave’s -share—existence and subsistence.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All you need, Professor John Thornton,” said -Dr. Eustace, “is a long beard, a woman with green -goggles and a tamborine, a fat boy with a snare drum, -and a pair of bellows in your chest, to be a Salvation -Army seeking recruits for the church of Anarch. You -know just as well as I do that you are talking nonsense, -and that the capitalists of our country would be -neither so inhuman nor so unwise as to push their -power as you indicate.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>“Maybe not, doctor, maybe not, but their ability -to so use their power if they choose is a menace to a -free people, and a standing inducement to disorder, -and unless the plutocrats cease their aggressions the -people may invoke the motto, ‘<i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Salva republica suprema -lex</span></i>,’ and tax all great fortunes out of existence.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What aggressions do you refer to, professor? For -the life of me I cannot see that this country or this -people have any just cause of complaint. The census -returns of 1890 show that in the preceding ten -years there was added to our national wealth, values -amounting to nearly $20,000,000,000.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The census returns tell only a part of the story, -doctor. The cottages of the land will tell you that -while as a nation we may have grown of late years -very rich and prosperous, yet among the individuals -composing the nation its wealth is possessed and its -prosperity enjoyed within a very narrow circle. The -value of all the property in the United States in the -year 1890 was $66,000,000,000. Do you know that -$40,000,000,000, or sixty per cent of the wealth of -America, is owned by less than forty thousand people? -Do you know that in the last twenty years the laborers -of the United States have added to the general -wealth of the nation, values amounting to $30,000,000,000?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what is there to complain of in that fact?” -questioned the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The complaint is that the money has not been -divided among the ten million workers who earned it. -The complaint is that it has not furnished each of ten -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>million households with a $3,000-shield against the -assaults of poverty. The complaint is that as fast as -created it has been seized by the centripetal tendency -which now dominates our civilization and hurried into -the strong boxes of ten thousand Past-Masters of the -art of accumulating the earnings of other people.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The complete answer, professor, to your diatribe -is that the accumulations of which you speak are not -the earnings of other people. The greater portion -of this wealth has been developed from the bounty of -nature in ways which could not have been pursued -without large combinations of capital.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is a mere assumption, doctor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not at all, professor. The money taken from -gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and coal mines, has -come from the treasure vaults of nature, and has not -been filched from the earnings of anybody.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mining is the one exception to the rule, doctor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I beg your pardon, professor, but it is not. Another -avenue to wealth has been the organization and -reorganization of great industries on unwasteful and -remunerative principles. For instance, the beef and -pork packing establishments of the West supply the -retail butchers of the land with meat at a less price -than is paid for the live cattle.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where, then, doctor, do these philanthropists of -whom you speak make their money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They make it, professor, by scientific utilization of -the hoofs and horns, bones and blood, which in small -butcher shops are necessarily wasted.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You believe, then, in the rightfulness of monopolies -and trusts, do you, doctor?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>“John, there are no monopolies. No restrictions -are placed by law on any man who chooses to embark -in any reputable business. As for the much-abused -‘trusts,’ they have all resulted in higher wages and -more constant employment to the workman, and -lower prices and better goods to the consumer. I -suppose you will not claim that the capitalists alone -are responsible for all the crime and pauperism of the -land?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” replied the professor, “for the ignorant and -vicious poor play into the hands of the selfish and -vicious rich, and between the two the honest and industrious -body of the people is being ground as between -the upper and nether millstone. Indeed, I do -not know which is the greater curse to the country, -the stock thieves, whose dens are under the shadow -of Trinity Church spire, and who combine to corrupt -courts, juries, and legislators, or the dynamiters and -anarchists who would involve the innocent and the -guilty in one common wreck of social order. I hope I -am no senseless alarmist, Dr. Eustace, but I am sure -we must have relief, or there will be national ruin.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“From what source, professor, do you expect relief -to come?” inquired the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Frankly, I don’t know,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Maybe your next National Convention will relieve -the situation,” insinuated the doctor, slyly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am sure that relief will not come,” said the professor, -“from existing political parties, whose orators -grow earnest and belligerent over the ghosts of -dead issues, and travel around and around over the -same path, like an old horse on an arrastra, forever -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>going somewhere and never getting anywhere, neither -knowing or caring whether he is grinding pay rock -or waste rock, conscious only of the whip of his driver, -and hopeful only of his allowance of barley.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, John, I thought you were a devoted partisan,” -said the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Did you?” was the retort. “Well, you were -mistaken. What can be hoped from political parties -when legislators who are not free from suspicion of -venality are voted for and elected year after year, because -Grant captured Vicksburg, or Lincoln issued a -proclamation of emancipation, or Stonewall Jackson -was killed more than twenty-five years ago? Must -the people forever submit to the rule of brawlers, and -vote sellers, and trust betrayers, because such men -hurrah for some flag which other men once carried -into battle? Must the masses lie down in the path of -Juggernaut and invite him to crush them, because the -evil-visaged god parades his devotion to party issues -which were long ago remitted to the limbo of things -lost on earth?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The people will right all the evils of which you -complain, professor, so soon as they see that it is to -their interest to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How can they doubt that it is their interest to -right them? It is they who suffer both in purse and -pride for every unjust exaction and every dishonest -evasion. The poorest do not escape the consequences; -it all comes out of their toil in the end. It -depletes their pockets in a hundred unobserved ways. -They pay for it in enhanced taxation of their homes, -in the fuel which cooks their food, in a greater cost of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>the necessaries of life, in a higher rent, in the nails -which hold their houses together, and in the increased -cost of the blows of the hammer which drives them. -I do not need to tell you, doctor, that labor must bear -the burdens of the State. Labor at last pays all and -capital pays nothing—all burdens of government, all -expenses of courts and juries, and prisons and police, -all cost of armies and navies. The diamonds which -glitter upon the shirt front of the purchased legislator, -the wine which hisses down the throat of the lobbyist, -the steel doors and locks which guard watered stock -and stolen bonds, the very powder and bullets which -shoot out the life of maddened and insurgent labor, are -all paid for out of the toil of the laborer.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“While there is much truth in what you say, professor,” -observed the doctor, “yet where is the immediate -necessity for you to work yourself into such a -state of mind about it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your remark, doctor, is a representative one,” -replied Professor Thornton, “and the general indifference -which it expresses is the most discouraging -feature of the existing situation. Like the villagers -who cultivate their vineyards at the base of Vesuvius, -we heed not the rumblings of the volcano. Like the -citizens long resident in Cologne, we scent the tainted -air without discomfort. We cry with the French -king, ‘After us the deluge,’ and we seem to care -very little what may happen so long as it shall not -happen to us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There is the mate to your pickerel,” said the doctor, -as he landed a fish upon the grass at his feet. -“Two of the millionaires of Nine Mile Pond have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>succumbed to their own greed and the patience and -cunning of intelligent labor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Many of our millionaires,” resumed the professor, -not to be driven from his theme, “and some of the -most active and powerful of them all, are as selfish, as -rapacious, as arrogant, as ignorant, as corrupt, and as -despotic as Russian Boyars or Turkish Bashans. At -the same time they are unaware of their danger, are -utterly obtuse to their social and moral responsibilities, -and conceited with the invulnerable conceit of -self-made men. They do not seem to recognize -that they are unprotected by an army, or a strong -government, or spies, or the machinery of despotism, -or any traditions or practices of rule, and they -appear to take no thought of the infinite possibilities -of disaster which line the path of every to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You really fear, then, the fulfillment of Macauley’s -prophecy, professor?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What thoughtful man does not? There is in -every large city of our land a multitude unindustrious, -unfrugal of life, uncurbed of spirit, undisciplined, -uneducated, fretful of small gains, accustomed -to freedom of speech and action, jealous of anything -which looks like oppression or class rule, unaccustomed -to restrictions of any kind, irrreligious, materialistic, -discontented, idle, envious, and often drunken.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In brief, a powder magazine,” said the doctor. -“Great cities have always presented the same problem -to rulers, yet civilization lives, nevertheless.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because,” rejoined the professor, “in monarchial -Europe the magazine is guarded by trained armies -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>and watchful sentinels, while in our country it is left -open and unguarded, and anarchists with lighted -torches pass to and fro. In Europe the train of government -is built of carefully-selected materials, it is -officered by experienced engineers, and at every station -the testing hammer rings against the wheels. -Here we put in any piece of crystallized iron for wheel -or axle, and give the control of the engine to any -loud-voiced braggart who can climb into the cab, or -any ambitious dotard who chooses to hire the tricksters -of the caucus to hoist him there. Then we -throw the brakes off, the throttle-valves open, and -go screaming down the grade.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how do you propose, John, to avoid a smash-up?” -queried the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We shall have passed the danger point,” replied -the professor, “and entered upon an era of safer and -better life for the republic, only when the great millionaires -of America shall elect to consider themselves -not merely as conquerers on the field of finance, entitled -to the spoils of victory, but as trustees for humanity, -as suns whose mission it is to draw the waters -of affluence from overflowing lake and stream, not to -hold those waters above the earth forever, but to distribute -them in bounteous and fertilizing showers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And do you suppose, John Thornton, that the -people would either appreciate or respond to such seraphic -unselfishness on the part of your regenerated -and beatified millionaires?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dr. Eustace, let me tell you that when the great, -industrious, intelligent, patriotic body of workers shall -be made to feel that there is no necessary conflict between -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>labor and capital, —when they shall be made to -know that any considerable number of our millionaires -are seeking further wealth not merely to add to their -personal luxury and power, but in order that labor -may be helped in turn to higher planes of life, when -it can be said truthfully—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘Then none was for a party,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Then all were for the State;</div> - <div class='line'>Then the great man helped the poor</div> - <div class='line in2'>And the poor man loved the great’—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In that day professional labor agitators will lose their -vocations, the workingman who never works will -be without influence among his fellows, and the -brotherhoods of beer and brawling which infest the -purlieus of our larger cities, and clamor for bread or -blood—meaning always somebody else’s bread or -somebody else’s blood—will find occasion to disband. -I do not despair of relief, I know that it must come. -Whether it shall come through ‘a preserving or a -destroying revolution,’ whether it shall come in -wrath or in peace, is a question which the capitalists -of this country must answer and answer speedily.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“John, you dear old dreamer,” said the doctor, -“I know of one millionaire whose gold has not corroded -his humanity. I hope there are many such, but -I fear that if the world looks to its wealth owners to -lead it in a crusade of unselfishness, it will wait a long, -long time. But I do not diagnose the disease as you -do. You resemble a boy who has stubbed his toe. -To him there is no world and hardly any boy outside -of that sore toe. Yet if the cure be left to nature, in -time the pain will abate and the toe recover. I do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>not believe that any law framed by man can make a -pound of flour out of half a pound of wheat, or that -any scheme of government can equalize the inevitable -inequalities of human life.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you do not believe in the wisdom and beneficence -of compelling the rapacious rich to aid the -deserving poor?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No; I believe in the wisdom and beneficence of -exact justice. I believe that the skillful and rapid -bricklayer is entitled to higher wages and greater opportunities -of employment than his stupid and slothful -associate, and that to deny the former his rightful advantage -is an outrage upon justice, whether such outrage -be perpetrated by an employer or a trades union. -I believe that every man is fairly entitled to all the -fruits of his labor, his skill, his good judgment, and his -good luck. The pickerel at your feet came by chance -to your hook and not mine, and therefore it is your -fish and not my fish.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But by the law of nature, doctor, there is no difference -between a beggar and a king.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There is where you are wrong, professor. The -law of nature is a universal statute of equality of opportunity -and inequality of result, and man distorts -her purposes and violates her statutes when he places -an unearned crown on the head of a king, or an unearned -crust in the mouth of a beggar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you think, then, that man has no excuse for -his shortcomings, doctor?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He has many. He is controlled by the occult -power of race transmissions, by laws which he did -not help to make, by customs which he did not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>help to form, by organizations and environments beyond -his power to change or combat. But because -of these he should have no license to plunder his -wealthier neighbor, for, in this republic, it is within -the power of the people to change laws, and alter customs, -and secure to every man the result of his own -toil and skill—and that is all any man is entitled to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But the wealth owners, doctor, have monopolized -nearly all the resources of nature.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nonsense. There is not a hungry idler in the purlieus -of New York City but might catch fish enough -at the nearest wharf to keep him from starvation, or -find within a day’s walk a piece of land he could -cultivate on ‘shares.’ The resources of nature are -inexhaustible. If every adult male in the land were -to build for himself a marble palace, there would -be no perceptible diminution in nature’s supply of -marble. If every farmer were to devote his energies -and his acres to the production of wheat, until enough -wheat should have been harvested to feed the world -for five years, yet the capacity of soil and sun, water -and air to produce more wheat would be neither exhausted -nor impaired. For thousands of years the -men of every civilization have been hewing forests, -and smelting iron, yet the forests which are untouched -and the mines which are unopened are practically -limitless.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor, a man cannot stir the earth without a -spade, or cut down a tree without an ax, or mine iron -ore without a pick, and the owners of the spades, and -picks, and axes, exact from the laborer an undue share -of his labor for their use.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“Who is to determine whether the share exacted -be an undue one? My own opinion is that the laborer’s -share of results has grown larger, and the capitalist’s -share smaller, during the last twenty years. At -least, the rate of interest on money is not much more -than half what it was before the war. But whether -this be so or not it is not nature’s fault. Nature is -not only implacably just, she is impartially generous. -No suitor is denied the chance to gain her favors, and -none is refused any favor he may have earned. There -are floods and tornadoes, frosts and fevers, burning -suns and chilling winds. Yet these, as well as the -fruitage and the harvests, are the offspring of inexorable -law, and science now interprets the law. It warns -us of cyclones ten thousand miles away; it predicts -the date of arrival, speed, and duration of hurricanes; -it brings the ladybug from Australia to combat -and destroy the scale-bug in California; it promises -to conquer drought by exploding dynamite bombs -in the air or by chemical production of rain; it restrains -floods by diverting rivers; it destroys malarial germs -by planting groves of eucalyptus; it analyzes soils; it -selects seeds; it fertilizes with electric wires, and it -ploughs and plants and harvests fields with iron-limbed -and steam-lunged servants. A hundred years ago -one man with spade and sickle slowly wrested from -the earth the sustenance for his little household, with -only sufficient surplus to scantily compensate the -weaver, who, with hand loom, constructed a few yards -of cloth between daylight and dark. Now a girl -guides the spindles and shuttles and makes thousands -of yards of cloth in a day, and the labor of one man -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>industriously applied to so much land as he can advantageously -cultivate with the aid of improved machinery, -will in one year produce one thousand bushels -of wheat, or their equivalent in agricultural products—enough -to feed fifty men for a year.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I grant you, doctor, that the production of wealth -has greatly increased. The problem of the hour is -how to provide for a more equal and just distribution -of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“John, the solution of the problem is not difficult. -Allow every man to have that which he earns, and -compel every man to earn that which he has. Accord -every man the opportunity to work or starve, -with the assurance that for his work he will receive -full value, and for his idleness a hunger that no public -or private charity will alleviate. Hard labor and hard -fare for the criminal, generous diet and tender care -for the sick, an ax or a pump handle for the tramp, -and allow no healthy man to eat his supper until he -has earned it. Consider sporadic and indiscriminate -charity as great an evil as injustice. Accord every -man his dollar and demand from every man your dollar, -and give and exact shilling for shilling. Emulate -and copy the inexorable justice of nature.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor,” said the professor, “I am silenced but -not convinced. The sun is getting too high for further -fishing. Come, let us go to luncheon.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VI.<br /> <span class='small'>“No man can tell what he does not know.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Bob,” said Morning, as they lighted their cigars, -and seated themselves after supper upon the -piazza of the railroad hotel at Tucson, “the copper assays -are not up to your expectations, still I am inclined -to buy the property if I can arrange to employ -men at rates that will enable me to work it. What are -miners’ wages hereabouts?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Three dollars and a half a day for ten hours,” -replied Steel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how much for unskilled laborers for road -building, wheeling, and aboveground work?” said -Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two dollars and a half; but for work of that kind -you can get Chinamen at $1.50 a day, Mexicans at -$1.25, and Papago Indians for $1.00, if you wish to -employ them, though I reckon you would have -trouble about getting white men to work with either.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t wish to cut wages on miners, Bob, for -they earn all they get, but if I buy that property, there -will be a lot of road building, and grading for furnace -sites, and wheeling, and other work of the same nature, -and unless such work can be done cheaply, it will -not pay to hire miners for underground work, or, indeed, -to work the copper mines at all. I shall want -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>these unskilled laborers for only a short time, and I -have especial reasons for not hiring either white men -or Mexicans, neither do I care to employ Chinamen if -I can avoid it. Could I, think you, obtain enough Indians -for this preliminary work?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Plenty of them at the San Xavier reservation, -nine miles from here. I patter their lingo a little and -can get you a gang if you want them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I may want to drill and blast down a lot of basalt -rock to build the foundations of furnaces and ballast -the road with,” said Morning. “Will they do that -kind of work?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, until it comes to firing the blasts. You will -need a white man for that. You will also need a -white man for blacksmith work—sharpening picks and -drills. The Indians cannot work at a forge, and they -are nervous about ‘big shoots,’ as they call them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bob, if I take those copper prospects of you at -your price, will you hire a gang of Papagoes for me, -and take them up there and work them for two or -three months under my direction, you and I sharpening -the tools and preparing and firing the blasts, I -paying you say $10 a day for your services?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Mr. Morning, I don’t quite like such a job -as that, but I am anxious to sell those copper prospects, -and I will do it. But if you are going to hire -Indian labor, I advise you to do first all the work -that you intend to do with it. I mean, it will be best -to get through with the Papagoes before you take any -white men in there, or else there may be a row, and -the white men will drive away the Indians.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Bob, I will take your advice. You may -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>consider the trade made. I will take your deed for -the copper locations and give you a check to-morrow -for $10,000 on the First National Bank at Denver, or -I will arrange to get you the coin from the bank here -if you desire it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your check is good enough for me, Mr. Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well. Then you can go to the San Xavier -reservation early in the morning and make a bargain -with the Papagoes for three months. Obtain forty -good men and agree to furnish them with rations and -pay them $1.25 a day. They have ponies, I suppose, -and can take their squaws along if they choose. It -will make them more contented to stay. You might -contract with them also to furnish enough cattle to -supply themselves with fresh meat. They can drive -them along, and there is now plenty of grass in the ravines. -Don’t let them come to Tuscon, for I don’t -wish the people here to know what I am doing. The -Indians can strike across from San Xavier by Fort -Lowell and meet us, or wait for us at the mouth of the -Rillito. You can return here as soon as you start -them, and we will buy teams and load them with supplies, -and drive them out ourselves. We will do all -the blacksmith work and blasting ourselves. And, -Bob, keep your own counsel strictly about everything. -I have reasons for secrecy which I will explain to you -later.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Mr. Morning. I don’t clearly see what -you are driving at. It’s a queer way to open a copper -mine, but you are the captain, and I’ve known -you a long time, and whatever you say goes with Bob -Steel.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>It was three o’clock the next afternoon before Steel -returned from San Xavier. He was well known to -the Papagoes, having often purchased grain and animals -from them for mining companies with which he -had been connected as superintendent. His mission -was successful, and Manuel Pacheco, a leader among -the Indians, had agreed to have the necessary force -at the place designated on the third “sun up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tuscon, although not a mining town, is a commercial -center for a dozen mining camps, and there was -nothing in the outfitting of a party of miners calculated -to attract especial notice. Two wagons and twelve -mules were purchased, with all needed supplies, and -Morning and Steel drove away to their destination, -where they met the Indians and proceeded to the -old copper-camp. After supper Morning opened the -conversation which he had determined to have with -Steel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bob,” said he, “to tell the truth, I do not intend -to work this copper property at present, though I -shall need it by and by for a purpose I will not now -explain. I bought it mainly because I knew you -intended to sell it to somebody, and I wished to keep -others away from this vicinity. I have another use for -the powder and the Indians, and, if you will accept -the offer I am about to make, I have another service -for you. I selected you because I know you are as -true and as bright as your name. If you will work -with me and for me in this cañon as I require, I will -give you a salary of $1,000 a month for three years, -and at the end of that time I will pay you—don’t think -I am crazy—I will pay you $1,000,000. What do -you say to my proposition?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>“You take away my breath,” rejoined Steel. “If -I did not know you so well, I should say that you had -been boozing on mescal, or were otherwise off your -nut. But you don’t talk usually without meaning -what you say, and I reckon you are in earnest. But -there is nothing that I can do to earn $1,000,000, -or $1,000 a month either.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, there is,” said Morning, “as you will -agree when you know all, or at least all that I intend -to tell you! Listen: When I was up the cañon while -we were here last week, I discovered and located a -rich gold quartz lode that was uncovered by the waterspout. -It is very rich and extensive—indeed, there -are many millions in sight in the croppings. It was -through my coming here to look at your copper lodes -that I was led to its discovery, and in a certain way -I consider you have a right to some profit from it, and -I can well afford to give you a million dollars for your -services and your silence, or several millions, if you -want that much. The ledge is so rich that the first -thing to do is to conceal it. No person but myself -knows its extent or value, and I shall not disclose -these even to you. When I commence working it -and turning out bullion, people will be curious, and -they will badger you to tell them all about. The elder -Rothschild is credited with the aphorism that no man -can tell what he does not know, and if you really don’t -know the extent of the Morning mine, it will be a good -deal easier for you to baffle the curious. I propose -that you shall not look at the ledge or go into the -box cañon where it is. Will you agree to that?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I am agreeable!” said Steel. “I appreciate -your reasons, and, anyway, it’s none of my business.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>Morning then explained to Steel the situation of -the cañon where he had found the lode, and the manner -of its discovery, but was silent as to its dimensions -or the quantity of gold contained in the rock. He -informed him as to his plan of operations, which was -to pack all the supplies and tools on the backs of the -animals as far up the cañon as it was possible thus to -go, and there make a permanent camp. The Indians -were then to carry the tools, powder, and a supply of -provisions upon their backs up to the summit of the -basalt wall near the rift, where another camp would -be made.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Two Indians were to be left at the copper-camp, -with directions if anyone appeared there to run up -the cañon and inform Steel or Morning. Two Indians -were to be placed in charge of the permanent camp -and the animals, four Indians were to carry water in -kegs to the top of the wall for the use of the main -party there, two Indians to procure firewood and prepare -food and attend to the camp at the summit, and -thirty Indians to work at drilling holes in the basalt -at the summit on both sides of the rift, and at a distance -of about ten feet from the edge of it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The squaws were to be suffered to make such disposition -of their time as their social and domestic -duties and inclinations might suggest. Steel and -Morning would keep the drills sharpened at the portable -forge, which, with a supply of charcoal, would be -transported to the summit camp, and as often as the -drill holes were ready they would place and explode -the blasts.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was intended thus to throw rocks from the summit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>down into the gorge, and this was to be repeated -until its bottom should be covered to a depth of many -feet, and all signs of the existence of the quartz lode -obliterated. From the height of one thousand feet the -lode could not be seen at all, unless one were to crawl -to and look over the edge of the precipice, and then its -nature could not—except by an experienced miner or -geologist—be discerned from that of the neighboring -rock. The Indians below would not be apt to disobey -orders, leave their posts, and go into the cañon -amid tumbling rocks, and the general stolidity and -lack of interest of the Papagoes would lead them to -attribute the entire work to the eccentricity of their -white employer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The plan formed by Morning was carried into effect. -Drills of different length had been provided, and the -work was systematized. At six o’clock each morning -the Indians commenced work; from eleven to -twelve they were allowed for dinner and rest. At five -o’clock drilling was suspended, and the work of preparing -the blasts was performed. The Indians then -retired to a distance, and Morning and Steel would -explode the blasts.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the end of two months’ hard labor the rift was -filled with rock and débris to a depth of thirty feet, and -the lode completely covered from view. Morning -then made a relocation of the mine on the basalt wall -above and on the mountain side below. He located -extensions, side locations, and tunnel locations in every -direction for a mile or more, so as to completely -appropriate all approaches to the original location, -and prevent others from obtaining any vantage-ground -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>from which drifts might be run under his property. -He also located the necessary mill sites, the waters of -Rillito Creek, and the timber upon the mountains.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The plateau where he had tethered his horses on -his first visit was, with the available adjacent slopes, -chosen as a site for buildings he intended to have constructed -for the use of the miners and their families, -and a rock and earth dam was built in the Rillito several -hundred feet above, from whence the water should -be piped to the buildings. The Indians were then set -to work constructing a wagon road to the mouth of -the Rillito.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The work being completed, the entire party now -journeyed to Tucson, and the Indians were paid off -and returned to the reservation, where they doubtless -regaled their tribe with an account of the work they -had performed at the instance of the white lunatic who -had paid them over four thousand “pesos” in silver -to tumble rock into a hole. Yet it is doubtful if such -information ever extended beyond members of their -tribe, for, on parting with them, Morning presented -each worker with a high silk hat, and each squaw with -red calico for a gown, and Bob Steel made a speech -to them in the Papago tongue, and asked them to -agree not to tell the Indian agent, or any white man, -where they had been working or what doing, beyond -the statement that they had been “building wagon -road.” The Indians—naturally secretive—readily -gave the required promise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having recorded his new location notices, Morning -telegraphed to San Francisco for a portable sawmill. -He loaded the wagons with a fresh supply of provisions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>and tools and sent them with a gang of wood-choppers -in charge of Steel to the upper camp on the -Rillito, with directions to get out logs and haul them -to the site of the proposed sawmill.</p> - -<p class='c007'>While awaiting the arrival of the sawmill, Morning -visited the neighboring mining camps of Tombstone, -Globe, and Bisbee, and selected with great care—after -watching them at work and informing himself -as to their habits and antecedents—one hundred miners, -to whom he agreed to give a steady job for several -years, working in eight-hour shifts, at $4.00 per day. -He preferred and obtained married men, each man -being promised a comfortable cabin, with transportation -for his family and effects from Tucson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In ten days the portable sawmill arrived, and with -it and a full outfit of building material, tools, and -pipe, Morning, accompanied by a gang of carpenters, -was again <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en route</span></i> for the mine.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was busy times at Waterspout, for such was the -name given to the new camp, for the next six weeks. -By that time the sawmill and shingle machine had -turned out sufficient material, and with the carpenters -and a number of the wood-choppers who were drafted -for the purpose, eighty comfortable board houses had -been constructed, with large buildings for shops and -offices, and a suitable edifice for a schoolhouse. -Water was piped to the little plaza about which the -buildings were gathered, and all was ready for the -miners.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The sawmill was now set to work getting out timbers -for a mill, and for timbering tunnels. The men -were all alive with curiosity to know where was the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>mine for the working of which all these preparations -were made, but both Morning and Steel were reticent, -and those who were too pressing in their inquiries -were quietly given to understand that a continuation -of questioning might cause their services to be dispensed -with.</p> - -<p class='c007'>All being ready, the teams were sent to Tucson at -the appointed time and returned with the miners and -their household effects, a number of wagons chartered -for the purpose bringing the women and children. -Twenty or more adventurers on horseback and in -wagons accompanied the party, as by this time curiosity -was all ablaze at the proceedings of Morning, -whose location notices had been read by hundreds, -and been made the subject of frequent comment in the -Tucson papers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Numerous prospecting parties were dispatched to -the Santa Catalinas during the next few months, and -their members climbed all over the mountains, examined -Morning’s location monuments, and returned -to Tucson with the report that the Colorado man -was clean crazy, that there was not a sign of quartz, -or any place where quartz could exist, and that -Morning’s friends—if he had any—would do well to -appoint a guardian for him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The plan of production upon which Morning had -settled was to extract sufficient gold to gradually substitute -that metal for paper, or to make it instead of -bonds or credits the basis for paper money in all the -civilized world, and to increase the circulation of all -countries to the volume <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">per capita</span></i> of the country -having the largest amount.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>He learned from the statistics with which he had -supplied himself that the money circulation of France, -the most prosperous and the most commercially active -nation in Europe, was $42.15 <em>per capita</em>, of the -United States $24.10, of Great Britain $20.40, of Italy -$16.31, of Spain $14.44, and of Germany, $14.23. In -the Asiatic, semi-Asiatic and South American countries -the money circulation was still less, being but -$5.20 <em>per capita</em> in Russia, $3.18 in Turkey, $4.02 in -British India, $4.90 in Mexico, $4.29 in Peru, $1.79 -in Central America, and $1.29 in Venezuela.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning noticed that the greater the money circulation -of a country, the greater the civilization, prosperity, -and refinement of the people; and metallic -money, or paper currency calling for metallic money, -being the best money, it would be sure wherever obtainable -to drive out all other currency. He proposed, -therefore, to increase, as rapidly as was possible, -the metallic money of the United States and Europe -to the standard <em>per capita</em> of France, beginning with -the United States, following with England, and then -proceeding to the Continent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The process of accomplishing this was to be exceedingly -simple. He would ship gold bars to the -mints of the country whose currency he proposed to -increase, and ask that they be coined into the money -of the country. The coin received he proposed to -deposit in the banks of that country for investment -or use therein.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The one danger against which he had to provide -was demonetization of gold by the nations. He could -only effectually guard against this by withholding all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>knowledge of the extent of his mine until he should -have accumulated a vast deposit of gold bars—say -$2,000,000,000 worth—and then deposit these for -coinage suddenly and simultaneously at the mints of -the world before any law could be enacted depriving -gold of its quality as a money metal. Yet it would -take several years for the mints to coin so large a sum, -and in the meantime gold might be demonetized. In -order for Morning to place his gold beyond the reach -of such legislation, it was essential to have it coined, -or put in form of money having a legal tender value. -A slight change in the currency and coinage laws -would effect this. In the United States it might be -accomplished by an act of Congress requiring the -government to receive gold bars, and to issue legal -tender gold notes thereon, without actually coining -the gold at all. The mints of the United States, -working to their full capacity on gold alone, could -not turn out more than $50,000,000 in coin per month, -while a government printing press could issue $500,000,000 -in a day.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning concluded that one of his earliest duties -would be to visit Washington while Congress was in -session, and promote the necessary legislation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of the gold which he produced he could ship to -the mints openly about one bar in twenty-five. The -other twenty-four bars he could keep at the mine until -he could build a smelting furnace and manufacture -pigs of copper, which should be hollow, and in which -gold bars should be concealed, and thus shipped to -financial centers, where they could be stored ready -for any occasion.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>Morning estimated that the production of $100,000,000 -per month would require the activity of two -hundred stamps, and that with the aid of improved -machinery he could reach the ledge and commence -the production of gold in about three months. He -had now expended for labor, machinery, and supplies -about $25,000, and as much more would be required -to meet the labor expenses of the next sixty days, -while the quartz mills he proposed erecting would require -nearly $200,000 more. As the business methods -of the railroad company prevented him from keeping -his secret, and at the same time realizing any money -by shipping ore, he determined to obtain the necessary -funds by a sale of his mortgage securities, and, -leaving Robert Steel in charge of the work, David -Morning departed for Denver.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Sick to the soul.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>On his return to Denver, Morning found no difficulty -in speedily closing up his business and converting -his mortgages into money. In about ten days he -was ready to depart for San Francisco, where he -intended purchasing the necessary machinery for five -mills of forty stamps each. His sole remaining business -in Denver was the execution and delivery to the -purchaser of a conveyance of some city property -which he had sold.</p> - -<p class='c007'>While breakfasting at the Windsor that morning, -his appetite was not increased by reading from the -Associated Press telegrams the following:—</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c010'> - <div>“MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<span class='sc'>Boston</span>, February 13, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“There was celebrated this morning at the residence -of the bride’s father, Professor John Thornton, in -Roxbury, the nuptials of one of Boston’s greatest -heiresses and acknowledged belles, the beautiful and -accomplished Miss Ellen Thornton, to the Baron Von -Eulaw. The happy couple will sail on the <em>Servia</em> -to-morrow, and will proceed directly to Berlin. It is -intimated that our fair countrywoman may be restored -to us after a season by the appointment of the Baron -Von Eulaw as envoy at Washington from the German -Empire.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Forgotten? Ah, no! there are experiences in life -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>that may never be forgotten. Time rolls by, and -against the door of the mausoleum where we buried -our dead out of sight the years have piled events and -emotions and distractions, and the passion which we -once thought immortal becomes now an episode, and -by and by a dream, and at last a vague and shadowy -remembrance, and one day some new and mighty -fact stalks forward, and sweeps away all obstructions, -and the doors of the tomb are reopened, and the dead -of our heart come forth, bringing to us sometimes the -joys of life’s morning, and sometimes the bitterness -of a new death.</p> - -<p class='c007'>David Morning walked from the hotel to his office -without noticing many of the friendly greetings bestowed -upon him, for his thoughts were busy with the -past, and there was a dull, dead pain tugging at his -heart strings.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The notary who had taken Morning’s acknowledgment -to the deed whose delivery would complete his -business in Denver, brought the instrument to Morning’s -office, and, not finding him in, slipped the paper -in the top of a desk with a circular cover. This desk -was one of Morning’s first possessions in the way of -office furniture, and, finding it convenient and commodious, -he had caused it to accompany every -change of quarters which his increasing business had -from time to time rendered necessary.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Entering his office, Morning hurriedly threw back -the cover of the desk, not noticing the deed in the -top of it until it was too late to prevent the paper from -being carried by the revolving cover into the interior -of the desk, where it could only be reached by removing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>a portion of the back. The services of a -mechanic from a neighboring furniture store were -procured, the back of the desk was removed, and -Morning recovered the deed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He also recovered another paper. It was an unopened -letter addressed to himself, which had doubtless -reached its resting-place in the old desk through -the same process as that which carried the deed there. -The envelope was covered with dust; it was postmarked -“Boston, Mass., February, 1883”—ten years -before—and the superscription was in the handwriting -of Ellen Thornton, now the Baroness Von Eulaw.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dispatching the recovered deed to its destination, -Morning closed the door of his private office, and, -with breath coming thick and fast, proceeded to open -and peruse the missive. It read as follows:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Roxbury</span>, Mass., Feb. 13, 1883.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>My Dear Mr. Morning</span>: This letter may bring -you a moment of surprise; if it be not a surprise mixed -with chagrin, I am less justly repaid than perhaps I -deserve for that which may seem my instability of purpose. -But I have heard you say that you scarcely -knew which was the weaker, the man who changed -his mind too often or who never changed it at all, and -in this recollection I find refuge.</p> - -<p class='c011'>With men as intuitive as yourself, explanations are -almost superfluous. Nevertheless, you will bear with -me while I pass under review a few of the causes -which have led to this action.</p> - -<p class='c011'>After the change in my father’s fortunes and our -subsequent removal to Boston, life began to open up -new possibilities, and what with the increased demands -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>upon my time, and the many beguilements of -flattering tongues, together with—let me confess it—an -unresting desire to forget the act of folly which -had shut out every ray of sunshine from my heart, as -I found too late, I at length fixed my footing to the -artificial conditions of the situation, and for a brief time -flattered myself that you were forgotten.</p> - -<p class='c011'>My letter, if written at all, ought to stop here. But -thus much I have learned—that passion tinctured with -sorrow is the greatest of egotists, and that the feeling -that brooks no measure of repression or discouragement -inspires a degree of courage little short of defiance. -Thus stimulated, I feel a growing joy in being -able to surmount artificial restraint and to address -you as I know you would wish an honest girl who -loves you with her whole heart, should speak.</p> - -<p class='c011'>What will you think of me? Will you call me -fickle and unworthy? unwomanly? In a word, will -you misunderstand me? How could I know till my -eyes were opened that there was but one sun? that -the whole world to me was adjusted to your simple, -noble qualities? How could I know that the music -of the spheres meant the remembered tones of your -voice, that your face should haunt alike every scene of -splendor and every secret shadow, or that I would give -my patrimony to be able to pass my fingers through -your brown locks for ever so brief a moment?</p> - -<p class='c011'>What am I writing? I dare not read it. How confident -I feel, how transported with the thought that -you may in remembering me forget my much-repented -dictum, or at least relegate it to the Quixotic realm to -which it belongs.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>As I near the close of my letter, I am possessed with -a new fear. Shall I dare send it? What if you shall -have discovered new powers in yourself, new persons -out in the broad world, which shall make you glad of -your escape? It is so long since I have heard of you, -and life is so full of new things, I forget that you too -have quite the right to change your mind. If this be -your condition, do not, I beg of you, write me. I -could not bear the humiliation as your great heart -bore yours. Consign my letter, then, to the great silence, -and only remember me as ever and always -your sincere friend,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>What was his colossal fortune to David Morning -now? Out of the past came this message of life and -love; of a love gone forever, and a life which now -seemed barren of purpose and hope.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What is time but a name? The intervening years -shriveled into nothingness, and he was again bathing -in the light which shone from the eyes of the woman -he loved, the one woman on earth or in heaven for -him, yesterday and to-day and forever. Again he -walked with her under the whispering foliage along -the brow of the hill which crowns the Queen City of -the plains, and watched the burning sunsets illumine -the lavender mountains and change the clouds into -embers of glory. Again he sat beside her, reading -some tender or beautiful or stirring passage from poet -or essayist. Again, at the good-night going, he felt -her dainty kiss, thrilling his soul to ecstasy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And she was lost to him now, lost through his pride, -lost through his vanity, lost through such dense and -inexcusable stupidity as never before possessed or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>afflicted a man. He had taken her girlish doubts as -final. He had thought to exhibit his manly pride—which -was, after all, only conceit of self—as an offset to -her presuming to question the possibility of her being -possessed by a great love for him. Coward that he -was to surrender this glorious creature without an effort. -Dolt that he was to so mistake her maidenly -hesitancy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And she—dear heart—had loved him after all. She -had condescended to summon him, and he had never -received the message. What had she thought of his -failure to respond? What must she have thought of -him, save that he was a cruel, conceited creature unworthy -of her love? What humiliation his unexplained -silence must for a time have brought to her -gentle spirit! What wreck and misery had not this -miscarriage of her missive brought to his life!</p> - -<p class='c007'>If he could have identified the clerk or postman -whose carelessness had misplaced her letter, he would -have beaten him in his fury, and he wished for an ax -that he might hew and batter to splinters the inanimate -desk whose machinery had been instrumental in -wrecking two lives.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Were they hopelessly wrecked? He caught his -breath at the thought. He at least was free, and -whatever else might come never would he be otherwise. -Never should wile of woman enchant him, -never should desire for home and love and perpetuation -of race and name beguile him. He would walk -lonely to the gates of the eternal morning, and wait -for her beyond the portal, and carry her soul upon -the pinions of his immortal love to the uttermost confines -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>of ether, where no entrapments or environments -of earth could follow or molest them, and in the glow -of the astral light he would claim her as his own, and -give himself to her forever and ever.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ellen’s letter released the passion which had been -locked for ten years in the silent chambers of David -Morning’s soul, and it possessed the man, and mastered -him with throes of bitter agony and throbs of -ecstatic delight. His cheeks were wet with the tears of -disappointment, and again to the very center of him -he laughed with joy as he covered the letter with -kisses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“She loved me, my darling, my own, she loved -me!” he cried. “Maybe she loves me yet!” and -again his heart beat wildly. “For ten years she remained -unmated. But yesterday she married this -German nobleman, this Baron Von Eulaw. Surely -love could not have moved her to the union. Surely -with her nature she could not have forgotten her first -love. She was outraged and humiliated and incensed -at the silence and seeming indifference of the -man she really loved, and so she married, for reasons -common enough in society.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Was this tie irrevocable? Could it not be severed? -Might it not be possible that happiness should yet be -in store on this earth for his darling and himself? -He was now in possession of the lever that moves the -world. Should he not use this power for her and for -himself, as well as for the benefit of mankind?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Who was this German baron that he should stand -against him? There were hundreds of barons, but -only one owner of the Morning mine. He would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>use millions piled upon millions to bring his Ellen to -his arms.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Napoleon divorced Josephine and married Maria -Louisa. Cæsar put away one wife and married -another. David placed Uriah in the front of the battle. -Many kings had used their power to readjust to -their liking their own domestic relations and those of -their subjects.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was a mightier king than Darius. He ruled -greater armies than any ever commanded by Bonaparte. -Not the Kaiser or the Romanoff upon their -imperial thrones could exercise so great a power as -David Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He would bid his golden armies serve their master. -Walpole had truthfully said that “every man has his -price,” and the Baron Von Eulaw probably had his. -How many millions would this titled Dutchman take -for his wife? ten? fifty? a hundred? a thousand?—he -should have them multiplied again and again.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning smiled grimly at the grotesque fancy. -Von Eulaw aspired to the American embassy. Mayhap -he was not covetous but ambitious. Very well, -he would ask the Hohenzollern to name his figures -for offices and ribbons and rank to be accorded to the -baron in exchange for a surrender of his American -wife. He would pay off the national debt of Germany -if necessary. Or he would buy the baron a -kingdom. There were always thrones for sale for -cash or approved credit in the Danubian country. -That of Servia was just now in the market, and even -that of Spain or Portugal might be purchased.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maybe the baron loved his wife. How could he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>help loving her? Curse him, what right had he to -love her? What if Morning emulated the example -of the Psalmist and caused the Baroness Von Eulaw -to be made a widow? Money would accomplish this, -and none be the wiser.</p> - -<p class='c007'>None? Ah, what of the God that rules worlds and -directs the eternities, the God that was in and a part -of David Morning, the God that punishes and pities, -the God that smote David, that struck down Cæsar, -that gave Napoleon to an exile’s death, and Henry -Tudor to centuries of infamy?</p> - -<p class='c007'>If Morning gained his Ellen’s arms through wrong -to another, through wrong to his own imperial and -impartial conscience, there would be bitterness in her -kisses, and misery in his soul; they would go maimed -and chained to the gates of death, and in the other -land they should meet not again.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And, inch by inch and minute by minute, Ohromades -and Ahriman fought for the soul of David Morning. -The ebon-plumed spirit of darkness and the silver-armored -essence of light battled along the lines of -heaven and hell, and the light triumphed, and darkness -was hurled from the battlements, and peace and -strength came to the aching soul.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He would wait. He would not even jeopardize her -peace by righting himself in her esteem. He would -offer no explanation. He would wait, wait for the -decree of the Father, wait for the hour of meeting in -honor. If it came on earth, well; if it came only -through the help of death, still well, for “life is short -but love immortal.” In the other land there would -be readjustments, and each soul not mated truly here -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>would find its true mate there, in a mating that should -be prevented by no power, and limited by no death, -but should endure so long as the planets circle in their -orbits.</p> - -<p class='c007'>How did he know this? Not through any evidence -presented to the material senses, nor through any -logic of the schools. It is the spiritual sense of man -that perceives his spiritual life. No priest can give -him his intuitions, no scoffer can take them from him, -and the querulous questionings of science are but as -the babblings of infancy in the august presence of the -soul.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And for full five minutes David Morning sat with -his face between his hands, then rose and went forth -a conqueror.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Conceal what we impart.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Before leaving Colorado Morning employed a force -of skilled workmen, necessary for the successful conduct -of both quartz mills and copper-smelting furnaces. -It was his design to make Waterspout a little world -in itself, the members of which should consent to remain -in the cañon for three years, communicating -with the world outside only by mail. To this end -physicians, school-teachers, and a clergyman were secured, -and a library, musical instruments, and theatrical -scenery purchased, with the confident expectation -that local histrionic talent would be developed; for -where is the American community of five hundred -souls which does not contain the material both for -Hamlet and burnt-cork opera?</p> - -<p class='c007'>From Denver Morning proceeded directly to San -Francisco, where the leading iron works were soon -busy constructing quartz-crushing machinery. By the -15th of April everything was on the ground, and in -one month thereafter the stamps were ready to drop. -This result was achieved by working nights by electric -light, the Rillito furnishing power for the dynamos.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In ordering the mining work Morning had arranged -for a double-track tunnel, which would reach -the lode at a depth of about one hundred and fifty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>feet from the surface, and there was now a broad, well-ventilated -and well-lighted underground road to and -along the entire length of the quartz lode, at a point -five feet from it. From this tunnel Morning could -cause to be run as many crosscuts into the lode as he -desired, and thus control the amount of quartz extracted, -and keep within his exclusive knowledge the -true dimensions of the mineral deposit.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Conjecture was rife, and the general opinion questioned -the sanity of a man who made such costly and -elaborate preparations for extracting and reducing -quartz in a place where no quartz or sign or promise -of quartz was visible. But Superintendent Robert -Steel kept his own counsel, the wages of the men -were paid promptly, all bills were cashed on presentation, -and the prevailing sentiment was voiced by big -Jim Stebbins, the boss of shift No. 3, who interrupted -and terminated a discussion among his men as to -Morning’s movements by saying:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dave Morning is no mining shark or stock-board -stiff. His money is clean money; he dug it out of the -ground; and if he chooses to buck it off agin a syenite -dike, a payin’ you fellers $4.00 for eight hours’ work, -which is a sight more than some of you is worth, why, -I reckon it’s nobody’s business but his own. It’s only -five minutes to shift time; put out your pipes, and get -a move on you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The mills were built on the side of the mountain below -the tunnel, and were inclosed—as was the entrance -to the tunnel—with a high fence, within which none -were permitted except workmen on duty.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A light narrow-gauge road was built from the mill -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>yard at Waterspout down the cañon, past the copper -smelters, to the mouth of the Rillito. The wagon -road was destroyed, and the stream dammed in several -places, so that the only means of reaching -Waterspout was by rail; and, without a pass from -Superintendent Steel, no person was permitted to -ride on the cars. Tourists, prospectors, and seekers -for information who should overcome these difficulties, -and walk, climb, or swim to Waterspout, would need -to carry also their own provisions and bedding, for -they would find neither shelter, food, nor welcome, -and could not gain access to mine or mill.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These discouragements stained the reputation of -Morning for hospitality, but they helped to keep his -secret, and proved effective against everybody except -a special reporter of a San Francisco journal, who, disguised -as a Papago Indian, journeyed to Waterspout, -and remained there several days. He might have -made a longer stay, but a Papago squaw, hearing of -his presence, sought him with a view to connubial felicity. -The reporter would have faced death for his -journal, but he drew the line at matrimony and fled. -He did not gain access to mine or mill while there, -but he picked up considerable information, the publication -of which might have proved damaging to Morning’s -plans.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It happened that the sagacious manager of the great -daily, before ordering publication, frankly communicated -with Morning—who happened to be in San Francisco—and, -being persuaded by that gentleman that -the public interest would be subserved by silence concerning -the great gold mine in the Santa Catalinas, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>the notes of the reporter were not sent to the composing -room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At last all was in readiness. The men whose duties -ended with the construction of mills, furnaces, railroad, -and buildings, were sent with the teams to Tucson and -paid off. All idle, dissatisfied, and unsatisfactory men -were discharged, and their places supplied with others. -The best mining and milling machinery obtainable -was in place and ready to run. Supplies of all kinds, -sufficient for months, were in the storehouses, five -crosscuts, twenty feet apart, had been run to within -one foot of the ledge, and the doors of the treasure -caverns were ready to open, when the owner of the -mine directed that all the men assemble on the little -plaza at Waterspout in front of the company’s offices.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My friends,” said David Morning, “I have called -you together that we may have a more perfect understanding -before entering upon the most important part -of the labor that lies before us. You have doubtless -felt surprised at the extent of the work which has been -done in this cañon without there being any ore, or indications -of ore, in sight. But your surprise will change -to astonishment when you know, as you soon must -know, how extensive and rich a body of gold quartz -is here. It has been and still is my desire to withhold -from the world any knowledge, or, at least, any accurate -knowledge, of the amount of gold that will be produced. -I conclude that the best method for securing -secrecy is to make it in the interest of all concerned to -keep the secret, and I desire to say now that each one -of you, whether miner, millman, mechanic, laborer, -teacher, clerk, clergyman, or physician, every man who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>is or who may be on the pay-rolls, who shall faithfully -discharge the duties for which he was employed, and -shall remain in such employment for one year, without -in the meantime leaving this cañon, and who shall -not by letter, or otherwise, communicate any information -concerning the working or yield of the mine, will -be presented by me at the end of the year with the -sum of $5,000 in addition to his pay. Those who remain -until the end of the second year will receive a -further present of $10,000, and those who remain until -the end of the third year will receive a still further -present of $15,000. Those who choose to go, or who -may be compelled to leave here because of either misconduct -or misfortune, will receive nothing but their -pay. Should any die, the present for that year will, -at the expiration of the year, be paid to his family—if -here. If strangers visit this cañon, I shall expect -you not to entertain them or converse with them. -Those of you who correspond with friends will please -say nothing whatever as to any facts concerning this -property, or any opinions you may have about it or -about me. It is only with your co-operation and good -faith that the secrets of this mine can be kept. Any one -of you may, to a certain extent, betray those secrets. -Should he do so, he will not only defeat my plans but -deprive himself of the fortune which I expect to pay -each of you as the price of three years of work and -reticence.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The proposition of Morning was agreed to with -unanimity, and with an enthusiasm and gratitude -which can be comprehended when it is understood -that even the sum of $5,000 represented to the most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>industrious and frugal workman the savings of from -five to twenty years.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Three days afterwards the crosscuts were in ore, -cars loaded with the yellow-seamed quartz began to -discharge into the chutes and feeders, and the music -of two hundred stamps resounded in the Santa -Catalinas.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning’s estimate of the value of the ore, which -he made from the specimens taken by him at the time -of the discovery, proved singularly accurate. The -quartz contained $10,000 in gold per ton, of which -amount ninety-five per cent was saved in the mill. -The reduction power was two tons to each stamp per -<i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">diem</span></i>, and the yield of the mine was quite $4,000,000, -or eight tons of gold, each day. The necessity of -resting one day in seven was observed at Waterspout, -both as a sanitary measure and because of the suggestions -of the race germs that Morning had received -from his Connecticut ancestors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The disposition of the gold bars produced was -made in accordance with Morning’s plans previously -made. Each day the product of the copper furnaces, -cast in hollow moulds, was brought upon the railroad, -to the lower part of the mill yard, where were situated -the gold-melting furnaces. Under the personal supervision -of Steel, assisted by a few men specially -selected for the work, a gold bar was placed inside -each copper mould, the slight spaces filled with dry -sand, a half inch of dry sand placed upon the end of -the gold bar, and the mould then filled with melted -copper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When completed there was to all appearance a pig -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>of black copper or copper matte worth commercially -$18 or $20. In truth there was a gold bar worth -$40,000, which a few minutes’ work with a cold chisel -would release.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The gold bars intended for open shipment were -cast one-half the size of those intended for imprisonment -in the copper pigs. Of these small bars Morning -had eight prepared each day, making the ostensible -yield of the mill and mine $160,000 per day, or -about $4,000,000 per month. Of the large bars he -had eighty prepared each day, which were shipped as -copper pigs. Their real value was about $4,000,000 -per <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">diem</span></i>, or $100,000,000 per month. These were -allowed to accumulate in the warehouse at Rillito -Station until Morning should procure suitable places -for their deposit in Eastern cities.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the 1st of August, 1893, everything had been -running smoothly for several weeks, and gold shipments -amounting to millions had been made. Morning -concluded that the running of the mill and mine -no longer required his personal attention, while his -projects demanded his presence at the great financial -centers. Robert Steel was in full possession of the -plans of his friend and employer, who, leaving everything -in his charge, bade good-by to all and departed -for Tucson to take the train for the East.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IX.<br /> <span class='small'>“And then hid the key in a bundle of letters.”</span></h2> -</div> -<h3 class='c012'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, March 18, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dear Mother</span>: Really I hardly feel equal to a -detailed description of our trip over the ocean. Why -is it that I remember only the painful things about -our journey? Surely there were pleasant people, -cultivated men and graceful women, such as one always -meets in these days of free interchange between -different nations. But I have observed that some -temperaments catch first and make most visible the -shadows upon the landscape. Much as I love the -hues and tints of the changeful waters, I seem to remember -only the rolling ship, and between me and -the thought of the blue skies and the splendid sunsets -which I would have carried away as a treasured -memory, comes some trifling but harassing recollection. -So narrow and individual is the composing-stone -upon which our impressions are made up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I assume, dear mother, that you remember our -serious conversation that last night before my marriage, -as, sitting upon my couch and looking into my -sleepy eyes, you half chided me for that which you -called—for want of a better term—indifference.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>Pardon me, ’tis a word with a sex. A woman -may love, she may hate, she may dissemble, but, pose -as she will, there is no profile in her passion. I do -not deny I am going to school to my own heart. I -am honestly endeavoring to follow your advice. I am -learning to love. Let me say in the beginning it is a -mistake to believe that men love deeply. If ever they -do, the object of their passion is themselves. Is this -a sound foundation to build domestic faith upon? -However, as I have said, I shall try very earnestly -to do my part.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron told me this morning that as Americans -were a nation of plebeians, I would naturally -suffer many disabilities even as the Baroness Von -Eulaw, to which I replied rather hotly that honor -and courage required no purple swaddlings to hide -their proportions, and that we Americans sprang full -created from the brain of regenerate thought, -whereupon his manly fist gathered muscle for a -moment, then as speedily relaxed, and he only -slammed the door of his dressing-room between us. -Believe me, my dear mother, I was very sorry for the -scene, and I have no excuse to offer save the gaping -wound to my patriotism, which I find much more -sensitive over here than at home.</p> - -<p class='c007'>We have constant engagements, and I feel a little -worn, though otherwise quite well. Can you pardon -a letter wholly devoted to myself? and in return will -you not tell me all about yourself, dear papa, and -everybody you know?</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Always faithfully your own, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span> - <h3 class='c013'><em>From Mrs. Perces Thornton to the Baroness Von Eulaw.</em></h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Roxbury</span>, Mass., April 2, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dear Daughter</span>: I have your first letter written -from Berlin, but how sad! That dreadful sea must -have made you bilious. It has always just such an -effect on your father; he sees the whole earth through -smoked glasses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But I can only imagine you as in a constant succession -of raptures. Such a marriage for an American -girl! A baron with such deportment, and such a -delightful accent! I have no doubt, too, he is much -richer than he represented. I assure you, the young -ladies of Boston’s high circles have turned all hues of -the rainbow with envy, and you ought to find great -pleasure in that recollection alone. Besides, such opportunities -as you are having to meet crowned heads, -and feel yourself as one among the titled people of Europe! -What elevation! What distinction! You -must not forget to make the most copious notes, so -that you will be able to impress your superiority upon -the world of society when you return.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Really, you should be, as I know you are, very -happy. Of course “scenes” are unpleasant to one -like yourself, not foreign bred. But I am told that -such experiences are the real thing with nobility, especially -if there is an American wife. And it is reasonable -to suppose that high blood should feel intolerant -toward all forms of assertiveness on the part of -women, especially American women.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Therefore, be a little discreet, my dear, and remember -what an English woman said to you, that it is not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>good form to be either clever or artistic, and above -all patriotic.</p> - -<p class='c007'>You speak of shadows in your life. It was only the -other day I read from one of your own books on the -Newtonian theory of color, that dark objects were -such as absorbed the light and reflected only somber -tints, and I am sure it is so with your life; it is holding -the light within itself.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I will not write more to-day, for your correspondence -will be large, and time precious with you. -How radiant you must look with your graceful gowns -and your classic face; almost equal to a born princess! -Believe me, my dear child, I am very proud of your -noble marriage and of your dutiful conduct in making -such an one largely, let me confess, to please me. -And of all things, do not trouble yourself too much -about the love business—that will all come about in -good time, and if it does not—well, I can only say -you will have a majority with you.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Greet your noble husband with the pride and joy -that I feel in him, and present your loving father, who -so seldom writes. Send fresh photos of your dear self, -the baroness, and the baron, and do not permit them -to exaggerate his nose, which is quite full enough at -best, though a true sign of the blood.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your devoted mother,</div> - <div class='line in20'><span class='sc'>Perces Thornton</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, April 20, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dear Mother</span>: So far from the monopolizing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>effect of minor matters of which I complained in my -last, I seem to be losing my individuality altogether. -Have you ever possessed your mind of one subject or -object to the absolute exclusion of even yourself? -What an unpleasant condition of mind it is! The -baron I find to be a man most peculiarly constituted. -The somewhat dominant manner which you suppose -to be foreign breeding, as you expressed it, seems to -have developed into an engrossing self-consequence, -which appears to draw its vitality, if I may be pardoned -for saying so, largely from his new marital connection.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For instance, at the opening of the season we attended -the Emperor’s Easter ball. According to our -customs, after concluding the first dance with the baron, -I accepted a waltz with an English nobleman, whom -I had met on some previous occasion. We were -resting for a moment after a round of the spacious -ballroom when I felt my arm seized from behind, and -with a muttered oath the baron commanded my instant -release and return home.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What should I have done? Disregard him and -precipitate a scandal? Impossible. I made excuse in -some hypothetical disarrangement of my dress and -retired. I am only able to write because it is my left -arm which suffered the accident. The subsequent explanations -of the baron were, of course, frivolous, but I -was too relieved by any form of apology to add words, -which, without reference to their significance, always -irritate him. I mention this little incident in order to -show you how it is that my visible life is subordinated, -albeit my spirit is in no way depressed though severely -harassed.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>As I write I am doubtful if I ought to speak of these -things at all. I do not ask myself what is due to my -rank here, for that was conferred by him, but is it -womanly to stand before the world an intelligent -and willing indorser of his character and conduct, -having given my public vows for better or worse, and -then, cowering behind his faults, denounce such acts as -only, at worst, affect me? Indeed, I must exercise -more courage and less candor. One thing is certain, -I am constantly looking for the better traits in his -nature, and am making every effort to call them forth. -Thus I escape self-reproach at least. But I am self-abashed -at my attitude, for I abhor dissembling. The -baron loves to taunt me with this trait, which he calls -rudeness, and declares it to be the result of my “Yankee -training.” I only smile at this, for, as I have said, -he cannot brook discussion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, my dear mamma, enough of this, for you will -think my marriage a failure, and contribute my experiences -to the building up of Mona Caird’s theories. -By the way, how shocked I felt at reading them, although -I now divine some meanings that I had overlooked! -But never can I tolerate the thought that -there are not people—ideal, if you please—whose marriages -might be too sublimated for earthly contract, -and are, therefore—according to the proverb—made -in heaven. Dear mother, pardon me, there is something -wanting in your letters. You promised me to -mention everybody we ever knew, or something to -that effect. I am absolutely famishing for news of our -old friends. By the way, how peculiar it is, I seem -to remember with singular pertinacity the people we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>knew before we came to Boston, and dear, beautiful -Denver is ever before my eyes. Please remember -everything, and above all your affectionate</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Miss Fanny Fielding, Denver, Colorado.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, May 1, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dear Old Schoolmate</span>: Your kind letter -makes me homesick. Can you imagine a homesick -bride? Even before fruitage appears from the orange -bloom, dismated for the decking of my nuptial robes, -or even the fragrance departed from the yellowing -buds on the garniture laid away to rest and rust, I -am sitting with an unwilling face to the open door of -the future, and groping with a blind but eager hand -among the rustling leaves of a near past, for some familiar -touch or sound to summon back the half-tasted -joys which I so ruthlessly flung away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>You ask me for some advice concerning marriage, -illumined, as you tersely put it, by experience. My -sweet friend, what a useless task you impose upon me. -Whenever was woman directed by the experiences -of others, however wise or however bitter such experiences -may have been? Always some suggestion or -exception to change the verdict. “Mine has black -eyes, yours has blue, which makes all the difference.” -Or, “one is fat, the other lean.” Or, “this one walks, -the other rides”—so infinite the variety of excuses, -so single the faith of woman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What else, then, shall we call marriage but destiny? -The heart knows its wants and we know its plaintive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>cry, as a mother knows the wail of her famishing babe; -yet for some frivolous fancy or conceit, some wound -to our vanity, some plethoric ambition, or some glittering -paste or bauble, we stifle the natural cry of the -human heart, and wait for the mystic note upon which -is to be constructed the music of our future. Alas! in -the metaphor you understand so well, we too often -touch only the diminished seventh, and the sure, complete, -resolving chord is never sounded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Somewhat, too, our institutions of marriage are at -fault, or at least the laws and customs which control -them. With a nation of men, free, rational, and liberal, -we have a nation of women enslaved, dishonest, -and miserable, and it is among her noblest and most -common phases of fate that she goes mutely to her -grave, a victim of such weak social prejudices as have -grown to be even a subject of satire among Europeans.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Conscientiousness is a boasted virtue among Boston -people of certain high cult, yet how many of her beautiful -women go to the altar with a lie upon their maidenly -lips? Why?—For the reason that there is some -man whom she loves and dares not declare it. For the -reason that society sets a seal upon her lips and turns -her life into a drain-channel for misbegotten vows. -For the reason that she cannot break the frost-bound -usages of cowardly error with one stroke of her puny -fist, and openly propose to join fortunes with the man -after her own heart and her own high convictions. -And so she rakes over the cold, unfruitful soil in her -own soul, and plants the germ of a falsehood or a folly, -and waits for the accident of some quickening power, -in slavish and unheroic patience.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>Witness the result: Some masculine hand, more or -less clumsy or more or less cunning, little matter if it -bring a wedding ring, sheds ephemeral warmth upon -the unsanctified ground, and the victim starts upon -her lonely, loveless journey toward race building and -sacrifice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As I indicated, dear Fanny, I have not drawn for my -picture largely upon individual experiences, neither -are my opinions stimulated by any observations taken -from this side the water. Indeed, I even prefer, of -kindred evils, the insipid method which leaves the -marriage question in the hands of the parents. But -let me leave this for subsequent discussion, for my letter -is already too long, and I have not gossiped at -all, and I remember, dear girl, how you do love innocent -gossip.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Write to me often and I will fill my letters with the -sweetest of nothings if you will. Love and adieu and -think of me as your devoted friend,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, May 10, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dearest Mother</span>: “Let fate do her worst, there -are moments of joy,” and such moments I owe to my -fondness for music. What would have been all these -dreary weeks and months of shallow acting, if the -depths of my soul had not been stirred by the genius -of that creative force which, mocking at our own -crude disguises, rehabilitates pain with the fair seeming -of pleasure, which relegates near sorrows to the -realms of tradition, and illusionises common care?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Art, in any form, I conceive to be the benefactor -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>of the human race. If truth, shorn of its infinitude -of possibilities, constitutes the religion of the civilized -world, if the <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">deus et machina</span></i>, as Æschylus somewhere -has it, unlyrical and unleavened by beauty of -device, by rhetoric or action and climax, be persuasive -and instructive and inspiring, then how ineffably shall -truth have gained by the development of its powers -through visible forms of dramatic conceit, through association -with the elements of art, through characterization, -through skillful adaptation, through harmonized -mediæ of appeal to the sense or the sentiment, -the sympathies or the imagination?</p> - -<p class='c007'>I am reminded here of an incident which occurred -in our box at the Grand Opera House, during a late -performance of Die Meistersinger, which resulted—as -is not unusual in these days—unpleasantly. My husband, -as you may remember, affects music solely for the -paraphernalia of the stage, for the glitter and show of -boxes and stalls, for the exposed shoulders of the diamonded -dames of fashion, for the numbers of men with -eyeglasses and uniforms—anything, in fact, but the -music, which rather bores him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Therefore it is I apprehend that he discusses music -so incomprehensibly—to say the least—I would not -say irrationally. Somewhere during the development -of the plot I was struck with the similarity of the dramatic -motive with that of the Greek tragedies, especially -the choral odes, where occurs the element of -transition which some scholars call the evolutionary or -perhaps the re-incarnating period of the ancient -drama. This similarity—in some ways identical—I -inadvertently alluded to in a more or less critical review -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>of the opera and its construction, which I ventured -between acts, in the presence of a party of -Americans who were our guests for the occasion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly as thought, the baron’s face was aflame. -But “what it were unwise to do ’twere weaker to regret,” -and I prepared to defend my position as best -became me. “You call my divine countryman a plagiarist,” -he hissed between his teeth. Our male guest -glowered, and the ladies with heightened color looked -at the orchestra.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I beg your pardon, sir,” said I, with an assumed -smile, “I did not say so, though I admit that my -suggestion was unfortunate in its inference.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron sprang to his feet and stood over me, -his arms akimbo and the well-known look of suppressed -rage upon his face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You called my divine countryman a plagiarist,” -he repeated, gazing out over the audience, and feeling -for my slippered foot with his heel, which he settled -firmly upon my silken-clad instep. The hurt made -me wince, but I could not remove my foot from the -vise. Then, in order to mollify his temper, which I -had grown to know too well how to deal with, I added -laughingly, though half wild with pain as he deadened -his weight upon my poor instep:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If your countryman were amenable to the charge -of plagiarism, so also is our Shakespeare, for in the -comedy of Trinummus, Megaronides says, ‘The evil -that we know is best. To venture on an untried ill,’ -etc., and Shakespeare, two thousand years later, said, -‘Rather bear the ills we have than fly to others that we -know not of.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>“You call my divine countryman a plagiarist,” half-childishly, -half-insanely repeated my noble lord, grinding -my foot beneath his heel. A cry of pain escaped -me, which a timely crash of cymbals in the orchestra -had the effect to drown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what of it” blurted the American, throwing -his full weight, as if by accident, against the -baron’s shoulder, and then turning to me with an -apology resumed his place. Now while I never take -refuge in my sex for at least a verbal retaliation of the -wrongs I receive from my husband, it goes without -saying that the man who visits brutality in any form -upon a woman is a coward. But I had never seen the -baron insulted, and was therefore wholly unprepared -for the profuseness with which he apologized to our -guests, and the blandness with which he offered his -hand as he bade them good-night. But the most -humiliating part of this humiliating affair was the fact -that I was forced to repeat an apology fashioned by -himself, the entire length of our journey home, even -until the carriage stopped at the door.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It is not clear to me, my dear mother, that I am -justified in rehearsing to you, or to anyone, details of -my life, which may seem trivial, but for which I am -able to offer no other excuse than your own solicitous -insistence. I am always promising myself that every -next letter shall be dictated in more cheerful spirit. -Till then adieu. Present me with kindest love and beg -papa to write me. I do so long for a sight of his letters. -Love to those who love me.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>As ever, devotedly yours, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span> - <h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, June 21, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dearest Mother</span>: How shall we account for -our various moods? Yesterday I was miserable; to-day -I am joyful; to-morrow I may be hopeful or heartbroken, -according as—oh! I forgot to say I am all -alone; the baron has gone to St. Petersburg. I am -supposed to have accompanied him, and so nobody -comes. But I am not lonely; now that I am left to -myself I see how beautiful is the world about me.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This morning I looked from my windows upon -the river. The sharp lights I had watched so often -swiftly changing to shadows, the warring glances suggestive -only of inner strife, with all its complexity of -passion, were lost in the soft peaceful flow of the waters -as they hurried on to the ultimate sea. And I -thought how much of this mood is due to fancy, that -untenable, mercurial, and sublimated quality of the -mind, half trickery, half truth, and altogether elusive -as vapor. But how profligate of that precious sense -of pleasure so steadily withheld from my heart these -later months! Too precious, indeed, for the operations -and experiments of the mental laboratory to which I -seemingly so recklessly submitted it, and so I dismissed -analysis and clung to my fancies, which at least -made me happy in the present.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After my breakfast I prepared myself for a walk, -with only my little fox-terrier for a companion. Poor -little Boston, how grateful he seemed! I could see -him laugh with joy as his little brown lips quivered -with flexible feeling. Notwithstanding his many years, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>he could scarcely find footing for his bounding steps -for looking back at me to search my laughing eyes. -You remember who gave me my terrier, away out -in Denver? how he was brought to me in two strong, -guardful arms, a little loose-skinned, wise-eyed puppy, -so quiet and serenely happy in the warm embrace—where -was I? oh, yes! talking about Boston—so we -pulled some roses, Boston and I. But never looked -roses so red, or green so tender or so vivid, and I -longed to find the secret of their voluptuous bloom -and half-suffocating fragrance, but that I guessed all -was again fancy; only an easy, translatable pinch of -dust and a resolvable stain; a simple stroke of creative -power and a dash of ether—only a rose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>How easy seem the processes of nature with harmonized -material for working out the thought! Nature -never experiments; gravitation is her law, deflection -is anarchy, and defiance a destroyer. Love, I deem, is -only obedience to this law. Obscure as are its operations -and subtle as its teachings are, any smallest -portion of scholarship, leveled at the finding out, divested -of preconceived ideas and personal bearings, -but persistently and conscientiously agitated by scientific -and organized effort, might revolutionize a world -of error, and establish a sure basis for sentiment and -social reform.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For I believe that unhappy marriages are a direct -result of ignorance. Passions called by various names -go to make up the system. Sordidness, vanity, interdependence, -weak abeyance to custom, contribute -to the sum of human misery. But ignorance is the -basis of the organized error. For what manner of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>men or women would deliberately entail upon themselves -the shackled conditions of a loveless marriage, -which has no alternative but subordination or rebellion? -For only in love—another name for harmony—may -be found that unity which leaves no room for sacrifice -or misconceit.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, dearest mother, what can you think of my letters? -I began to tell you of my one happy day and -have spread my speculations over the whole human -race. I started to take you for a promenade along -Unter den Linden, and to rest by the cool fountain -in the Lustgarten, and have ended with a few feeble -remarks upon the possible sources of sentiment and -sorrow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Boston is waiting for his dinner, for he dines -with me to-night. What a jolly day we’ve had, eh, -Boston? and we will sleep and dream of you, dear -mamma, and many more, for none but bidden guests -must fill my room to-night. By the way, I do wonder if -the poor, weak brain of my little terrier is in any degree -susceptible of being stirred by memories of his -old friends? In any event, I envy him, for he is not -amenable to the necessities of a false life, “a liar of -unspoken lies.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dear mamma, a sweet good-night. I am sending -you a few pictures picked up at Lepkes. The group I -am sure you will enjoy, though I like better the portrait -by Van Dyck. There is a haunting sort of look -about it, reminding me of someone I have known -somewhere. I wonder if you will discern it? Probably -it was only a passing fancy, one of such as have -filled my brain all day long.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Again love and good-by. <span class='sc'>Ellen.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span> - <h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Mentone</span>, Italy, August 10, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dearest Mother</span>: How rebellious my heart and -impatient my pen as I take it up to write words which -only your mother’s ear should catch from my lips!</p> - -<p class='c007'>Where shall I begin to tell you the history of the -past month? Really, my memory seems too surcharged -with a sense of bitterness and wrong to do me -service. But I must lead you step by step, reluctant -as I know you are to follow me behind the gilded -arras.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After his return from St. Petersburg, the baron -developed more pronounced signs of jealousy than -had ever appeared hitherto. Perhaps this feeling was -stimulated by my last letter to you, which I inadvertently -left unmailed, and which he opened and read. -Suspicious husbands you know are as jealous of -moods as of men, and not to be miserable “when the -Sultan goes to Ispahan” is indeed a crime. I believe -there are few jealous husbands who are themselves -guiltless. I do not think, however, that this test applies -to my own sex, albeit I do not take refuge in the -exception—Heaven save the mark!</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the baron came home, as I said, quite confirmed -in many unpleasant ways I had remarked before. -Without any apparent cause he stole about my -room in unslippered feet, and listened furtively at the -keyholes. He locked the doors whenever he passed -through, and spoke to the servants through a crevice. -Instead of his usual violence he whined his complaints -of my demeanor toward him in the weakest and most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>supine fashion. But that which exasperated me most -was, and is still, his unaccountable pertinacity. He -would place his chair close by me and hold his knee -against mine, or his elbow, or his foot, while, with purpling -face and hanging mouth, he entreated me not to -leave him, until, in half insane protest, I would break -clear of him and throw open a window, or bathe my -hands and face in utter exhaustion, or—I had almost -said—sense of contamination. In his fits of rage there -is something genuine from an animal, if not from a -manly, point of view. But how shall I deal with this -new phase? Ah, well! let me get on with my letter, -for I have much to say, and that is why I am dallying.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I consented to come to Mentone on account of my -health. Finding myself growing weak and failing, the -physicians ordered an immediate change, and recommended -the old cure virtually—to take myself out of -their hands. The baron loves to play, and I suspect -is a little too well known in gaming circles in Berlin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Therefore when he proposed Mentone so early in -the season, or, indeed, altogether out of season, I—quite -knowing that it meant Monte Carlo—accepted, -and with valet and maid and dear old Boston we came.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Result, financial ruin! The baron played recklessly. -Each time when I saw him he was feverish -and abstracted. I did not ask the cause, whether he -were winner or loser, for, like most women, I believe -that everybody finally loses, but I was not prepared -for the dénouement, for he has absolutely lost not only -all his ready money, but is heavily in debt, and will -need to resort to further mortgage of his landed estates.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>Weak and foolhardy as he was, I pity him, for what -must have been his feelings as, driving down the Corniche -road overhanging the old sea, he reflected how -many men had sought forgetfulness for just such acts -of folly in the tideless waters. Only that the baron -has other ideas about reparation, for he came home -and first proposed that I write my father for money -to make good his losses. Taking courage from my -silence, he suggested that I cable my message at once.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This latter I proposed not to do, as I informed him -in very few words. He has left the hotel in a terrible -fit of rage, vowing revenge with his last accents. And -I am writing this letter while I wait, meanwhile wondering -how much I ought to blame myself for my unhappy -life, or if I ought not to lock the secret in my -own breast, even from you, my mother. But a secret -is a dumb devil, and so long as there is another hand -to glance the dart, it rarely wounds to death. I will -mail this at once in order that it shall not fall into his -hands.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dearest mamma, are these letters never to cease? -I think I notice that your replies are more reserved, -and I have thought full of pain and discouragement. -But do not feel discouraged. I realize the resources -within me, and I have a fund of reserved power which -I may summon in an exigency. I have not fairly contemplated -anything in the future; to deal with the -present has been my purpose. Each joy and each -sorrow in its turn, so shall no preconceived action -operate to the ends of injustice or unfairness. I close -this in haste but lasting love.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>As always your daughter, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span> - <h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Mentone</span>, Italy, September 1, 1893.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>O My Beloved Mother</span>: While I feel always -sure of your earnest sympathies, how shall I expect -you to appreciate the sentiment of horror which this -new and fiendish device for torturing my feelings visits -upon me! How can I write it?—my poor little Boston -is dead.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That fact, with a few silent tears, and a day or two of -depression, I could have borne as the end of all things -mortal. But he was as foully murdered as ever was -the victim of the most infernal plot, for he was given -no poorest or most unequal chance to fight for his life, -which was as dear to him as mine to me—and that is -the least possible to be said. I am in no condition of -mind to discuss ethics, or to philosophize upon the -events which led to this tragical termination of differences, -of which poor little Boston’s life paid the forfeit.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It may be that I was wrong, certainly I would have -made any terms to have saved my poor terrier from -his terrible fate, few as were the years he would have -lived at most.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I am not unaware that there are certain concessions, -and certain acts of graciousness, which, in a -limited sense, may properly be expected of every -wife toward a reasonable husband. Not his boasted -superiority by any means, but the fact that she is -measurably relieved from financial stress or responsibility, -constitutes an unwritten law among well-thinking -wives everywhere, I believe, and makes the demand -upon her. But I considered nothing but the enormity -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>of my husband’s exactions, and erred in my estimate -of the possibility of my husband’s brutality. I wish -there were a stronger word which I might politely use.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Shall I give you briefly the harrowing details of -this ruffianly act of cowardice? I think I told you in -my last how the baron had left the house, filled with -vindictive rage at my refusal to demand of my father -large sums of money for his gambling losses. In -about an hour he returned and renewed his proposition -with increased violence, at the same time seizing -a pen and writing a cablegram, which he commanded -me to sign.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Remembering that I had given him considerable -sums of money from time to time, amounting to many -thousands of dollars, I entreated him to wait for a -day, while he should make me understand the condition -of his financial affairs. This proposition he received -with the most frightful oaths. He declared -that he would take my life, and would begin by killing -my pet dog. No sooner said than done. He rushed -to the veranda, where poor little Boston lay stretched -upon his cushion asleep in the sun, and, seizing him -by the neck, he dashed him violently to the ground -below. A few minutes later my little friend was -brought to me still feebly conscious, but mangled, -bleeding, dying.</p> - -<p class='c007'>How can I ever forget, who ever did who has -ever witnessed it forget that last questioning, beseeching -look of affection and dumb fright which a dying -animal turns upon the face of someone he has loved? -Is it less than human or more? Not till the mists -gathered across his pretty brown eyes was that last -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>eloquent appeal swept away. “What have I done?” -“What have I done?” was the question he was asking -of me. Who shall say whether he received his answer -in some later and easier translatable speech than mine, -in some new and disenthralled state of being? Who -shall say that he did not carry away with him a love -which was all love, with no taint of selfishness or ulterior -thought, quickened by no new speculation, or tradition, -or sanction, or human edict? Who shall say -that the attributes of faith, and self-surrender, and -charity, and forgiveness, and loyalty are lost because -in one incarnation they were tongue-tied? For myself -I want to see my dogs again. They were my -loved companions, as are my books or my works of -art. And if the fire destroy them, are their contents -naught or worthless because an unlettered man could -not read them? At best an after life is a problem, -but let us put the problems together and one may -help to solve the other, for half a truth is oftenest a -lie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I have sought distraction in these comments, but -my sorrow returns to me, dear mother, and my eyes -are too full of tears to be able to see the lines. <em>Vale</em>, -poor Boston, and a grateful throb of gladness that I -have a dear mother to whom I can tell my grief.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your loving but unhappy <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER X.<br /> <span class='small'>“Lo! the poor Indian.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Imperfect definition and classification, followed by -hasty, inaccurate, and unwarranted generalization, are -fruitful sources of popular error. To the misinformed -or uninformed mind the Indian is a noble savage, -whose hunting-grounds and corn-fields have been -taken from him by the ruthless paleface, and who -passes his time pensively leaning upon his rifle, with -his face to the setting sun, the while he makes touching -appeals to the Great Spirit, and mourns the disappearance -of his race.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the country west of the Rocky Mountains and -south of Green River, the sentimental Indian with whom -Cooper doped American literature, has absolutely no -existence. Uncas and Chingachgook never journeyed -so far westward as the Rio Grande, and prosy old -Leather Stocking, with his Sunday-school soliloquies, -and his alleged marvelous marksmanship on knife -blades at three hundred yards, would have been -elected president of the Arizona Lying Club by -acclamation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Many tribes of Indians in that section of the country -have scarcely any belief in a future state of existence, -and no words in their jargons to represent the -ideas of gratitude, of female chastity, or of hospitality. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>Their opportunities of obtaining food have been in -nowise lessened by white occupation of the land. -There never were any buffalo there, they never hunted -bears or any combative animal, the fish and small -game and pine-nuts are nearly as plentiful as ever, -and the bacon-rinds and decayed vegetables to be -found near every mining camp furnish the noble reds -with a food supply more agreeable to their indolent -habits than the hard-won trophies of the chase.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Yet there are Indians and Indians, as there are -Christian bank presidents and unsanctified bank robbers, -and it is as incorrect to class the devilish Chiricahua -Apache with the dirty but gentle Yuma as it -would be to similarly couple a hook-nosed vender of -Louisiana lottery tickets with a blonde-haired solicitor -for a church raffle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the mountains of Eastern Arizona and Western -New Mexico, occupying a country hundreds of miles -in area, a country which, for their benefit, has been -reserved from miner, settler, and grazier, live the -White Mountain Apaches during the winter months, -when they are not “on the war path,” as their pillaging -and murdering expeditions are somewhat -bombastically designated.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Whatever may be said of other savages in other -localities, the Arizona Apaches are without a single -just cause of complaint against the government, or -against any of the Caucasian race. No cruel white -men have ever invaded their hunting-grounds, or -given them high-priced whisky in exchange for low-priced -peltry. Red-handed and tangle-haired have -these marauders and their ancestors lived for centuries -in their mountain lair.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>Since the United States of America became, forty -years ago, the nominal suzerain of the territory -occupied by these peripatetic “vermin ranches,” they -have been unprovoked invaders, thieves, and assassins, -and their summer raids upon the miners, teamsters, -and cattle ranchers of Arizona and New Mexico, have -been as regular as their winter acceptance of the -bacon and blankets with which a generous but mistaken -policy feeds and warms them, at a cost equal to -that of providing each savage with a suite of rooms -at a fashionable hotel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It is but a few years since a small party of the most -vicious and untamable of these bandits, who were -captured with the scalps of their victims at their belts, -were declared by the authorities at Washington to be -not answerable to trial or punishment by the courts of -the Territory whose people they have robbed and murdered -with impunity for many years. But, partly in -deference to outraged public sentiment, and partly in -apprehension of the acts of a possible committee of -vigilance, these Indians were condemned for their -crimes to imprisonment in a government fortress in -Florida.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Unlike white prisoners who were condemned to -labor and isolation, these tawny murderers were allowed -to be accompanied in their journey across the country -by their wives and concubines, who were transported, -fed, clothed, and made comfortable, at government cost. -Arrived at their destination, it was found, after a few -months’ sojourn, that the humid air, lower altitude, -and uncongenial surroundings of Florida, and, later, of -North Carolina, disagreed with the digestion and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>disgruntled the disposition of the noble reds, and, -upon a proper showing that their health demanded a -return to their former homes, lest confirmed nostalgia -should set in, and possibly remove them permanently -from the scene of human activities, they were surreptitiously -returned by the government to their old reservation, -where they promptly expressed their appreciation -of the clemency accorded them by breaking -out once more and heading for the Mexican Sierras, -marking their track with burning ranch houses and -murdered settlers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the summer of 1893 a party of about forty of -these Apaches, headed by the most cruel, malignant, -and treacherous of savages—the thrice-pardoned and -faith-breaking Geronimo—left the reservation for their -annual raid. The military post at Fort Lowell having -been abandoned and the troops removed in the interest -of government parsimony, the savages found it -convenient to make a detour by the valley of the Santa -Cruz, so as to cross the railroad track in the vicinity -of Tucson, and reach their mountain fastnesses in -Sonora by the Arivaca Pass.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It chanced that David Morning, on his departure -from Waterspout for New York, while riding from the -Rillito station into Tucson, and riding by night, to -avoid the heat of an Arizona sun, was seen by the Indians, -who, having emerged from a defile in which -they had been concealed during the day, were now -stealthily and swiftly journeying in the same direction. -The opportunity to murder a white man was one not -to be neglected, but the report of a rifle might attract -attention and instigate speedy pursuit, so two of Geronimo’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>followers were detailed, armed only with bows -and arrows, to follow the wayfarer through the dusk, -and bring back a scalp, that might be obtained without -danger and without noise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>If Morning had been riding a horse, this tale might -have had sudden ending, but he had found for his necessarily -frequent journeys between the mine and Tucson -no such convenient and comfortable mode of transportation -as a seat upon the back of Julia. The -equine in question was a large jet black saddle mule -bred at the ranch of Señor Don Pedro Gonzales, -which was situated at the foot of the mountain, on the -opposite side of the Rillito Valley, about three miles -from the road.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The mule, as an animal, is often both misrepresented -and misunderstood. No creature tamed by -man has keener instincts or greater sagacity, or is -governed to so great an extent by intelligent self-interest. -A mule is always logical. His ordinary reasoning -is a syllogism without a flaw. A horse impelled -by high spirit, and patient even unto death, will travel -until he drops from exhaustion, and will pull or carry -without complaint a load that causes his every muscle -to pulse with the pain of weariness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But where lives the man who was ever able to impose -upon a mule? Strap an unaccustomed or unjust -load upon the back of this animal of unillustrious paternity, -and he will not move except in the direction of -lying down. Attempt to ride or drive him past his -rightful and usual resting-place, and there may be -retrogression, and there may be a circus, but there -will be no advance.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>In addition to his other virtues a mule has an exceedingly -keen scent. He seeks no close acquaintance -with either grizzly bears or Indians. He will get the -wind of either of his aversions as quickly as a hound -will whiff a deer, and, like the hound, he will give -his knowledge to the world, in a voice that is resonant, -magnetic, and—on the whole—musical. The bray of -an earnest mule is not after the Italian but the Wagnerian -school. It is not the sweet, tender tenor of -Manrico, it is Lohengrin sounding his note of power. -It is not, perhaps, equal to an orchestra of nightingales, -but it has a rhythm, and passion, and power, and sweetness, -nevertheless.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The quick instinct of Julia caught the scent of the -Apache assassins, and as they crept up she was engaged -in a struggle with her rider, who, with voice and -spur, was vainly endeavoring to induce and compel -her to proceed along the usual road.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, Julia,” soliloquized Morning, “you must -have been browsing on rattle-weed! What is the -matter with you?”—and he tugged vainly at her -bridle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Whizz! whizz! went the arrows. With one shaft -quivering in her flank, the mule fairly sprang into the -air, while the other transfixed the left arm of David -Morning, and pinned it to his side.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And then his question was answered, and he knew -what was the matter with Julia.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The frenzied animal leaped the Rillito at a bound, -and swept across the valley to the corral adjoining the -Gonzales ranch house. Once within the inclosure, -she stopped and uttered her most melodious notes of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>delight. With a crescendo of welcome a dozen of -her kindred greeted Julia, and the swarthy major-domo -of the ranch, accompanied by half a dozen -vaqueros with lights, rushed out, and Morning, weak -from pain and loss of blood, was half-led and half-carried -into the ranch house.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Señor Don Pedro Gonzales a year before had -journeyed into Paradise, from the effects of an attack -of mountain fever, aggravated by too copious use of -mescal, and left his ranch houses and corral, his two -hundred mules and horses, his two thousand cattle, -his brand of G on a triangle, and his rancho Santa -Ysbel to his señora, the Donna Maria, who, with her -family, continued to occupy the place.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Messengers dispatched to Tucson returned with -physicians, who cut out the arrow and found that the -wound was severe, and its result might be fatal. They -agreed that for Morning to endeavor to travel with such -a wound would be simply suicide, and that he must -not attempt to leave the shelter and care which the -hospitable Gonzales family were glad to accord him.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XI.<br /> <span class='small'>“It is only mirage.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>A long, low, adobe building, roofed with tiles of -pottery clay, situated near the banks of the river -Santa Cruz. Long rows of cottonwood-trees spread -their branches nearly over the little stream, and the -graceful masses of pepper, combed to a fringe, drop -their courtesied obeisance to every passing breeze, -and throw their uneasy shadows well over the walls, -neatly stuccoed with cobblestones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The air curdles with the heat rising from the arid -plain, and hangs, a shimmering sheet of translucent -vapor, between the eye and the ever-lengthening distance, -which softly melts into the Santa Rita Mountains.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Is that a lake out of which rises the well-outlined -range of nearer hills? or a sea, throwing up billows of -foam and shadow, with islands of green glimpsing -their shapes in the placid waters that encircle their -feet? And ships, with well-fashioned hulls and wide-spreading -sails, and pictured rocks, and beating -breakers, and lifeboats with men tugging at the oars. -No! it is only mirage, a pretty picture written with -the electric pen of nature upon the parchment hot -from the press of her untongued fancies. In her luring -tale strong men have trusted themselves to fatal -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>deception, and beasts, with lapping tongues, and -knotted with water greed, have gnashed their teeth at -her beautiful garments of fateful film, and lain down -to die. Art has been outvied in pictorial effects, for -she filters her shadows from daintiest clouds, and -borrows her bath of oscurial glints from the unfathomed -deeps of heaven. Even austere science hides -his forged shackles shamedly away, and turns with -unsatisfied scorn from the flitting gleam of her mocking -brow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is only mirage, one of nature’s cleverest tricks; -and what more is life?” comes once and again -from parched lips and longing eyes. For, although -water, sweet and cool, drips from an <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">olla</span></i> near at -hand, yet, stretched upon a bed carefully prepared of -finely-stripped rawhide, placed upon the well-beaten -and smooth earth, under the sheltering roof of a -<i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">ramada</span></i> connecting two sections of the Gonzales <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa</span></i>, -lies David Morning, hot with fever, and still unable to -leave his couch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A little apart, and softly swaying in her hammock -of scarlet and gold, one foot lightly touching the -ground, half reclines the small, undulating figure of -Murella Gonzales.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The ancient blood of Castile had never been suffered -by the Gonzales family to mingle, with the sanction of -the church, with ignobler currents. The late Señor -Don Pedro, although only possessed of the estate of -a prosperous Mexican cattle rancher, was yet a -Hidalgo of Hidalgoes, who could have covered the -walls of his <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa</span></i> with his quarterings. As for his -wife, was she not an Alvarado? and—Santa Maria!—what -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>more would you have in the way of blood? -Certainly, from her arched instep to her wealth of -blue-black hair, the Señorita Murella was a wondrously -beautiful maiden.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Murella,” spoke the sick man, turning his emaciated -face toward the girl, “during the early days of -my illness, I gave you a letter to mail, do you remember?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Si, señor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you remember how many days ago, Murella?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Si, señor, seventeen day,” and the small ears -deepened red behind the creamy oval face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Did you give Jose the letter to post?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Si, señor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are very kind, señorita, and I thank you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The girl glanced swiftly across the court at an open -door wherein stood the madroña, the customary -shawl of black Spanish lace drawn tightly across her -mouth, leaving two shining black eyes fixed steadily -upon her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A few days more, and I shall be leaving your -hospitable roof,” continued Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why will you not take a me with you?” said -Murella, with imperturbable gravity, and with no -change of expression.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The man illy concealed his look of surprise, as he -tucked the richly embroidered pillow more firmly beneath -his head, and replied kindly:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Such a thing could not possibly be, little girl, for -more reasons than your pretty head could contain.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you do not a lof me, and you told a me a -lie,” and the dark eyes lit with a flame of Vesuvian -fires like the red light in those of a tiger.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>“What do you mean, señorita?” and a faint flush -overspread his own pale face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I mean you call me your beloved Ella, such name -as Americans give a me, and you hold me close in your -arms, and say you will never part from me, not for -one hour—only ten day ago—and now you leave a -me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>This was an awkward situation, and Mr. Morning -recognized its full significance upon the moment. In -his delirium he had used the too familiar name, and -had coupled with its use endearments which had been -compromisingly misappropriated. He reflected a -moment. There was nothing left but to tell the truth -and accept the consequences. Another girl would -laugh. What would Murella do?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Señorita,” he began slowly, “I have, as you -know, been very ill, and on several occasions have -lost my way in delirium, and have been wandering -over scenes belonging to other days. Can you not -forgive me if I have called you by a name which you -mistook for your own prettier one? Can you not -pardon me if in my fevered imagination I gave you -for the moment a place long ago sanctified and dedicated -to forgetfulness?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then why cannot you lof a me? Am I not as -lofely as she?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are very beautiful, Murella.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Machacha!” shrieked the duenna from the entrance -to the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">ramada</span></i>, “what are you saying?” and -then followed invective in every key, and words of -scorn in every cadence, until, pale with anger and -chagrin, the girl sprang from her hammock and ran -swiftly away.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>For a long time our hero lay lost in speculation. -After all, it was only a misunderstanding, and not liable -to be remembered overnight. In any event, he -had not compromised the maiden, and finally he concluded—as -was indeed the truth—that the cunning -señorita was all the while cognizant of the situation, -and not at all deceived, and so he dismissed the subject -from his mind.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And what was the first move of the panic-stricken -maiden? Speeding swiftly over the ground, she sank -in the shadow of the ocotilla hedge inclosure, which -formed the corral, and drew cautiously from her -pocket the letter committed to her care by Morning. -Reopening it, for the envelope, sealed only with mucilage, -had been carefully broken, she drew forth a -picture of the Baroness Von Eulaw, older by many -years than the name she now bore, and much thumbed -and worn beside.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This unconscious incendiary Murella first regarded -disdainfully for an instant, and then deliberately spat -upon it. She then proceeded to possess herself of the -contents of the letter, which was brief, and, regarded -as a wholesome irritant for a recent wound, rather ineffectual. -She spelled it out laboriously, and it read -as follows:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>To the Baroness Von Eulaw, Berlin.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>You may have forgotten that several years ago, and -through wholly legitimate means, let me say in self-defense, -a specimen of art, of inestimable value to me, -came into my possession. I have hitherto deemed it -no breach of honor to retain it. Finding myself very -ill, however, and warned by my physicians of the probable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>fatal termination of my malady, I esteem it prudent -and not less just to return to you the last token -of a mutual recognition which I have the faith to believe -is among the things that are undying.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It is, perhaps, unwillingness to pass the veil which -enshrouds the great mystery, without first vindicating -myself in your esteem, that impels me to tell you that -which I have heretofore thought to keep secret—that -your letter, written in February, 1883, was accidentally -mislaid in an old desk, and was never opened or perused -by me until the day after you became the Baroness -Von Eulaw.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Always yours sincerely,</div> - <div class='line in8'><span class='sc'>David Morning</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>Murella spread the letter upon the ground and pondered. -Plainly it was not a love letter, as she had expected—almost -hoped! for she missed the ecstasy and -exhilaration of that desire for vengeance which is the -stimulus to passion in the breast of any true scion of -the Spanish race, and devoid of which life has little -zest.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It might have been written to his grandmother for -all she could gather from its contents, and the thought -suggested the duenna, with her cruel eyes and hard, -wrinkled mouth, whose duty it was to watch her from -all points of the compass. So she folded the letter, -and, taking up the picture, again scrutinized it. “Devil! -devil! devil!” she broke out, as she smote the pasteboard -with her tiny soft fist. Then, folding it away -with the letter, she slipped them into her pocket, and, -gliding around the ocotilla palings, she entered her -apartment through an outer door, where she resealed -the missive, and, summoning the messenger Jose, bade -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>him forthwith journey to Tucson, and deposit it in -the post office there.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The sun was sinking behind Tehachape Mountains, -and its parting rays, full of the color of leaf and bough, -fell brightly upon the prostrate form of the invalid, -and as Murella dropped softly to the ground before a -low window, which opened upon the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">ramada</span></i>, she -parted her muslin curtains and gazed devouringly -upon the well-knit, shapely form, and the broad-browed, -tinted face, while the light faded, and soft -voices grew higher as the family supper hour approached, -and tinkling sounds from mandolin and -guitar filled the night with music. Then, taking a -last look, she arose, and, stamping her foot upon the -ground, impatiently she ejaculated:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, bah! He too good for anyting.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She joined the family group at supper with a look -of high disdain on her beautiful face, but otherwise undismayed, -and ate her <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">frijoles</span></i> and <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">tortillas</span></i>, and -scrambled for the whitest <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">tomales</span></i> among her younger -brothers, very much as if David Morning had overruled -his physicians, and departed for Tucson in an ambulance -the day after he was wounded, as he had once -determined to do, instead of having lain there for a -month, drawing first upon her pity, and then upon -her fancy, and stirring things in her imagination generally.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Late in the moon-lit night, the soft summer winds -still busy among the boughs, a sweet girlish voice, -melodiously attuned to the notes of the mandolin, ran -through the dreams of David Morning, carrying the -passionful refrain, “Oh, illustrissimo mia,” and he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>awoke, and still the sweet refrain, “Oh, illustrissimo -mia.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Several days went by, summer days full of work and -growth and promise outside, and still Morning was -unable to leave the Gonzales ranch. His pulse, which -the doctors declared had never regained its normal -beat, was low and intermittent, and the hectic flush -never left his cheek. At length typhoid fever was -developed, and for weeks he lay at the verge of death, -and for as many weeks Murella Gonzales sat at his -head by day, and made her bed at the foot of his -couch by night. The señora, the madroña, even the -cocoanut brown <em>machacha</em> of all work, each brought -fruit and drink and delicacies to dissuade him from his -delirium and tempt him back to health, but Murella -sat always with her graceful head resting lightly against -his pillow, silent, languid, and lovely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sometimes the doctors remonstrated and begged her -to leave him, but she only said, “<i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">Mañana, mañana</span></i>,” -and to-morrow never came. But it proved to be only -a question of time, and before the gray linings of the -poplar had slid into umber, or the pomegranate had -gained its full meed of sweet juices, David Morning -was brought a picturesque basket of Indian workmanship, -quite filled with letters which had found him out, -calling him back with the imperative voices of business -demands, to take his place again with the rank and file -of affairs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>So the last day came, and Murella, abandoning her -customary hammock, sat all the morning upon a thick -rug spread upon the ground, exhibiting her irritable -feeling by nervously tossing the clinging folds of her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>lace mantilla back over her shoulder, or tracing the -figures of the rug absently. Morning seemed lost in -reverie for a long time; finally he spoke, evidently a -little doubtful where to begin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do not need to tell you, señorita,” said he, -“that I feel the greatest gratitude toward the inmates -of this household, and I ask you to tell me, not what -you would wish me to do for you, but what is the wish -most dear to you if I were not in the world?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, if Señor Morning die, I shall die too.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no! if some fairy should wave its wand, or -some Fortunatus should drop uncounted gold at your -feet, what would you do first?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The soft eyes of Señorita Gonzales flamed as never -eyes of Saxon maiden burned, and she quickly replied, -rising and drawing nearer:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I would have a <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa grande</span></i>.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And where would you have a grand <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa</span></i>, here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, no!” giving her hand a truly Delsarte sweep -of motion. “Long time ago my mother take a me to -Yuma, and there I hear much talk about Castle Dome; -it is twenty, thirty miles up the great river Colorado. -One time we sail up there in steam a boat, and such -a rancheria—beautiful! Great trees, and rocks, and -the Indians have been show how by the padres long -time ago, and they have beautiful trees of figs, and -oranges, and lemon, and great vines. And I have -tink about it always. When I am rich a I shall drive -the Indians away, and give money for make a them -not hungry, and make a <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa</span></i> all like a same in picture.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We all have our castles in Spain. Why not you, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Murella?” and he drew forth a pencil, and, spreading -paper upon the table, asked her to sit down.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now,” said he, “we will build this fine house -upon paper. What shall we do first?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We shall have a dance-house.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning smiled grimly; the mining camps enjoy a -monopoly of literary phrasing, and the compound -word was familiar, so he only said, “All right, a -salon for dancing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Si, señor, saloon,” repeated Murella gravely, -“and a grande saloon for beautiful flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A conservatory, of course, though that will be superfluous,” -he added, “in a country itself a hotbed -for tropic bloom. Why not hanging gardens like -those of Babylon?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, beautiful!” clasping her little fingers in ecstasy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well,” looking into her face, pencil suspended.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And a beautiful room for a you,” and she paused -for a moment, “with, with what you call, wall like -the sky before the sun a come, and morning glory -flower go all around the top,” pointing to the -frieze, “a like a your name, Señor Mia.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning suddenly discovered something upon the -toe of his boot, and the girl struggled on in very bad -English, but with charming enthusiasm. She planned -and he interpreted. They first laid out the grounds, -availing themselves of the groves already planted by -the Indians. They covered acres of ground with -rare exotics, studding them with statuary in creamiest -marble, chiseled from designs of their own, with a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>Psyche and Cupid to guard the main entrance to the -park.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What is that ting she a hold in her hand?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is a torch,” explained Morning. “Psyche -is the soul, and Cupid is love, and she is going in -search of him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And did she find a him?” archly questioned the -girl.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think not,” said Morning, gloomily drawing -forth a fresh sheet of paper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And about the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">casa grande</span></i>,” continued Morning, -“of what shall it be built?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The señorita rested her pretty chin between her -two palms and meditated. Finally she decided it -should be like the cupids, of shining marble, with agate -or onyx for columns, and garnets—found in quantities -in Arizona—for smaller decorations. This most -elaborate plan having been at length crudely completed, -Mr. Morning folded it, quietly saying he -would submit it to an architect.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not truly?” said the girl, springing to her feet -with shining eyes and hands crossed upon her breast.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, really and truly, for your own sweet self, and -for your hospitable family; and with my kindest regards -and deepest gratitude.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Murella turned very pale. Dreams were not dreamed -to be so realized. Was he teasing her?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hitherto her self-love had made her the central -figure in her own mind. All things about her had -been dwarfed and become inconsequent in her egotistic -life, because she was wholly ignorant of any possibilities -outside of the power she wielded through her -beauty and her grace.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>But a new element had been added to her limited -experience, and it had developed into a magician, -or had it done so really? The doubt took momentary -possession of her, and she arose in an attitude -of defiance, her flashing eyes resting upon the -amused but open countenance of David Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then she knew that she looked into the face of her -god, and she fled to her room, and, sinking upon the -floor, she covered her face with her mantilla, and -sobbed convulsively.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Secrecy is the soul of all great designs.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It was October when Morning arrived in New York -City. Steel had been prompt in shipping the gold -not covered with copper, and Morning’s bank accounts -in New York now amounted to sixteen millions of dollars, -while the fame of the Morning mine as a producer -of four millions of gold bars per month had -already created a marked sensation in financial and -business circles, and in the newspaper world, but none -suspected the immense actual production.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning visited Washington, and bought a stone -warehouse near the foot of Sixth Street. He purchased -a similar building in Philadelphia, near the -Pennsylvania Railroad freight depot, and he bought a -third warehouse alongside the track of the New Jersey -Central at Hoboken. He caused switches to be constructed -into each of these warehouses, and provided -each of them with heavy iron shutters and doors. -He employed four watchmen for each building, divided -into day and night-watches of six hours each. He -arranged that the copper-pigs containing gold should -be loaded on the cars at Tucson by his own men, -who were themselves unaware that they were handling -anything but copper, and the cars locked and sent in -train-load lots through, without change or rehandling, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, where -they were run into his warehouses and there unloaded. -It was given out that he was at the head of a copper -syndicate, and was storing the surplus product of the -mines for higher prices. His plans worked with perfect -smoothness, and his wealth accumulated openly -at the rate of four millions per month, and secretly at -the rate of one hundred millions per month, with a -vast amount of newspaper comment concerning the -four millions, and no suspicion anywhere as to the -real sum.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The advocates of free coinage of silver, who were -defeated in the Congress of 1889–90, renewed their -contest in the Congress of 1891–92, and in February, -1892, a free coinage law passed, but it was vetoed -by President Harrison. The silver men carried the -fight into the presidential election of 1892, and were so -far successful that Congress, in February, 1894, enacted -a law the text of which was as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“From and after July 1, 1894, any person may deposit -at the treasury of the United States in Washington, -or at either of the sub treasuries in Boston, New -York, Philadelphia, Chicago, St Louis, New Orleans, -Denver, or San Francisco, gold or silver bars of standard -fineness, and receive the coined value thereof in -United States treasury notes. The secretary of the -treasury is authorized and directed to prepare and -keep on hand a sufficient amount of treasury notes to -comply with the provisions of this act.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The influence of Morning as the largest single producer -of gold in the world, as the owner already of -thirty millions of dollars, and, if his mine should hold -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>out for five years, of a sum that would cause him to -outrank any millionaire in the world, was very great, -and that influence, legitimately exercised in behalf of -free coinage, proved very potent with senators and -representatives, and did much to reconcile the adherents -of a single gold standard to the overthrow of -their system.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was argued that if the gold supply of the world -was to be increased forty per cent per annum by the -yield of the Morning mine, that would diminish relatively -the production of silver, and the ancient parity -of the metals might be restored “without danger to -our financial interests, Mr. Speaker.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus reasoned the Honorable Senile Jumbo, who -represented a New England district in the House. -Jumbo was a banker at home, and because he was -a banker was supposed to know something about -finance, and was, in consequence, accorded a leading -position on the House Committee on Banking and -Currency.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In fact, Jumbo only knew a good discount from a -poor one. His definition of a banker would have been -that of the Indiana editor, who described such a functionary -as “a gentleman who takes the money of one -man without interest, and loans it to another upon interest, -and places both depositor and borrower under -obligations.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>By his small shrewdness Jumbo had gained a large -fortune, and secured a seat in Congress; but of the -laws which govern finance in its politico-economic relations -he had no more knowledge than has a locomotive -fireman about the law of dynamics, or a drygoods -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>clerk about the culture of the silkworm. Yet -the Honorable Senile Jumbo looked wise, and talked -from the pit of his stomach, and respected the views -of other rich men, and as a congressman he averaged -with his colleagues.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What strange distortion of brain is it that causes -men conspicuously unfit for public life, to seek elevations -which can only expose their intellectual poverty? -One who does not comprehend the French tongue or -know anything about science, would be laughed at for -seeking to be elected a member of the French Academy -of Sciences, yet senatorial togas and congressional -seats are constantly sought by gentlemen whose -previous pursuits have unfitted them to “shine in the -halls of high debate,” and who, indeed, would be puzzled -to put together, while on their feet, ten sentences -of grammatical English.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The great and growing wealth of Morning caused -his society to be courted, and many a managing -mamma was not unmindful of the fact that the “Arizona -Gold King,” as he began to be called, was a -bachelor. This man did not “wear his heart upon -his sleeve,” and did not proclaim that his bachelorhood -was confirmed, or had any special reason for its -existence, but all plotting against him was in vain, for -the Ellen lost to him was the constant companion of -his thoughts, and to all movements and plans and purposes -of life he applied instinctively the test, “What -would she think of it?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Hopeless grief is passionless.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It was the anniversary of one of the great victories -achieved by Germany in the war of 1870, and Berlin -had scarcely known a day so filled with noise, and -glitter, and color, and esprit as this day had been.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Baroness Von Eulaw, the beautiful American, -was more sought for than ever, and the too arduous -round of social duties and engagements were beginning -to tell upon her delicate constitution. Cards -had been received by the baron and his wife for a reception -at the palace, and such an invitation could -scarcely be overlooked, especially as no entertainment -seemed acknowledged by her friends to be complete -without the presence of the baroness. Therefore, retiring -a little earlier this evening than was usual from -her own drawing rooms, the baroness was well advanced -with her toilette when she discovered letters -which the footman had left upon her table during her -absence, and among them one bearing the postmark of -Tucson, Arizona, and addressed in a well-known hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She felt too excited to trust herself farther, and, before -tearing the envelope, she sent her maid with a -message of her sudden indisposition, which she begged -the baron to deliver in person to the emperor, and -asked, furthermore, not to be disturbed.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>It was all one to the baron at this hour, and though -he speedily departed for the imperial palace, it is -doubtful whether the high officials in waiting deemed -it advisable to admit him to the imperial presence.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dismissing her servants, the baroness was left alone -for the night. Then she turned to her dressing-table -and stood while opening the letters, glancing hurriedly -at their contents, all but one, and this she turned over -many times. What was the burden of its mission, -and what did it contain? Finally her trembling fingers -picked absently at the envelope, as if she had -forgotton how to proceed. She might be unafraid, -for there was his own handwriting before her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With this thought a thrill went through her heart, -and with a sudden motion she tore the envelope quite -apart, and her own photograph fell to the floor. She -did not stoop for it, for her eyes were fixed upon the -page. Slowly she read word by word, lingering over -the last, and cutting it away from its context, as if -fearful that another word should overwhelm her reason.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She finished, and an awful silence fell upon her. -She could hear her heart beat against her rich corsage, -and her breath crackled as it came through her dry -lips. What was the purport of that letter? She had -already forgotten. Something surely had left a heavy -pain at her heart. Just as slowly she read it through -again.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then he was not dead—or, stay, he might be, for -did he not say “probably,” not “possibly”? Then, -still standing before the dressing-table, she leaned forward, -and, putting her face close to the mirror, she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>muttered, looking into her own deep eyes the while, -“Great God! what did I do?” For a full moment -she stood thus, then, lifting the powder-puff from the -jeweled case, she mechanically swept her cheeks and -brow and sat down. Then she caught the letter and -read it again, this time more clearly and calmly, “the -probable fatal termination,” and again, “until the -day after you became the Baroness Von Eulaw.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She looked at her toilette. What was she doing -bejeweled and brocaded that night? Where were the -sackcloth and ashes she had earned? She arose and -pulled the diamonds from their places, and the beautiful -robe from her lovely shoulders, and put on a -gown of creamy plush, bordered with some dark, rich -fur, and, slowly tying the cords, her eyes fell upon the -picture at her feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She took it between her fingers as if it were a dead -thing, and thought at the moment that it weighed a -pound at the least. And this was Ellen Thornton! -Then she thought how old-fashioned her dress looked, -and for a moment she felt glad that she had gotten -the picture back. Another revulsion of feeling as she -looked upon the torn envelope. What would she not -suffer for the hope, the uncertainty, she had clung to -when she tore that paper half an hour ago?</p> - -<p class='c007'>If only the doctors could have said “possibly,” not -“probably;” perhaps that was what they meant, and -not “probably,” she repeated. Doctors are so clumsy—especially -some—and they do so exaggerate in -order to magnify the importance of their case, and -for a moment she took unction in such logic.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly a new thought took possession. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>baron—“where did he come in?” as he himself -would have expressed it, and she half smiled at the -grotesqueness of the thought. Was she not married? -and did she not owe him allegiance as a woman of -honor? If she had told him all that her soul held in -keeping for another, would he have made her the -Baroness Von Eulaw?—Very likely, but she was not -prepared to believe it. She had no right to hold him -responsible for offenses against her while she was -holding perfidy to her heart, and she marveled that -she had failed to make this argument a shield against -the shafts of her great sorrow and her almost greater -chagrin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She would destroy both the letter and the picture, -and put away all thought of the unhappy occurrence. -But, examining the picture again, she discovered two -little punctures just through the pupils of the shadowy -eyes, and she thought and queried for the cause of -such an accident.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Finally she concluded that her old lover had made -them inadvertently in fastening the picture to his wall -or mirror frame, and so, pressing her lips warmly to -the tiny wounds on the unconscious paper, where she -fancied his fingers had rested, she locked both the -photo and letter in her desk, and, just as daylight -broke, long after the clanging of the locks had ceased -and the brightness was withdrawn, she braided her -hair as she had worn it so many years ago when the -image was made, and, with a long look in the mirror -to find a trace of her old self, she turned away to her -couch, and disposed herself for an hour of sleep.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the last among her sea of speculations was this: -“I wonder who made those pin-holes in my eyes!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> <span class='small'>“In the name of God, take heed.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Hod-Carriers’ Union and Mortar-Mixers’ Protective -Association, of San Francisco, adopted a resolution -in February, 1894, to fix the rate of wages of -its members at $3.00 per day, and admitting no new -members for a period of one year. The immediate -cause of this resolution was the letting, by certain capitalists, -of contracts for the construction of several -blocks of buildings on Market Street, including the -new post-office building.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Phelim Rafferty, in proposing the resolution, said:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The owners and the contractors, Mr. Prisident -and gentlemen, are min of large means, sor, yit they -propose to pay us, the sons of honest toil, sor, widout -whose brawny muscles they could not build at all, sor, -they propose to pay us a beggarly $2.00 a day, sor. -Why, the min in the public schools who taich the pianny -to our gurls, sor, recaive more nor that! Now, -sor, if we pass this risolution we put our wages to -$3.00 a day, and hould them there. We have the -mortal cinch on the contractors, sor, for if any mimber -of our union works for less than $3.00 we’ll expel -him; and by passin’ this risolution we’ll keep min -from the East away, and keep the mimbership in San -Francisco shmall, and we’ll be sure of a job.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>“Faith! the bosses will have to be mighty civil to us -to git us at all, sor. And if they thry to put to work -min who are not mimbers of the union, their buildings -will niver rise out of their cellars, sor, for the other -thrades are compilled to sthand by us, sor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Lorin French, the millionaire contractor and -owner of the great San Francisco Iron Works, read -in the journal next morning an account of the action -taken by the Hod-Carriers Union and Mortar-Mixers’ -Protective Association, and he smiled a grim smile. -That day he sent invitations to a number of capitalists -and contractors to attend a meeting at his offices, and -the result of the conference was the formation of a -Manufacturers’ and Builders’ League, of which Mr. -Lorin French was chosen permanent president.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The daily papers the next morning contained the -following advertisement:—</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c010'> - <div>WANTED.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>On the first day of next month, two hundred hod-carriers -and mortar-mixers to work on the new post-office block. -Three dollars per day will be paid until further notice. -Men who have applied for and been refused admittance to -membership in the Hod-Carriers’ Union will be preferred.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Lorin French.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>1099 Market Street.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>This base attempt of capital to coerce or bribe the -worker into allowing another worker an equal chance -of obtaining employment, was denounced by Rafferty -the next night in a ringing speech at a special meeting -of the Hod-Carriers’ Union, which meeting resulted -in a convention of the Federated Trades being -ordered.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>At this convention it was resolved by a three-fourths -majority, after a hot debate, that no member of any -trade organization would, on penalty of expulsion, be -permitted to work in or upon or in aid of the construction -of any building, or in any shop, mill, foundry, or -factory, or in or upon any work where any person -not a member of some trade-organization was employed, -or where any material was used which had -been manufactured by non-union labor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My frent from the Plumbers’ Association speaks -of this resolution, Mr. President, as a poomerang,” -said Gustave Blather, a labor lecturer, who on this -occasion represented the Dishwashers’ Lagerbund. -“I don’t know as such languitch is quite broper -coming from him, for a goot many beople haf their -doubts whether plumbing is really a trate or only a -larceny. But, my fellow pret-winners, if the resolution -is a poomerang, it is one that will knock the arrogance -out of the ploated wealth-owners, and teach -them that in this republic—established by the ploot of -our fathers [Blather’s great-grandfather was a Hessian -soldier in the British army, and returned to Darmstadt -after the surrender of Cornwallis]—in this republic -the time is close at hand when suppliant wealth will -be compelt to enture the colt and hunger it has gifen -to labor for many years.” And, amid a storm of applause, -Blather sank to his seat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The post office block was begun on the day appointed, -with a force of men, all of whom were members -of the trade organizations, and the work progressed -steadily for a week. At the Saturday-night -meetings of the several trade organizations, the members -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>congratulated themselves that “old French” had -concluded not to carry out his programme, and in -several lodges it was proposed to signalize the magnificent -victory of labor over capital by demanding a -general advance of twenty per cent in the wages of -all mechanics; but some of the wiser heads discouraged -the movement as premature, and one pessimistic -house carpenter observed, amid expressions of dissent -from his colleagues, that if all the mechanics followed -the example of the hod carriers, it would “bust wide -open every builder and contractor in Frisco, or else -put a stop to all building.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the next Monday morning there appeared on -the scene ten men clad in blouses and overalls. Three -of them worked at mixing mortar, three of them carried -hods, three of them commenced laying brick, -while the tenth man directed the labors of the other -nine. Each had buckled about his waist in plain -sight a cartridge belt from which hung a dragoon revolver.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As soon as their presence and labors became known, -word was sent to labor headquarters, and Delegate -Brown was deputed to interview the strangers and -ascertain the situation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pap Brown was a journeyman stone cutter on the -other side of the sixties, who did not often work at -his trade. The salary he received from the trade -unions was sufficient for his support, and he fully -earned his salary. He was shrewd, suave, and persistent, -and his fatherly way with “the boys,” and -deferential manner to employers, often secured to -the former favorable adjustments of contests that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>would have been denied to the “silver-tongued” -Raffertys and Blathers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pap Brown approached one of the men who was -engaged in mixing mortar, and inquired whom he was -working for. The man addressed made no reply, -but signaled the foreman, who came forward and -curtly answered:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We are all working for Mr. Lorin French.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What wages do you get?” asked Brown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” replied the foreman after a pause, “strictly -speaking, I don’t know as that concerns you, but I -have no objection to telling you. The mortar-mixers -and hod-carriers get $3.00 a day, the bricklayers -$4.00, and I get $5.00.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Them’s union wages,” said Brown, approvingly. -“You are strangers in Frisco, I jedge?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We arrived last Friday night from Milwaukee,” -replied the foreman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you got your cards as members of the union?” said Brown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” replied the party addressed, “we belong to -no union.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hum! I suppose you are calkilatin’ to jine the unions -here?” inquired Brown in a persuasive accent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am told,” replied the foreman, “that so far as -the Hod-Carriers’ Union is concerned, we cannot join if -we wish to; that they have resolved to admit no new -members.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pap Brown slowly revolved his tobacco quid in -his mouth, and rapidly revolved the situation in his -wise old brain. “Hum!” said he at length, “I reckon -that can be arranged for ye, so that ye can all jine.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>“Well,” replied the man from Milwaukee, “I may -as well tell ye that we don’t calculate to jine anyhow. -We don’t much believe in unions nohow—too many -fellers a settin’ around drinkin’ beer, which the fellers -that work have to pay for.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mebbe you don’t know,” said Pap Brown, “that -only union men will be allowed to work here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who will stop us?” said the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There are a good many thousand of the brotherhood -in this city,” said Delegate Brown, still persuasively, -“and there are only ten of you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, we ten are fixed to stay,” said the foreman, -glancing significantly at his cartridge belt.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hum!” remarked Pap Brown, as he walked -away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That night there was a conference at the labor -headquarters of the Executive Committee of the Federated -Trades, and Delegate Brown was called upon -to report.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I find,” said he, “that these ten men have all -worked at their trades somewhere, and our watchers -say that they are good workmen; but clearly they -have been hired more as fighters than as hod carriers -or masons. I jedge, from what I hear, that there is -an organized force behind them. They sleep and -take their meals in old French’s building on Market -Street, and don’t go out to the saloons, and we can’t -very well get at them. Old French is as cunning as -Satan, and he has fixed the job upon us, and put these -men to work to bring things to a point. There is a big -force of Pinkerton’s men in the city all ready to be sworn -in as deputy sheriffs in case of a row, and I reckon it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>is put up to call in the soldiers at the Presidio and from -Alcatraz in case of trouble, for the post-office building, -where the men are working, is government property.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What action do you suggest we should take, Mr. -Brown?” said the chairman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pap Brown rolled his quid from one cheek to the -other, and then solemnly deposited it in the cuspidor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It won’t do,” he replied, “to monkey with Uncle -Sam; my jedgment is to jist let them ten men alone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But,” interposed a member of the committee, -“old French will never stop there. Those ten men -are merely the small end of a wedge with which he intends -to split our labor unions to pieces. He will not -give us the sympathy of the people by lowering wages, -but he will put on scabs, a dozen at a time, and discharge -our members, until the city is filled with new -workmen, the unions broken up, and we can all emigrate -to Massachusetts or China.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I shouldn’t wonder,” said Pap Brown, “but violence -to them ten men would simply be playin’ into -old French’s hand. He has figgered for a fight, but -we mustn’t give it to him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We will carry out,” said the Chairman, “in a -peaceful way, the resolution adopted by the Congress -of Federated Trades.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That,” said Pap Brown, “means a gineral strike -and an all-around tie-up, that’s what it means, jest at -the beginnin’ of the buildin’ season, with our union -treasuries mostly empty, and our brethren East in no -fix to help us, for the coke strikes and the shettin’ -down of the cotton factories and iron foundries this -winter have dreened them all. I was agin that resolution -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>of the Federated Trades at the time, and I’m -mighty doubtful about it’s workin’ any good to us -now. It was well enough for a bluff, but if we are -called down we haven’t got a thing in our hands, that’s -a fact.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what can we do, Mr. Brown?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I believe that the best thing all around would be -to give in to old French now, repeal that fool resolution, -and wait for a better time to strike.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What! surrender without a blow? That, Mr. -Brown, we can never do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, then,” rejoined Pap Brown, “I reckon -we’ve got a long siege ahead.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Executive Committee appointed a delegation -to wait on Mr. Lorin French and inform him that unless -the employment of the ten non-union men was -discontinued, the resolution of the Federated Trades -would be enforced, and all Trade Union members working -for him, or for any member of the Manufacturers’ -and Builders’ Union, would quit work.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. French received the committee very curtly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Those ten men,” said he, “will continue their labors -though they shall be the only ten men at work in -the city of San Francisco. If one, or one thousand, or -ten thousand of you are fools enough to quit work at -the high wages you have yourselves fixed, simply because -I have given work at the same wages to men -who don’t choose to join one of your bullying unions, -why, you can quit. You can’t hurt me by quitting as -much as you will hurt yourselves. My money will -keep and your work won’t. But take notice that -every man who does quit work will be blacklisted, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>and he can never get another job in this city from me, -or any of the gentlemen who are members of the association -of which I am president, and we include -about all the large employers of labor in this city.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know, Mr. French,” said the Chairman of -the committee, “that if you insist on keeping these ten -non-union men at work we can order a general strike.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I know it,” replied French. “I know that -you can bite off your own noses to spite your own -faces. I feel sorry for you workingmen at times, you -are such unreasoning and unreasonable and everlasting -fools. When you order a strike, you order the -absolute destruction of the only property you have—your -labor—and you do this in order to prevent a few -men from selling their labor; a few men whose only -offense is that they don’t believe with you in the wisdom -of harassing and plundering capitalists.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I suppose we have a right to strike, haven’t -we?” said the Chairman angrily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” said French, “you have not. The worker -who joins a strike faces at least the possibility of capital -closing its works and retiring from the field, and -the men who have been extravagant, idle, unthrifty, -or unfortunate, and most of you have been one or the -other, have no moral right to bring upon themselves -or those dependent upon them, either suffering or -mendicancy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. French,” said the Chairman, “you know a -good many things, but you don’t know the power of -the labor organizations of the land. If we willed it, -we could in one day stop production and transportation -all over the United States.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>“You would do well to think three or four times,” -replied French, “before exercising any such power as -that. You workingmen are overstepping the bounds -not only of moderation, but of common justice and -common sense. Suppose you should do what you -threaten, what do you suppose the capitalists would -do in turn? You don’t know? Well, I can tell you. -We would say that we were weary of your exactions, -your interference, and your airs. We would say to -you: ‘You have stopped the wheels; very well, we -will not start them. You have extinguished the furnace -fires, we will not rekindle them. You have disabled -the engines, we will not repair them. With the -downward stab of your vicious knife you have cut our -surface veins, but you have received the force of the -blow in your own vitals—bleed to death at your leisure. -We will retire for a while and nurse our scratches.’</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You don’t know what you are talking about,” -continued the old man. “You don’t conceive the -misery and ruin that would result from sixty days’ -stoppage of labor in the fields and foundries and factories -and furnaces, and sixty days’ suspension of traffic -over the railroads of our land. With the disabled -engines in the roundhouses, and the cars covered with -dust in the deserted yards; with ships and steamers -lying idle at the wharves or sailed away to trade between -the ports of other lands, whose governments, wiser or -more powerful than ours, would not suffer the moral -law to be violated by either individuals or societies; -with moss gathered upon the turbines; with chimneys -towering smokeless to the skies; with the music of -forge and anvil hushed; with almshouses crowded, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>asylums filled, and jails overflowing; with men suffering -and women growing gaunt from hunger, and -little children sobbing themselves to the fevered sleep -of famine; with the furniture in the auction room, -trinkets and clothing in the pawn shop, and families -once comfortable wandering shelterless under the -stars; with even disease welcomed as a friend who should -pilot the sufferer to the deliverance of death, would -you find consolation for it all in the reflection that you -had, maybe, carried your point and prevented non-union -men, who are as good as yourselves in every -way, from working alongside you at the same wages -you demanded for yourselves?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. French,” said the Chairman, “what do you -wish us to do?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t care what you do,” was the response, -“but if you have any sense, you will go home and repeal -your fool resolution to strike if non-union workers -are employed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That, Mr. French,” said the spokesman, “we cannot -and will not do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No?” replied the millionaire. “Well, you must -go to destruction then in your own way. Goodmorning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At noon the next day the hod-carriers dropped -their hods, not only at the post-office block, but at all -buildings in process of construction by any capitalist -or contractor belonging to the Builders’ and Manufacturers’ -Union. The brick-masons stopped work because -they would not lay brick with mortar mixed or -carried by a non-union laborer. The house carpenters -declined to drive a nail in aid of the erection of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>any building in which a brick should be laid by one -not belonging to the Bricklayers’ Union. No plumber -or gasfitter would carry his tools to a building whose -timbers had been put in place by a scab carpenter. -The teamsters would not haul sand, brick, lime, or -lumber for use in any building to be erected by any -member of the association of which Lorin French was -president. The iron-moulders abandoned in a body -the great shops, rather than work on columns or fronts -which had been ordered for the tabooed buildings. -Engineers and firemen struck, rather than attend to -the running of machinery in factories where non-union -men were employed, and all workers engaged in any -factory, foundry, mill, shop, or business owned, in -whole or in part, by any member of the Builders’ and -Manufacturers’ Union, joined the general strike, while -the railroads were compelled, in self-protection, to refuse -freight offered by any member of the organization -of which Lorin French was president.</p> - -<p class='c007'>No attempt was made by French or his colleagues -to supply the places of the strikers with non-union -workers, although every mail from the East brought -hundreds of applications for employment, but each -factory, foundry, and shop was closed, one after the -other, as the workers joined the strike. The ten men -whose labors on the post-office building had begotten -all this commotion, continued steadily at work. They -were surrounded each day, while at their labors, by -hooting thousands, who gathered in the vicinity, but -any near approach to them was prevented by a company -of Pinkerton’s men, armed with Winchesters, -who had been sworn in as deputy sheriffs, and who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>escorted them to and from their labors, to French’s -building, No. 1099 Market Street, where they, as well -as their guards, were accorded quarters, and in the -upper story of which Mr. Lorin French had, under -existing circumstances, deemed it expedient to establish -his residence as well as his offices.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a fortnight had elapsed these ten men were -withdrawn from their labors, in deference to the request -of the Mayor of San Francisco and the governor -of California.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A committee from the Federated Trades then waited -upon Lorin French, and informed him that, as the -<i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">causa belli</span></i> had been removed by the withdrawal of the -ten obnoxious non-union laborers, the strikers were -willing to resume work. His reply was that whenever -work should be resumed generally, the ten “obnoxious” -men, as well as all other non-union men he -might see fit to employ, would resume work; and -so negotiations came suddenly to an end.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the close of the third week of the strike the Congress -of Federated Trades assembled and declared a -boycott against all members of the Builders’ and -Manufacturers’ Union, and against all who should violate -the boycott; the boycott to run also against any -railway or steamship line that should accord them or -their families transportation out of San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was expected that this last and most drastic measure -would bring the capitalists to terms, for its enforcement -would deprive them and their families of the -necessities of life. Their employes left them under -the pressure, and their offices and places of business -were closed. Their house servants departed, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>they were unable to obtain substitutes even among -the Chinese, for the Celestial who should labor for a -boycotted household was given his choice between -exile and death. Hotel proprietors were compelled -to refuse a boycotted person as a guest, or lose their -own waiters, cooks, and chambermaids. The restaurant -proprietor who should serve one of them with -a meal would be compelled to close his doors for the -want of help; and the grocer, fruiterer, butcher, baker, -or provision dealer who sold supplies for their use, -would be posted, and lose his other customers, for the -boycott was declared against all who violated the -boycott.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. French was equal to the exigency. He caused -representations to be made, and influence exerted at -Washington, and the United States steamer <em>Charleston</em> -was detailed for special service. The members of -the Builders’ and Manufacturers’ Association, with -their families, were taken on board of the war-ship, -guarded by the Pinkerton men, and carried to Vancouver, -where they were dispatched East over the Canadian -Pacific Railroad. Lorin French, with a few of -his fellow-members, refused to go, but, establishing -themselves comfortably on the upper floor of the -building No. 1099 Market Street, they managed to -provision themselves and their guards, despite the -boycott, and announced their determination to see -the contest out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was the last week in April, 1894, and the tenth -week of the great strike. Business was almost suspended -in San Francisco. Thousands of the strikers -had wandered out into the country, and every farmhouse -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>within a hundred miles of San Francisco was -besieged by men glad to work for food and shelter, -while the highways were crowded with tramps. In the -city the streets were filled with idle thousands, and at -the daily meeting at the sand lots twenty or thirty -thousand auditors were addressed by favorite speakers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The orators made no appeals which were calculated -to incite violence, and there was no police interference -with the meetings. Indeed, there seemed logically no -place or opportunity for violence. The offending -employers had done absolutely nothing that the -workers could even denounce. They had discharged -nobody, and they had not attempted to fill the places -of those who reluctantly left. They had simply suspended -operations. They had accepted the refusal of -the workers to work, apparently, as final. They had -locked up their factories and places of business, and, -with their families, had left the State.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The strikers generally regarded Lorin French as the -prime mover against them, but his property they could -not reach for the purposes of destruction if they had -been so inclined. It consisted of mines in Nevada and -Utah and Montana, of sheep and cattle in New Mexico -and Arizona, of vineyards and orchards and grain-fields -in California, of mortgages and bonds, and of -unimproved real estate in San Francisco. On this -latter he was now preparing to erect business blocks. -But the buildings were in embryo. The mob could -neither burn nor dynamite an unbuilded structure, -and there was no visible property upon which to -wreak vengeance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Yet the most ample provisions had been made against -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>any mob uprising. Two batteries of artillery, with -guns shotted with grape and canister, two companies -of cavalry, and four companies of infantry of the California -National Guard, were in readiness, a portion being -under arms, and signals were arranged for calling -the entire force together at the armories, ready for -action, on less than half an hour’s notice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On Saturday night, late in April, 1894, the Congress -of Federated Trades again met, and, after a -short debate, it was sullenly resolved to accept the -situation. The strike was declared at an end, and all -the resolutions adopted since the preceding February, -including the original resolution of indorsement of -the action of the Hod-Carriers’ Union, were rescinded, -and it was enacted that hereafter the employment of -non-union workers should not be a cause of strike -except by workers associated in the same work, and -against the same employer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A committee of three, to consist of the President of -the Congress of Federated Trades, the Mayor of San -Francisco, and the Chief of Police, was appointed to -wait, early next morning, upon Mr. Lorin French, -communicate to him the action taken by the Federated -Trades, and receive his reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was surrender on the part of the workers—absolute -and unconditional. It was a blow to their pride, -and a relinquishment of that which, with many of them, -was a cherished principle; it was brought about by -hunger and suffering, and they gave up the contest -utterly, and placed themselves at the mercy of the -conqueror. Only a brute could have misused the -vanquished, but Lorin French had worked himself -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>into a relentless fury during the progress of the strike, -and, unfortunately, he had been left in full charge and -invested with plenary power by the departed members -of the Builders’ and Manufacturers’ Association.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At nine o’clock the next morning, in the sunshine -of an April Sabbath, the committee appointed by the -Federated Trades was permitted to pass the Pinkerton -guard, and mount the five flights of stairs—for the -elevator service had long been discontinued—which -led to the top story of the building No. 1099 -Market Street, where they were received by Lorin -French, who arose from his breakfast table to greet -them. He listened without changing his countenance -while the Mayor, as Chairman of the committee, communicated -to him the substance of the resolution -adopted the night before by the Congress of Federated -Trades.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I expected exactly such a result,” said French; -“it would have saved a great deal of money and a -great deal of suffering to these Federated fools if they -had adopted a similar course two months ago.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Mr. French,” said the Mayor, “these misguided -men, with their families, have been the greatest -losers and the severest sufferers by it all. I will not -discuss the rights and wrongs of it with you. There -is more than one side to it, and we might not agree. -I am rejoiced, for their sake and yours, and for the -sake of the city and State, that it is all over, and that -the workers can now return to their work, and business -resume its usual channels.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“These misguided men, as you call them, Mr. -Mayor,” said French, “will be compelled to transfer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>their opportunities for future misguidance to some -other locality. They are all blacklisted here. Their -own signatures to receipts for wages when they quit, -constitute the blacklist. Not one of them shall ever -earn another day’s wages in this city in any enterprise -owned, controlled, or influenced by me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But, Mr. French,” remonstrated the Mayor, “this -is unworthy of you. These men have homes here; -they have families to support; the long strike has -left many of them utterly without resources, either to -go away with or to establish themselves elsewhere. -The industries of San Francisco need them. Why -bring in others to take their places? They have abandoned -their strike. They have already been sufficiently -punished for that which was, after all, only an -error of judgment. If work be refused them, they will -starve.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let them starve,” savagely replied the millionaire; -“not one of them shall ever get a job of work from -me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The President of the Congress of Federated Trades, -who was one of the committee, had hitherto been -silent. He was an iron worker by trade, who, in -twenty years of residence in San Francisco, had almost -lost the Scotch burr which, as a lad, he had brought -with him from Glasgow. In moments of feeling or -excitement it returned to him. He addressed himself -to French:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh mon,” said he, “but thou art hard; and thou -art a fool as well! ’Tis a mad wolf that cooms oot of -the mountain shingle to make a trail through the -heather for the hoonds. Gin ye hae no mercy for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>God’s poor, hae ye no fear frae the divil’s dogs that -your words may loosen on ye? Dinna ye ken there -be ten, aye, twenty thousand men on the sand lots this -blessed Sabbath morn, who love ye not, and who, if -they get your words just spoken, and get them they -maun, unless ye recall them, would, if they but reach -ye, and reach ye they will, for a’ your guards and -guns, would send ye to God’s throne wi’ your bad -heart a’ reekin’?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go and tell the loafers and brawlers of the sand -lots exactly what I have said,” shrieked French. “It -is what I mean to say, and mean for them to hear. -If you don’t take the message I will send it through -the press. Let them do their worst. I do not fear -the blackguards, and I am ready for any who choose -to visit me,” and the old man snapped his fingers as -the members of the committee sorrowfully departed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Half an hour later a speaker who was addressing -an audience of thirty thousand people from the central -stand at the sand lots, paused as he saw the -President of the Congress of Federated Trades making -his way through the crowd. The orator had been -commenting on the resolutions adopted by the -Workers’ Congress the previous night, and had been -congratulating the people upon the approaching end -of the distress occasioned by the long strike, and on -the days of peace and plenty which were in store for -them, and it was with beaming faces and glad shouts -that the multitude welcomed the man who was to announce -to them a resumption of their labors in factory -and shop.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My friends,” said the tall Scotchman, “I have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>just come from an interview with Lorin French, and I -am vara vara sorry to bear you the message with which -I am charged. He bids me tell you that the notice he -gave to us all before the strike begun shall be carried -out, and that no man who quit work then shall ever -again have work in this city, if he can help it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The temper of the vast multitude changed in an -instant. Shrieks and yells of anger filled the air, and -for many minutes the crowd gave way to demonstrations -of rage and indignation. All at once there walked -to the front of the central platform a tall, angular -woman dressed in a gown of plain black stuff. Her -features were unprepossessing, to the verge of ugliness, -but a wealth of white hair crowned a low brow, surmounting -eyes of fierce blue. As she stretched forth -a long arm, the multitude hushed to silence, for they -recognized the renowned female agitator, Lucy -Passmore.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Friends, brethren, men,” said she, in a voice -whose magnetic quality vibrated to the farthest edges -of the crowd, “it seems that it is the malignant will -of one man which savagely condemns thousands to -suffering and starvation. If the rattlesnake is coiled -for ye, will ye strike first or wait for him to strike? -If the wolf is waiting upon your doorstep, will you feed -to him the babe he is seeking or will ye give him the -knife to the hilt in his hot throat? The death of Lorin -French would end this struggle, and your wives would -cease to weep and your children to cry with hunger. -Men, since God has so far forgotten you as to suffer -this devil to live so long, why do you not remedy -God’s forgetfulness? Are you ready to march now -or do you want an old woman to lead you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>A yell arose from the surging crowd, as, with one -mind, thousands comprehended and were ready to -act upon the suggestions of Lucy Passmore.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Most of the men had long before furnished themselves -with arms of some sort, and their lodge organizations -had provided them with elected leaders, who -usually attended the sand-lot meetings. As if by -magic they formed themselves into companies and -battalions and marched, an orderly and almost an organized -army, forth from the sand lots, and down to the -building No. 1099 Market Street, which they speedily -surrounded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The iron shutters of the upper story were at once -closed, and the muzzles of rifles pushed through loopholes -previously prepared for such purpose. An -attempt was made from the inside to close the iron gate -in front of the main staircase, but the mob surged past -the guard, took possession of the lower hall, and -started up the stairs. They were met at the top, just -below the first landing, by twenty Pinkerton men -standing upon the top five steps—four on each step—who, -after vainly warning the ascending crowd to desist, -at last lowered the muzzles of their Winchesters, -and opened a murderous fusillade, which covered the -stairs with dead and dying.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The mob hesitated for an instant, but only for an -instant, for those below pushed forward those who -were above. A hundred revolvers were fired at the -Pinkerton men, half of whom fell, and the other half -were borne down, shot, clubbed, and stabbed as the -mob rushed past and over them, and gained the first -landing. The crowd continued to push from below, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>and in the same way, with great loss of life on each -side, they gained successively the third and fourth -stories. By this time, however, the forces on the fifth -floor had opened fire on the mob outside. Two riflemen -at each of the eighteen windows commanded the -main entrance to the building, and such a rapid and -accurate fire was maintained that Market Street for a -hundred feet on each side of the entrance was piled -with bodies, and further re-inforcements prevented -from reaching those within the building.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this juncture Battery X came galloping into -Market Street from Fourth. Two guns were placed in -position, and one, loaded with grapeshot, was fired -just above the heads of the crowd. The whistling of -the shot in the air above them gave notice to the mob -of what was coming, and, with cries of terror, they fled, -panic-stricken, into the adjacent streets. The assailants -inside the building, hearing the noise of the cannon, -followed by the triumphant shouts of the Pinkerton -men in the upper story, and finding no further -pressure or re-inforcements from below, desisted from -further assault, and, turning from the fourth landing, -fled down the stairs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lorin French, from a loophole in an iron shutter, -watched the firing, and the dispersion of the mob outside, -and in a few minutes he was informed by a Pinkerton -sergeant that the contest was over.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a sorry day’s work, sir,” said the officer; “we -have lost over thirty of our best men, and there must -be two hundred rioters dead and wounded on the -stairs and in the halls, beside those killed in the street.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will help you with the wounded,” said French, -starting for the passage.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>“Better remain here, sir,” said the officer. “It -may not be quite safe for you yet in the lower halls.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nonsense,” replied French, “the fight is over,” -and so saying, he walked out into the hall, and descended -the stairs to the fourth story. He paused in -horror at the sight which met his eyes. The floor was -wet and slippery with blood, and the cries of the -wounded pierced his ears. He stood for a moment as -if dazed, and then, turning his back upon the scene, -prepared to ascend the staircase and gain his room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And as he turned, a man who was sitting propped -up against the wall twenty feet away, raised a revolver -which had been lying in his lap, and, clearing with his -left hand the blood which obscured his eyes, took -rapid yet careful aim and fired.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The bullet struck Lorin French in his backbone, -which it shattered, and, with a cry of agony and fear, -the owner of $20,000,000 fell forward upon his face on -the stairway.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XV.<br /> <span class='small'>“Is this law? Aye, marry is it?”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“In the matter of the estate of Lorin French deceased, -the application of Louis Browning for letters -executory is before the court. Who represents the -applicant?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The firm of Bruff & Baldwin, your honor,” replied -a tall gentleman with spectacled nose and a -beardless face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are there contestants?” said the Court.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then from their seats within the bar of the court -room there arose a decorous multitude of lawyers, -short and tall, old and young, fat and lean, the white-bearded -Nestors, and the complacent, chirping chipmunks -of the bar, and in various forms of expression -it clearly appeared that there were contestants.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think,” said his Honor with a weary smile, -“that my associates might have sent this case to -another department, for I have had a surfeit of contested -will cases. Proceed, Mr. Bruff.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In behalf of the Society of Bug Hunters, who are -legatees under a former will,” said a sepulchral voice, -proceeding from the rotund diaphragm of a bald-headed -and full-bearded gentleman, “I have twenty-three -objections to offer to the admission to probate -of the alleged will of Lorin French, and—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will my learned brother Lester permit me to interrupt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>him for a moment,” twanged a catarrhal tone, -“while I state that I wish my appearance entered -here on behalf of the recognized natural son of the -deceased, and I protest—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“On the part of the Australian cousins of Lorin -French,” shrieked a lean man with red hair, “I have a -preliminary objection to offer to the will being read in -court at all, and—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I object!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I except!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will your honor please note the exception of the -Nevada heirs?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I demand to be heard!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then from the entire front of the bar came cries of -excited counsel, learned in all law save that of decorum, -while the Court rapped for order.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gentlemen,” said he, “you will all please be -seated. The Court itself would like to be heard. -The will of our deceased fellow-citizen, Lorin French, -who was never more regretted by me than at this -moment, or”—and the Court smiled deprecatingly—“the -paper which purports to be his will, is presented -here by our Brother Bruff. Now, unless some gentleman -denies the death of Lorin French, it occurs to -me that the reading of the paper offered as his will -can but tend to our common enlightenment—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The deep-voiced Lester, with his twenty-three objections, -sustained by a “brief” which covered ninety -pages of manuscript, arose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have not yet finished,” said the Court. “It is -apparent that many of the objections urged will be -against the reading of the will. Such objections may -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>be discussed more intelligently if the Court can be -suffered to gain some knowledge of the contents of -the paper offered, and I shall ask, gentlemen, that you -suspend argument or motions while the clerk reads -the will. It will then delight the Court to devote the -remainder of the term to hearing arguments why the -will ought never to have been read. Mr. Clerk, proceed, -and I will send to jail for contempt any member -of this bar who shall interrupt you until the reading -shall be completed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was silence in the crowded court room as the -clerk opened and read the document:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the name of God, Amen, I, Lorin French, of -San Francisco, California, being of sound and disposing -mind and memory, but being assured by my -physicians that the wound received by me must within -a few days prove fatal, do make, publish, and declare -this my last will and testament, revoking all wills previously -made by me.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The free use of my hand enables me to make -this will holographic, and this labor I undertake in -order to more completely demonstrate to the court -where it may be offered for probate, that it is altogether -my own act, and that I am sane, clear of mind, -and fully possessed of my own memory and judgment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The near approach of the world into which my -spirit is about to journey, brings, possibly, a clearer -judgment, and I think now that if my decision to employ -no strikers had not been communicated to the -mob, I should have reconsidered such decision. -However, my approaching death, which will incidentally -result from that decision, afflicts me less than the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>fate of those who fell in the affray, for my own life -was drawing to a close.</p> - -<p class='c007'>If the example I shall offer in attempting to adjust -the relations of capital and labor shall be followed by -others, it will result in advantage to the workers of -this land, and great permanent good may thus grow -from the bitter struggle which ended with the wound -which will terminate my life on earth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I am unmarried and childless, and my nearest -living relatives are cousins of remote degrees, with -whose names and places of residence I am scarcely -acquainted. No relation of mine has any moral or -rightful claim upon my estate, and the disposition I -am about to make of my property will work injustice -to no living creature.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I appoint as executor of this my last will and testament, -my friend Louis Browning, to serve without -bonds, and I direct that for his services as executor, -and in lieu of all commissions, he receive the sum of -$50,000 out of my estate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I direct my said executor to forthwith pay to the -widows, or next of kin, of each man slain in the late -riot, the sum of $10,000, to each man permanently -disabled by wounds received therein, the sum of $5,000, -and to each man wounded but not permanently -disabled, the sum of $1,000.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I direct my said executor to proceed as speedily as -possible to prudently dispose of all my estate, and -convert the same into money, to be paid over by him -to the corporation hereinafter named.</p> - -<p class='c007'>I request that my said executor, Louis Browning, -shall, in co-operation with the Governor of California, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>the Mayor of San Francisco, and my friends David -Shelburn, Lawrence Slayter, George Morrow, and -Francis Dalton, proceed forthwith to form a corporation -under the laws of this State, to be entitled the -‘Lorin French Labor Aid Company,’ to which corporation, -when organized, I direct that the proceeds -of my estate be transferred, to be used by it in providing -capital for the use of such co-operative and profit-sharing -corporations as may, from time to time, be organized -to avail themselves of its aid.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Lorin French Labor Aid Company will not -itself engage in any industrial enterprise, but will confine -itself strictly to loaning money at three per cent -per annum to such organizations of mechanics as may -seek its assistance and comply with its rules. Those -rules must require that one-fourth of the wages and -all the profits of the members of the borrowing corporation -shall be paid to the Lorin French Labor Aid -Company, until the debt due the latter is discharged, -and that the borrowing corporation shall be organized -and conducted in accordance with certain conditions -and rules.</p> - -<p class='c007'>My meaning may be made more clear by the following -illustration:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suppose that five hundred men shall desire to establish -a co-operative foundry. They will make a -preliminary organization and apply to the officers of -the Lorin French Labor Aid Company for the capital -necessary to conduct the enterprise. Those officers -will—after careful inquiry—ascertain that the buildings, -land, machinery, and plant of such a foundry will -cost $900,000, and that it will require a cash capital of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>$100,000 to carry the current business. They will purchase -such a foundry, taking title in the Lorin French -Labor Aid Company in trust, and will select a general -manager, who will employ and discharge men, fix the -rate of wages and hours of labor, and have full charge -of the works. After the indebtedness of the Foundry -Company to the Aid Company shall have been fully -paid with interest, the members of the Foundry Company -may elect their own general manager, but, until -then, that officer shall be chosen by, and be subject to -the control of, the directors of the Aid Company.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Each man employed in the works, from the general -manager to the lowest-paid helper in the yard, must -be a shareholder, the number of shares to be held by -each being regulated by his wages. If a workman -should die, or leave employment, either on his own -motion or because of his being discharged, his shares -would be turned over to his successor, who would -be required to make good to the outgoing man or his -widow or heirs whatever amount had been paid upon -the shares, and the money for such payment might -be advanced when necessary out of a fund for such -purpose provided by the Foundry Company, the -shares standing as security for the advance. No -shares could be transferred except to a successor—employed -in the foundry.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A portion, say one-fourth, of the shares of the corporation -should be reserved for allotment to workmen -whose employment might be required by the growth -of the works, though it will be the object of the directors -of the Lorin French Labor Aid Company to encourage -the continued organization of new co-operative -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>labor corporations rather than the enlargement of -old ones. Yet such encouragement must be prudently -granted, having reference to the natural growth of -business and the demands of a healthy trade, and overproduction -must not be stimulated, for it is my main -purpose to help the laborer to rid himself of the payment -of high interest and large commissions, to bring -him as nearly as possible in direct communication -with the consumer, to save him the waste of strikes, -and the salaries of the brawlers who foment difficulties -between laborers and their employers, to make him -his own employer and his own capitalist, to encourage -him in sobriety and thrift and the possession of such -high manhood as of right belongs to citizenship of our -republic.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The capital stock of such an iron-workers’ co-operation -might be fixed at the sum borrowed from the -Lorin French Labor Aid Company, say $1,000,000, -divided into shares of the par value of $10 each.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus, five hundred men properly managed, working -industriously, and allowing one-fourth of their -wages and their entire profits to accumulate, might be -able in five years to own a plant of the actual value of -$1,000,000, with the good-will of a business worth as -much more, and thereafter the worker might receive -full wages and an additional income from dividends, -which, if placed in endowment insurance, or in similar -safe investments, would enable him to retire, if he wish, -in fifteen years with an assured competence.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The $20,000,000 which will be received from the -sale of my property, all of which I hereby give, devise, -and bequeath to the Lorin French Labor Aid Company, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>ought to, and I doubt not will, be sufficient to -establish co-operative iron foundries, sawmills, woolen -factories, glass works, brick yards, and other industrial -enterprises, in San Francisco, sufficient to provide -remunerative employment for fifteen thousand men. -The fund will be invested safely, for it will be based -upon the security which is the creator and conservator -of all property and property rights, industrious and -intelligent labor. The accretions to the fund, even at -the moderate rate of interest of three per cent per -annum, will add, probably, a thousand workers each -year to the number of its beneficiaries, while the repayment -and re-investment in similar ways of the -original fund, will add several thousand more each year.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The practical operation of the plans I have endeavored -to outline will work no injustice to the owners of -existing manufacturing establishments, for it will be in -the interest of the workmen to purchase such plants -and business at their value, rather than to build up -new and rival establishments. It is true that some -persons now making a profit off the labors of others -will be compelled to enlist their capital and energies -in other lines; but this, if a hardship, will not be an injustice, -and individual convenience must be subservient -to the general good.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I have made clear the purposes to which I -hereby devote the fortune I have accumulated by fifty -years of toil and care—yet in the accumulation of -which I have found great enjoyment. The details of -my plans I must leave to those who now are, or who -hereafter may be, charged with the execution of this -trust. In the life upon which I am about to enter—for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>I have never so questioned the wisdom of the Originating -and Ultimate Force of the Universe as to suppose -that the death of this body of flesh will be the end of -all conscious individual existence—in the life upon -which I am about to enter, I hope to derive satisfaction -from the fulfillment of the objects of this my last will -and testament, to which I hereby affix my signature -and seal, this thirtieth day of April, eighteen hundred -and ninety-four.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Lorin French</span> [<span class='fss'>SEAL</span>].</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>We, William Jelly and Thompson Blakesly, declare -that Lorin French, in our presence and on the thirtieth -day of April, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, -in the city of San Francisco, California, signed the -foregoing document, which he then declared to each -of us was his last will and testament, and we then, at -his request and in his presence, and in the presence of -each other, sign our names hereto as witnesses.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>William Jelly,</span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Thompson Blakesly.</span>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>The voice of the clerk ceased, and for a few seconds -there was a hush in the court room, which was -broken by the harsh, cold tones of Counselor John -Lyman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I submit to your Honor,” said he, “in behalf of -the Public Administrator for whom I appear, and who -asks that he be accorded administration of the estate -of Lorin French. I submit that this so-called will, -although rhetorically and otherwise a very interesting -attempt at unpractical philanthropy, is—as a will—simply -waste paper. In spirit and in letter it is an -utter violation of two sections of the civil code of California. -Section 1275 of that code provides that ‘corporations—except -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>those formed for scientific, literary, -or educational purposes—cannot take under a will, -unless expressly authorized by statute.’ The proposed -Lorin French Labor Aid Company is, in its plan, a -corporation, neither scientific, literary, nor educational. -Considered as a benevolent corporation, it is -not now in existence, and is, of course, not authorized -by statute to receive this, or any bequest—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How is it,” interrupted Mr. Bruff, “that the Society -for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the -Sisters’ Hospital, and other corporations, have received -bequests?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Simply because they have been expressly authorized -by act of the Legislature to do so,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then if I wish to leave a sum of money to found -and support an asylum for one-lunged lawyers, or -one-eyed baseball umpires, I am unable to do so, am -I?” said Bruff.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can go to Sacramento and have a law passed -to enable your one-eyed and one-lunged corporations -to take your bequest,” said Lyman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How much,” said Bruff, sarcastically, “would I -probably be obliged to pay the statesmen for passing -such a law?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My party is not in power,” rejoined Lyman. “I -do not know the latest market quotations for votes in -your caucus.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Order, gentlemen, order,” said his Honor, grimly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And suppose,” said Bruff, “the Legislature were -not in session, would it be necessary that I wait a year -or two before I could make a valid will, with the -chance of dying in the meantime?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“Possibly,” replied Lyman, “you might make a -bequest to a corporation not empowered at the time -of such bequest, to receive it, but which might subsequently -be expressly authorized by statute to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have led my learned friend to the very point -desired,” said Bruff. “Why, then, I ask him, can the -corporation which the will of Lorin French proposes -shall be created, not be authorized by the California -Legislature, at its next session, to receive his bequest? -I do not apprehend that the most docile Democratic -lamb, or the most fearless Republican boodle hunter, -would dare to refuse his vote for such a law.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But the corporation proposed by the late Lorin -French,” said Lyman, “is not only unempowered to -receive, it is not yet in existence as a corporation. It -may never be created, and a bequest to either a natural -or an artificial being, not even quickened with incipient -life, not even conceived at the time of the bequest, -may be questioned as of doubtful validity. But it is -profitless to discuss these questions, because there is -another section of the civil code which disposes completely -of this so-called will. I refer to section number -1313. Thirteen is certainly an unlucky number -for the workers of San Francisco. By that section it -is provided that no will devising property for charitable -or benevolent uses, shall be valid unless made at least -thirty days before the death of the testator, and that -in no event can a man bequeath more than one-third -of his estate for such purpose, if he have natural -heirs. It is also provided that all dispositions of -property made contrary to the statute shall be void, -and the property go to the residuary legatee, next of -kin, or heir, according to law.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>“That was one of the wise laws that the sand-lot -statesmen gave us,” said Bruff, sarcastically.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Deed, and it wasn’t a sand-lot law at all,” interrupted -a stalwart, red-bearded attorney with a slight -Milesian accent. “It was passed away back in the -seventies. Old Moriarty was down with typhoid fever, -and Father Gallagher was pressin’ him every day to -save his soul by lavin’ his millions to the Jesuit College -and Hospital. But before the priest could get the old -man in condition, Mike Moriarty slipped Nat Bronton—the -king of the lobby—up to Sacramento with $20,000 -rint money that Mike collected while his father -was ill, and the bill was rushed through under suspinsion -of the rules. Two days after the bill became a -law, Father Gallagher coaxed and dhrove old Moriarty -into signing a will that cut Mike off wid $50,000, and -left $3,000,000 to the church, and the next week they -buried the old man, with masses enough to put him -through purgatory in an express train. They say -that there was a scrappin’ match between Father Gallagher -and Mike when the priest found that he had been -outgeneraled, and Mike lost the top of his left ear, -but he saved his father’s estate. Sure, the whole case -is reported in the fortieth California, under the title of -the Society of Jesus against Moriarty, and it decides -this will of French’s sure enough.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When the ripple of laughter which this interruption -provoked had subsided, Mr. Lyman resumed:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My learned friend Casey is right, your Honor; the -case he quoted does decide this one. If this will had -been made more than thirty days before the death of -Mr. French, it could at most have disposed of but one-third -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>of his property. But it was made only two days -before his death, and, under section 1313 of the code, -is utterly void,” and the speaker resumed his seat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Court turned to the attorney who had offered -the will for probate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What have you to say to this, Mr. Bruff?” he inquired. -“All the claimants for the estate will doubtless -agree with the position taken by the attorney for the -public administrator. They are joined in interest in -overturning the will. You alone defend the beneficent -purposes of the dead man. What have you to say?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What can I say, your Honor?” said Bruff, bitterly. -“It is another instance of a man conceited and obstinate -enough to attempt making his own will. If my -old friend French had called me in, I would have told -him that courts and juries in California seldom allow a -man to dispose of his own estate, if it be a large one, -and he must give his savings away in his lifetime if -he wishes to prevent his sixth cousins from rioting on -them. I would have had Lorin French convey his -vast property to trustees to carry out his plans, and -have affected the transfer completely while he was yet -alive. But he, great and simple soul, supposed, naturally -enough, that he had a right to do as he pleased -with his own, and that, being without near kindred, -and no person having any claim upon him, he could -help the poor with the money it had taken him half a -century to accumulate. He was originally educated -to the law, and, although he had been out of practice -for thirty years, he knew how to formulate a will. -But he was not aware of the ravages committed by a -California Legislature among the time-honored principles -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>of the common law. Mark the result of legislative -folly and individual inadvertence. Twenty millions -of dollars, which their owner proposed to devote -to a grand and comprehensive experiment for adjusting -the vexed relations of labor and capital, will now -be consumed in court costs and witness fees, divided -among a horde of attorneys, and finally scattered in -selfish enjoyment, and in ways unuseful to man, all -over the world from Australia to Elko. It’s the law, -I suppose, and neither your Honor nor I can help it, -but it’s an accursed shame, nevertheless.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And Mr. Bruff, pale with excitement, resumed his -seat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The Court can not only pardon your emphatic -language, Brother Bruff,” said his Honor, “but indorses -it. If I could discover any loophole which -might be crawled through, or any way by which I -could break down or climb over the legislative barrier, -and validate the bequest of Lorin French, I would -certainly do so. I will reserve for further consideration -the question of the validity of the legacies to the -wounded, and the families of those killed in the riot. -I am inclined to think that portion of the will may be -good, and so carry with it the right of Louis Browning -to letters testamentary. For the present, however, -I am reluctantly compelled to sustain the objection of -the attorney for the public administrator, and refuse -the will admission to probate. It is ordered accordingly. -Mr. Clerk, note the exception of Mr. Bruff to -my ruling. I will take my summer vacation now, and -go fishing. I shall adjourn court for one month, and -the further hearing of this case for two months. In -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>the meantime, if the gentlemen who represent the various -applicants for letters of administration, will leave -their papers with the clerk, I will, upon my return, -give them careful attention.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Does your Honor desire that I leave all my papers?” -queried the sepulchral-voiced Lester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All,” replied his Honor and he paused for a moment, -and glanced at the ninety pages of manuscript -lying in front of counsel learned in the law, “all except -your brief, Mr. Lester.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The proceedings of the day in the superior court -were reported fully, and commented upon freely, by -the newspapers throughout the country, and a fortnight -afterwards the proposed executor of the rejected -will received the following letter:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Offices of David Morning</span>, 39 Broadway, }</div> - <div class='line in7'>New York City, June 10, 1894. }</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Mr. Louis Browning</span>, San Francisco, Cal.—<em>My -Dear Sir</em>: Such a wise and noble plan as that of the -late Lorin French ought not to lack accomplishment -for want of money to execute it. If you, and the gentlemen -named by him as your associates in the trust -which he vainly endeavored to create, will organize -such a corporation as he proposed, I will devote to it -a sum equal to the value of his estate, which I understand -to be, in round numbers, twenty millions of dollars.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Very truly yours, <span class='sc'>David Morning</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVI.<br /> <span class='small'>“The conscience of well doing is an ample reward.”</span></h2> -</div> -<h3 class='c012'>[From the <cite>New York World</cite>, July 15, 1895.]</h3> - -<p class='c014'>Manhattan Island, west of Broadway and south of -Trinity Church, was, during the last century, occupied -by the substantial mansions of the ancient Knickerbockers, -and as late as the first third of the present -century was not relinquished as a place of residence -by people of aristocratic pretensions. Before the civil -war, the annual fairs of the American Institute were -held in Castle Garden, within whose walls Grisi and -Mario and Jenny Lind sang, and on summer afternoons -children, accompanied by nursemaids, romped -upon the grass under the grand old trees on the Battery. -Then the Bowling Green Fountain, with its -picturesque pile of rocks, was still an ancient landmark; -and the goat pastures above Fifty-ninth Street -were being cleared for the planting of Central Park.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After the war the few remaining occupants of pretentious -residences fled to the northward of Madison -Square, and the sightliest and most picturesque portion -of New York City was abandoned to saloons, -emigrant boarding houses, warehouses, and shops, for, -unlike the down-town section east of Broadway, it -was not invaded and colonized by bankers, brokers, -and importing houses.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>Mr. David Morning, now widely known as the Arizona -Gold King, selected this portion of New York -City for the experiment of organizing pleasant and -economical home lives for a class of dwellers in cities -not ordinarily the subject of elemosynary effort.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The poverty of the very poor, who sometimes lack -even for food or shelter, is hardly more distressing -to the sufferers than the poverty of men who struggle -to maintain a respectable position upon incomes inadequate, -even with the most economical management, -to meet their expenses. How is a married man, having -an income of one, two, or even three thousand -dollars per annum, derived from work which must be -performed by him, as clerk, journalist, physician, or -lawyer, upon Manhattan Island, to live there with -such surroundings as are befitting his education and -position?</p> - -<p class='c007'>He will be compelled to pay one-third or one-half -of his income for a flat; an entire house is out of the -question, unless he betake himself to such a locality -in the city as will exile his family from social consideration. -If he live in the suburbs, he must arise at -daylight and stumble along unlighted lanes to the -railroad station, and pass two or three hours of his -time each day standing in a crowded ferryboat, or -hanging to the straps of a jammed car, alternately -frozen and roasted, and always stifled with the reeking -perfume of unventilated vehicles and unsavory -fellow-travelers, for while it may be true that all men -are politically equal, they are not always equally well -washed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The alternative is to bring up his family in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>brawl and small scandal of a boarding house. His -wife requires always a certain amount of dresses and -bonnets to maintain herself in a respectable position -in the estimation of her friends, and dresses and bonnets -entail an uncertain amount of expenditure. A -man’s tailor will inform him in advance exactly how -much his garment will cost, and one can contract -for a bridge across the Mississippi at an agreed sum, -but there is no force known in nature that will induce -or drive a dressmaker into foregoing an opportunity -for advantage taking, or persuade her to fix in advance -a price for the making and trimming of a gown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The married bookkeeper or salesman on a salary -in New York City, is forever upon the ragged edge -of embarrassment, unable to save the amount of the -payments necessary for adequate life insurance, or to -provide a fund for a rainy day. The laborer or -mechanic who earns six hundred to nine hundred dollars -per annum is, in comparatively easy circumstances, -for he can live in a tenement house in a cheap -neighborhood without loss of caste, and caste is of -almost as much consequence in free America as in the -Punjaub.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After some thought, Mr. David Morning devised a -trial scheme for the relief of married men of small incomes, -whose duties required their daily presence in -New York City, below Canal Street, and in the autumn -of 1894 his agents began to quietly purchase the real -estate between Rector Street and the Battery, and -bounded by Greenwich Street and the Hudson River. -Some months were consumed in the acquisition of -title to the realty, and in a few instances long prices -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>were exacted by sagacious and selfish owners, who -held out until the others had sold, but the bulk of the -property was purchased at about its value, and the -brokers were finally instructed to close with all persons -willing to sell, without haggling as to price.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It required about $15,000,000 to complete the purchase, -and for this sum sixteen hundred lots were -secured of the orthodox dimensions of twenty-five by -one hundred feet each. Electric lights turned night -into day, and several thousands of men and hundreds -of vehicles, divided into three armies of eight-hour -workers, were at once employed in the work of demolition. -Temporary railroad tracks were laid from -the land to the North River piers, and the material -and débris not needed to fill cellars and vaults was -carried on cars to barges, which were towed to the -Jersey flats, where their contents were dumped upon -ground previously acquired by Mr. Morning for that -purpose, and by the first of February, 1895, the lower -part of Manhattan Island west of Greenwich Street -was as bare as a picked bird.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The work, although generally prosaic, was not -without its romantic and interesting incidents. In a -stone house on Greenwich Street, which was once the -colonial mansion of Diedrich Von Wallendorf, a -walled chamber was opened. The rugs and hangings -it had contained were fallen to shreds, but the -Queen Anne cabinets, tables, and bedstead were in as -good condition as when the room was closed with solid -stone masonry, two centuries ago, without any reason -now apparent for the strange proceeding.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Under the cellar floor of another house an earthen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>“crock” was found filled with sovereigns, coined in the -last century, and through the destruction of an old -wall cabinet, there came to light a package of letters -from Lord North to Sir Henry Clinton, letters which -indicated that the British Ministry of that day had -been in negotiation with other patriot leaders than -Benedict Arnold for a surrender of the revolutionary -cause.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The consent of the city authorities to a resurvey -and remodeling of the streets and avenues of the destroyed -section of New York, was obtained without -difficulty since Mr. Morning was now the sole owner -of the land affected thereby, and the rearrangements -proposed by him were made at his own cost, and insured -greater uniformity and greater convenience to -the public than those which were superseded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The land was platted into blocks four hundred feet -in length and eighty feet in width, running north -and south, thus giving to the occupants of the new -buildings either the morning or the afternoon sun. -These blocks are divided by streets of a uniform width -of one hundred feet, having a park thirty feet wide in -the center of each street, with lawn, shrubs, ornamental -trees, and a fountain in the center of each -block. Gas, water, and sewer pipes, and electric -light and pneumatic tubes, have been laid in the new -streets, and by means of a powerful pumping engine, -erected on the Battery, the sewers are flushed every -day with sea water. The new streets are paved with -asphalt, with sidewalks of cement. The city received -from Morning land at the foot of Canal Street purchased -by him, in exchange for Castle Garden and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>vicinage, and the Battery—filled with fountains, statues, -and increased acreage of lawn and garden—is -restored to its ancient functions, and more than its ancient -glory.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The buildings erected upon each of the one hundred -blocks thus created, are of uniform size and -style. Each building—occupying an entire block—is -four hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and seventeen -stories high. The roofs are covered with glass, -making the structures eighteen stories aboveground. -One-half of the area of the eighteenth story in each -block is laid out in plots filled with ten feet of rich soil -in beds of perforated cement, the other half in broad -walks of plate glass—guarded by copper netting—so -as to admit light to the seventeenth story and to the -large air shafts.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In each of the buildings are one hundred and fifty -suites of five rooms, each suite having a floor area of -sixteen hundred square feet, and every room having -an outlook upon the street. A broad hall runs -through the center of the building on every floor, -lighted by means of plate-glass windows at each end, -and also by three shafts, one hundred feet apart, running -from cellar to roof. Every room is provided -with steam, dry, and gas heat, and with gas and incandescent -lights. Each suite has a household pneumatic -tube service connecting with the store rooms in the -basement, and with the kitchen and dining rooms in -the seventeenth story. Each suite has also a cooking -closet, with gas range, hot water, and steam pipes, -porcelain-lined sinks, and pneumatic tubes for carrying -away garbage.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>Six hydraulic elevators furnish ample accommodations -for reaching every floor at any hour of the day -or night. A network of perforated steel pipes is concealed -in the walls and floors, with separate connections -for each room with the great tanks on the roof, -which are in turn connected both with the Croton water -system, and with the great steel water main bringing -water from Rockland Lake. In case of fire the walls -and floors of one room, or of any number of rooms, -can instantly be saturated with water, and twice in -each week, at an appointed hour, a warm, gentle rain -is made to descend for a sufficient length of time upon -the trees and shrubs in the roof garden.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Each suite has separate sewer connections, and each -room is provided with registers in the wall, from which -either hot air or cold air can be turned on or off at -will, the hot air ascending from the furnaces, and the -cold air being forced by a pumping engine from the -refrigerating room in the basement. Those whose -fate it has been to swelter on Manhattan Island in the -dog days can appreciate the latter luxury. The fortunate -occupant of a room in one of the Morning -Blocks commands his temperature. Whether the -thermometer registers thirty degrees below or one -hundred degrees above zero outside, he can arrange -the climate in his own room to suit himself, and <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">pater -familias</span></i> can connect a wire with the register in the -parlor, and, if “Cholly” protracts his visits to Gladys -to an improper hour, he can shut off the hot air, turn -on a current from the refrigerator, and in ten minutes -make the young man choose between departure and -congealment.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>These buildings were planned for the relief of -women. The great source of waste and care in our -American domestic life is in the kitchen, and it is impossible -to organize a more advantageous trust for -both producer and consumer than a “kitchen trust.” -The daily history of every American family is one of -almost unavoidable waste. In food, in fuel, in the -labor of cooking, and in many other details of housekeeping, -there is uneconomic use of both labor and -materials. Probably one-fourth of the expenditure -of every American householder who is able to keep -one or more servants is unnecessary and wasteful, -and where only one servant, or none at all, is employed, -the health and beauty and life of the wife are -expended in kitchen drudgery, and her opportunities -of growth and culture are lost.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Morning Blocks were designed as theaters of -experiment, which, if successful, will be copied elsewhere, -for freeing the household from the waste and -vexation and tyranny of the kitchen. Mr. Morning’s -plan for bringing about this beneficent result is both -simple and effective. The kitchen, or general cooking -room for the block, is situated in the seventeenth -story, where there is one large, and one hundred -and fifty small dining rooms. Each dining room is -lighted either from the street or the roof, is perfectly -ventilated, and has an electric bell and pneumatic -tube service connecting it with the kitchen, with the -market house in the basement, and with the suite of -apartments below, of which it is an adjunct.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The happy householder in one of the Morning -Blocks will have his choice of methods. He and family -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>may take their meals at the restaurant or general dining -room in the seventeenth story, either by the carte, -meal, or week. He may use the general dining room, -or his private dining room, or dine in his apartments -below—the pneumatic tube service extending to all, and -a private waiter will be furnished at a fixed price per -hour. He can purchase cooked provisions by weight, -delivered at either place, or purchase his own supplies -at the market house in the basement and have them -cooked in the general kitchen, or use his own cooking -closet, where, without waste of fuel—gas being used—his -selections may be prepared for the table and served -either there or sent by pneumatic tube to his dining -room above.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Prices for everything furnished, whether of materials -or labor, are fixed from time to time by the manager, -and all bills are required to be paid every Monday, -on penalty of the tenant losing his privilege of -occupancy. The prices charged are less than those -demanded for similar service or material elsewhere. -An account will be kept of each householder’s disbursements, -and his proportion of the profits made -will be returned to him at the end of the year, according -to the usual co-operative process, the object being -to furnish each occupant of the block with whatever he -needs of food or service at actual cost.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The rent asked for the apartments in the Morning -Blocks has been adjusted upon the basis of paying -taxes, insurance, repairs, and three per cent per annum -upon the capital invested in the enterprise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Morning has conveyed the one hundred blocks -to the governor of New York, the mayor of New -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>York City, and the president of the New York Chamber -of Commerce, who, with their official successors, -are made perpetual trustees of this munificent gift. -In the trust deed it is provided that the three per cent -interest on cost, received from tenants, shall be invested -in an endowment fund, payable, with its accumulations, -to the tenant whenever he leaves the building, or to his -widow or legal representative in the event of his death -while a tenant.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The tenant in a Morning Block will be supplied with -hot and cold air, hot and cold water, steam, gas, electric -light, food, and service at actual cost. His rooms -will be provided him at the cost of taxes, insurance, -and repairs, and he and his family will be made the -beneficiaries of a fund, which he will be required to -create for the contingency of his death or departure -from the building. To guard against overcrowding, -no one suite of apartments will be rented to any -family of more than five adults, and no subletting or -hiring of apartments will be permitted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The cost of the land is estimated at $16,000,000, -and of clearing it and erecting the new buildings at -$30,000,000. The taxes, with insurance, repairs, employes, -and such other expenses as are in their -nature incapable of apportionment among the tenants, -will amount to $810,000 per annum. This sum -divided by fifteen thousand, the number of suites of -apartments in the one hundred Morning Blocks, will -give $54 as the annual sum to be paid by each tenant -for his apartments, and he will pay $108 additional -annually toward a fund for his own benefit. In -all he will pay about $14 a month for accommodations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>that it would be difficult to obtain elsewhere for -five times the amount.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The manager of each block will receive a salary of -$3,000 per annum, and will, in the first instance, be selected -by the Board of Trustees, but on the first Monday -of January, 1897, and each year thereafter, the -occupants of each block, by a majority vote, can elect -a manager, who will, however, in the discharge of his -duties, and in the employment of assistants, be subject -to the direction and supervision of the trustees.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Morning in the trust deed conveying the Morning -Blocks has named the qualifications of tenants as -follows: The applicant must be of good moral character, -married, over the age of twenty-five and under -sixty. He must have been at the time of his application -for more than one year previously in the employment -of some person, firm, or corporation engaged -in a reputable business in the city of New York south -of Canal Street, and be in receipt of a salary of not -less than $1,000 or more than $3,000 per annum. If -a lawyer, physician, dentist, architect, or civil engineer, -author, clergyman, or journalist, his net income -must be of a similar amount.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Applicants for suites of apartments must file their -applications and references at the office of the Morning -Blocks prior to 12 o’clock noon on the fifteenth -day of August, 1895. The credentials of all applicants -will be examined and careful inquiry made as to their -habits, characters, and antecedents, and only those will -be accepted as eligible for tenancy who can strictly -comply with the requirements.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Should there be, as is most likely, approved applications -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>in excess of the suites to be rented, the fifteen -thousand who can be accommodated will be selected -by lot, and the others registered, and whenever vacancies -occur a tenant to fill such vacancy will be selected -by lot from the list. Apartments will be -apportioned by lot among the successful applicants. -Tenants will be permitted to exchange apartments by -amicable arrangement, but no transfer of apartments -from a tenant to one who is not a tenant will be permitted. -The tenant can surrender his right to occupy -his apartments at pleasure, but he cannot assign it, or -sublet the whole or any part of the premises accorded -him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Should six tenants who are heads of families on -any floor make complaint against one of the other -four tenants on that floor that he is obnoxious, and -that in the general interest his tenancy ought to be -terminated, a jury of fifteen tenants of that building, -selected by lot, one from each of the other floors, shall -be made up to try the accused, who shall have opportunity -to cross-examine the witnesses against him, and -to present his defense. The manager shall preside -and preserve order, and if twelve of the fifteen jurors -shall concur in finding that the tenancy of the accused -ought to terminate, he may appeal to the Board of -Trustees, and unless they unanimously exonerate him, -his tenancy must cease.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Our reporter interviewed Mr. Morning, who was -found at his offices in lower Broadway, and inquired -of that gentleman if it were true, as rumored, that he -intended to erect similar buildings on another part of -Manhattan Island.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>“I have secured,” replied that gentleman, “all the -land for a hundred blocks in and about the locality -known as ‘the Hook,’ and I propose the erection of -buildings there that will accommodate forty thousand -families of mechanics and laborers. There will, of -course, be less room for each occupant than in the -blocks just completed, and less expensive arrangements -in many particulars, but the rent and cost of -living will be less, and the premises will be rented and -conducted substantially on the same plan, with only -such difference in rules as may be necessary.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What will be the cost of these latter buildings, Mr. -Morning?” said our reporter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With the land, about $30,000,000,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is a pity,” commented our reporter, “that every -city in the land cannot count a David Morning among -its citizens, with a gold mine at his command.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The mine is not necessary,” said Morning. -“There are a dozen men in every large city of our land -who, without any gold mine, could do what I have -done. I hope,” continued the speaker, “not to be -alone in the work of helping the people both to employment -and homes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“None of our millionaires,” said the reporter, -“have thus used their money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It must be remembered,” rejoined Morning, -“that the very, great fortunes of this country have -mainly been created during the last twenty-five years, -and in the eager and necessarily selfish strife incident -to their acquisition, their owners have not always considered -that their possession is a great trust which -brings with it duties as well as rights.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>“But I see the dawn of a better day and a better -feeling,” continued Mr. Morning. “I hear of many -gentlemen in different parts of the country who are -proposing to use millions for the erection of homes, -and the secure establishment of co-operative industries -for the benefit of the workers of the land. My idea -is that no man should be accorded an unearned dinner -who has refused a chance to earn it, but that it is -the duty of society to provide every man with an opportunity -of earning. Of what value at last is wealth -unless one can use it for the benefit of his fellow-men? -Charon will not transport gold across the Styx at any -rate of ferriage. Of what use is money here except -in one form and another to give it away? No man -can expend on his own legitimate and proper comforts -and pleasures the interest on $1,000,000 at five -per cent per annum.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There are many men, Mr. Morning, who expend -a good deal more than $50,000 a year.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not in the sense of personal expenditures. Mansions, -laces, diamonds, furniture, horses, carriages, -and the like are investments rather than expenditures. -Receptions and banquets may be classed with gifts. -He must be an industrious man who can, with his -family, eat, drink, and wear out $50,000 worth each -year.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But is there not the pleasure of accumulation itself, -Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose so,” replied that gentleman, “or men -would not pursue it; but it is a cultivated and not a -natural taste. Every man for instance, requires a -pair of trousers and a hat, but after he has acquired -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>enough of such articles for the use of himself and his -family for life, and a generous supply for his descendants, -why work the balance of his days to fill warehouses -with trousers and hats? I do not know,” continued -Mr. Morning—and our reporter thought that -there was a deeper shade in his sea-gray eyes—“I do -not know that I shall ever marry, but if I had boys I -would leave them no fortunes larger than would suffice -for a generous support.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you, then,” queried our reporter, “expend -in your own lifetime all the great revenues of the -Morning mine?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All that I can find time, strength, and opportunity -to expend in ways that will help the world,” rejoined -the Arizona Gold King.</p> - -<h3 class='c013'>[From the <cite>New York Times</cite>, July 17, 1895.]</h3> - -<p class='c014'>Mr. David Morning is engaged in works of apparent -charity, which to many thoughtful men will seem -an injury rather than a benefit to the world. Capitalists -are entitled to receive interest upon their investments, -and if inducement to accumulation be taken -away by the competition of such Utopians as Mr. -Morning, then frugality may cease to be accounted a -virtue.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the whole, wouldn’t it be better for the business -world, and the stability of property and property -rights, if the tenants of the Morning Blocks were compelled -to pay the full rental value of their apartments?</p> - -<h3 class='c013'>[From the <cite>New York Socialist</cite>, July 19, 1895.]</h3> - -<p class='c014'>Dave Morning is endeavoring to throw dust in the -eyes of the working masses of the country, by erecting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>seventeen-story palaces for boodle bookkeepers, -and twenty-story tenement houses for mechanics. -He has filled San Francisco, Chicago, and several -other cities with his humbug Co-operative Labor Aid -Societies. He is evidently plotting for the presidency -in 1896, and expects to reach the White House by a -golden path.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The poor of this country should accept no employment -as a boon, nor consent to engage in any wage-saving -and profit-sharing corporation that will force -them to accumulate, and they should take no such -favors from the rich as cheap rents or free homes. -Let the unnatural accumulations of rich scoundrels be -distributed among the people. No man is honestly -entitled to have or hold anything except the fruits of -his own labor. It would be better for the world, and -for the great cause of socialism which the pseudo -philanthropy of Morning delays and obstructs, if this -Arizona Gold King could be tumbled head first down -one of his own shafts, and his seventeen-story marble-paved -Edens be dynamited out of existence.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Plans of mice and men gang aft aglee.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Morning’s business offices were on the west side -of Broadway, below Trinity Church, but he gave attention -to his large and increasing correspondence in -his rooms at the Hoffman House, where he had a suite -of apartments fronting on Broadway.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The largest room of the suite had always been reserved -by the proprietors for a private dining room, -but Morning insisted upon its constituting a part of -his suite, and as he permitted the hotel keepers to -name their own price, it was reluctantly surrendered -to him. In this room Morning had a large-sized -phonograph receiver fitted into the wall opposite his -desk, the instrument itself being placed upon a long -table against the partition in the adjacent room. A -cord which swung over the desk was fastened to a -lever connected with an electric motor, also in the -next room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was Morning’s habit each day after breakfast to -seat himself at his desk, open his letters, pull the cord -which started the electric motor, and “talk” his replies -to the phonograph receiver. The instrument -in the next room was arranged to hold a cylinder of -sufficient length to receive a communication an hour -in length. After Morning had completed this portion -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>of his daily labors, it was the duty of his secretary to -remove the cylinders, and place them in other phonographs, -where two and sometimes three clerks received -their contents, and reduced the same to typewriter -manuscript.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This simple contrivance had still another use. -Morning knew that there was no such fruitful source -of business difficulties and consequent litigation as -that which emanated from misunderstanding or misrepresentation -of verbal communications. He endeavored, -therefore, to conduct all important business conversations -in this room, and all the utterances of either -party were recorded by the faithful and unerring -phonograph, and the cylinders upon which they were -reported were properly labeled, dated, and stored -away. He did not fail in any instance to inform the -person with whom he was conversing that all their -words were thus finding accurate record.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One day in October, 1895, while Morning was in -Chicago—where he had gone to perfect the organization -of a Labor Aid Corporation—the great financier, -Mr. Arnold Claybank, stopped at the Hoffman House -on his way down town, and ordered a choice dinner -for three to be served at seven o’clock that day.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And have it served in the room fronting upon -Broadway, where we always dine,” said the millionaire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very sorry, Mr. Claybank,” answered the clerk, -“but that room is at present rented to Mr. David -Morning, as a part of his suite, and when he is in -town he uses it as a room in which to receive and -answer his correspondence; at present he is in Chicago.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>“If he is in Chicago,” replied the Wall Street -magnate, “you can have our dinner served in the -room as usual. It will not disturb him, certainly, even -if he should know of it, and he is not likely to know of -it unless you tell him. I have dined in that room -with my friends at least once a week during the last -twenty years, and, not supposing you would ever rent -it for other purposes, I have already invited them to -meet me there this evening. I don’t like to change, -in fact, I won’t change, and if you will not accommodate -me I will take my patronage elsewhere.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After some hesitation, the clerk agreed to have dinner -served in the room desired, and at seven o’clock -that evening Mr. Arnold Claybank, with his guests, -Mr. Isaiah Wolf and Mr. John Gray, assembled to -discuss both the menu and the subject of their gathering.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Not until the last course was removed, the Burgundy -on the table, the cigars lighted, and the waiter -excused from further attendance, did the great capitalists -approach the real object of their meeting. Mr. -Claybank observed that they might need writing -materials, and, stepping to Morning’s desk, he seated -himself thereat, and pulled what he supposed to be a -bell cord that would summon a waiter. No waiter -appeared in answer to the supposed summons, and -Claybank, taking a notebook and pencil from his -pocket, remarked that they would serve his purpose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These three gentlemen had dined well, and should -have been in a pleasant frame of mind toward the -world, for good dinners are, or ought to be, humanizing -in their tendencies. Yet there are natures which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>will remain unaffected even by terrapins, Maryland -style, and roasted canvas-back duck, assimilated with -the aid of Lafitte and Pommery Sec., and no tigers -crouching in the jungle were ever more merciless and -conscienceless in their rapacity than these three black-coated -capitalists.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Arnold Claybank was the leading spirit of the -conclave. His wealth was popularly estimated at -$100,000,000. He had inherited none of it. At -thirty-five years of age he was a dry goods merchant -in an interior city in Ohio, possessed of less than -$100,000. During his frequent visits to New York to -purchase goods he was in the habit of “taking a flyer” -in the stock market. These flyers proved so continuously -successful, and added so largely to his capital, -that in a few years he closed out his dry goods business, -removed permanently to the metropolis, bought -a seat in the stock board, and soon became known as -one of the boldest and shrewdest operators in the -street.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was rapid and usually accurate in judgment, -and always possessed of the courage of his convictions. -He was as cunning as the gray fox, to which he was -often likened. He was suave in manner but merciless -in the execution of his plans. He was identified in -the public mind with several of the boldest and most -unscrupulous operations in the history of Wall Street, -and his millions had steadily and rapidly increased, -until now, at sixty years of age, he was one of the -acknowledged kings of New York finance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Isaiah Wolf was, as his name indicated, of Hebrew -origin. He was about the same age as Claybank, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>and had many of the qualities of that gentleman, -lacking, however, his courage and his quickness of -comprehension and movement. He was a gambler -by birth, education, and instinct, and a gambler who -never failed to use all advantages possible.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thirty years before he had been a clothing merchant -and dealer in city, county, and legislative warrants -at Portland, Oregon. He furnished the impecunious -legislators, when they came down from the -mountain counties, with an outfit of clothing; he discounted -their salaries at three per cent per month; he -was usually the custodian of the lobby funds, and he -could always introduce senator or assemblyman to a -quiet game of “draw,” where, whenever a huge -“pot” was in dispute, Isaiah could usually be found -safely entrenched behind the winning hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When the Comstock mines began to yield their -great output of silver in 1875–77, the Wolf Brothers -located in San Francisco, made their homes on -Pine and California Streets, and gambled in mining -stocks from the vantage-ground of secret knowledge, -for in every mine were one or more miners under pay, -not only from the mining company, but from Isaiah -Wolf. In 1879, when the transactions in the stock -board of San Francisco had dwindled to a tithe of -their former magnitude, and when the sand-lot agitators -succeeded in grafting their ideas of finance -and taxation upon the organic law of California, -Isaiah Wolf and his brother Emanuel gathered their -assets together and joined the exodus of millionaires. -In New York City they opened a bankers’ and brokers’ -office, and were now accounted as jointly the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>possessors of $80,000,000, the management of which -was left almost exclusively to Isaiah.</p> - -<p class='c007'>John Gray was an insignificant-looking old man of -seventy. From his unkempt beard, watery eyes, -shrinking manner, and small stature, he might have -been taken for a congressional doorkeeper who had -seen better days. In truth, there was, under his ignoble -exterior, one of the broadest, wiliest, and best-informed -minds in America. He was the acknowledged leader -of Wall Street in ability and resources. His wealth -was estimated at quite $150,000,000, and it had been -created by himself in about forty-five years.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He began life as a Vermont peddler, but at the age -of twenty-five carried his New England education, his -capacity for calculation, his retentive memory, his -frugal habits, and his tireless energy into New York -City, where he began as porter and messenger in the -office of a broker. He soon learned the history and -methods of the principal operators of the Wall Street -of that day, and his savings were shrewdly, quietly, -and boldly invested on “points” which he picked up -while delivering messages or awaiting replies. He -soon accumulated a large sum of money, yet he kept -his humble place, and his employer never suspected -when he paid the faithful porter his $40 at the end of -each month, that the quiet and deferential young man -could have purchased not only his employer’s business, -but the building in which it was conducted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Gray remained as porter and messenger for five -years, declining all offers which were made to him of -promotion to a desk and a higher salary. The place he -held gave him opportunities which could be obtained -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>in no other way. None suspected the quiet and stolid-looking -man, who seemed so dull of comprehension -when any verbal message was intrusted to him; and -words were dropped and conversations held in his -presence which, when fitted by his quick and comprehensive -brain into other words and conversations -held in other offices, often enabled him to forecast -events. The man who by any means is accurately -advised of the real intentions of the leaders of Wall -Street a day or even an hour before their execution, -has a key to wealth, and Gray used this key, conducting -all his operations through one broker, who was -pledged to secrecy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the time of the great deal in Harlem, so successfully -engineered before the war by Commodore Vanderbilt, -Gray was still occupying his place as messenger. -He overheard a conversation held in the -commodore’s private office between that gentleman -and his confidential clerk, and, comprehending the -magnitude of the opportunity, he directed that all his -resources, which then amounted to nearly $200,000, be -placed in Harlem stock. He was enabled, under the -system of margins which prevailed in Wall Street, -to purchase $2,000,000 worth of the stock, which he -sold at an average advance of fifty per cent, clearing -$1,000,000 by the operation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The old commodore, who had himself made $6,000,000 -by the deal, found that somebody had been -sharing profits with him to the extent of $1,000,000, -and, not supposing that this was the result of guesswork, -he used means to discover who was the cunning -operator and what were the sources of his information. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>Without much difficulty he traced the transactions to -John Gray, and, remembering the presence of that -young man in the anteroom at the time of giving -directions to his confidential clerk, he was not at a -loss to determine how it came about.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The commodore considered that Gray had gained -$1,000,000 which should have come to his own coffers, -and he determined to “give the young fellow a lesson, -sir,” as he said to his confidential clerk. That morning -Gray’s employer received—to his great surprise—a -call from Vanderbilt, who, to his greater surprise, informed -him of the true status of his messenger, who -had become a millionaire. Gray’s employer readily -promised to assist in the scheme which Vanderbilt -formed for punishing Gray and “stripping him of his -ill-gotten gains, sir.” Vanderbilt required only that -Gray’s employer should next day send Gray to Vanderbilt’s -office, with a verbal message, inquiring, -“What is to be done about Erie?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The next day Gray called and delivered his message -to the commodore in his private office.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Take a seat, young man, until I can write a reply,” -was the direction, and Gray deferentially seated himself -upon the edge of a chair, and gazed at the carpet -stolidly, while the commodore penned the following: -“Buy all the Erie offered at market rates up to fifty-three. -C. V.” This note the commodore placed in an -envelope, which he directed, but apparently forgot to -seal, and handed it to Gray, who thereupon departed. -As the door closed behind the messenger, the veteran -bull smote himself upon the sides, and threw his head -back and laughed.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>Gray noticed that the envelope was not sealed, and -before he reached the bottom of the stairs, he possessed -himself of its contents.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then he fell into a train of thought. Erie was selling -at $37, and Gray was thoroughly posted as to -the resources, liabilities, and business of the road, -and knew very nearly who were the principal stockholders. -He knew that the commodore held fully -one-third of the capital stock of Erie, which had cost -him not more than $30 a share, and he also knew that -the old gentleman had been for some time selling his -stock at $37 as fast as he could do so without breaking -the market. Thirty-seven was really a nursed -price for the stock; it was more than the condition -and prospects of the road warranted, and Gray did -not believe that Vanderbilt intended to purchase any -great quantity, even at $37, or that it would be possible -for him to run the stock to $53 without purchasing -the entire amount.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Gray delivered the note to his employer, and asked -that gentleman if he might be excused for half an hour -to attend to some matters of business of his own. -Leave of absence was graciously granted, and Gray -was watched to the door of the office of the broker -who had bought and sold his Harlem stock. Then -Gray’s employer walked to the office of the expectant -commodore and informed him that the young man -had swallowed the bait, for he had gone to the office -of his broker, probably to order large purchases of -Erie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Vanderbilt thanked the broker, assured him that in -the division of the spoils he should not be forgotten, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>and authorized him in furtherance of their project to -purchase all the Erie offered up to $42, to which figure -Vanderbilt proposed to run the stock before letting -it drop.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Gray directed his broker to purchase Erie in one-hundred-share -lots, beginning at $37, and to follow the -market up to $53 if it reached that figure, but not to -purchase more than five thousand shares in all. Having -given this direction, he walked into the back office -of a firm of brokers, who, although leaders in the market, -had never succeeded in obtaining any business -from Vanderbilt, and between them and that gentleman -there was a business feud of long standing. The quiet -messenger was well known to the head of the firm, -who greeted him pleasantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What can I do for you, Gray,” said he.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I would like to take your time for not more than -five minutes,” said Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am pretty busy,” said the gentleman, “but I -will try and oblige you,” and he led the way to an -inner office.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The broker’s eyes distended with astonishment as -Gray rapidly told how he had made such use of his -opportunities as porter and messenger as to accumulate, -by speculation, a large sum of money, and that -he desired now to employ their firm in an operation -which, for reasons of his own, he did not care to intrust -to his regular broker.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The gentleman smilingly agreed to accept Mr. -Gray’s business, and opened his eyes still wider when -Gray took from his pockets large packages containing -bonds and securities to the amount of half a million -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>dollars, and, depositing them as collateral, directed -the broker to sell all the Erie for which he -could find buyers at forty and over, and to buy it whenever -it went below thirty-three.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That day Erie mounted, under the pressure of Vanderbilt’s -purchases, and the flurry created thereby, to -$43, at which figure an immense quantity changed -hands. Then it fell rapidly, point by point, back to -$37, and, under the influence of a temporary panic, -went down to $32, at which figure it rallied and -mounted to $35, where it stood at the close of the day.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Gray’s regular broker reported to him purchases -of five thousand shares Erie at prices ranging -from $37 to $42, and averaging about $39. He regretted -that Mr. Gray had not authorized a sale at -$43.25, which was the highest point reached, and at -closing figures Mr. Gray must lose about $20,000.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And Mr. Gray’s new brokers reported to him sales -of eighty thousand shares of Erie, at an average of -$41.50, which had been repurchased at an average -of $34.50, with a profit to Mr. Gray of $540,000, -which they held, subject to his check.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And when the returns were all in at the office of the -old commodore, and that white-whiskered, choleric, -kind-hearted, and courageous old bull found that he -owned more Erie than ever, at higher prices than -those for which he had sold a small part of his holdings, -and that the rattan which he had prepared for -Gray had fallen upon his own shoulders, he stormed -for a while and clothed himself with cursing as with a -garment, and then he cooled off and laughed. Then -he sent a note, this time not to John Gray’s employer, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>but to John Gray himself, which read as follows: -“Young fellow, you are a genius. Come and dine -with me at six o’clock to-day, at Delmonico’s. C. V.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The friendship cemented at that dinner, between -the great capitalist and the ex-messenger—for Gray -returned no more to his duties as a porter—continued -until the day of the commodore’s death.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Gray continued to operate in Wall Street, both in -small and large ways, and seldom made a loss. When -the first loud mutterings of the civil conflict began to -shake the land, he became a heavy purchaser of tar, -resin, and cotton, and, later, of gold. When the -Union armies were defeated and the day looked darkest, -and gold mounted to two hundred and eighty -premium, he never faltered in his belief in the ultimate -triumph of the nation, and he sold gold and -bought government bonds, and margined one against -the other, and risked little and gained much.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A year after the sun went down upon Appomattox, -the Yankee peddler was worth $20,000,000, and ten -years later he was worth $50,000,000. He abandoned -such stock operations as were dependent for -their success upon other men’s movements and plans, -and only engaged in such as he could absolutely control. -He gambled only with marked cards and -loaded dice. He bought a control of the stocks and -bonds of badly-managed and bankrupt railroads. He -consolidated them, re-equipped them, built feeders, -opened new sources of traffic, and so doubled, trebled, -and quadrupled his investments. He sold short the -stock of a prosperous railroad, and obtained, by purchase -of proxies, the control of its management. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>cut rates, diminished traffic, enlarged expenses, and -passed dividends until he depreciated the value of the -stock to a point where he could gain millions by covering -his shorts, and other millions by again restoring -the road to prosperity. In one instance, by his -paid emissaries, he promoted a general strike, until, -through riot and fires and suspension of traffic, the -stock of the afflicted corporation was depreciated to -the price at which he desired to purchase a controlling -interest.</p> - -<p class='c007'>John Gray was an exemplary father and husband, a -good neighbor, and, in a small way, generous and -charitable; but in his larger dealings with mankind -he was a moral idiot, without conscience or perception. -The world is no better for his life; the youth of -the land are the worse for his example of successful -scoundrelism, and those who wish well to their country -and their kind, will have a right to stand beside -his coffin and thank God that he is dead.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose,” said Mr. Arnold Claybank, “that we -all understand the general outlines of our project, and -that this meeting is for the purpose of talking over -details.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Our purpose,” said Mr. Wolf, “of I gomprehent -it, is to use the bower dot we haf in our hants, to -make for ourselves about fifty millions of tollars -apiece. Is not dot apout vot it vas, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We need not, I think, discuss that question,” said -Gray suavely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Exactly,” said Claybank. “Now I propose that -we list the securities which we shall place in our pool, -at the closing quotations of the Stock Exchange to-day, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>each one of us being credited with his contributions. -The stocks contributed will aggregate in value -about $150,000,000, at present market prices, and, as -nearly as possible, will be contributed by us equally. -It is also understood that the stocks and bonds placed -in the pool will constitute the entire holdings of each -and all of us, in that class of property. Am I correct?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Quite so,” said Mr. Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dot is also my unterstanting,” said Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well,” resumed Claybank, “these securities -are to be placed in the offices of different brokers, and -turned into cash as rapidly as possible without breaking -the market. The public will, I think, take them -easily in a week, for the market is rising, and permanent -as well as speculative investment is in order.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ont then we lock up the gash for which we sells -the stock, ain’t it?” said Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not immediately,” rejoined Claybank, “it must -be left in the banks in the usual channels for a time, or -there will be no money for them to loan to the buyers -of stocks. Having sold our own securities, we will next -proceed to sell short at ruling prices to as large an extent -as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your plan is admirable,” said Mr. Gray. “We -will next arrange at the banks for borrowing all the -money that they can spare without suspending payment, -and we will compel them to withdraw all loans -now out. Through our joint and separate control of, -and influence with, the officers and directors, we ought -to be able to borrow in this city, and in Boston and -Philadelphia, as much as $150,000,000, which, added -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>to $150,000,000 received from sale of our stocks, will -give us control of $350,000,000 in cash.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will dey loan so much as $150,000,000 even -upon the personal security of such men as we?” said -Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They will not be asked to do so,” said Gray. -“The money borrowed can be sealed up and left as -special deposits in their vaults as security for itself, -with a small margin of one or two per cent to cover -interest.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dot inderest, of we borrow for thirty days at six -per cent, on $150,000,000 will amount to three kevawters -of a million of tollars; ont that amount we lose out -of our bockets; ont the interest on our own $150,000,000 -which will be itle for a month will be another three -kevawters of a million. It makes US$500,000 each to -lose. It is a great teal of money to lose,” said Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That,” said Claybank, “is all we lose, and is -practically all we risk. It is essential to the success -of our plans that for a brief period we shall withdraw -from the channels of commerce a large portion of the -money of the country. We cannot withdraw it unless -we control it; we cannot control it unless we borrow -it; and we cannot borrow it without paying bank rates -of interest upon it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How,” said Gray, “do you propose to supply -the necessary margins for the stock which we sell -short? When you borrow stock on a rapidly-falling -market, the loaner expects at some time a reaction, -and an equally rapid advance, and you will have to -give him a pretty big margin beyond the money which -you receive from a sale of the borrowed stock.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>“We shall have for that purpose,” replied Claybank, -“the $150,000,000 received from the sale of -our own stock. This, at fifty per cent fall in prices, -will margin borrowings of three hundred millions of -stock, and this money we can arrange to have locked -up in special deposits as well as the money we borrow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ont to how low a point shall we put brices before -we commence to cover?” said Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That,” replied Claybank, “will be a matter for -future consideration. My present impression is that -we can by thus locking up the currency bear the market -one-half. We must not proceed so far as we -might go, or we will ruin everybody, so that there will -be no investors to purchase stocks when we wish to -sell them again after we have loaded up for a rise.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ont how much we makes by bearing fifty per -cent?” asked Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is easily calculated,” replied Claybank. “If -our plans succeed, we sell one hundred and fifty millions -of our own holdings at present prices. In order -to bear the market fifty per cent below present prices, -we must continue to sell down, diminishing the quantity -we sell as prices recede, and when we begin to -cover, we must buy all we can at the lowest point, -diminishing our purchases as prices advance. Those -not familiar with such things would be surprised to -know that the ebb and flow of values in the stock -market is almost as regular, and can be almost as certainly -predicted, as the movement of the tides. Such -a movement as we propose is artificial, yet, to an extent, -it will be similarly controlled by the influences of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>human nature. If we sell one hundred and fifty millions -of stock at an average of say one hundred, and -three hundred millions at an average say of eighty, -and buy it all back at an average of sixty, we will gain -one hundred and twenty millions, and that, I think, -is about all we can calculate upon.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But have you considered, gentlemen, the other -side of the question?” said Gray. “Have you fully -considered whether there may not exist influences -that will defeat us? Depend upon it, once we inaugurate -this raid, our rivals in business will plot to overthrow -us. Such great newspapers as are not in our -control will denounce us. The Treasury Department -at Washington, which is under the control of the -Farmers’ Alliance party, will use every effort to break -down our combination, and we shall be howled at -generally as ghouls and villains. I do not care much -about the public or the newspapers, but we must take -every possible precaution against failure.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is right,” said Claybank. “I have considered -all these things and I do not see how our plan -can be defeated. The newspapers may denounce us -but cannot overthrow our plan, which, at last, is very -simple. We produce a panic and depression of prices -by locking up the circulating medium, and prices can -only be advanced by unlocking the money and restoring -it, or other money in its place, to the channels of -commerce. The money which we lock up in special -deposits must remain in the bank vaults until we -release it. No bank officer would for any reason or -under any pressure dare to touch a special deposit. -It would be a penitentiary offense to tamper with it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>“Are you sure,” said Gray, “that other capitalists -may not combine, and provide other money to take -the place of that which we lock up?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The only other very large sum of money in the -country within the control of anybody,” replied Claybank, -“is $300,000,000 in the treasury vaults at Washington. -The laws authorizing government deposits in -banks, as well as the law authorizing bond purchases -in the discretion of the secretary of the treasury, have, -as you know, been repealed. There are absolutely -but two ways to get that $300,000,000 out of the -treasury vaults. One is by the ordinary disbursements -of government, which would take a year or more, and -the other is by somebody depositing, under the law of -1894, gold or silver bars to that amount, and nobody -in the world is able to command three hundred, or -one hundred, or even fifty millions of dollars in gold -or silver bullion.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The new mining capitalist, David Morning, might -supply the bars from his mine in Arizona if we gave -him a few years’ time,” said Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, and if we gave him time he would be crank -enough to do it,” replied Claybank. “But we won’t -give him time. How much does his mine yield, anyhow?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Four millions a month in solit golt,” said Wolf. -“It has yieltet that sum now for teventy months. I -hear that it is nearly worked out, but nopoty can get -into it, and you can’t tell anything apout it. If it continues -to yielt at that rate for a few years, dot fellow is -going to make us all some trupple. He is crazy as a -loon, though he has taken out of his mine over -eighty millons of tollars.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>“Even his $80,000,000, if he has them in money, -might disarrange our plans,” said Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He has plown them all in, puilding plocks for -glerks ont poor people, ont he disgriminates against -Hebrews, or his trustees do. A Jew knows a goot -thing when he fints it, ont there were eighteen thousant -applications from Jew glerks for the prifilege of -renting apartments in the Morning Blocks, ont the -committee made up a mean drick to get rit of them. -They requiret every man who applied for rooms to -answer whether it was easier to fill to a bob-tail flush -or a sequence, ont those who answered the question -they refused to pass, on the grount that they knew -too much apout draw poker to haf goot moral characters.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do not see,” said Claybank, after the laughter -at Wolf’s indignation had subsided, “that we need -take Mr. Morning into consideration as a disturbing -element in our present plans. If the present output -of his mine shall continue, it must, by and by, greatly -advance prices of stocks and all other property, but -that is in the future.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have we anything further to consider?” said -Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think,” replied Claybank, rising, “that we -understand each other perfectly. I will have triplicate -memorandums made of our agreement, which we -can execute in my office to-morrow morning at nine -o’clock, where we will have our stocks brought at the -same time. This Burgundy is the genuine article, -Clos Voguet, vintage of 1875. I propose as a parting -toast, ‘Success to our enterprise.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>And the phonograph needle in the adjoining room -wrote in mystic scratches upon the wax, “Success to -our enterprise.” Then came the shuffling of feet, the -sound of a closing door, and the faint buzz of the -electric motor until it ceased, and silence reigned.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Uncle Sam to the rescue!”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>David Morning returned to New York three -days after the dinner party described in the last chapter. -His typewriters were in attendance as usual, -and he began opening his accumulated correspondance, -when his secretary knocked at the door communicating -with the next room, and, entering, said to -his employer:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Morning, pardon me for disturbing you, but -will you please step into the phonograph room. -There is a good deal of matter on the cylinders which -has been placed there by others in your absence, and, -I judge, placed there inadvertently. I think you had -better hear it yourself before it is transcribed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning walked into the other room and was for half -an hour an interested auditor of the revelations of the -wonderful phonograph. He directed his secretary -to remove, label, and lock up the cylinders containing -the dinner-party conversation, and said in conclusion:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Stephens, somebody has evidently been having -a dinner party in this room during my absence. -It was not a nice thing for the proprietors to do, but -I shall not notice it. Try to find out who dined -here, without disclosing that I am aware that the room -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>was occupied. I think I recognize the voices of the -occupants, but I wish to be sure.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>By inquiring among the waiters, the secretary ascertained, -and reported to Mr. Morning, that the guests -were Claybank, Wolf, and Gray.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That night our hero departed for Washington, and -early next morning he was closeted with the secretary -of the treasury, to whom he revealed the knowledge -gathered from the phonograph cylinders.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is an infamous piece of business,” said the -secretary warmly, “but what, Mr. Morning, can I do -about it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Secretary,” said Morning, “will you pardon -me for saying frankly that it is your duty to baffle -these conspirators and restore values to their normal -condition. It is the business of the government to -provide a supply of money for the needs and uses of -commerce. These scoundrels will bring about a panic -by locking up in the vaults of New York, Philadelphia, -and Boston banks, $300,000,000, which ought to -be in circulation among the people. You have three -hundred millions of coin and paper money in the -treasury. Why not pour this money into Wall Street, -break the back of this conspiracy, and relieve the people?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I have no authority, Mr. Morning, as you -must know, to use one dollar of this money for any -other purposes than those designated by law. If I -had the power, believe me, I would be only too glad -to exercise it as you desire.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Does not the Act of Congress of February, 1894, -known as the free coinage law, permit you, Mr. Secretary, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>to substitute gold or silver bars of standard fineness, -for the coined money and paper money in the -treasury vaults?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes,” replied the secretary, “but I do not see how -that law can be invoked to relieve the situation. -There are not three hundred millions of gold and silver -ingots in private ownership in the country, or, -probably, in the world. The very large output of -$1,000,000 in gold per week from the Morning mine -will not serve us in this exigency. It would require -six years’ yield of your mine, Mr. Morning, to furnish -enough gold to release the money now in the treasury, -and baffle Messrs. Gray, Claybank, and Wolf. -Three hundred millions of dollars is a good deal of -money, Mr. Morning—a good deal of money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Relatively it is, Mr. Secretary, but I have five -times that sum in gold bars here, in Philadelphia, and -New York.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The secretary glanced at the Arizona Gold King, -and looked uneasily at the bell cord which hung -above his desk.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I am not crazy,” said Morning with a laugh, -“though I do not blame you for thinking so. The -time has come somewhat sooner than I expected for -intrusting you with my secret. The Morning mine -is a phenomenal deposit of gold. It is so large that, -fearing any general knowledge of its extent might -cause demonetization of gold by the nations, I took -measures to conceal its true yield, and for every -ounce of gold which I shipped to New York or London -as the ostensible product of the mine, I shipped -twenty-five other ounces disguised as pig-copper to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>this city, or New York, or Philadelphia, or Liverpool. -In the latter place $1,000,000,000 are stored, and there -are $500,000,000 in each of the American cities I have -named. A month ago I sent four of my trusted men -from the mine to this city, where they have since -been busy with cold chisels, releasing the gold bars -from their copper moulds. They will go from here -to Philadelphia and New York, and thence to Liverpool, -for similar labors. I did not intend, Mr. Secretary, -to offer any of this gold for coinage or sale until -able to present it simultaneously at European and -American mints. But the present exigency induces -me to turn over to the United States for coinage, the -five hundred millions of gold bars now ready for delivery -in this city. I may add, Mr. Secretary, to -quiet the apprehensions which your deep interest in -the commercial prosperity of the country might lead -you to entertain, that I have not intended, and do not -now intend, to throw $2,500,000,000 of new money -immediately into the channels of commerce. I shall -change the gold bars into money at once, in order -that the present value may not, by demonetization, -be taken away from gold; but, once transformed into -money, it will be fed gradually to the world, and not -precipitated upon it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But, Mr. Morning, it will require the constant -labor for a long time of the mint and all its branches to -coin this large sum, and you require the money at -once.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I propose, Mr. Secretary, to avail myself of the -law of February, 1894, and claim treasury notes for -my ingots. That Act of Congress will enable you to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>print in two or three days enough bills of large denomination -to cover the whole sum.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You astound me, Mr. Morning, but I suppose I -must believe you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you will ride with me to the foot of Sixth Street, -Mr. Secretary, I will exhibit to you $500,000,000 in -gold bars.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But, Mr. Morning, even $500,000,000 suddenly -poured into Wall Street will create a wilder panic -and precipitate worse results, than those which may -come from the pending conspiracy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do not think so,” said Morning quietly. “It -is contraction and not inflation that hurts. A flood -may be disastrous to the crops in places, but a general -drought will surely kill them all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If Congress were in session, Mr. Morning, it -would be likely to demonetize gold. It would never -suffer fifteen hundred millions of money to be thus -added to the present currency. Why, such an -amount will double at once the entire paper and metallic -money of the country!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But Congress is not in session, Mr. Secretary, -and you will pardon me for saying that, whatever -may be your individual opinion as to consequences, -you have no power to refuse to issue gold notes as -fast as you can cause them to be engraved, for any -amount of gold bars that I may offer.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“True,” replied the secretary.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I repeat, Mr. Secretary, that I hope to guard -against the evils you apprehend. I should be an unworthy -custodian of the great trust which has come -into my hands, if I could misuse it to harm either my -country or my fellow-men.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>“I believe you, Mr. Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For the present I can only use the ingots which -are here in Washington. The New York and Philadelphia -hoards will be ready in about a month, when -I shall require treasury notes for them, but before I -offer them to you, and before their existence shall be -known generally, I shall endeavor to place in the -mints at London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Milan, Vienna, -and St. Petersburg, and in the banks of the -principal cities of Europe simultaneously, in exchange -for metallic and paper money of those countries, the -one thousand millions now in Liverpool.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The secretary bowed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you order three hundred millions of gold -notes, of the denomination of $1,000 each, printed at -once, and arrange to weigh, test, and receive the five -hundred millions of bars in my warehouse at the foot -of Sixth Street? If it be not irregular, you might receive -the ingots where they are, deliver to me at once -the two hundred millions of paper money now in the -treasury vaults, and the remaining three hundred -millions when printed. The gold bars can be removed -to the treasury vaults at your convenience. I -ask that this method be followed because, if I am to -relieve the situation in New York, I must be on hand -there with the actual currency. Ordinarily treasury -drafts would answer the purpose, but, under present -circumstances, they would be useless, as no bank -could cash them, and they are not a legal tender. -These bandits will have locked up all the money in -special deposits, and their well-devised scheme can -only be baffled by one who has—outside of any channel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>within their control, and outside of their knowledge—a -vast sum in actual money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How, may I ask, do you propose to defeat their -plans, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My brokers will purchase for cash all the stocks -they offer, and, on deposit of sufficient margin, loan -them the stocks back again, to be again sold to me. -In brief, I will take all their ‘shorts,’ and all the -stocks sold by others which their conspiracy will force -upon the market. When they have forced prices -down to a point where they are ready to cover their -shorts and buy for an advance, I will suddenly jump -prices to the level they occupied before the conspirators -commenced their operations, and thus commend -to their own lips the bitter draught they have prepared -for others. I shall know—for I have many -sources of information, Mr. Secretary—I shall know -what portion of my purchases of stock will come from -the conspirators, and what portion from men who -will be forced by the panic to part with their holdings. -I shall subsequently make good to those others all -their losses. The one or two hundred millions which -I may by this process extract from Mr. Gray, Mr. -Claybank, and Mr. Wolf, I shall not”—and Morning -smiled—“restore to them. I shall devote it to -founding and maintaining industrial schools.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your plan, Mr. Morning, is a brave and gigantic -one. Is there no chance of its failure?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not if I can have your co-operation, Mr. Secretary, -in keeping secret for a week or ten days the fact -that you have, under the law of February, 1894, received -five hundred millions of ingot gold, and issued -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>treasury notes therefor. These scoundrels will have -locked up all the available money in the great financial -centers. They know that, under the present law, -the three hundred millions of paper and coin money -in the government vaults cannot be released so as to -flow into the channels of commerce except by deposits -of gold or silver bullion to take its place. My -secret has been carefully kept, and they do not dream -of the existence in private ownership of five hundred -millions, or even fifty millions, in gold bars. If I can -keep this secret from them until the hour to strike -arrives, I will give them a lesson that will cure them -for the future of any disposition to lock up money -and constrict the arterial blood of commerce for the -purposes of private gain.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But will not their losses be largely on paper, Mr. -Morning? What if they refuse to pay?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I shall not go into court with them, Mr. Secretary, -and it will not be necessary. Let me further -illustrate. They sell one thousand shares say of -Northwestern at $110, and I buy it. They take the -$110,000 received by them from my broker and add -to it ten or twenty thousand dollars for margin, and -borrow from me the one thousand shares of Northwestern -just sold me, depositing the one hundred -and twenty or one hundred and thirty thousand dollars -as security for the return of the borrowed stock. -When Northwestern, under the pressure of their sales, -descends to $100, they put up additional margin for -the stock borrowed, and borrow more stock on the -same terms. If they continue this process until -they have forced Northwestern down to $80 or $70, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>and could then buy enough to replace the borrowed -stock and call in the money they had deposited as -‘margin,’ they would make as profit the difference between -the low price at which they purchased and the -average of their sales. But if Northwestern should -suddenly jump in price to a point higher than the -value to which they had margined it, then my brokers -would purchase, at this high rate, enough Northwestern -to make good the stock loaned to them, using for -that purpose the money deposited by the conspirators -as ‘margin.’ I propose to let these gentlemen have -all the rope they want, and when they attempt to turn -and become buyers, I will spring stocks at once to -their original price, and confiscate all their margins.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will aid you, Mr. Morning, as you request, by -keeping our transactions secret as far as possible, -though I can’t promise you success in that. At least -a dozen men will be required to print the gold notes -in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and those -men will know of the issuance of so vast a sum as $300,000,000. -Half a dozen more must know of the removal -of the two hundred millions of paper money -now in the treasury vaults, and at least a dozen men -will be needed to weigh and remove the gold bars from -your warehouse. What is known to thirty men will -soon, I fear, be known to the world. I will detail -only discreet men, who shall work under pledges of -secrecy, the violation of which shall cost them their -places, but, after every precaution shall have been -taken, who shall baffle the ubiquitous newspaper reporter -in search of a ‘scoop’? He will crawl through -the coal hole or the area railings. He will walk with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>the cats on the top of spikes and broken bottles. He -will act as a car-driver, a barber, or a purchaser of old -clothing. I verily believe that if he had lived in the -olden days he would have coaxed Cæsar to reveal -the plan of his next campaign, and wrested from the -Egyptian Sphinx her secret. I fear, Mr. Morning, -that the reporters will prove too much for us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have had some experience in keeping secrets, -Mr. Secretary, and if you will permit me to direct the -details of the movement, I will undertake that no inkling -of it shall reach the ears of the reporters.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How will you avoid it, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Anticipating your consent and co-operation, Mr. -Secretary, I directed the captain of my steam yacht, -the <em>Oro</em>, to come here from New York without -delay, and by to-night she will be moored in the -Potomac, opposite the warehouse at the foot of Sixth -Street. I propose that, with the officials and men -whose duty it will be to test and weigh the gold bars, -you shall examine them where they are in the warehouse. -You will take the keys and take possession, -and, if you desire, will detail guards for the warehouse -who will not know what they are guarding. As soon -as satisfied of the quality and quantity of the gold, you -will direct the printing of three hundred millions of -treasury notes, and will deliver me the two hundred -millions of paper money now in the treasury -vaults. The three hundred millions can be printed -in bills of the denomination of $1,000, and may be -packed in five good-sized trunks. The $200,000,000 -now in the treasury, being in bills of smaller denominations, -will require fifteen trunks for their accommodation. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>My four trusted men, who have been busy -here for the past month cutting the gold bars out of -their copper jackets, will procure fifteen trunks of different -makes and marks, and after they have been filled -with currency at the treasury vaults, will carry them -in an express wagon, which I will purchase, to the -railroad depot, and check them for New York in four -different lots, purchasing two or three passage tickets -for New York for each lot of trunks. They will go -as ordinary baggage to New York, and there be taken -to my office on Broadway, without exciting suspicion -or comment. Two of the men will return from New -York here, and a similar plan can be pursued with -the $300,000,000, which will be printed in the meantime.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do not yet see, Mr. Morning, how you propose -to close the mouths of the treasury officials engaged -in the business here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I ask, Mr. Secretary, that for all this work you -will select reliable men, unmarried, and who can be absent -from their places of abode for a fortnight without -comment. Inform each man selected that he will be -employed in a matter requiring secrecy, and that it -will involve an ocean trip. I propose that every man -connected with the transaction, except yourself, Mr. -Secretary, every man, from the official who tests the -gold, to the official who packs the currency into the -trunks, shall, from the time he enters upon the performance -of his duty, until it is completed, remain in -place. I will have food, and, if need be, cots for sleeping -at the warehouse, and the placing of the currency -in the trunks will not require more than an hour or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>two of time. Each man, as he completes his duty, will -go on board the <em>Oro</em>, and when all are on board, the -steamer will put to sea, with orders to cruise for two -weeks and then return here. Each of the gentlemen -taking this voyage will be presented by me with the -sum of $1,000 for his services. The examination and -weighing of the gold bars in the warehouse, and the -packing and shipment of the two hundred millions of -paper money now in the treasury, can, I think, be -completed by to-morrow, and the <em>Oro</em> steam out to-morrow -night, with a passenger list including the -names of all those who have any knowledge of the -fact that two hundred millions of treasury notes are -on their way to New York, and that the government -has $500,000,000 worth of gold bars in its vaults.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how about the three hundred millions of -notes ordered printed?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Those engaged in the printing can be similarly -detailed, similarly instructed, and similarly dealt with. -I have chartered the <em>New Dominion</em>, now lying at -Norfolk, for a voyage to Port au Prince, on the island -of Santa Domingo. She has steam up, awaiting orders. -She will be here in time, and all those who -have knowledge of the printing or shipment of the -other three hundred millions, will, on the completion -of their duties, go on board of her for a trip to Hayti, -and, on their return a fortnight afterwards, receive -the same gift of $1,000 each for his services.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your plan is ingenious, yet simple, Mr. Morning, -and seems likely to be effective. So far as this department -is concerned, its execution will involve a -departure from all rules and precedents, and I shall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>not escape hot criticism if I order it, especially from -the New York papers controlled by the conspirators. -But I see nothing really wrong or objectionable in it, -and ‘nice customs courtesy to great kings,’ and you -are a great king, Mr. Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say rather that the exigency is a great king, -Mr. Secretary. You will then aid me as I ask you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thank you, Mr. Secretary. In the future any -favor you may ask of me, personal or official, will -not be denied.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIX.<br /> <span class='small'>“The arms are fair when borne with just intent.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It was blue Monday in Wall Street. It was the beginning -of the second week of the most disastrous -panic ever known in the history of finance. Capital -fled, affrighted, to its strong boxes, and refused to -come forth at any rate of interest, or upon any security. -Values had been going downward without reaction -for six days. The yellings and shoutings in -the stock board were such as might have been indulged -in by escapees from an asylum for violent lunatics. -Fortune after fortune had been swept into the -vortex in a vain attempt to stay the current. Stocks -which had ranked for years as among the most reliable -of investments, descended the grade as rapidly as -the “fancies.” Northwestern had fallen from $112 to -$60; Western Union from $80 to $45, and Lackawana -from $138 to $70, and even at these prices more stock -was apparently offered than found purchasers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The conspirators were, apparently, successful. -Three men whose combined wealth already aggregated -$300,000,000, had produced this storm of disaster -merely to increase their millions, regardless of -ruined homes. They sold their own stock as they had -plotted, seventy-five millions of it at full rates, and seventy-five -millions at an average reduction of fifteen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>per cent, early the preceding week, and before Morning -had perfected his arrangements, or appeared -upon the scene. Their subsequent short sales were -made at lower prices than they had estimated, for -others came in competition with them, as vendors. -They locked up both the currency received from their -sales, and the currency they had borrowed, so effectually -that merchants, brokers, and others, who were -unable to obtain the usual banking accommodations, -were compelled to throw upon the market their holdings -of bank, railroad, and telegraph stock.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolf, who personally led the bear raid in the board, -followed prices down with fresh lines of shorts, to an -amount beyond that originally intended, and at the -close of the previous week, the short sales of the conspirators -amounted to $400,000,000. In one particular -they had miscalculated, for, after stocks had fallen -twenty per cent, the brokers who purchased them refused -to loan them again for resale on the customary -margin, but believing, or affecting to believe, that -prices would advance with greater celerity than they -had receded, they demanded an amount of money as -margin equal to the difference between the existing -market price of the stock loaned and the market -price that ruled before the break.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This demand was made under the direction of -Morning, who did not appear in public, but, from his -private office on Broadway, sent orders to a dozen different -brokers whose services had not been engaged -by the Gray-Claybank-Wolf syndicate. After the -first break, Morning was the purchaser of nine-tenths -of the stock sold, and after each purchase the money -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>paid for the stock, with the margin added, was locked -up in the vaults of one of his brokers, or in banks -not under the control of the conspirators. In this -way the syndicate had been compelled to add $60,000,000 -to the $140,000,000 they had received from -the sale of their own stock.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the morning of the second Monday of November, -1895, the “Gold King” was the owner, by purchase, -of stocks which had cost him $400,000,000, -but which were worth, at the prices which prevailed -before the raid, $600,000,000.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These stocks had been loaned to the conspirators -by Morning, repurchased by him, loaned and repurchased -again, until he now held in his control two hundred -millions of money, put up by the syndicate as -margin, or security, for the delivery to him of stocks -which needed only to be restored to their former -value to cause the conspirators to lose $200,000,000, -and Morning to gain that sum. If, however, prices -could be kept at panic figures until the conspirators -could turn buyers, and cover their shorts, they would -gain $200,000,000, which would be filched from whomsoever -had been compelled to sell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were $400,000,000 at stake on the game. -The bear syndicate thought they were playing with -loaded dice, and so they were, but the load was against -them, instead of being in their favor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On Sunday night a private conference was held at -Mr. Claybank’s residence, on Fifth Avenue.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To-morrow,” said Gray, “let us stop selling and -begin buying, and cover as rapidly as possible. There -are some features of the situation which fill me with -uneasiness.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>“Ont so I thinks, Misder Gray,” said Wolf. “I -don’t gomprehent where the money comes from on -Fritay and Saturtay with which our sales were met. -As I figure it, we hat every tollar locked up on Thurstay -that was anywhere available, but so much as a -huntret, or, maby, a huntret and fifty millions of new -money came into the street on yesterday and Fritay.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It probably came from Chicago,” said Claybank.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” replied Wolf. “Chicago sent only fifty -millions, ont it vas all here by Wednesday. It buzzles -me, ont I ton’t like it, ont I believe it is full time -to commence closing the deal.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was, accordingly, agreed to close it, and on Monday -morning these three worthies appeared in their -seats in the Stock Exchange, for they were all members -of that body, although they seldom or never -participated in its proceedings, preferring to transact -their business through other brokers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning was also a member of the Stock Exchange, -having purchased a seat a year previously, but he -did not often appear there, and had never bought -or sold a share of stock himself in open board. Even -amid the excitement of the panic, his presence gave -interest to the occasion, for his sobriquet of the -“Gold King” attached legitimately to his ownership -of a mine that was yielding $4,000,000 per month, -with the probability of making its owner in a few -years the greatest billionaire in the world.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were probably few among the active members -of the Stock Exchange who did not, at this time, -know nearly as much about the causes of the panic as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>even the three men who produced it, and among all -the brokers, except those in the employment of the -syndicate, only indignation was expressed at the operations -of Wolf, Claybank, and Gray. The New York -stockbroker is neither a Shylock nor a miser. He is -usually a genial, generous sort of fellow, who prefers -a bull market to a bear raid. He likes to make -money himself and have everybody else make it. A -boom is his delight, and a panic his abhorrence. If a -majority of the board of brokers could have had their -way, they would have hung the members of the syndicate -to the gallery railings, and the question of -reaching them in some lawful way, and relieving the -board from the effects of their conspiracy, had been -informally discussed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But nothing was attempted, because nothing seemed -really practicable. It was well known that the existing -condition of things had been produced by locking up -the currency. So long as it remained locked up, -prices must remain at whatever figures the conspirators -might choose to place them. Only the power that -withdrew the money from circulation, could restore -it to the channels of commerce. There was absolutely -nothing for those not already ruined to do except to -hide in the jungle until the three tigers should have -fully gorged themselves. When Claybank, Gray, -and Wolf should graciously permit the money to be -unlocked, then stocks would advance to their real -value, business would resume its proper channels, and -the panic would be over—and not until then.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the Exchange, stocks were called alphabetically, -and the first upon the list of railroad securities was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. This was not -a dividend-paying or favorite investment stock, and, -probably, three-fourths of it had been held in the street -for years, in speculative and marginal holdings. Morning -had special reasons for securing control of this road -in addition to his general purpose of thwarting the -conspirators. Prior to the panic, Atchison, Topeka, -and Santa Fe had vibrated for months between $27 -and $33, and on the Saturday previous to the Monday -which saw the beginning of the bear raid, it had -closed at $30. Under the operations of the conspirators, -it had been hammered down to $15, at which -figure it closed on the previous Saturday.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One of the syndicate brokers who sat by Wolf, -opened the ball by offering two hundred shares of -Atchison at $15.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Taken,” cried Morning, from his seat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Five hundred Atchison at $15½,” said the broker.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Taken,” replied Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A shade of uneasiness covered the features of the -broker, but, in response to a gesture from Wolf, he -called again:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One thousand Atchison offered at $16.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Taken,” said Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The broker dropped into his seat and mopped his -face with his handkerchief.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any further offers of Atchison for sale?” cried -the caller.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And there was no reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two hundred Atchison, Brown to Morning, at -$15; five hundred Atchison, Brown to Morning, at -$15½; one thousand Atchison, Brown to Morning, at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>$16. Are there further bids for Atchison?” said the -caller.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolf arose and cried, “Fifteen dollars is offered for -one thousand Atchison.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was no higher offer, but the caller did not -proceed to cry the next stock on the list. Somehow -everybody seemed to feel that a crisis had been -reached; it was in the air, and, amidst a hushed and -expectant silence unprecedented in the history of the -New York Stock and Exchange Board, the voice of -David Morning rang out like a trumpet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will give,” said he, “$30 per share for the whole -or any portion of the capital stock of the Atchison, -Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then pandemonium reigned. The quick wit of the -stockbrokers comprehended the situation in an instant. -It was all as clear to them as if it had been written -and printed. They knew that Claybank, Wolf, and -Gray had joined forces, locked up the currency, -brought about a panic, broken down the market, and -ruined half the street. They knew that the country -was prosperous, the mines prolific, and the crops good. -They knew that the depression in prices was wholly -artificial, and that it must, sooner or later, be followed -by a reaction and restoration of values, and they had -so advised their customers, but they supposed that the -period of such reaction was wholly within the control -of Gray, Claybank, and Wolf.</p> - -<p class='c007'>They had no reason to expect that relief would -come from any other source, and the appearance and -action of Morning burst upon them like a revelation. -Here was a man who was a new-comer to fortune and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>to finance, a man who had devoted the immense -revenues of his mine to beneficent rather than business -purposes, and who was above the necessity or -the temptation of increasing his wealth by speculation. -His presence in the Board, and his bid of $30 a share -for Atchison, demonstrated that he knew of the Claybank-Gray-Wolf -conspiracy, and that he proposed -to baffle it. He must have measured the forces of the -members of the syndicate and be advised as to the -amount of money necessary to meet them. Possibly -he had found a way to unlock the federal treasury, or -had from some source obtained the necessary millions. -Certainly he had obtained them or he would never -have thus challenged the magnates of Wall Street to -combat. Clearly, the panic was at an end, the man -from Arizona was about to lead them out of the wilderness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And they shouted, and roared, and cried, and -hugged each other, and mashed each others’ hats, and -marched up and down and around the floor, and -joined hands and danced around Morning, and disregarded -all calls to order, and were finally quieted only -when Morning, escorted by the President of the Stock -Exchange, ascended the stand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The President, as soon as silence was secured, -said:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gentlemen, it seems to be the general wish that -the regular call shall be temporarily suspended, and -that we shall hear from Mr. David Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>That gentleman, after the roar of greeting had subsided, -said:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“<span class='sc'>Gentlemen</span>: I think you will agree with me in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>believing that the prices of securities listed on this -exchange have, during the past week, ruled altogether -too low. I propose to put an end to this condition of -things, which ought never to have been brought about, -and I have authorized my brokers here to offer, during -to-day and to-morrow, and for the rest of this week, -to purchase, to the extent of $700,000,000, any and -all railroad stocks listed on this Exchange, at the -prices which ruled at the close of the board on Saturday -week, before the panic began.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A great cheer went up from the throats of the -multitude, and, after it subsided, Isaiah Wolf, livid -with rage and excitement, arose and exclaimed:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Does this lunatic then expect to make fools of us -all? Is it to be beliefed dot this crazy man has got -seven huntret millions of tollars in cash to buy stocks -mit? His golt mine has turned his prain. It vos -better dot we don’t all pe too fresh apout this pizness.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning quietly continued:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Anticipating that my purchases of stock might -possibly be large to-day and during the week, I have -made arrangements to dispense with the customary -methods, and so will avoid the usual delays in receiving -and paying for stock. I have quadrupled my -usual force of clerks, and my offices on Broadway will -be open every day this week from nine o’clock in the -morning until nine o’clock at night. No checks, -certified or otherwise, will be issued by me, but the -stocks bought by my brokers will be paid for on -delivery at my offices at any time during the hours -named, and paid for in treasury and national bank -notes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>“Where,” roared Wolf, “did you get such a sum -of money as seven huntret millions of tollars? You -are either a liar, a lunatic, or a counterfeiter.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two hundred millions of dollars of the money -which I hold,” replied Morning, “was deposited by -you and your colleagues in the conspiracy, as security -for the return of stocks which I bought of you, and -then loaned to you to sell to me again and again. -Under the rules of the stock board these $200,000,000 -will be forfeited to me unless you restore the borrowed -stocks on the usual notice. The notices will be served -on you to-day, and when you begin to buy in to cover -your shorts, you will be compelled to pay full value. -I think I can count upon your $200,000,000 to aid in -paying for to-day’s purchases, Mr. Wolf.” And, amid -continued cheers and laughter, Morning descended -from the caller’s stand, and started for his seat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Claybank and Gray had left the hall, but Wolf -remained, and as Morning passed along the aisle, the -Jew, with face white and twitching, and with foam on -his mustache, stepped out and confronted him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You have made a beggar of me,” said he with a -curse, “but I will have your heart’s blood for this,” -and he reached for Morning’s throat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the man from Arizona stepped backward and -then forward, and at the same moment his right arm -went swiftly forth from his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Smack! smack! smack!” and the nose of Wolf -was spread over his face, and the crazed man was -hustled and hurried by the crowd, and greeted with -oaths and blows as he went, until, with torn clothing -and battered face, he was literally kicked into the -street.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XX.<br /> <span class='small'>“These are things which might be done.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c015'> - <div>[From the <cite>New York Times</cite>, November 20, 1895.]</div> - <div class='c003'>FINANCIAL.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Holders of stock and bonds in the Atchison, Topeka, -and Santa Fe, Denver and Gulf, Kansas City -and Chicago, Lakeshore and Michigan Southern, -New York and Erie, and New York and New England -Railroads, who desire to dispose of their holdings, -will find a purchaser in me at the rates prevailing -at the close of the Stock Exchange yesterday. I -already own a majority of the capital stock of the -roads named, and intend to consolidate them in one -company without any bonded indebtedness, with the -intention of providing the public with a double-track -road between Portland, Maine, and San Francisco, -California, <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">via</span></i> Boston, New York, Buffalo, Detroit, -Chicago, Kansas City, and Denver, with a branch to -Galveston. This consolidated road will not be run -with a view to profit beyond four or five per cent per -annum above operating expenses. In making this -experiment I deem it only right to relieve the present -holders of stock and bonds from loss, and this offer of -purchase will remain open for one month.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'><span class='sc'>David Morning</span>,</div> - <div class='line'><em>39 Broadway, N. Y. City</em>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>2 sq. 1 m., November 19.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>We copy from our advertising column the foregoing, -which presages the most important event of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>century. Whatever may be thought of the wisdom -of Mr. Morning’s plans in any direction, there can now -be no question as to his ability to carry them forward. -The brilliant strategetical movement by which -he bagged two hundred millions of piratical money -from Gray, Claybank, and Wolf, and, while defeating -them, restored values and prosperity, is still fresh in -the public mind, and his subsequent course in searching -out all other persons who lost by the panic, and -reimbursing them the amount of their losses, will not -soon be forgotten.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The brave and sagacious action of the Secretary of -the Treasury in going outside of the channels marked -by red tape in order to promote Mr. Morning’s plans, -is generally commended by the public, and meets -with no criticism except from the baffled syndicate of -scoundrels.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Whatever action, if any, Congress may take next -month when it assembles with regard to the demonetization -of gold, and whatever may be the course pursued -by the German Reichstag, the French Chamber -of Deputies, and the British Parliament, all of which -are now wrestling with the great economic problem -which the vast gold yield of the Morning mine presents, -yet one thing is certain, David Morning has -quietly and shrewdly placed two thousand five hundred -millions of gold in the mints and treasuries of -Europe and America, and obtained therefor money, -the legal tender quality and value of which, no future -legislation can impair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It is fortunate for the world that this vast sum is in -the hands of a man who seems to comprehend the nature -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>of the problems which its existence, its introduction -to circulation, and its subsequent use, will create, -and who also seems disposed to treat his great treasure-trove -as a public trust rather than a personal possession. -It is a curious fact that some statesmen who have, -without much reflection, been characterized as visionary, -urged vainly for years upon the public attention -the wisdom and feasibility of creating vast sums of -fiat money, which were to be loaned upon land and -crop values. It will not escape notice that the Congress -of the United States might, at any time within -the past few years, by passing a land and property -loan law, have created the same conditions, whether -they prove to be conditions of prosperity or disaster, -which are now upon the world by reason of Mr. -Morning’s gold discovery. But it is not our purpose -to attempt discussion of the situation generally. We -intend only to give to the public a reliable account of -the railroad projects of Mr. Morning. On reading -his advertisement, we dispatched a reporter, who found -him, as usual, frank and communicative. No comment -of ours would add force or importance to the -utterances of the Arizona Gold King, and we will let -him tell his story in his own way.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My plan,” said Morning, “is not complicated, -and not original with me. I only supply the means -to try an experiment which it has often been suggested -should be tried by the United States Government. -If successful it will be of incalculable benefit to the -people of this country. It will require not more than -$250,000,000 to carry it out, and its failure would not -involve a loss of more than $50,000,000.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>“I marvel,” continued the gentleman, “that public -opinion did not years ago act upon Congress so as -to cause it to deal with the transportation question in -the interest of the people. I marvel that some of our -great capitalists have not joined efforts, and devoted -a portion of their possessions to providing the people -with cheap transportation. Suppose that a dozen of -them should have together made a pool of $200,000,000, -and undertaken a work—not of charity, but of -helping the toilers to help themselves. It would not -have taken one-third of their possessions; it would -have deprived neither them nor their children of a -single luxury, and yet it would have allayed the disquiet -and antagonism of multitudes, and, more than -bronzes or marble shafts, it would have linked their -names to immortality.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will not Messrs. Gray, Claybank, and Wolf have -supplied the funds for your experiment?” queried -the reporter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning laughed as he answered: “Well, in a way, -yes; and if I had not already devoted their contributions -to founding and maintaining industrial schools, -there would be a sort of poetical justice in making -such application of that fund.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you give me, for the <cite>Times</cite>, the details of -your plans, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Certainly,” replied that gentlemen. “I have -nothing to conceal. The railroad lines of this country, -especially the transcontinental lines, were built when -material and labor were much higher than now, and -some of them when gold was at a high premium. -Stock and bonds of many roads have been watered, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>and in paying present market prices for them I shall -probably pay much more than the sum for which the -roads could be duplicated if constructed honestly and -economically at present cost of labor and materials, -and allowing nothing for subsidies, bounties, stealings, -and profits of speculators, contractors, and legislators. -But it would not, I think, be right to punish -present holders of stocks and bonds for the sins of -their predecessors in interest, and I therefore propose -to pay the present inflated value of these securities. -I shall not, however, attempt to make the reorganized -road carry the burden of paying interest and -dividends upon the sums which I shall pay.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you estimate to be the present market -value of the roads you propose to purchase, Mr. -Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“At present market rates, and I shall pay no more, -the total amount that will be required to buy in both -stocks and bonds, will be, in round numbers, $150,000,000. -I am advised by experts that the cost of -widening roadbed and bridges, and laying additional -iron, so as to make four tracks from New York to -Kansas City, and a double track from the Missouri -River to the Pacific, will, with the necessary buildings -and shops, be about $70,000,000.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then the proposed line, when completed, will -have cost you about $220,000,000?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Exactly, less the sum which may be received -for rolling stock, which I propose to sell. But I am -informed by my engineers that a similar line might -be built now for $150,000,000, and I therefore take -$150,000,000 as the actual value of the roadbed, station -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>buildings, and shops for repairs, and I estimate -traffic charges upon that basis.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why do you sell the rolling stock? How can -a road be used without locomotives or cars?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I propose that the company I will cause to be -organized shall, except in certain contingencies, run -no trains whatever on the road except repair trains. -The roadbed will be open at uniform tolls to any -person, firm, or corporation who may wish to run -trains upon it. The tolls will be fixed upon such a -basis as will provide means sufficient to keep the roadbed -up to the highest standard, and pay five per cent -per annum upon the actual value of the road, which, -in the first instance, will be fixed at $150,000,000.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will not the value of the road advance, Mr. -Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I expect so,” was the reply. “All values will advance -with the increase of standard money, caused by -the yield of the Morning mine, and there will be a revaluation -of the roadbed each year, by disinterested -and competent engineers. If the amount received for -tolls in any one year shall exceed the sum of five per -cent on the valuation of the previous year, the tolls -will be reduced for the next year. If it shall fall short -of that sum, the tolls will be increased for the next -year.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will not the ownership of the roadbed by one -company, and the ownership and management of -rolling stock by a dozen or a hundred other companies, -be productive of confusion and accidents?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not at all. On the contrary, accidents will be almost -impossible. Switches and side tracks, capable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>of accommodating from one to a dozen trains or -more, will be provided every five miles, with buildings -for receiving freight and passengers, at every -station. Between Boston and Kansas City two tracks -will be devoted to passenger trains and two to freight -trains, and a uniform rate of speed be established, -of thirty-five miles per hour, including stoppages on -the main track, for passenger trains, and fifteen miles -an hour for freight trains. Between Kansas City and -San Francisco, so long as there shall be only one -double track, on which both freight and passenger -trains must run, a uniform rate of speed of twenty -miles an hour for both freight and passenger trains -will be established, except on mountain grades, where -the speed must be lessened. There will be an interval -of not less than fifteen minutes between trains east -of the Missouri, and half an hour west of it, and whenever -a train leaves or passes by a station, its passage -over the rails at that station will, through an electric -wire, be made to ring a bell, set a signal, and close a -switch at the next station behind it, and no train will -be allowed to leave or pass by a station until a signal -shall be received that the preceding train has passed -by the station ahead.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppose a train conductor or engineer should -proceed without receiving the signal, and in defiance -of orders from the station master?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“His train would be automatically shunted off -upon a side track, where it would run up against -elastic buffers of rubber, filled with air. The main -track would not be clear until the train passed the -station ahead. Until then the switch leading to the -side track would be open.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>“And how would that switch be again opened, -after being closed?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Automatically, by the passage of the train over -the rails ahead of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is a very ingenious and original idea, Mr. -Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ingenious and simple, but it is not my own. A -similar contrivance was in use on the Italian roads -twenty years ago, although the idea was suggested to -me by an Arizona rancher, who was averse to having -cattle straying in his alfalfa fields, through which several -public roads ran. In order to avoid the cost of -fencing the roads, he put up automatic gates. The -weight of the horses and vehicle upon a platform a -few yards from the gate, on either side, operated upon -a lever, and swung open the gate, which was released -automatically by the passage of the wagon, and so -swung shut.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You seem, by these arrangements, to have secured -the safety of passengers and train hands, but -how about the speed? Will the traveling public be -content with twenty miles an hour between Kansas -City and San Francisco?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do not know. If they shall not be, still the -speed would be satisfactory to the freighters. My -own belief is that the greater safety and lower rates -of passage that will prevail on this road will attract -to it a large share of the passenger traffic. Those -who are in haste can travel over one of the other -lines.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your object seems to be to give to the public -cheaper railroad service.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>“It is partly that and partly to give the railroad -employes better pay and greater regularity and permanency -of employment. I will try to divide the -benefits equitably.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will not those who run trains upon your road -defeat your object by combinations among themselves, -to put up the price of freight and passage, and put -down the wages of railroad hands?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It will be practicable, I think, to guard against -both these things. If the Brotherhoods of Locomotive -Firemen, and Locomotive Engineers, and Train -Hands, will establish and maintain reasonable rates of -compensation and hours of labor, and will enable all -qualified workers to become members at will, then the -directors of the company owning the roadbed will -only allow its use to trains managed by Brotherhood -members. If persons or companies owning rolling -stock shall advance freight or passenger rates beyond -maximum, or reduce them below minimum, rates, fixed -by the directors of the Railway Company, they will -lose their right to run trains, and if a combination -should be made to diminish facilities to shippers or -travelers, then the Roadbed Company will itself place -a freight and passenger service on the track.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you expect to personally superintend this -great work, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I must leave it to others. Once it shall be -well started I have other projects which will require -my attention.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who will run it, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The Board of Directors will, in the first instance, -consist of the governor of each State through which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>the roadbed shall be constructed, from Maine to California. -To these fifteen or sixteen governors will be -added thirty experienced railway managers, who will -be selected by me. Each governor will serve as -director only during his term as governor, and will be -succeeded as director by his official successor as -governor. The thirty directors appointed by me will -receive liberal salaries, will not be permitted to be -interested in any other railroad, and will serve until -they resign, or die, or are removed for cause by a two-thirds -vote of the other directors. Vacancies thus -occurring will be filled by a similar vote. Subject to -the principles of management I have endeavored to -outline, the control of the affairs of the company will -be with the Board of Directors.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will not the vast sums of money which the yield of -the Morning mine must add to the standard currency -of the world so inflate values as to make difficult any -equitable adjustment of freight or passenger rates, or -of the wages of railroad workers?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Freight and passenger rates, and wages, will -necessarily advance with the increase of all values. -It will be like the tide at the Dardanelles, which never -ebbs. No man who has any knowledge, or exercises -any care, need be overwhelmed or hurt by it, and all -men who try can guide their barks to prosperity upon -its swell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Would you consider it really a healthful state of -affairs if, by an inflated currency, prices were so -increased that a dinner which one can now buy for -fifty cents should cost $5.00, and a $20 coat sell for -$200?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>“Why not if prices were similarly advanced over -all the world? People indulge in a good deal of loose -talk about inflated currency, debased currency, and -fiat money. In truth, all money is fiat money, for a -bar of gold is not a legal tender, and inflation of -values is the law of commercial growth. In the middle -ages a penny was the price of a day’s wages or -of a bushel of wheat. Money which has for its basis -either precious metals or substantial property in lands -or merchandise is good money, while money lacking -such basis is bad money. Clipped shillings, French -assignats, and Continental and Confederate currency, -were no more fiat money than are American double -eagles or five-pound Bank of England notes. It is -the stamp of the government, the fiat of its power, -that turns the metal or the paper into money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But do not all financiers consider inflation a -disaster, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Inflation,” replied the gentleman, “whether of -metallic or paper currency that is accepted by the -world or by a great commercial nation as a legal tender, -can do no harm except to those who loan money. A -dollar is a mere term. You pay now five dimes, or -fifty cents, or five hundred mills, for your dinner. -Suppose by large continued increase in the production -of gold and silver, the money of all countries shall -be inflated so that you must pay fifty dollars instead -of fifty cents, or five hundred dimes in place of five -hundred mills, for your dinner. What of it? You -could carry as much paper money as now. It would -need only to increase the denomination of the bills. -All property and services would advance proportionately. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>Only the loaners of money would be left, and -they would soon find it to their interest to put their -money into property, which would necessarily advance -in value, rather than in loans, which would, in their -relation to property, necessarily decrease in value. -Under such conditions interest would not compensate -the money owner for the depreciation of his principal, -and the loaning of money, except for brief periods, -would cease, while property of all kinds would always -be saleable for cash, because always sure to increase -in value, while idle money would not so increase.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What will be the effect of your project on the -other railroads, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My hope and expectation is that the successful -working of my project will induce large aggregations -of capital to acquire and conduct all the railroads in -the country under one management, which should -itself be under the direction and control of the Federal -Government. Four thousand millions of dollars -would purchase and free from bonded indebtedness -all the interstate railroad and telegraph lines in the -United States, and $1,000,000,000 more would improve -such property to the highest point of efficiency. A -company with a capital of $5,000,000,000, having no -bonded debt and economically and honestly managed, -could pay dividends of five per cent per annum on -its stock, which stock might be increased in amount -as other values increased. Present railroad bondholders -would be transformed into railroad stockholders, -and the stock of the United States Consolidated -Railroad Company, guaranteed by the United States -Government to pay five per cent per annum, and so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>conducted as to earn that dividend, above cost of repairs -and construction of new lines, would be a favorite -investment. Such stock might be made the basis of -currency issued thereon to national banks. It could -be held by benevolent and educational institutions, -and trust funds could be invested in it. It would take -the place of the present United States bonds as a lazy -fund, and it would not be a lazy fund, for it would be -an investment in earning property. It would substitute -the earned increment of labor for the unearned -increment of interest. Interest on money at best -belongs to conditions which are passing away. It -is an attribute of a former civilization, and I predict -that during the next century it will come to an end -altogether.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How would the United States Consolidated Railroad -Company affect railway patrons and railroad -employes?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By adjusting freight and passenger charges, and -wages of employes, so as to produce an income of -five per cent on the investment, and by discontinuing -non-paying lines, building new ones, and developing -profitable connections—in brief, by running all the -railroads in the land as one company under one management, -in such manner as to produce from earnings -a net income of five per cent, on a capitalization of -all existing stocks and bonds at their market value -to-day—the prices of freight and passage would be -reduced, and the wages of railroad workers increased.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think,” continued the Arizona Gold King, -“that the entire system should be under government -supervision, or even under government direction, and, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>depend upon it, nobody would be harmed, except -about forty thousand people, who now own sixty per -cent of all the real property in America, and even the -damage to them would be slight, for they could purchase -stock in the Consolidated Company, and learn -to be satisfied with five per cent and no stealings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You spoke of a provision being made in your -company for the future of railroad employes. How -would that be done?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In the company which I propose each employe -will be required to agree that not less than fifteen per -cent of his wages shall be withheld from him and annually -invested in the stock of the company, which -stock shall be non-transferable. It will be delivered -with its dividends, likewise invested, at his death to -whomsoever he may designate, or, if he live to the age -of sixty, it will be paid to him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you think that the worker needs this sort of -compulsory guardianship, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I certainly do. For one of them who lays up for -a rainy day, nine are possessed by the very genius of -unthrift. I have known miners to work for months, -and mining is the hardest work in the world, and then -draw their wages and expend hundreds of dollars in -one spree. Where the worker uses liquor—as most -of them do—he lives from hand to mouth, and even -among the temperate, it will be the rare exception to -find one who has enough savings to support his family -for six months.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is it only the workers who are imprudent, Mr. -Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, the habit of careless unthrift is common to all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>men. It is not confined to the worker. It appears -more frequently in him only because his necessities -are more urgent and apparent, and, in this respect, -he lives more in public. But extravagance is a part -of the original savage man, the leaven which has survived -all civilization. I have known lawyers, and -doctors, and divines, and journalists who, with their -families, might have been saved from embarrassment -and suffering if there had been some power every -month to seize a portion of their earnings or income -and make a compulsory investment of it for their future -benefit.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But,” said the speaker, “to return to my subject. -There is yet another advantage to be considered. If -the United States operated, or even supervised, all the -railroads, it would not be difficult—by requiring each -railroad hand to report for drill and practice one day -in each month—it would not be difficult to provide -the nucleus and material for a great army, if such -should ever again be necessary.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will the time ever come when armies can be dispensed -with, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think it has come. I am about to have made -some experiments with the new explosive ‘potentite,’ -which, if successful, will, I think, demonstrate to the -world that hereafter war will mean simply mutual annihilation, -and that in conflict there will be small odds -between the weakest and the most powerful of nations. -But I wander into the domain of speculation, and you -newspaper men require only facts.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you propose any reform or changes in the -present methods of railroad management, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>“Several.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For instance?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There will be a uniform rate per mile for passage, -all tickets will be transferable, no inducements will be -offered to travelers to perpetrate falsehood and forgery, -and freighters will not be required to expose their -business secrets to the officers of the railroad company.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you know,” said Mr. Morning, “that a demand -has actually been made upon me by the railroad -companies for freight at regular express gold -bullion rates on $2,500,000,000 worth of gold bars -which they carried from Arizona to the East disguised -as copper? For freight on the supposed copper I -paid their regular rates of charges, amounting to -about $200,000. They say that if I had shipped it as -gold their charges would have been six and one-quarter -millions, and they claim the difference.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you shipped it as copper at your own risk, -did you not, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course I shipped it as copper at my own risk, -and on ten bars, worth really $400,000, which were -lost from the ferryboat in transporting freight during -the flood at Yuma, I collected from the company -only their supposed copper value of $320, and I had -no end of trouble and delay in making the collection. -But they assert that in covering the gold bars with -copper sheaths, I worked a ‘gold brick swindle’ on -them, and they want the difference.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you pay the $6,000,000 claimed, Mr. Morning?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not if I can help it,” smiled the gentleman. “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>have other uses for the money. I have in view several -other reforms in railroad management. Railroad -employers who, through no fault of their own, are -hurt in railroad accidents caused by the negligence of -a fellow employe, shall have the same right of recovery -at law against the company as an injured passenger -would have. Train men, in stopping at country -stations, shall consult the convenience of passengers -rather than their own, and shall not halt the baggage -car in a sheltered spot, while they compel disembarking -passengers to wade through the mud. Brass-mounted -conductors shall not glower at question-asking -passengers, and, to all requests for information, -answer flippantly, ‘Damfino,’ and small dogs shall not -be torn from their friends and suffered to wail their -strength away in mute despair in a strange and comfortless -baggage car, without bones to beguile or -friendly faces to encourage them; but every reputable -lapdog who pays his fare, and abides noiseless and -contented in the same seat with his mistress, shall be -left in peace.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXI.<br /> <span class='small'>“Their country’s wealth, our mightier misers drain.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It was a bright, warm day in December, 1895, -when a tall man, with iron gray hair surmounting a -wrinkled and careworn face, paused for a moment -before the plate-glass front of the Tenth National -Bank of Birmingham, Alabama.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Making his way into the building, he walked to the -cashier’s office in the rear, which he entered without -knocking. A short, stout gentleman of forty years -looked up from the desk at which he was writing, and -inquired of the stranger who it was that he wished to -see?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I kem in, suh, to see the Kashyea,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am the cashier of this bank, sir. What can I -do for you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I allowed to bowwow some money foh to -stock my fahm foh a cotton crap, and to cahy me -ovah the season, suh, and I heard as how the money -might be had heah.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Take a seat, sir. What is the name?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“John Turpin is my name, suh.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And what amount do you wish to obtain, Mr. -Turpin?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I reckon about $3,000 would answer the puppus, -suh.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>“Where is your property, Mr. Turpin, and what -does it consist of?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is on the White Creek, in Madison County. -There are foh hundred acres of cotton land. There -is a house, bahn, and outbuildings in faih condition, -suh, but I don’t count them as much, in a money -way.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you estimate to be the value of the -land?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Befo the wah it sold for fohty dollahs an acre. -Land went very low aftahwuds, but the land has not -been crapped, and of late yeahs, business has picked -up mightily in old Alabama, and it ought to be wuth -as much now as it ever wor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How long have you been farming it there?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, not at all, suh. The place was owned by -my uncle, and he jest lived there since the wah, and -never tried to make a crap. He was Captain of Company -K of the Ninety-third Alabama. He was -wounded at Chickamauga. Both of his sons were -killed at the second battle of the Wilderness; his wife -died while they were all away, and when he kem back -he seemed to lose all interest like. He couldn’t abide -free niggahs ever, and there were no othahs, and foh -twenty-seven yeahs he jest moped around the old -place, raisin’ only a little cohn, and a few hogs and -some geyahden truck. Last spring he died, and the -place has fallen to me. There is no debt on it, and -it’s prime cotton land, but it will take right smaht -of money to clean off the land and put in a crap.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are you farming elsewhere, Mr. Turpin?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, suh, I have been wuking for several yeahs for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, as -their station agent at Coosa, but I was raised on a cotton -plantation, and I know all about the wuk. I -have two likely boys; one is twenty and the othah -eighteen. My wife is a wohkah, and so is our daughtah. -We all want to go on the old plantation and -live thar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will $3,000 clear the land and stock it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, suh. It will buy us mules and fahm implements, -and seed, and supply us with provisions and -foddah, and pay the wages of such niggahs as we will -hiah to help us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How soon could you repay the $3,000.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, in the old times we could moh than pay it -with one crap, but thar ain’t the money in cotton that -thar used to be. Cotton is powerful low, I do allow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And it costs more to raise it now than it did when -you had slaves to work for you, does it not, Mr. Turpin?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I allow that don’t make much diffahence, -suh. I can hiah niggahs now for $16 a month, and -they find their own keep, while befoh the wah we had -to pay that much and moah, and feed them beside. -The interest on the value of a good niggah then was -nigh onto as much as we pay him now foh wages. -The niggah don’t get much moah now than he did -when he was in slavery. He just gets his keep and a -few clothes: No, suh, I can raise cotton now cheaper -than I could befoh the wah, but cotton kain’t be sold -foh no such prices. Still, thar is some money in cotton, -and my boys and I can pay off the $3,000 with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>interest, out of the profits on the craps, in three -yeahs, and if we live powerful close mebbe we can do -it in two yeahs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why do you not get the money you want from -the bank at Huntsville?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, suh, I went thar before I kem yeah, and the -kashyea thar tole me that they wah not fixed to make -any but shote loans. He said as how they wah a -nayshunal bank, and couldn’t loan money on land -nohow, and he advised me to come heah, suh.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But this is also a national bank, and subject to -the same restriction, Mr. Turpin.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, suh, I know; so he tole me, suh. But he -said as how you wah also loan agents for Northern -capitalists, who had money to invest in long loans, on -good security.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We are such agents, but our instructions do not -permit us to loan on anything but improved city -property. Our clients do not like to put their money -in plantations.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But, suh, what will become of the cities if the people -do not help those in the country? My place is -wuth easily foh times the money I want to bowwow, -and every dollah of the money bowwowed will go -into the place.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It does look, Mr. Turpin, as if money ought to -be had for such purposes. But all of our local capitalists -have their money tied up in the city, and outsiders -won’t loan on farms.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I kain’t bowwow the money, suh?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am afraid not, Mr. Turpin. You might try elsewhere, -but, to be candid with you, I do not believe -you will succeed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>“Well, suh, then I will have to go back to my wuk -at the railroad station, and let the land lie idle. Why -kain’t the govuhment loan us on our fahms the money -needed to cultivate them? ’Pears like I hearn tell -thar was a man out in Calafohnea what wanted the -govuhment to do that likes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes,” replied the cashier, “there is such a scheme, -but it is totally impracticable. Of course the government -cannot embark in the business of loaning money -on landed security.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But ain’t the govuhment in the loanin’ business -now, suh? Whar do you get the circulatin’ notes of -youah bank? Don’t you bowwow them of the govuhment, -without interest, by puttin’ up United States -bonds as security?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, that, you know, is quite a different thing,” -answered the cashier, smilingly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Whar’s the difference in principle?” persisted the -man from Coosa. “If a govuhment bond foh $1,000 -air good secuhity foh $900, what is the reason that a -piece of land wuth $1,000 kain’t be good secuhity foh -$500?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The bond,” said the cashier, “could always be -sold at par. It is not so easy to find a purchaser for -land, even at half its value; it might be worthless, you -know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am not supposin’, suh, that the govuhment -would loan money on wuthless land any moah than -on counterfeit bonds. I’m talkin’ about sich land as -ain’t wuthless, and kain’t evah be wuthless. I’m talkin’ -about land that has an airnin’ capacity, when human -labor is applied to it. I allow that sich land, when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>valooed honestly, and not countin’ any buildings or -improvements, or anything that can be burned up or -carried away—I allow that sich land is just as good -security foh a loan of half its value, as any govuhment -bond is security foh a loan of nine-tenths its -valoo. If the land ain’t wuth nothin’, I’d like to know -what the bond is wuth? As I argefy, all the valoo’s -on the yearth, suh, bonds and banks and govuhments -theyselves rest upon the land and the labah that tills -it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But the amount of national bank notes that can be -issued on government bonds is limited by law,” remonstrated -the cashier.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppose they be. Kain’t the govuhment limit the -amount of greenbacks it would loan on the fahms? -Kain’t it allot jest so much to each State or to each county, -or to each numbah of folks? I don’t see no use of a -limit nohow. Govuhment don’t limit the bales of cotton -or bushels of cohn, or numbah of hogs a man can -raise, noh the tons of ihon he shall smelt, noh the -numbah of days’ wuk he shall do in a yeah. What -foh do they want to limit the numbah of dollahs that -shall be made? Why not leave that to be settled outside -of papah laws? If you raise cohn for which there -is no demand you kain’t sell it, and if you print dollahs -for which there is no demand you kain’t lend -them. A dollah ain’t got no nateral valoo nohow. -Ye kain’t eat it, noh drink it, noh weah it. Ye kain’t -sleep on it, noh ride it, noh drive it around. A dollah -is just a yahdstick foh the cloth, a scale foh the -sugah, a quart measure foh the vinegah. Suppose -govuhment went to limitin’ the numbah of weighin’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>scales and yahdsticks and gallon cans thar should be -in the land, and then didn’t allow enough to be made -foh to go around!—A nice fix the country stohs would -be in wouldn’t they? You city folks would corral all -the yahdsticks, and all the scales, and all the pint -pots that the govuhment allowed to be made. You’d -organize measurin’ companies and bowwow all the -scales that the govuhment made, and pay nothin’ to -the govuhment for the use of them; and then you’d -hiah them out to folks at a big rent, and make the -folks as hiad them leave half the measures on deposit -with you, and you’d hiah that half again to other -folks, and you’d squeeze the people, and squeeze ’em, -and squeeze ’em, until you turned every man who -wasn’t an ownah of measurin’ tools into a puffeck -slave to them as was ownahs. That’s what you hev -been a doin’ with us right along. I mean no disrespeck -to you, suh, puhsonally, for you have treated -me moh politely than a bankah usually treats his bowwowin’ -customahs; but you bankahs and capitalists -have jest been a monkeyin’ with the currency until -you have got every fahmah, and wukin’ man, and -stoahkeepah in the country tied hand and foot, with -no chance to wuk at all unless they wuk foh you. We -have been a lot of everlastin’ fools, suh, to stand it, -and we aint a goin’ to stand it much longah.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What will you do about it, Mr. Turpin?” said the -cashier, quietly, but with a shade of satire in his tone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I allow, suh, that we’ll tell the yawpers who run -political conventions to get along without our votes, -and we’ll elect men to the Legislatoor and to Congress, -and mebbe a President, who’ll take their ideahs from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>the fahmas and wukahs of the Sooth and West, and -who won’t go to Wall Street foh ohdahs; and we’ll -give all the old questions a rest, and we’ll make it lonesome -for the politicians who fight us, and we’ll kind o’ -resolute that so long as this govuhment won’t let any -State or any puhson go into the business of manufacturing -money to supply the necessary wants of the people, -it is likely that the govuhment itself ought to do -it, and we’ll fix it so that no man who is willin’ to -wuk as I am, and knows how to wuk as I do, and has -land to plow as I have, will have to see his land lie -fallow, and his boys loafin’ around, just bekase he -kaint bowwow from nobody, even at ten per cent a -yeah, one-fifth of the valoo of his land, to buy a few -mules, and a plow or two, and some seed cohn.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You will compel the government to go into the -business of printing and loaning all the money that -anybody wants, will you?” said the cashier.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, suh, I’m no bankah, and no lawyah, but I -take it that it is the business of govuhment to provide -all the money necessary foh the use of the people, and -if the govuhment itself won’t do it, then let it untie -the cohds it has put around States and people, and -suffah them to do it foh theyselves.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You would go back to the days of State banks -and unlimited currency, Mr. Turpin, with a wild-cat -bank at every crossroads, when the man who traveled -never knew whether the bank bill he got in change, -when purchasing his breakfast in Alabama, would buy -him a supper in Tennessee,” said the cashier.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, suh, I remembah those days, and while they -may not have been so agreeable foh those that traveled, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>they war a heap better foh folks as stayed at -home. A wild-cat bank at the crossroads on White -Creek, that would let me have $3,000 of its missuble -money, which my neighbors would take in exchange -foh mules, and the stohkeepah would take for goods, -so that I could put in a crap on foh hundred akahs of -the puttiest cotton land in Noth Alabama, would be a -heap bettah foh me just now, suh, than a national -bank with a plate-glass front, in Buhmingham, that -won’t even look at the security I offah foh a loan. -Good-day, suh.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And Mr. John Turpin, of White Creek, arose, and, -with a heavy and sorrowful step, walked out of the -Tenth National Bank of Birmingham, Alabama, and -the rotund cashier smiled at the episode, and adjusted -his gold-rimmed eyeglasses, and resumed his interrupted -labors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Yet relief was in store for Mr. John Turpin, for on -that very day the mail from New York to Washington -carried the following communication:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'><span class='sc'>Offices of David Morning</span>, }</div> - <div class='line'>39 Broadway, N. Y., Dec. 15, 1895.}</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>To the President of the United States</em>—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><span class='sc'>Sir</span>: Under certain conditions I will donate to the -Government of the United States the sum of $2,400,000,000 -in gold bars, which I will deliver to the -treasury department at the rate of $100,000,000 per -month, during the ensuing two years.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The money coined from, or issued upon, these gold -bars, shall constitute a perpetual fund, to be loaned -at two per cent per annum to the farmers of the country, -the fund never to be diminished or appropriated -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>for any other purpose, although the interest received -from it may be used to aid in defraying the ordinary -expenses of government.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The amounts to be loaned may be apportioned -among the several States and Territories, according -to their populations as given by the last census, but -the loaning must proceed from, and be under the -control of a department of the Federal government, -to be created by Congress for that purpose. Loans -may be made payable at any time, at the option of the -borrower, and may remain indefinitely, so long as the -interest is paid, and must be secured by pledge of productive -land.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Not more than one-half the actual cash value of -the land, without estimating improvements, must be -loaned, or more than $10,000 to any one borrower, or -more than $20 per acre in any case.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The celerity with which Congress, during the War -of the Rebellion, created an effective system of revenue -and finance, leads me to the conclusion that it -will be equally apt in the creation of the necessary -legal machinery to speedily effectuate a permanent -and safe system for making loans to the people. I -shall trust implicitly to the wisdom and patriotism of -Congress to carry out details if my gift is accepted, -as I think I may assume it will be, and I shall attempt -no interference with its action, even by suggestion, -beyond stating the conditions upon which the fund of -$2,400,000,000 will be provided.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It will, possibly, not be out of place for me to assign -here a few of the reasons why I require that loans be -limited to the owners of productive land, and why I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>do not permit dwellers in towns and cities, and those -engaged in commerce and manufactures, to share in -the opportunity for procuring cheap money.</p> - -<p class='c011'>To this very natural inquiry I might answer that I -have already arranged in San Francisco, in Chicago, -and in New York, for aiding co-operative labor corporations -to procure, at a low rate of interest, the -money necessary for their use; that I design extending -similar aid in other localities, and that I hear of -several instances of other gentlemen conveying large -sums in trust for such purposes.</p> - -<p class='c011'>But the duty of aiding the farmers to cheap money -is so great, and so pressing, and extends to so many -persons, and over so large an area, that any concerted -effort in such direction is not only beyond the capacity -of individual wealth owners, but requires the machinery -and power of government for its adequate -discharge.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The farmers, of all men, most need the aid of capital, -and of all men they find it most difficult to secure -such aid. For years before the accidental, or, -rather, providential, discovery of an immense deposit -of gold-bearing quartz in the Santa Catalina Mountains -in Arizona enabled me to attempt alleviation of some -of the evils under which the world suffers, I had -observed that even when the manufacturing and commercial -interests of the land were in a fairly prosperous -condition, the farmers did not share in the general -bounty, and I observed that usually the produce -of the farmers’ land could only be sold at such low -prices as left them, at the close of the season, a little -more in debt, and much more discouraged.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>The official report of the Illinois State Board of -Agriculture for 1889 exhibited the distressing fact -that the corn crop of that State for that year actually -sold for $10,000,000 less than it cost to produce it, -and conditions since then have only slightly improved. -Even as I write, there are thousands of families all -over the land, not merely in a few localities where the -crops have failed, but on the virgin prairies of Dakota, -on the rich soil of the Mississippi bottoms, and in the -fertile valleys of Virginia, who are in distress, not because -they have been idle or dissolute, but because -their last crops did not sell for enough to pay the cost -of their production and transportation to market, including -interest at six, eight, and ten per cent per -annum on the value of the land.</p> - -<p class='c011'>Low prices, according to all standard writers on -political economy, are the direct results of a contracting -currency, and a consequent increasing scarcity of -money, and the cost of production is not only greatly -increased by inability of the producer to obtain money -except at high rates of interest, but the terms upon -which money can be had at all are often so exacting -as to discourage permanent improvement. The -farmer will not cultivate except for immediate crops -if he sees no hopeful outlook for the future, and not -only fears but expects that the mortgage he has given -will, in the end, cause his home to be transferred to -a purchaser at sheriff’s sale.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The yield of the Morning mine has already largely -increased the volume of standard money all over the -world, and this may do much toward removing -some of the unfortunate conditions to which I have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>referred; but such yield may also have a tendency -to discourage the loaning of money on long loans, for -men who have means to invest may prefer to place -them in property, the value of which must advance -with the increase of the volume of money, rather than -in loans, the value of which must remain stationary -absolutely, and cannot but diminish relatively.</p> - -<p class='c011'>It has been and will continue to be my purpose to -use the gold produced at the Morning mine, either in -the purchase of existing loans, or the making of new -loans, so that whatever of loss may come from diminution -of the purchasing power of a dollar may fall -not altogether upon those who have loaned money, -but in part upon those who have deliberately or accidentally -caused such increase. I suggest that if such -increase in the currency be caused by the government, -a similar moral obligation would rest upon it.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The addition of $2,400,000,000 to the currency of -the country will unquestionably largely increase all -values. It will at the same time encourage—nay, -almost compel—capital to seek investment in active -industries rather than in dormant funds. For the present -it will supply those who can use money to advantage -with a sure and convenient method of obtaining -it at a cheap rate of interest, while its ultimate tendency -must be to eliminate interest on money from the -world’s transactions, and bring money to what I conceive -to be its true function—a measurer of values -only.</p> - -<p class='c011'>When no interest can be obtained for the use of -money, then money will cease to be the most valuable -and become the least valuable form of property, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>the investor will be required to share the risk, if not -the labor, of producing values, instead of leaving this -to others, while he absorbs the profits to himself.</p> - -<p class='c011'>I believe that civilization is ready for this forward -step. The discovery of gold enough to compel it may -have precipitated the movement, but the movement -would have come all the same if the Morning mine -had never been discovered.</p> - -<p class='c011'>There is not a single benefit which the donation of -twenty-four hundred millions of gold will confer upon -the people of the United States that might not equally -be conferred by an act of Congress providing for the -issuance and loaning of the same number of paper -dollars, not based upon gold at all.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The credit of this great government used for the -purpose of accommodating the business, increasing -the resources, and stimulating the industrial activity of -this great people, and, supported by the indestructible -and undepreciable security of land, would be quite as -solid a basis for twenty hundred millions of paper -dollars as five thousand tons of yellow metal.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I am, Mr. President, your obedient servant,</div> - <div class='line in28'><span class='sc'>David Morning</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXII.<br /> <span class='small'>“The product of ill-mated marriages.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c012'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, November 1, 1895.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dearest Mother</span>: What an insufferable egotist -I must appear to you. A life made up of local coloring—a -central figure with no accessories—a record -of ways and means unwisely, perhaps, submitted to -you, since they may only pain you. Better a gray -and monotonous sea, without sail or sound, if so I -could spare you the burden of apprehension which -every anxious mother must feel for a destiny she -has helped to direct. Following the train of argument, -think you the loving Father acquits himself of -responsibility when a helpless soul is launched for -eternity? Truly no! and this conviction sustains my -courage, and makes me unafraid to do my heart’s -bidding.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It has been an observation that the thing we most -condemn in others, we shall find in ourselves. Many -years ago I conceived a prejudice against the popular -cry concerning the wrongs of woman, a movement -affirmatively named “woman’s rights,” for while it -undoubtedly aided some women in obtaining justice, -its aim was largely the gratification of some hysterical -ambition or some love of conspicuousness.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>Thus I am brought to question if, in my individual -case, I am not exaggerating evils and magnifying -wrongs by placing them under the strong light, if -not of worldly criticism, at least of self-love and secret -pride; if, instead of dealing soberly and wisely -with flesh and blood, I am not following an ideal, or -whether my matrimonial point of view is not interrupted -by such inappreciable angles as seldom vex -the eye of faith and perfect love.</p> - -<p class='c007'>All these questions, and many more, I wish to -make clear to my own conscience and your mind, -that you may be able to advise me when, if ever, the -time shall come for me to ask your loving counsel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>To speak more personally, I conclude, after mentally -reviewing the characteristics peculiar to my husband, -the baron, that his faults are less of malice -than of temperament, and that he would not really -sacrifice any actual interest of his wife, not even her -permanent peace of mind, any more than I would -compromise those of the baron. If it were not so, I -could less well afford the many hours of thought I -give toward the fashioning of apologies for him, lest -in my own mind I do him an injustice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, so believing, I must take many things on trust, -and, after all, I am full of faults myself, no doubt of it. -You know it is a popular theory over here that -American girls must be broken like bronco horses -before they are fit for wives, and I must say that my -own mouth is a little tender to the foreign bit already.</p> - -<p class='c007'>We have invitations to a grand ball, although I -have not yet seen them. Kindest love to papa, and a -heart full of devotion for you, as always. When will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>you write to tell me you are coming to your affectionate -daughter</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From Mrs. Perces Thornton to the Baroness Von Eulaw.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Boston</span>, November 10, 1895.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><em>To my daughter, the Baroness Von Eulaw.</em></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dearly Beloved Child</span>: In these revolutionary -times, the air thick with maledictions and curses, “the -putrid breath of poverty, and the beetling brow of labor,” -to quote the press, hot with greed for the -ground they are slowly but surely losing—in these -times I say, I am thankful that you, my child, are -resting in the security of strong and wise rule.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There seems to be no end to the vindictiveness -of the common people here. Your father, as you -are aware, is president of the new Aerial Navigation -Company, and, although, as he says, his policy is unaggressive, -and his weight of counsel unswervingly -in the direction of the interests of the poor and the -laboring classes, they seem determined to make the -breach as wide as possible, and go so far as even to demand -a division of the proceeds of every enterprise, -based upon the labor of either brawn or brain, and -insolently propose to tax the companies to the extent -of what they call their “labor investment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>What nonsense! It makes me so mad I don’t -know what to do. Papa says—he is always so conservative, -you know—that the poor fellow who effected -the invention of air navigation, really ought to have -been paid better for it, but that he was a genius, with -no common sense—none of them have, you know—and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>nearly starved, at that; that there is a man out -West, whose name I have not heard, who is going to -make it very warm for men concerned in such transactions -as this, which he denounces as highway robbery, -and in a short speech, wherein he maintained -that labor was as much a factor and an investment as -capital, in all successful enterprise, he called one Jack -Spratt, and the other Jack Spratt’s wife, which simile -pleased me immensely. We don’t know where it is -going to end, but hope for the best.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Now, my darling, I want to say how gratified I -am at the contents of your last letter. In it I discern -a spirit of what Christians call humility, very -consistent and very encouraging, considering the noble -personage whom you are so lucky as to have -captured by your charms and graces alone, for of -course your fortune had nothing whatever to do -with it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>If your husband were an American, I would advise -you to stand up for your rights. American husbands, -uxorious though they are, and they have earned the -name, bring you no title, have no legitimate entrée to -foreign courts, and even the most stupendous fortunes -only inoculate and leave a scar. Really, the only -clean business is an out and out marriage, love or -no love, though, for the matter of that, one must feel -toward the dear baron as the hero-worshiping woman -said concerning the wife of Henry Ward Beecher, -that she ought to be proud to bow her head and allow -the great divine to pluck every individual hair out -by the roots. “A most touching test of devotion,” -I hear you say.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>Do write, my dear, and tell me all the court gossip. -Since the California practice of shooting obnoxious -editors has been introduced in Boston, there has -grown up a virtual censorship of the press hereabouts, -and the newspapers are as dull as death. Every -woman’s character is kept in a glass case, and one -would suppose the men graduated from a meetinghouse. -In fact, the reading public who lived upon -scandals are dying of <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">ennui</span></i>, hence, I have no news -to write you to-day. Present me with continued -assurance of high respect to the baron, and receive, -yourself, my undying love.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'>As ever,</div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Perces Thornton</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, November 20, 1895.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My Dear Mother</span>: The grand ball, the mention -of which seems to catch your fancy, is to be given at -the Chateau d’Or, a magnificent edifice on the heights -overlooking the river. Its turrets, and domes, and -roofs, and arches, and balustrades, glitter against the -background of bluest skies like shining gold—hence -its name. Indeed, its architectural device is so cunningly -conceived as to catch and fill the eye with -radiant color like the facets<a id='t282'></a> of a diamond, while its -proportions suggest all the beauties of form to be -found in the scale of harmonized effects.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It is just completed, and is a wonder. Its occupants -are not much talked about; indeed, I do not -even know who they are, though I fancy the baron -does, for I recall that he replied curtly to my question -concerning them, that I should not wish to know -them, by which I fancied they might be Americans.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>Neither can I give you any idea of the bidden -guests, although, of course, it promises to be a magnificent -affair. As you know, in compliance with -custom, I could, in no event, make excuse for non-appearance -with my husband. Such women as accept -their titles and position from their lords, are expected -to follow, unquestioning, his leadership through -all social labyrinths, and I am no exception to the -rule.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dear mother, forgive me, if I say I feel very disinclined -to these gayeties. Since our experiences at -Mentone, I decided to give over all control of the exchequer -into the hands of the baron, accepting only a -regular stipend. I find this the only means of securing -harmony and altercations weary and depress me -overmuch. Wherefore it is I have lost interest in -handsome toilets, and therefor it is I shall have nothing -new for the occasion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Did papa receive my letter acknowledging and -thanking him for his munificent gift? and does it occur -to you that it is a good deal of money to invest in -methods of pacification? But what is the remedy? -This is a question I am puzzling my head about to -a much larger extent, let me say, than about what I -shall wear to the ball.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron dines at home to-day, so I will close, in -order not to be a moment late. You see I am growing -to be a model wife, if not a heroic woman. I see -the baron from my window beating a poor dwarf, at -the entrance of the alley. He has lost at play. In -haste and love, dear ones, adieu.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Faithfully your own, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span> - <h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Mrs. Perces Thornton.</em></h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, December 2, 1895.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>Dear Mother</span>: Is there but one depth for a -creature like him I call husband? What mockery in -a name! What have I suffered for him, and what -concealed in my pride! And this is my reward!—To -have been made the dupe of a dastardly plot to ensnare -cowardly victims! to have sullied my skirts -with the dust of a usurer’s and gambler’s den! to have -my name blazoned side by side with the modern -Cora Pearls in every court journal in Europe! to -have been led into the lair blindly, by one who is -sworn to be my protector! to have followed in faith -the man who could load the dice of his self-imposed -despair, with a wife’s dishonor!</p> - -<p class='c007'>But I must remember that all this is a riddle to -you, and must read like the ravings of a maddened -brain, so I will give you the story of my shame and -rage, albeit it has probably already been telegraphed -over two continents. Verily, it is too sweet a morsel -to escape the newspapers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As I believe I mentioned to you, invitations were -issued for a ball, to be given at the Chateau d’Or. I -noticed that the occurrence was making rather a stir, -and especially that the baron was unwontedly nervous -over the event, insomuch that when I proposed -sending regrets, he fell into a violent rage, and declared -that I would ruin him, past and future. Naturally, -I did not comprehend his meaning, but, seeming -to take it so much to heart, I readily consented -to accompany him, asking no further questions.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>Arrived at the place of what later proved to be a -scene of the most disgraceful orgies, we entered the -salon, and instantly my heart misgave me. There -was present a mixed assemblage of people, among -them a few whom I had met in the best circles—a few -who seemed equally out of place with myself—and -many of that nondescript quality found in every society, -who defy comment. But not until we were presented -to the receiving party, was my amazement at -its climax. I am not yet sufficiently in possession of -myself, to describe the magnificent apartments of the -interior of this most superb mansion. All that wealth -could bring from the uttermost ends of the earth, contributed -to the sumptuousness of these most artistic -apartments. No smallest detail had been forgotten -in the programme for this entertainment, even to the -grottoes with singing birds, and floes of ice in seas of -wine.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the recollection is hateful, and I hurry on. The -host was a tall, sinewy, middle-aged man, with a -strongly-marked Hebraic cast of face, and an oily, obsequious -manner, quite at variance with his prominent -features. He greeted us with an air of the most -profuse cordiality, and passed us along to a bevy of -much-painted and overdressed, or, rather, underdressed -women, who vied with each other in chattering -society phrases.</p> - -<p class='c007'>From the first moment, an undeniable air of dissoluteness -pervaded the entire place, and I looked to the -baron for an explanation. He pressed my arm nervously, -and politely warned me to hold my tongue. -There was no mistaking the animus of this party. It -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>was revelry, riot, unrestraint. Answering a sign from -the host, the baron soon left my side, and joined the -convivialists, I being politely led to the main salon, -where there was dancing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pleading indisposition, I declined to take part, and -remained aside observing the dancers. I noticed that -many of the women were singularly lovely and exquisitely -attired, but generally lacking in grace of -movement and aplomb. I observed, also, groups of -women, some of them deathly pale, others flushed -with indignation, evidently discussing the situation, -and the truth slowly dawned upon me that these -were women of the demi-monde, and that I had been -tricked into an attendance upon this reception.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After two or three attempts I succeeded in bringing -the baron to my side, much the worse for wine but -quite docile. I demanded to be led to my dressing-room, -and at first he temporized. Finding me insistent, -he begged me to remain, promising to be -among the first to depart at the proper hour. His -conduct was unusually conciliatory, and when I referred -to the character of the entertainment, his manner -was full of conscious guilt, while he assured me -that he would explain everything later, but that he -dared not precipitate a scene by taking me home.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this juncture Count Volenfeldt, whom we knew, -accompanied by the Prince of Waldeck, came our -way, and, saluting, faced us, and, remarking somewhat -satirically upon the unexpected numbers in attendance, -gave me an opportunity to ask if his wife were present.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The countess is not here to-night,” replied the -count, a little dryly. “She is not well.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>“And my wife is here,” put in the prince bluffly, -“but she will not be longer than till I shall have made -my way through this crush.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let us join the prince’s party and leave this place -at once,” said I.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Meanwhile the music had for the moment ceased, and -loud laughing and shrill voices, mingled with smoother -tones and words of entreaty, were heard, and there was -a simultaneous movement toward the dressing-rooms -and places of exit. Suddenly word came back that -the doors were locked, and the frightened lackeys had -fled from their posts, with orders that no one should -be allowed to leave the house. Then followed a scene -of consternation and confusion,—wives demanding -redress from their husbands, and husbands denouncing -the violation of hospitality by their host, and through -all the din the guttural tones and the piping taunts -of the unsainted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Presently the tall form of Herr Rosenblatt showed, -a head above the crowd, adding to his length the -height of a fauteuil, upon which he balanced, with a -drunken man’s nicety of poise, for he was drunk but -coherent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gentlemen,” said he, “we have met together, as we -have met before, for the purpose of proving which man -among us has the staying qualities, and who is willing -to risk his money in this little game. You come to -me and say, ‘Open your doors, my lady wishes to go,’ -but how many of you dare to go when I say to those -who will go, ‘To-morrow I shall expose you, to-morrow -you will sign over your estates to me, to-morrow you -shall be ruined and I shall be winner.’ I did not make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>this party for your money—nor that you shall play, at -my tables and lose, for that you have already done, -but one thing I want which money will not buy,—social -recognition,—and that you shall give me. You will -not leave my house, gentlemen, till morning. The -ladies will not talk about this entertainment. It is too -beautiful; they will not attempt to describe it. Now, -gentlemen, I bid you to stay and I shall make myself -sure that you enjoy yourself. These remarks make -it long for the champagne to wait, and the ladies, -poor things, will be wanting refreshments. And such -refreshments! Oh, <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mon Dieu</span></i>, that the gods could sup -with us,” and the speaker was helped caressingly to -the floor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>My dear scandalized mother, what did I do? I, an -American girl, with the blood of heroes in my veins? -Why, I remained and supped and smiled with the -others, for not a man even tried the doors. Thereafter -there was no restraint. It was, as I have said, -a night of orgies. Each man felt that he was no more -deeply involved than his neighbor, and that Herr -Rosenblatt had told the truth when he said to all, that -he held their fates in his fist, otherwise they would -not have been there.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was right, the affair was not talked about except -among themselves. But some mischievous astral,—some -ubiquitous spirit of a reporter,—was floating -about, and before twenty-four hours had elapsed, the -court journals had published an account of the whole -affair, comments included.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dearest mother, this letter is long, and I can write -no more to-night. I have decided upon nothing so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>far. So soon as I have done so, I will write, but I must -have time for reflection. In tears and love adieu.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>As ever yours, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c013'><em>From the Baroness Von Eulaw to Professor John Thornton.</em></h3> - -<p class='c014'><span class='sc'>Berlin</span>, December 5, 1895.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='sc'>My dear, darling Papa</span>: I have your telegram -telling me to come home without delay, also message -for the American Minister in case I should need it, -as well as that to my banker. Wise and loving provisions -all, for my fortune is squandered, my home -dishonored, and my heart more than broken, in that I -perfidiously assumed to give a love which was not -mine to give, and if I had obeyed my first impulse I -should have been on the way to your arms, and to the -dear old hearth I so thoughtlessly deserted. But can -you understand me when I say that all this I have -brought upon myself? I was not a child; I had a fitting -experience and was of sound judgment. I knew -I did not love this man as it was in me to love, indeed, -I felt for him neither the admiration nor esteem which -must form the basis of genuine passion. I respected, -aye, coveted his position, his title, and I brought myself -feebly to hope that some day I should be a devoted -wife. I staked my future, as he staked my fortune, -and lost. If the money was not his own to lose, -neither was my heart mine to lose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One other test I have applied, and the result is in -his favor. If I did love the baron as I might -love another, would I be so ready with my revenge?—Verily, -no; I would wear my life out in the effort -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>to cancel or correct the wrong against myself. Sacrifice -is the residue found in love’s crucible; passion -is the flux which passes off in the process of retorting. -In my crucible, alas! I find nothing but dross—the -more the pity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And so I have decided to remain in Berlin for the -present. I am sketching out my plans for the future, -but they are crude and unformed, and are of a sort of -lighthouse quality, meant to warn people of the rocky -places. But more of this anon. Tell my mother, -dearest papa, how condemned I feel to give her so -much agony on my account. Don’t worry; I will -be quite happy now that my mind is settled. Possibly -we shall come over in a few weeks, but only possibly. -I am sorry I wrote my last to mamma with so -much feeling. Good-night, and good-by.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your devoted, <span class='sc'>Ellen</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> <span class='small'>“Happy peace and goodly government.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Shut that door!” thundered the baron from -over the washbowl in a Pullman car, as he stood half-dressed -in a small apartment, taking his morning bath.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who are you addressin’?” answered a pale-faced -young man—who was passing—from under a broad, -stiff-brimmed hat, the crown of which was encircled -with the skin of a huge rattlesnake. “I reckon you -want your nose set back about an inch anyhow, and -I’m the man that can perform that little blacksmithin’ -job right here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron glanced at the gray-clad figure, with its -gleaming silk ’kerchief knotted carelessly, and arms -akimbo, then down at the high boots with their fair-leather -tops, behind which gleamed the ebony and -silver handle of a bowie knife, and then, meeting -the steady, mild blue eyes of the Arizona cowboy, said -apologetically:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Beg pardon. I thought it was the madam. -She just left the compartment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You did, did you?” said the youth. “That’s -what I allowed, en that’s why I tuk an interest in ye. -Look a yer. That woman ain’t no slouch, and Gila -monsters like you ain’t popular nohow, yearabouts, -so you jest keep a civil tongue in your mutton head, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>an’ it’ll be all right.” And with the movement of a -leopard, he glided quietly away, while the baron, after -softly closing the door, sank into the nearest sofa, -and awaited the return of his wife.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Benson,” shouted the keen-eyed brakeman. -“Change cars for Tombstone, Nogales, Hermosillo, -Guaymas, and all points on the Gulf of California. -Passengers for Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma, San Diego, -Los Angeles, and San Francisco remain in the car.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron’s party consisted of the baroness and -her maid, Professor and Mrs. Thornton, Doctor Eustace, -who had accompanied the Von Eulaws from -Europe, and Miss Winters, an old friend of the baroness -and a graduate of a woman’s law school, who -had left a thriving practice in Denver rather than sacrifice -her life in the pursuit of a profession for which -no woman is really fitted either mentally or physically. -The party was <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en route</span></i> to Coronado Beach—the -baron as one of a score of representatives selected by -the emperor of Germany to attend the “dynamic exposition,” -as it was generally designated.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Six weeks or less before the Prime Minister of every -recognized civilized power had received a letter -couched in the following phrase.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'><span class='sc'>Offices of David Morning</span>, }</div> - <div class='line'>39 Broadway, N.Y., January 1, 1896. }</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To ................</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>I respectfully invite your government to appoint so -many representatives, not exceeding twenty in number, -as it may desire, to be present in San Diego, -California, during the first week of April <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">proximo</span></i>, -to observe and report upon experiments which will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>then be made in aerial and submarine navigation, and -use of the new explosive “potentite.” It is my hope -to demonstrate that hereafter international differences -should be submitted for adjustment to a Congress -or Court of Nations, and that land and naval warfare—as -at present conducted—must come to an end.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The gentlemen who may be credentialed by you -will be my guests upon their arrival in San Diego—if -they will so honor me—and I beg to be informed at -your early convenience, by cable, of the names of those -who may be expected.</p> - -<p class='c011'>I take the liberty of inclosing exchange on London -for twenty thousand pounds, to defray such expenses -as your government may incur in complying with my -request.</p> - -<p class='c011'>I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your -obedient servant,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>David Morning</span>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>The fame of Morning, as the greatest wealth owner -in the world, was now coextensive with civilization, -and his invitation had been promptly and generally -accepted. The Emperor Wilhelm II. chose for the -German delegation, five of his most distinguished -field marshals, five high officials of the German navy, -five great civil engineers, and five members of the diplomatic -corps. Among the latter was the Baron -Von Eulaw, who was indebted for his appointment—although -he did not know it-to an urgent unofficial -representation made by the American envoy to the -German Chancellor, to the effect that, for certain personal -reasons, Mr. David Morning greatly desired the -attendance of the Baron and Baroness Von Eulaw. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>Such a request from such a source was favorably considered, -and the baron—greatly to his astonishment, -for he had not been in favor at court since the affair -at the Chateau d’Or—received the appointment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Professor Thornton and Doctor Eustace had received -invitations to attend, and the baron, finding it -convenient to leave Berlin in advance of the other -members of the German delegation, sailed from Hamburg -late in January, and, after a brief visit with his -wife’s parents at Roxbury, the party journeyed to the -Pacific Coast, to enjoy its climate and scenery for a -month or more in advance of the “dynamic exposition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I feel,” said the baroness, as the train rolled out -of Benson, “as if I had a renewed lease of life; these -delicious airs stir the blood like wine, and, entranced -with the perfume of almond and oleander and jasmine -bloom, I forget that it is still midwinter in the East.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are drugged, madame,” said the doctor, -slowly passing his finger scrutinizingly over the soft -flesh upon his hand. “You could be lured to your -death in a few hours by—I wonder what ails my -hand?” he broke off meditatively, still feeling for -the insidious and evasive little hair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cactus, sir,” put in an “old-timer” across the -car, “and you ain’t got no use to look for it, if it -does feel like an oxgad. I could hev tole you when -I see you foolin’ around them fine flowers at the -station, but you fellers hev all got to try it once; -another time you’ll know better.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is Mr. Morning’s state, I believe,” observed -the doctor, after the laugh at his expense had subsided, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>and all sat dreamily looking away to the dimly-outlined -mountains in the distance, “and we must be -nearing the place of the wonderful gold deposit, with -the results of which he is rapidly revolutionizing the -world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are right, sir,” said a bright-eyed, smooth-shaven, -portly gentleman, of forty years of age, who -occupied an adjoining seat. “It is Morning’s state -in every sense of the word. He has made it—industrially, -politically, and socially. His enterprise and -money have constructed great reservoirs, and laced -the land with irrigating canals, and changed its wastes -into orchards, and its deserts into lawns. He is the -idol of its people, as he ought to be, and his ideas -are embodied in our constitution and laws. They are -all the product of his thought, from marriage contract-laws -to abolition of trial by jury.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Abolition of trial by jury,” said Doctor Eustace.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, sir; at least the jury is composed of judges, -instead of men who don’t know the plaintiff from the -defendant, and we have no Supreme Court.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No jury, and no Supreme Court!” observed Miss -Winters. “What a capital idea. I shall come here to -practice.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, miss, if you practice law here, and wish to -patronize the twelve men in a box, or enjoy the luxury -of an appeal, you must bring your case in the -United States Court, or take it there. In our State -courts we have dispensed with all that ancient rubbish.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rubbish!” exclaimed the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Even so,” rejoined the stranger. “The judicial -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>system in vogue elsewhere than in Arizona is as much -a relic of barbarism as slavery or polygamy. It is no -more fitted to the wants and enlightenment of the age -than the canal boat for traveling, or the flint lock -musket for shooting pigeons. Suppose you wish to -recover a piece of land from a jumper in California or -Maine, and one side or the other demands a jury trial. -Every good citizen who is busy shirks duty as a juryman. -Every intelligent citizen who reads the newspapers -forms an opinion and is excused. From the -residue—which is sure to contain both fools and -knaves—you get twelve clerks, mechanics, laborers, -merchants, farmers, and idlers—none of whom have -any training in untangling complicated propositions, -weighing evidence, remembering principles of law -and logic, and according to each fact its just and relative -importance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“After these twelve men have listened to a muddle -of testimony, objections, law papers, and speeches, -concluding with bewildering instructions, which half of -them fail to remember, and the other half fail to understand, -they retire to the jury room and guess out -a verdict. The losing party appeals, and, after wearisome -delay, the Supreme Court decides that ‘someone -has blundered,’ and, without attempting to correct -the error by a proper judgment, sends the case back -for another trial, another batch of blunders, and -another appeal.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how does your Arizona system correct the -evils you depict?” queried the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We commence at the other end of the puzzle,” -said the stranger. “We place the Supreme Court in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>the jury box. We have a preliminary court of three -judges in each judicial district. Every plaintiff must -first present his case informally to this court. He -states on oath the facts he expects to prove, and gives -the names of his witnesses. Any willful mis-statement -of a material fact, is perjury. If the evidence would, -if uncontradicted, entitle him to recover, an order -is issued giving him leave to sue. In practice, not -one-half of the proposed suits survive the ordeal. -The saving of time and money is great. Under the -old system, after a jury had been impaneled, and -days consumed, the plaintiff might, after all, be nonsuited. -Now it is all disposed of in an hour or two. -The preliminary court practically puts an end to all -blackmailing litigation.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And when leave to sue is granted, what is the -next step?” inquired the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The case is brought under the same rules of procedure -as of old,” replied the stranger, “with only -such changes as were necessary to adapt litigation to -the new conditions. We have three judicial districts -in the State, and nine judges for each district. Upon -questions of law arising during the trial, the judges -pass by a majority vote, and in making the final decision, -from which there is no appeal, seven judges -must concur.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Does this system satisfy litigants?” asked the -doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Much better than the old method,” replied the -stranger. “What honest litigant would not prefer -to have his rights determined by nine men, who were -trained to sift truth from error, who were honest and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>just, and without other duties to distract them, rather -than by twelve men such as ordinarily find their way -into the jury box? The judgment of seven out of -nine judges will be as nearly right as human conclusions -can well be, and people affected by it are -better satisfied—even when they lose—than by the -guess of a stupid and sleepy jury.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can the courts you have organized attend to all -the business?” asked the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Easily,” was the rejoinder. “No time is consumed -in procuring juries, and much less in objections to -testimony. Arguments are abbreviated, and instructions -eliminated. In practice, four cases out of five -are decided from the bench.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are not the salaries of so many judges a heavy -tax upon you?” asked the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The system costs the public treasury less than the -old one,” was the reply. “Many court expenses are -dispensed with, and the expense to litigants is reduced, -although the loser is now compelled to pay -the fee of his opponent’s attorney, which is fixed by -the court.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As you have no court of appeals, I suppose no -record is made of court proceedings,” remarked the -doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, each court room is provided with one of -the new automatic noiseless receiving and printing -phonographs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how about lawyers who have bad cases?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They endeavor to take them into the United -States Court, where the old practice prevails.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Beg pardon, ma’am,” said the Pullman conductor, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>approaching Mrs. Thornton, “but we are passing -over the new line, which runs north of Gila River, -and a view may be had of the sleeping Montezuma -now, and the passengers generally like to see it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The sleeping Montezuma! What is that?” asked -the lady addressed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is the giant figure of an Indian resting on his -back on the top of the mountain. You can see it -now quite plainly from the right-hand windows of -the car.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And across the plain—in centuries gone densely -peopled by some prehistoric race, and then for centuries -a waste, and, since the completion of the Gila -Canal, a checker-board of orchard, vineyard, and -meadow, the eye looked upon the lavender-tinted -mountains to the northward, and it required no aid -from the imagination to behold, upon the summits of -those mountains, the profile of a stately figure and -majestic face, with a crown of feathers upon the brow, -lying upon its back.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once there lived, in the shadow of this giant, a race, -of which traces may still be found in mounds containing -pottery, and in the ruins of great aqueducts, -and in stone houses seven stories in height, a portion -of the walls of which are still standing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The Indians hereabouts have a story,” said the -conductor, “to the effect that Montezuma went to -sleep, when the sun dried up the waters, and his people -died, and they say now that Morning’s canal is -making the country green again, the old chief will -awaken.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You were saying,” said Doctor Eustace, by way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>of suggestion to the stranger, “that there are some -peculiar marriage contract laws here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is all expressed, sir, in the preamble to the law, -and in the law itself, a copy of which I happen to -have with me, as I am on the way to attend court at -Yuma. Here it is,” and he offered the book to Professor -Thornton.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Read it aloud, professor,” said the doctor, and -the professor read:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The Senate and Assembly of the State of Arizona -recognizes the truth that not easy divorce laws, but -easy marriage laws, are at the root of the conjugal -evil; that men and women have been accustomed to -marry, disagree, and divorce in less time than should -have been allowed for a proper period of betrothal; -that the loose system now prevailing often results in -children destitute of the inherent virility of virtue and -affection; that no adequate defenses have hitherto -been builded for the protection of young females too -unthoughtful and too trusting; that the laws underlying -the physical as well as the mental constitution, -with their multiple of subtile, gravitating, and repellant -forces, have hitherto been wholly unstudied, or -disregarded; that the arbitrary conditions of society -compel woman to accept marriage, in violation of her -higher aims; that in certain human organizations the -conditions created by propinquity are altogether false -and ephemeral; that certain other human organizations -are, by nature, filled with inordinate vanity -and self-love, which qualities, beguiling the judgment, -constitute fickleness and instability of purpose, and -that the true solution of the great social problem is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>likely to be found in preventive rather than in remedial -laws. Therefore, be it enacted”—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold up, John,” said Dr. Eustace. “That is all -my mentality can assimilate without a rest. Are you -not reading from an essay by Mona Caird, or a novel -by Tolstoi? Is that really and truly the preamble of a -law enacted by a Western Legislature? Have all the -cranks, and all the theorists, and all the moonstruck, -long-haired, green-goggled reformers on earth, been -turned loose in Arizona?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doctor,” said the professor solemnly, “the truth -is a persistent fly, that cannot be brushed away with -the wisps of ridicule. The Arizona legislators have -fearlessly attempted to deal with conditions which -every close observer of our social life knows to be -existent.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Papa,” said the baroness, interestedly, “in what -way is it proposed to deal with the problem? Please -read further.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The law is too lengthy,” said the professor, after -glancing over a few pages, “to be read in detail, but -I will summarize it for you. Marriages are declared -void unless the parties procure a license, which can -only be issued by an examining board of men and -women, composed in part of physicians, and in part -of graduates of some reputable school, dedicated to -physiological observations and esoteric thought and -investigation.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Anything about ability to boil a potato or sew on -a button?” interrupted the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Peace, scoffer,” said the professor. “It seems -to be required that all applicants for license shall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>have had an acquaintance of at least one year, and be -under marriage engagement for six months, and shall -pass examination by the board upon their mutual eligibility, -as expressed through temperament, complexion, -tastes, education, traits of character, and general -conditions of fitness.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is red hair, or a habit of snoring, or a fondness -for raw onions, considered a disqualification?” queried -the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor, ignoring the interruption, continued: -“It is required that one or both of the applicants -shall possess property of sufficient value, to support -both of them for one year, in the manner of life to -which the proposed wife has been accustomed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A gleam of common sense at last in a glamour of -moonshine,” said the doctor. “But how can such -a marriage law be enforced?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The act provides,” said the professor, “that -children born to parties who have no license, shall be -deemed born out of wedlock, and all such children, -as well as all children born to extreme poverty or -degrading influences, may be taken from their parents -and educated at the public expense.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How does this experiment of turning the State -into a moral kindergarten for adults, and wet-nursery -for infants, succeed?” said Doctor Eustace to the -stranger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The law was enacted only a few weeks since,” -replied the gentleman, “and it is too soon to answer -your question.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Humph! have you any more of such revolutionary -legislation?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>“Nothing so important as the marriage contract -act, but on page 72 you will find some provisions of -law which may interest you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The doctor read:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Women who perform equal service with men -shall be entitled to recover an equal sum for their -labor, and all contracts made in derogation of this -right shall be void.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good!” applauded Miss Winters.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Again the doctor read:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The men who represent the State of Arizona in -the United States Senate shall be chosen by a majority -of the voters, and not by the Legislature, as in other -States of the Union, and no man, however favored, -shall be eligible for the position whose property interests, -justly estimated, exceed in value the sum of -$100,000.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That will exclude Mr. Morning from the millionaires’ -club, will it not?” queried Dr. Eustace.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, sir,” answered the stranger, “but he favored -the law. Of course, under the United States Constitution, -this section is not legally operative; but it is -morally binding, and the Legislature has always -elected to the Senate gentlemen who were previously -designated by the people at the polls, and thus far -no man suspected of solvency has ventured to be a -candidate. Arizona is friendly to progressive legislation. -You will find our law for the prevention of -cruelty to animals on page 56; it may interest you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor read:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any person or persons convicted of having -beaten, abused, underfed, overworked, or otherwise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>maltreated any horse, mule, dog, or other animal of -whatever kind, may thereafter be assaulted and beaten -by any person who may desire to undertake such -task, without the assailant being responsible civilly or -criminally for such assault.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That,” said the doctor, “to quote a Boston girl -on Niagara Falls, ‘is neat, simple, and sufficient.’ -Have you any further novelties in the way of legislation -to offer?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Our law of libel is in advance of all other states,” -said the stranger; “you will find it on page 163.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor read:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any man or woman or newspaper firm lending -themselves to the dissemination of scandal, or defamation -of private character, to the moral detriment of -innocent parties, shall, on conviction, be adjudged -outlaws, and may be lawfully beaten or killed at the -pleasure of the party injured.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lord,” said the doctor, piously raising his eyes, -“now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for -mine eyes have beheld thy glory.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We take a great deal of pride in that libel law,” -said the stranger. “It has inspired a degree of courtesy -on the part of Arizona editors that would have -made Lord Chesterfield ashamed of himself. The -Yuma <cite>Sentinel</cite>, which was accustomed to personal -journalism, lately alluded to a convicted highwayman -as ‘a gentleman whose ideas on the subject of property -differ from those of a majority of his fellow-citizens;’ -and the Tucson Star, which used to be the -chief of slangwhangers, reviewed a sermon and spoke -of Judas Iscariot as ‘that disciple whose conduct in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>receiving compensation in money from the Romans -for his services as a guide, has caused his memory to -be visited by all religious denominations with great, -and probably not altogether undeserved, criticism.’ -But we are at Yuma, sir, and I must bid you good-by. -Boats run up the river from here to Castle Dome. -There is an excellent hotel here. Tourists usually -stop over to visit the Gonzales place, and I suppose -you will not neglect the opportunity. The house is -a marvel of beauty. It was built by direction of Mr. -Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Does he live there when at home?” queried the -baroness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no, madame! The Gonzales family nursed -Morning through an attack of fever, after he was shot -by the Apaches near the old Gonzales hacienda several -years ago. The Señorita Murella never left his -bedside for weeks. Really, the doctors say the girl -saved his life. He was, naturally, very grateful, and, -when he recovered, he bought the Castle Dome -rancheria from the Indians, and had a rock tunnel -run into the Colorado River, and took out the water -and carried it in irrigating canals over a thousand -acres of land, which he had planted in oranges, lemons, -vines, olives, and other fruit. It will pay a princely -revenue to the Gonzales people in a few years.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Morning ordered built upon the dome overlooking -the river the most beautiful marble palace on the -coast, and they say it is not surpassed anywhere on -earth. The whole business must have cost him several -millions, but money is nothing to him. The -place is kept up in princely style by the Señora Gonzales -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>and her daughter. They entertain a great deal -of company, and are always delighted to welcome -strangers who may visit the place.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I suppose that Aladdin is a constant visitor -at his palace?” sneered the baron.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Morning? Oh, no; strangely enough, he has -never been near the place since its completion, two -years ago! Too busy, I suppose, helping the world -out of the mud. But he is on the coast now, preparing -for his ‘dynamite exposition,’ and may put in -an appearance here.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> <span class='small'>“A hospitable gate unbarred to all.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“All aboard for Castle Dome,” and the baron’s -party filed up the carpeted gang plank, and looked -smilingly about them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have often heard of the sumptuousness of -the Mississippi steamers, now grown traditional, but -this exceeds even their reputation,” commented Miss -Winters.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is the Morning line, madame,” answered -the gaudily-dressed steward boastfully, “and they -do nothing by halves, you know,” and he pompously -led the way to the ladies’ saloon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Except by half millions,” returned the doctor -jocosely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“These steamers were built for the accommodation -of the people who came to the World’s Fair at -Chicago,” explained the steward. “Morning’s a -queer sort of fellow”—and he grew confidential. -“He could have brought his air ships and new-fangled -things, such as he had on exhibition at the fair, but -he wouldn’t. He said it was kind o’ throwing off on -nature, that God never made but one Colorado River, -and he for one hadn’t the brass to discount it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you have many visitors belonging to the nobility?” -asked Mrs. Thornton, evidently inclined to -change the conversation from its personal trend.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>“Oh, lots of ’em! There’s a Spanish count and an -Italian prince stopping up at the Gonzales place now. -The Italian has been there some time, making himself -solid with the señorita, I reckon. And we are -expecting a party this week, Baron Von Boodle, or -some such name, with his friends”—here the baron -rose abruptly and walked out of the saloon—“at -least Mr. Morning telegraphed the captain from San -Diego that when this party arrived he meant to run -over here and make his first visit to Castle Dome, -which will be an event, for, after all the millions of -money he has spent on the place, he has never been -near it, and everybody is wondering at it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a night’s rest at the great Rio Colorado -Hotel, built upon the bluff at Yuma, the party had -made an early start, and had been on board the <em>Undine</em> -for some time before the line was thrown in and -the steamer began to move.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The steward bustled away, and the baroness rose, -with a deep breath of relief, and walked to the mirror. -It may have been observed of many women that any -new or sudden sensation or condition or emotion suggests -a looking-glass. Not that they see or are thinking -of themselves, but they seem thus best able to -collect their thoughts. So it was with this woman, -only that now she did observe two very bright eyes -and a radiant face, with the swift blood coursing back -from her cheeks, across the smooth white surface of -her neck, to the closely-defined growth of hair—that -oracle of beauty which no ugly woman ever wore, -whatever her features. She turned quickly away, -and, following the doctor and her father, the three -ladies went out to view the scenery.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>“You observe this bend in the river,” a voice was -saying, “where many a poor fellow has gone to his -death, for there swoops the most fatal pool of eddies, -perhaps, to be found in the whole channel of these -whimsical waters.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness turned to look for the speaker, whose -voice seemed familiar, and there, under the shade of -the awning, in full silhouette, looking in the face of -her husband, with whom he was pleasantly conversing, -stood David Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Her first thought was to retreat to the saloon and -wait for him to present himself, but as his swift eye -swept the deck, he caught sight of her face, and came -quickly over, followed by the baron, saying, as he -cordially took her hand, and held it closely for a long -time, “I enjoy one advantage over you, baron, my -acquaintance with the baroness dates back of yours. -I hope she has not forgotten me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The woman made no reply to this remark; she -simply said, “How do you do, Mr. Morning,” and -presented him to her friends.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The brief trip up the river among the cliffs and cascades -and whirlpools and caves and cañons and -towering cathedral rocks, furnished prolific and auspicious -topics for conversation, but it need not be -said that neither the baroness nor Mr. Morning -knew altogether what they were talking about. She -could not fail to see the pupils of his sea-grey eyes -grow very large when he looked at her, and he in -turn observed that she scarcely looked at him at all.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The professor talked a little dryly at first, and Mrs. -Thornton sat apart, evidently nursing her chagrin, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>for Mr. Morning was at this moment not only the -wealthiest but the most famous and powerful man in -all the world, and, had he sought it, could have obtained -orders of high nobility from every crowned -head in Europe. The baron, who would have seen -“Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt,” if that brow -possessed the attribute of Midas, looked at the situation -from an altogether different standpoint, and was -thinking at what period of the new-formed acquaintance -it would be prudent to ask the loan of a few, -or, possibly, more than a few, thousand pounds.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Presently the boat rounded into a little cove and -stopped. The brief but eventful journey was over, -and the party stepped from the boat to a flight of -marble-flagged steps, leading up to shining floors, out -of which arose columns supporting a light roof in -Pagoda style. Easy swinging seats, with hammocks -and tables, with a few racks and stands, completed -the pretty “Rest” for the landing, and the party began -to look about for the path of ascent.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly a tinkling sound was heard, and, softly as -if it fell from the clouds, a car, sumptuously carpeted, -cushioned, and canopied, appeared before them. It -was, evidently, meant for the accommodation of the -party, and one by one they stepped in. Morning -was the last to follow, and as he came aboard and -closed the plate-glass door, it shut with a tinkle, and -the car arose, moving proportionately aslant as the -grade of the terrace—which had been fashioned and -grown in the short space of two years—inclined.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My invention works like a charm,” Morning was -heard to mutter to the outer air, as they neared the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>summit and surveyed the height. The awe-filling -overhanging crags, thousands of centuries old, had -been blasted and chiseled and coaxed into shelves, -and steps, and nooks, and resting-places, softly carpeted -with moss, and decorated with growing ferns -and lichens. The wind came down the river and -shook the leaves above their heads, and stirred the -birds into a flood of song, and larks sat upon the twigs -and warbled with joy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Only two years,” said Miss Winters, as they -stepped from the car; “’tis not so long in which to -make a beautiful world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is much more difficult to people it with the -right sort,” mused Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The first builders had to try that two or three -times, if my memory serves me,” remarked the doctor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are these people of the right sort?” asked Mrs. -Thornton significantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness shot a quick glance at Morning, and -looked over at her rather too loquacious maternal.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am too much of an ingrate to answer for them,” -said Morning, undismayed. “I only know that I owe -them my life, and that I have never had the grace to -come and thank them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They had now arrived at the main entrance to the -grounds, and the scene presented was one of indescribable -beauty and splendor. The dazzling proportions -of the structure rose into the air with such exceeding -lightness and grace of outline, melting away -against the silvery softness of the clouds, that it -seemed swinging in the ambient air, and only for the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>cornices and columns and spires and turrets of onyx -and agate which defined the outlines against the sky, -one would look to see it float away like dissolving -views of the Celestial City. The magnificent dome -was rounded with bent and many-colored glasses, the -eloquent figures storying events of history both classic -and local, in pigments not known since the days of -Donatello, who went mad because his figure could -not speak. And there, upon its pedestal of purest -alabaster, stood the chaste statue of Psyche, just as -Morning had hewn it out of his captious fancy so long -ago, and Cupid opposite, half eager, half evasive, and -restless. Ah, well! and he looked into the deep, appreciative -eyes of the woman by his side, and said not -a word.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having selected the most thoroughly skilled architects, -artists, and artisans, and no limit having been -placed to expenditure, it was evident that every detail -of Morning’s plan had been faithfully executed. But -beyond this his power, or, rather, his supervision or -direction, had ceased. At last it was the estate and -home of the Gonzales family and not his own, and -concerning its management, or the manner in which -they should enjoy it, he did not offer even a suggestion. -Morning’s instructions, left with the Bank of -California more than two years before, were to pay all -checks signed by the Señora or the Señorita Gonzales, -no matter what amount, and charge them to his account.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Gonzales family had taken their good fortune -with great equanimity. Their inclinations led them -to a generous and exceedingly promiscuous hospitality, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>and they had not hesitated to arrange the ménage of -their household without regard to conventionalities. -Instead of the solemn and ubiquitous functionary at -the open door, there was vacancy, while the party -stood upon the tessellated floor of the broad vestibule -for several minutes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Presently a young Spaniard in boots and clanking -spurs, with silver-laced sombrero and flaming tie, -threw wide the door, and simultaneously Morning -caught a glimpse through an open court of a female -figure leaning upon the rosewood balustrade, mounted -with a cable of silver, which surrounded a corridor, -and idly tossing with her fan the light, half-curling -locks of a man who sat upon a low seat, resting his -head against her knee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was only a glance as the sun strikes against the -steel, sharply cutting its way upon the eye, or like the -incisive impress of some exceptional face in passing, -whereby one seizes every detail of color and form, -void of conscious effort. It was easy to recognize the -graceful outline of the swaying figure as she sat poised -under the sunlight, and swift and unbidden even as -the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">coup d’œil</span></i> was, the senses of David Morning -thrilled with gladness. Was it the sight of Murella -again that sent that shaft of ecstasy through his soul? -or was it the all up-building, all-leveling lesson that -the Señorita Gonzales was being amused?</p> - -<p class='c007'>The arrival of the party had been manifestly unexpected, -and no formal announcement was made, but -no sooner had they entered the magnificent reception -hall at one extremity than Señorita Gonzales appeared -at the other. She entered with a movement of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>most exquisite grace, robed, rather than dressed, in a -gown of acanthus green satin, flowing in the back from -the half-bared neck to the gold-embroidered border of -the demi-train. The front was gathered at the shoulder -and fell with lengths of creamy lisse to the perfect -foot, with its slippers of gold. A corselet of rich embroideries -rounded the waist. The sleeves were -loosely puffed and draped with softest lace to the white -and flexible wrist, while the web-like lace of her mantilla -rested lightly upon the shining coils of her abundant -hair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As Mr. Morning advanced toward the center of the -room to greet his beautiful hostess, she drew an audible -breath, and lifted her finely-arched brows, but no -sign betrayed other emotion. Mr. Morning presented -his friends in the most casual and easy manner, but -when the Baroness Von Eulaw came forward, taller -by some inches than the Señorita Gonzales, and with -an exquisite manner was about to speak, the little -hostess, with an air of special affability and simplicity, -asked, showing her small white teeth the while:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To who owe I a the honor of this visite of a noble -baroness?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a bombshell in satin and lace which fell at -the feet of Morning, and for an instant he saw no way -to the rescue of the baroness. Then, rallying, he -quickly replied:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To the reputation for hospitality of the fair owner -of this house, and that of her charming family.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I no know if my name travel so long time a,” -she rejoined, looking at Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron then came forward, and, politely holding -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>her fingers, said in Spanish, “I hope that the -Señorita and Señora Gonzales are quite well, as who -should not be in this Italy of rare delights?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, Italy! that is the home of my parteekler -friend. He paint Italia, he sing Italia, and he make -me promise for go many times.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That settles it,” Morning muttered sententiously, -but no one heard.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then the conversation became general, the baroness -commenting kindly upon the encroachments upon -the time of the señorita in receiving curious visitors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh,” retorted Murella with pretty nonchalance, -“I no care! I lofe amuse myself,” leading the way -to the main saloon. “I haf always parteekler frent, -same as baroness, ess it not?” and she sank indolently -into the cushioned depths of a primrose sofa, -waving the baroness to a place beside her, and leaving -the party to make choice of seats.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A glance at the original design and superb appointments -of this interior suggested the incongruity of -hammocks and <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">ollas</span></i>, yet here they were many times -repeated, for “ice is the devil’s nectar,” runs a Spanish -proverb, and the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">olla</span></i> has no rival save the mescal -jug.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Every well-to-do Mexican family keeps beneath its -roof a corps of female retainers, who are neither servants -nor guests, but something between the two. -They dine—except on occasions—at the family board, -and mingle always at the family gathering, but they -assist in the household labors, and sometimes, though -not often, receive a stated money compensation. -They are usually relatives, more or less distant, of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>mistress of the household. The beautiful casa and -great wealth of the Gonzales family had nearly depopulated -the neighboring Mexican State of Sonora -of all the needy Alvarados who could claim kinship -with the Donna Maria, and a dozen of these señoritas -now appeared shyly at the doors, their mantillas -closely drawn, though the day was warm, and many -voices and excellent music were heard from all quarters -of the house and grounds.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a few moments the Señora Gonzales, with her -brother, Don Manuel Alvarado, who acted as major-domo -of the estate, were presented, but the señora -soon glided away unobserved, leaving her brother to -the honors of guide over the mansion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are very beautiful,” spoke Murella with apparent -naiveté, as they arose to follow the party who -had preceded them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The smile of the baroness was tinged with bitterness -as she turned to look into the Madonna face beside -her, and ventured to reply.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Señor Morning lofes you like heaven and the -angels,” she continued unctuously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Señorita, you forget that I have a husband.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is he jealous?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Surely no,” replied the baroness sincerely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I no know what you mean a.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I mean that I owe a wife’s duty to the baron,” -slowly, with rising color.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And what you owe a to the other fellow?” meaning -Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness was too much confused to speak.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know him a long time?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Before I married the baron and went abroad.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>“And you lofe him all these a year? Oh thunner!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Murella’s English must be taken with many grains -of allowance. The strongest words in a foreign or -unfamiliar tongue seem ineffectual and weak.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I must plead the indulgence of a guest,” laughed -the baroness, “and withdraw myself from the searching -operations of your cunning catechism, or turn the -lights upon you. How long have you known—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the señorita had softly glided away, standing -apart and giving hurried orders for luncheon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning was in a dilemma. It will have been observed -that, after the first moment of greeting, Murella -had given him no farther thought. Gratitude is -not with the Spaniard one of the cardinal virtues, as -he was aware, so that was an unvexed question. If -his name had not been so prominently before the -world, doubtless they would—the entire family included—have -forgotten it ere this. But was it pique, -was it pride, or was it embarrassment, that led Murella -to thus overlook him?</p> - -<p class='c007'>Certainly she had recognized the baroness at the -first glance, to his amazement and bewilderment, for -the episode of her examination and temporary custody -of the photograph was unknown to him, and -just so surely her first impulse had been to render -that lady as uncomfortable as possible. But, with her -usual swift sagacity, she had, with an eye single to -her own cunning tactics, quite changed her base of -action, and, with admirable finesse, proceeded at once -to make a friend of the baroness, through her charming -frankness and unsophisticated confidences. The -steady, unflinching eye of Morning, therefore, while -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>trained as the eagle’s to catch the fiercest rays of the -noonday sun, could no more follow the erratic and -elusive movements of the elfish fancy of this fascinating -woman than the eye of his horse could follow -the flash of a meteor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come, señora,” said Murella to the baroness a -moment later, “I know the ting you was ask a me, -how long time I know Señor Morning lofe a you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness knew that she had not meant to ask -any such question, but rather how long the señorita -had known Mr. Morning. But she had scarcely -opened her lips when Murella talked on.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You tink I no know lof when a I see a? Eh! -what that on his face when he a tak a your hand for -make a me know you Baroness Von Eulaw? Eh? -what you call proud, courage, lof, beautiful life!” -and her flashing eyes burned like stars in heaven’s -night.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Strange caprice! the track was cold over which she -had set out to run the race for a life, and many a prize -had been won and thrown away since then, and now -she was burning with the wish that her rival should -gain that which she had lost. Was it magnanimity, -or was it a natural-born desire to defraud some man -of his marital rights, and give some woman a victory?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now we will go to the Morning room so I call -a;” and together they walked over the exquisite -mosaic floors, and halls of parquetry, and stairway -glittering as the sun, and figures of classic art looked -down, and fold on fold of hues of soft-blent shadows -dropped from tinted panes and fell around them. In -apparently the most casual way they passed a studio -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>filled with light and color, where, in violet velvet -blouse, and cap upon his poetic locks, worked and -smoked the master of Italian art.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is my parteekler fren—the Baroness Von -Eulaw, Señor Fillipo,” and they hurried on.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arrived at the suite, they first entered the dressing -room. It was plainly finished in French gray, with -gold and blue enamel, the same colors repeated in -drapery and cushions. But one piece attracted particular -attention. It was an alabaster fountain, the -elaborate accessories half concealing a full-sized bust -of Morning, the identity of which could not be mistaken. -It was exquisitely chiseled, and falling jets, -and icy foam, and cascades like cobwebs, built up -masses of soft, misty whiteness, shutting back all -save an incidental glimpse of outline, and thickening -by contrast the boldness of the water plants at the -base.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A very pretty conceit,” said the baroness, approvingly. -“Who is the designer?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Me,” said the señorita, coldly, leading the way -to the main chamber, to which apartment Murella -carried the key. Unlocking the door, the baroness -had scarcely time to take in the mute, indescribable -effects of the auroral tints on the walls, stippled and -faded into thinnest ether, with its golden sky overspread -with winged cherubs in high relief, laid in -tints such as are only painted on angels, when the -baron’s party were heard approaching. One thing, -however, had struck the baroness, even at a cursory -glance. The dust lay thick and undisturbed over -all the furniture of the room. A superb curtain of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>corn-colored brocade hung over one end of the apartment, -which also showed signs of not having been -disturbed at least for a term of many months. A -gesture of impatience was made by Murella as she -spoke, in an irascible tone of voice, “What for a he -bring a they here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>However, the party, following their guide, entered, -expressing surprise at finding the ladies had preceded -them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baron at once walked over and engaged their -pretty hostess in conversation, laughing genuinely at -her piquant expressions and unworldly-wise ways, -while Morning talked about some irrelevant thing -with Miss Winters, and the rest of the company sauntered -to the remoter quarters of the apartments. Mrs. -Thornton, however, coveted a view behind the maize -curtain, and to this end plied the major-domo with -such blandishments as were at her command, and using -vigorously the little Spanish she possessed. The -Spaniard turned to look for the señorita—she had -momentarily disappeared with the baron—and he -flung aside the fatal curtain.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There, in a regal frame, in a painting by the famous -hand of Prince Fillipo Colonna, master of arts in the -Royal Academy at Rome, appeared two full-sized -figures. They were those of David Morning and -Señorita Gonzales. It was an interior of an adobe -house. The saints upon the mud walls, with rosaries -suspended beneath them, and the crude decorations -about the fireplace, with the hammocks in the shadow -were dimly visible. Light came in through a low -window, and fell upon the white face of Morning, just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>tinged with returning health. One hand held suspended -a pencil, while with the other, just discernible -from out the shadows, he clasped the girlish figure of -Murella Gonzales.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a master work of art, and more than condoned -all malicious or vain intent on the part of the -author. The expression upon Morning’s face was -one of placid amusement, while that upon the girl’s -was anxious and arch, questioning and trusting, open, -yet elusive, like the mimosa growing sturdily from -the potted earth in the rude casement, which receded -at a sound of the human voice. The noble artist had -evidently caught an inspiration from the local color—filtrated -through the hot brain of the lovely señorita—and -had touched the face of Morning with the light of -his lovely companion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mr. Morning had just crossed over to catch a word -with the baroness when the tableau was unveiled. -Her whitening face frightened him, and he looked -quickly over her shoulder at the picture. At the -same moment a piercing shriek, and Señorita Murella -rushed wildly down the room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“<i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">Madre de Dios!</span></i>” she yelled. “What a you do -that a for?” and she menaced the poor Spaniard with -her small fist.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was I, it was I,” pleaded Mrs. Thornton. -“Don’t blame him.” But Murella turned from her -with high scorn.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fool, I will kill a him,” she shrieked, again turning -to the place where the man had stood.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Señor Don Manuel Jose Maria Ignacio Cervantes -Alvarado, knowing something of the temper of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>his niece, had attended not upon the order of his going, -but slipped away, and in his place stood Morning. -For one brief moment Murella looked at him, -then, drawing a pearl-handled stiletto from beneath -her girdle, she gashed and stabbed the unconscious -canvas in twice a dozen places, crying all the time, -“Take a that, and a that, and a that!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning thought that his time had come, but he -manfully stood his ground, secretly smiling at the -bloodless assassination, until, exhausted, Murella fell -upon the carpet in a genuine hysterical rage. After -a moment he lifted her to her feet, placed her hand -within his arm, and led her unresistingly from the -room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>An hour later she stood at the boathouse, leaning -upon the arm of Prince Fillipo, and gayly waving an -adieu to the party, Morning among them; then, with -the artist’s arm about her waist, they slowly returned -up the terrace steps, while the decorated steamer -went out of sight around the cove.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And the Baroness Von Eulaw guessed now who it -was that had made the pin holes in her eyes.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXV.<br /> <span class='small'>“No more shall nation against nation rise.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Congress of 1892 builded even better than it -knew, when it dropped partisan prejudices, and arose -superior to local fetterings, and, in a truly national -spirit, secured for the United States of America dominion -of the seas and control of the commerce of the -world.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Act of Congress which guaranteed the payment -of five per cent bonds of the Nicaragua Canal -Company to the extent of $100,000,000, and which -provided that the canal tolls upon American ships -should never be more than two-thirds the amount -charged the vessels of other nations, enabled the company -to construct the canal with unexpected rapidity, -without calling upon the United States for a dollar of -the guaranty, while, more than any subsidy or favorable -mail contract, it aided to place the Stars and -Stripes at the mastheads of the vast fleet of ships and -steamers which, upon the completion of the canal in -the autumn of 1895, began to pass between the Atlantic -and the Pacific.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The local traffic developed by the canal proved -something phenomenal. Early in the history of its construction -it became generally known that the country, -for hundreds of miles about Lake Nicaragua, was not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>an unhealthy tropical jungle, but an elevated, breezy -table-land, environed and divided by snow-clad mountains, -with an average temperature only a few degrees -warmer than that of California, and with a much more -even distribution of rainfall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A knowledge of these advantages was followed by -a large incursion of American settlers. There is perhaps -no product of field or forest more profitable -than the coffee plant. Steadily the demand for the -fragrant berry is upon the increase, while, beside having -few enemies in the insect world, the area within -which coffee can be advantageously grown is very -limited. While the coffee plant does not require -an exceptionally hot climate, it will not thrive where -frost is a possibility. The hill slopes and table-lands of -Nicaragua were found to be peculiarly adapted for its -growth, and thousands of acres of young plantations -were already thriving where for centuries only wild -grasses had waved. Short lines of railroad, centering -on Lake Nicaragua, and running in every direction, -had made accessible a large extent of country. The -scream of the gang saw was heard amid forests of dyewoods, -rosewood, and mahogany. Mines of gold, silver, -copper, iron, and coal were opened. Cotton, -sugar, and indigo plantations were developed, and -Millerville, on Lake Nicaragua, when the war ships -passed through the canal to attend David Morning’s -dynamic exposition, was already a city of fifty thousand -people, provided with electric lights and cable -roads.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The advantages to the people of the United States -of the completed Nicaragua Ship Canal were almost -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>incalculable. The freight-carrying business of the -world between the east coast of Asia and Europe -was rapidly transferred to American bottoms. The -iron manufacturers of Tennessee, Alabama, and -Georgia were given an opportunity, previously denied -them, of marketing the product of their furnaces and -foundries on the Pacific Coast of North America. The -dwellers in the Mississippi Valley could now send their -cotton, meats, and manufactures to trans-Pacific and -Antipodean markets, and California redwood and -Puget Sound fir and cedar lumber could be sent over -all the Northwest.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the Pacific Coast the canal added twenty-five -per cent to the productive value of every acre of grain -and timber land. The cost of sacking, and half the -cost of transporting wheat was saved to the farmer, -and the freight upon all machinery and heavy goods -brought from the East was greatly lessened.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On Puget Sound the construction of a ship canal, -costing less than $2,000,000, connecting the fresh -waters of Lake Washington with the salt water in -Elliott Bay, gave to Seattle such facilities for warehousing, -loading, and dry-docking, and such independence -of tides and teredos, that a commercial -rival of San Francisco was spreading over the hills of -the fir-fringed Queen of the New Mediterranean, while -at the extreme southwestern corner of the republic -the city of bay and climate—San Diego—was rapidly -regaining the population and prestige which temporarily -slipped from her grasp at the subsiding of the -boom which, during 1886 and 1887, enkindled the -imagination, and beguiled the judgment, and encrazed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>with the fever of speculation, the people of Southern -California.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Even during the dull times which annihilated so -many promising fortunes in Southern California, the -attractions of Coronado Beach were sufficient to secure -for it exemption from the dire distress which overtook -other localities.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The company owning this enterprise successfully -defied not only a bursted boom but the very forces of -nature, for they riprapped the beach in front of their -hotel, and baffled the Pacific Ocean, which, after -gnawing up the lawn and shrubbery which fronted its -restless waters, had set its foam-capped legions at work -to undermine the foundations of the great ballroom.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Parks, avenues, and streets were improved, museums -and gardens developed, and races and hops -and fishing and boating parties encouraged. Excursions -from neighboring cities were organized, the East -was flooded with pamphlets praising Coronado, and -the pleasure-loving and health-seeking world was in -every way reminded that in this land of rare delights -it could pick ripe oranges and enjoy surf bathing in -midwinter, while Boston was shivering and New York -swept with blizzards.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The band at the hotel was kept playing every day -at luncheon and dinner, and it discoursed sweet music -in the ballroom regularly upon hop nights to auditors, -who found—as all people can find—more of the physical -comforts and delights of life at Coronado Beach -than anywhere else in the world, for nowhere else is -there such music in the sea, such balm in the air, -such sunshine, and fragrance, and healing, and rest.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>The faith and patience of the owner of the great -hotel were, in the end, rewarded. Month by month -and year by year did the numbers of his guests increase, -until, in 1895, the capacity of the house was -more than doubled, by the addition of a building -something over a quarter of a mile in length, and the -great hotel could now accommodate quite two thousand -guests.</p> - -<p class='c007'>David Morning selected Coronado Beach for his -dynamic experiments, and, with some difficulty, chartered -the entire hotel for one month, during which -time it was reserved exclusively for his guests. He -also leased the northerly end of the Coronado Beach -peninsula for the construction and equipment of his -air ship, and for a laboratory for the manufacture of -potentite.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The real Coronado Islands are within the territorial -jurisdiction of Mexico, situated about sixteen miles -south and west from San Diego Bay, and were, except -in cloudy weather, distinctly visible from Coronado -Beach. Irregular and ragged masses of red sandstone -a few thousand acres in extent towered to a height of -several hundred feet above the ocean, faintly staining -the horizon with patches of blue, resembling an unfinished -sky in water color.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These islands were destitute of water and vegetation, -and never inhabited save by a few laborers who -were engaged in quarrying rock there, and Morning -found no difficulty in purchasing them from their owners, -and removing all the occupants.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the northern end of the Coronado Beach peninsula, -Morning caused to be erected a laboratory for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>the manufacture of potentite, with which to load the -steel shells to be carried by the air ship. This new -dynamic force, or, rather, storehouse of force, consisted -of a combination of explosive gelatine with fulminate -of mercury, and possessed a power equal to -thirteen hundred tons to the square inch, or sixty -times that of common blasting gunpowder, and nine -times that of dynamite, and fifty pounds of it properly -directed would sink any ironclad afloat. It is quite -safe for manipulation, because it is unexplosive, except -when brought in contact with a chemical substance—also -non-explosive except by contact—which -is only added immediately before using.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Petrel</em>, the air ship used at the dynamic exposition, -was built by the Mount Carmel Aeronautic -Company at their works in Chicago, and sent by rail -in sections to Coronado Beach, where she was put together. -She was cigar-shaped, one hundred feet in -length and twenty feet in diameter, and was built of -butternut—the toughest of the light woods. Her -engines, with their fans and propellers, as well as the -gas generator and tank for benzine, were all constructed -of tempered aluminum, made by the new Kentucky -process, at a cost of only eight cents per pound. -Being stronger and tougher than the finest steel, and -only one-third the weight of that metal, aluminum was -especially adapted for the construction of air ships.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The machinery of the <em>Petrel</em> was propelled by a -gas generated from benzine. The fluid was carried -in an air-tight aluminum tank, from which it passed, -drop by drop, to the generator. This gas, almost as -powerful as the vibratory ether discovered by Mr. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>Keely, was much safer because more certainly controlled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Petrel</em>, with all her machinery in place, with -two tons of benzine in her tanks, and ten men on -board of her supplied with sufficient water and food -for use for fifteen days, weighed but ten tons, and the -force generated from two tons of benzine was sufficient -to lift her, with a freight of ten tons more, to a -height of five thousand or even ten thousand feet, -and, without any aid from her folding aluminum parachute, -was able to maintain her there for a fortnight, -at a speed—in a still atmosphere—of fifty miles per -hour. No balloon was attached to the <em>Petrel</em>, as she -relied entirely upon her paddles and wings both for -propulsion and as a means of maintaining herself in -the air.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She was constructed upon the principle of aerial -navigation furnished by the wild goose. That bird -maintains himself in the ether during a flight of hundreds -of miles without a rest, simply because his -strength, or muscular power, is greater, in proportion -to his weight, than that of creatures who walk upon -the ground. Man could always have constructed -wings of silk and bamboo which would have enabled -him to fly if he had only possessed the strength to -flap his wings.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Aerial navigation never presented any other problem -than that of procuring power without weight. -Once able to obtain the power of a ten-horse engine, -with a weight, including machinery, of less than one -ton, one might fly all over the world, and, by taking -advantage of the air currents, a knowledge of which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>will soon be gained, fly at a speed of fifty or even one -hundred miles an hour. The recent discovery of the -immense power of a gas which it is possible to generate -from benzine without the use of fuel, has made the -air as available for the purposes of rapid transit by -man as the ocean or the land. The great cost of -locomotion by this means will doubtless prevent its -use for the transportation of freight, or, indeed, of passengers, -except for those who can afford the luxury, -and for them it will supplant all other methods.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Petrel</em> was provided with the new patent condensed -fuel, one pound of which for cooking and -heating purposes is equal to ten pounds of coal. She -was furnished with parachutes made of thin sheets of -aluminum closely folded one above the other. These, -when not in use, formed an awning or canopy over -her deck, while, in case of accident, they could, by -pulling a convenient lever, be instantly spread over -an area large enough to insure her a gradual and safe -descent, and should such descent be into the water, -she was so constructed as to float as buoyantly as a -cork upon its surface, while, by lessening the number -of revolutions per minute of her aluminum propellers, -they could be used as paddles for her propulsion -through the water.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The freight of the <em>Petrel</em> consisted of two hundred -shells of potentite, weighing one hundred pounds -each, and the result to the Coronodo Islands of their -falling upon it from a height of a mile or more, was -predicted long in advance of the experiment. “If,” -it was said, “fifty pounds of this explosive will destroy -an ironclad, what will twenty thousand pounds of it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>do to an island of rock? What would a dozen <em>Petrels</em> -accomplish, hurling two hundred and forty thousand -pounds of it upon an army, a city, or an enemy’s -fortress?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They could level Gibraltar with the sea; they could -extirpate an army of a million men; they could obliterate -London or Berlin or New York from the face of -the earth. A fleet of a hundred <em>Petrels</em> could ascend -from New York, cross the Atlantic in three days, destroy -every city in the United Kingdom in six hours, -and, leaving England a mass of ruins, with two-thirds -of her people slain, return in three days to New York, -with unused power enough to go to San Francisco -and back without descending.</p> - -<p class='c007'>England, or any other nation, could likewise destroy -America, for neither aerial navigation nor the -manufacture of potentite are secrets locked in any -one man’s brain.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If Mr. Morning’s dynamic exposition,” it was -said, “shall fulfill its promise, he can, if he chooses, -as the possessor of so complete an air ship and so -powerful an explosive, be the ruler of the world. -Emperors and Parliaments must, for the time, be the -subjects of the man who can destroy cities and camps, -and who can make such changes in the map of the -world as he may choose.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If the experiment this day to be made at Coronado,” -said the President of the United States, “shall -be successful, armies may as well be disbanded, for -there can be no more war, and governments all over -the world must, henceforth, rest upon the consent of -the governed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>Before sending the <em>Petrel</em> upon her mission, an examination -of the territory to be devastated was in -order, and the Hotel del Coronado was nearly emptied -of its guests, for the <em>Charleston</em>, the <em>Warspite</em>, and -the <em>Wilhelm II.</em>, steamed away to the Coronado Islands, -where the American, British, German, French, -Russian, Italian, Mexican, and Brazilian engineers, -with their assistants, landed, took measurements and -altitudes, and a number of photographic views, and -examined the islands thoroughly, verifying the accuracy -of the topographical maps and profile models -in clay previously made by engineers employed by -Morning. It was projected to make another survey -and set of maps after the potentite had done its work, -so as to preserve an accurate and unimpeachable -record of the result of what our hero modestly called -his “experiment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The vessels returned to their moorings about three -o’clock in the afternoon of the first day of the exposition, -in ample time for their passengers and officers -to attend the dinner given by Morning that evening -to his royal and imperial majesty Edward the Seventh, -king of Great Britain and emperor of India. This -sagacious prince, rightly conceiving that the dynamic -exposition of citizen David Morning was likely to be -the preliminary of an entire change in the methods of -government, if not in the governments themselves, -of the civilized world, determined to head in person -the British delegation, which was brought on the <em>Warspite</em> -from Vancouver to San Diego.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The manner in which King Edward has impressed -the American people may be deduced from a remark -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>made at the dinner by a shrewd observer and leading -citizen of San Diego.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That king,” said he, “is a dandy. He is credited -with being the cleverest and most adroit politician in -England, and I believe it, or he could never have -steered his canoe out of that baccarat whirlpool. If -Dave Morning’s dynamics should sort of blow him -out of a job at home, let him come over here, and in -one year I will back him at long odds to get the nomination -for the best office in the county from either the -Democratic or Republican convention, and, maybe, -from both. What a roaring team he and Jack Dodge -and Sam Davis would make for a county canvass! -Jack to do the fiddling and dancing, Sam the all-around -lying, and Edward the hand shaking and the -setting ’em up for the boys!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The ample gardens of San Diego, San Bernardino, -Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara were stripped for the -decoration of the banquet hall. All day flowers were -arriving by the train load, and several hundred floral -artists were at work in the great dining room. The -effect was surpassingly beautiful. Suspended from -the great dome by ropes of smilax was a gigantic -figure of Peace, wrought in white calla lilies, bearing -in her right hand a branch from an olive tree, while -her left held to her lips a trumpet of yellow jasmine. -On the walls the arms of all nations were wrought in -camellias, carnations, fleur-de-lis, and roses of every -hue. The music and the menu were both incomparable, -and, in accordance with the later and better -practice of great dinners, formal speech making was -altogether dispensed with.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>The next morning the shores of Coronado Beach -were black with people, and in the great hotel every -piazza and window facing southward or westward was -occupied. There was a light breeze blowing from -the north as the <em>Petrel</em> left her berth and rapidly -mounted in the air to a height of seven thousand feet, -which altitude she achieved with her fans in seven -minutes’ time. She then put her propellers in motion -and was soon a mere speck against the cloudless sky, -scarcely discernible by the most powerful glasses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But though out of sight she soon made her existence -and her work known to the multitude. In -thirty-five minutes from the time she left her berth, -she had compassed a mile and a half in height and -sixteen miles of distance and was hovering over Coronado -Islands. In twenty minutes more six men on -board of her had thrown over the two hundred potentite -shells, and in half an hour thereafter the aerial -wonder was again resting quietly on the peninsula.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a clear day, and the islands were distinctly -visible. Sight travels more swiftly than sound, and -before any noise was heard, the immense mass of -rock, crown shaped, from which the islands take their -name, was seen by the gazers on the beach to leap -from its place and fall into the sea. Other masses in -swift succession followed; then came roars of sound, -as if heaven and earth were coming together; roars -of sound which rattled the doors and casements of the -hotel as if shaken with a high wind. For twenty -minutes this awe-inspiring exhibition continued, and -when the tremendous cannonading ceased, the Coronada -Islands—in the form in which they had previously -existed—were no more.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>The work of resurveying and making new topographical -maps was subsequently performed, as a -part of the duty of those connected with the dynamic -exposition, but it needed no measurements to demonstrate -the awful power of the potentite. An area of -solid rock a mile square was rent into fragments for -a depth of one hundred feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Many improvements in machinery and management -were suggested to the officers of the <em>Petrel</em>, but -the experiment was conceded by all the great engineers -who witnessed it, to be so completely successful -as to practically eliminate land warfare from the future -of nations.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is fortunate,” said the Marquis of Salisbury, -who was one of the British delegation—“it is fortunate -that the manufacture of even a small quantity of -potentite requires months of time, great skill, and a -costly and extensive laboratory, so that it will be not -impracticable to prevent its preparation by private -persons. But given a piece of land anywhere in the -civilized world large enough to permit of the building -of air ships and the manufacture of potentite, and -sufficiently defended to afford to its garrison three -months’ time in which to perfect the making of that -explosive, and any power, however insignificant, could, -with a hundred air ships, destroy in three days all the -great cities in Europe.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As it now appears,” continued the Marquis, “this -method of warfare would not be so available against a -moving object on the sea, such as a war ship. But if -the submarine torpedo boat, whose operations we are -to witness to-morrow, shall be anything nearly as effective -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>as Mr. Morning’s air ship, it seems to me that a -convention of civilized powers to adjust international -relations and provide for a Congress and Court of -Nations, to which all international differences must be -submitted, will be an absolute necessity in the future,”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And how would the decrees of such a court be -enforced, your lordship,” inquired Prince Bismarck, -who was listening.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By the only aerial war vessels equipped with potentite -which the allied nations would suffer to exist, -your highness, and which vessels would be subject to -the orders of the Court of Nations. If any nation refused -to obey such decree, it could be disciplined, and -if any nation attempted to put a potentite air ship under -way, it would be necessary, in self-defense, for the -allied powers, after adequate warning, to extirpate the -offending parties.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Might not a potentite air ship be secretly fitted -out, your lordship?” asked the prince.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hardly,” replied the Marquis, “for, with the aid -of a corps of observation air ships, and of international -detectives in every center of population, the world, -both savage and civilized, could be adequately policed -at a very small cost.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And what, in your lordship’s opinion, will be -the condition in or before the Congress of Nations, of -a people who desire separate government and who -have been unable to obtain it?” said Mr. Michael -Davitt, who was standing by.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Marquis looked the Irishman squarely in the -eye and replied slowly: “I think it will be quite out -of the power of any government to retain by force -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>under its rule any considerable number of people, -who, with or without, a grievance, are practically -unanimous for a separate government. The Congress -of Nations will, or at least ought to, require that any -people seeking separation shall be nearly unanimous. -But do you think, Mr. Davitt, to be candid, that the -people of Ulster and the people of Galway would ever -be brought to agree to any proposition on earth?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Begorra, your lordship, if you don’t mind me -takin’ the answer to your question out of the mouth -of Misther Davitt,” said the Honorable Bellew McCafferty, -Home Rule member from Mayo—“begorra, -there’s one great principle upon which Oireland is, -and ever will be, united. Catholic and Protestant, Fardowner -and Corkonian, Priest and Peeler are all -heart and soul agreed”—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To do what?” queried his lordship.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never,” replied the McCafferty, “never to pay -any rint.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> <span class='small'>“’Tis less to conquer than to make wars cease.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The <em>Siva</em> steamed out of San Diego harbor at nine -o’clock on an April morning in the year 1896, carrying -as passengers the naval and ordnance officers -commissioned by the various European and American -governments to examine and report upon the -result of the dynamic exposition. The civil and -diplomatic representatives were apportioned among the -different members of the fleet, which had gathered -from the Pacific squadrons of every naval power in -the world, and was now lying in San Diego Bay. The -success of the air ship the day before in almost obliterating -the Coronado Islands, filled every mind with -eager anticipation of the results likely to be achieved -by the torpedo boats, and there was an especial pressure -for places on board the <em>Siva</em>, which carried the -novel engines of destruction.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Siva</em> had been built at the Union Iron Works -in San Francisco, from plans and models furnished by -engineers employed by Morning, and no expense had -been spared to make her the largest, swiftest, and -best-appointed war vessel afloat. Indeed, every other -consideration had been sacrificed to speed, and, as a -result, a ship was constructed of ten thousand tons’ burden, -drawing but twenty-one feet of water when fully -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>loaded, and able, when under a full head of steam, to -make twenty-six knots an hour. Relying upon her -speed to keep out of range of the guns of an enemy, -and intended rather for a carrier of torpedo boats than -a war vessel, she was, for her size, neither heavily -armed nor heavily armored, yet she was covered with -steel plates of sufficient thickness to resist the largest -ordnance, and she was equipped with rifled cannon -and pneumatic dynamite guns, equal in size and range -to any constructed. Her cost was $8,000,000, and -it was Morning’s avowed intention to present her to -the alliance of nations which he expected would result -from the dynamic exposition. The <em>Siva</em> rode the -seas like a gull, and was as graceful and beautiful as -a swan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Forward of her engines the hull of the vessel was -devoted to accommodations for housing, launching, -and rehousing the two torpedo boats, the <em>Etna</em> and -<em>Stromboli</em>. Each of these was cigar-shaped, one hundred -feet in length and twenty feet in diameter. They -were built of steel, with an inner and outer shell. The -admission of water between these shells would cause -the submersion of the boat to any depth required for -the purposes of destroying an enemy, while by the -expulsion of water they were enabled to ascend to the -surface. In the inner shell was an electric engine, -with sufficient power stored in its dynamos to propel -the boat under water at a speed of twenty-five miles -an hour for a period of five hours. Enough compressed -air was stored in steel tanks to supply the -needs of ten men for eight hours, and the <em>Etna</em> had, -on several occasions, as a test, remained submerged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>with her crew for four hours without coming to the -surface.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The construction of torpedo boats for harbor defense -was no longer a novelty, but this was the first -attempt made to demonstrate that a submarine torpedo -vessel could be used on the high seas to overtake -and destroy a flying enemy. The <em>Etna</em> and the -<em>Stromboli</em> each carried one hundred shells, each shell -being loaded with five hundred pounds of potentite. -Chain cradles for holding these shells were suspended -to huge fans of finely-tempered steel, shaped like -pincers, and the machinery for fastening one or more -of these cradles to the bottom of the vessel it was intended -to destroy was both simple and ingenious, as -were the arrangements for exploding them when -fastened. A fuse or wire attached to a steamer running -away at the rate of a mile in three minutes would -have been impracticable, and the inventor had therefore -arranged a time or clockwork cap, which could -be set to explode at any given number of minutes -from the time the shell should be fastened.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Siva</em>, containing Mr. Morning, the foreign -engineers, and the ordnance officers of the American -Navy detailed for the service, left her moorings at -nine o’clock and steamed down the bay, followed by -the <em>Warspite</em>, flying the British flag, the French corvette -<em>Garronne</em>, the Russian frigate <em>Tsar</em>, the Italian -ironclad <em>Victor Emanuel</em>, the Spanish ship <em>Pizarro</em>, -the Chilean man-of-war <em>Cero del Pasco</em>, the Swedish -sloop-of-war <em>Berdanotte</em>, the American iron batteries -<em>Charleston</em> and <em>San Francisco</em>, and the great German -steel war ship <em>Wilhelm II.</em> It was intended that this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>latter vessel should follow the <em>Warspite</em>, but there was -some delay in getting her under way, and she was the -last in the naval procession, being followed only by -the <em>Esmeralda</em>—the vessel to be destroyed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the termination of the Chilean insurrection it -was found that the <em>Esmeralda</em>—the war ship controlled -by the insurgents—was, though not unseaworthy, yet -too badly damaged by a contest with gunboats to be -serviceable for the purposes for which she was constructed, -and she was, therefore, sold by the Chilean -Government to Mr. Morning for $1,000,000—something -less than one-third her cost.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He purchased her for use as a transport in connection -with the construction of the Nicaragua Canal, -in which he was interested, and he now devoted her -to destruction, as a test of the power of the new explosive, -and the efficiency of the submarine torpedo -boats.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Esmeralda</em> was an ironclad steamer of the -largest size, capable of a speed of twenty miles an -hour. She was armored with steel plates, and in every -way staunch. On this occasion she carried only sufficient -force to navigate her, and she towed a large -steam launch, into which her crew would be transferred -and conveyed to a place of safety so soon as -the torpedoes should be fastened to her. Two lifeboats -were also swung, ready for launching in case of -accident.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Baron Von Eulaw had been indulging the previous -night in deep potations, and was, consequently, so belated -that the carriage containing the baroness and -himself did not reach the Coronado wharf until the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span><em>Siva</em> had steamed away, and was being followed by -the other vessels in the order described. The launches -and small steamers, with the guests apportioned among -the different vessels of the fleet, had also left the wharf, -and two-thirds of the vessels which were to accompany -the <em>Siva</em>, with their steam up and whistles blowing, -were impatiently awaking the signal to move, -and were uneasily churning into a foam the placid -waters of the harbor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hastily summoning a boat lying at the wharf, the -baron escorted the baroness on board, and, seating -himself beside her, directed the crew to row for “that -ship,” pointing to the <em>Esmeralda</em>. It will never be -known whether this direction was the result of accident -or design, for the <em>Esmeralda</em>, in size and general -appearance, strongly resembled the <em>Wilhelm II.</em>, which -was anchored just ahead of her in the stream, and it -was the <em>Wilhelm II.</em> to which the Baron Von Eulaw, -as one of the representatives of the German Empire, -had been assigned.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arrived at the <em>Esmeralda</em>, however, the anchor of -which was then being hoisted, the baron was politely -informed by the officer in charge of the deck that no -arrangements had been made to receive guests on -board the vessel, as she was destined to destruction. -The baron, with real or affected dismay, remarked -that the <em>Wilhelm II.</em> was already under way; that it -would be impossible for him now to gain her deck, -and, unless permitted to board the <em>Esmeralda</em>, and remain -upon her, they would lose altogether the great -spectacle they had, by designation of his imperial -majesty Wilhelm II., come all the way from Berlin -to San Diego to attend.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>He would be in lasting disgrace at home if compelled -to admit that, through his own negligence and -error, he had not witnessed the destruction of the -<em>Esmeralda</em> at all. Might not the baroness and himself, -under the circumstances, be suffered to trespass upon -the hospitalities of the officers of the <em>Esmeralda</em> until -the time came for abandoning the vessel, when they -could join the officers and crew on the steam launch, -and be placed on board the <em>Wilhelm II.</em>, or one of the -other vessels of the fleet, or return on the launch to -San Diego, as might be most convenient?</p> - -<p class='c007'>With some hesitation, the deck officer of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, -after brief consultation with his superior, -consented to the request of Von Eulaw, and, apologizing -for the condition of the cabin, which, in anticipation -of the destruction of the vessel, had been stripped -of everything save the standing furniture and a few -chairs, he invited them to make themselves as comfortable -as circumstances would permit.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With salvos of cannon and music of bands, the -gaily-decked fleet sped out to sea. Through the -narrow channel they steamed, past Point Loma, with -brow of purple and feet of foam. When they reached -the open sea, they spread out in line abreast, the <em>Siva</em> -taking a position on the extreme north, and slackening -her speed a little so as to accommodate it to that -of her companions.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arrived at the scene of the proposed experiment, -sixteen miles west of San Diego bar, the speed of all -the vessels was slackened so as to afford only steerage -way, and the <em>Esmeralda</em> was signaled to leave her -position next the <em>Siva</em>, and steam away at full speed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>to the north. Simultaneously with this order, the -hatches on the <em>Siva</em> were opened, chains and ropes -tightened, the vast power of the engines applied, and -the <em>Stromboli</em>, with her crew and cargo in place, was -lifted from the hold of the <em>Siva</em>, swung over the side, -and launched in the ocean.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was four minutes from the time the whistle -sounded until the launch of the <em>Stromboli</em>, and in the -meantime the <em>Esmeralda</em> steamed quite one mile -away. The <em>Siva</em> was a few hundred yards ahead of -the other vessels, and the <em>Stromboli</em> was launched -form her port side, so that the launch was witnessed -by those who thronged the starboard side of the -other vessels. The entire fleet then resumed its -former rate of speed, and the distance between it and -the <em>Esmeralda</em> was soon placed at one mile, at which -it was subsequently maintained.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Stromboli</em> glided away for a minute on the surface -of the sea, and then, admitting water to the space -between her steel shells, rapidly sank to a depth of -forty feet. The <em>Esmeralda</em> was still at full speed, and -making twenty knots an hour, but the <em>Stromboli</em> was -pushing her way under the sea, propelled by her -powerful electric engines, at the rate of twenty-five -knots an hour, and in fifteen minutes had overtaken -the doomed vessel, and was preparing to make fast -the torpedo which should destroy her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One pair of great steel claws, holding a chain basket -containing five hundred pounds of potentite set -by clockwork to explode in sixty minutes, was, by -the power of the electric engine, raised above the -cigar-shaped steel monster gliding through the cool, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>quiet waters, and driven through the plates of the -<em>Esmeralda</em>, just forward of the stern of that vessel. -A second was placed amidship, and a third near the -bow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The upper deck of the <em>Stromboli</em> had a dozen plate-glass -openings, through which a number of powerful -electric lights illuminated the depths of the ocean, -and enabled the men in charge of the machinery to -direct with accuracy the work of fastening the torpedoes. -If it had been necessary, men in submarine -armor, fastened to steel arms projected from the -<em>Stromboli</em>, and supplied with air through rubber tubes, -could have been placed at work on the bottom of the -<em>Esmeralda</em>, and maintained there for hours, even -while she was coursing through the seas. But it was -not necessary to invoke this process, for, by the aid -of the ordinary machinery of the <em>Stromboli</em>, the three -great shells were fastened in twenty minutes’ time, and -the <em>Esmeralda</em> was proceeding on her journey with fifteen -hundred pounds of potentite fastened to her keel. -The officers and crew of the <em>Esmeralda</em> all subsequently -testified that this work was performed noiselessly -and without jar, or any evidence that it was -going forward.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But had they possessed all knowledge, they could -not have prevented it. No rate of speed possible to -the doomed vessel would have enabled her to outrun -the speedier submarine torpedo boat, and no machinery -or appliance could have reached her under the -keel of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, or prevented her work, and -once the potentite shells were in place, it was beyond -the power of man to remove them, and no human -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>skill could prevent the explosion taking place at the -appointed time.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The introduction of this deadly force into naval -warfare was not intended to be unaccompanied with -some merciful provisions for preventing unnecessary -destruction of human life, and a code of signals had -been prepared for all naval powers, to be used whenever -a vessel was to be destroyed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The <em>Stromboli</em>, having performed her duty, glided -from under the keel of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, and, at a distance -of a few hundred yards, shot up a signal pipe -above the surface of the ocean, and with her electric -whistle shrieked through it a succession of signals that -were heard by the multitude upon the fleet a mile -away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Submarine torpedo boat has been underneath -your keel,” said one short shriek, and one more prolonged.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fifteen hundred pounds of the most powerful explosive -known to science are fastened to you,” said -fifteen short shrieks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Make ready to count your minutes of life,” said -one long and two short shrieks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In thirty-six minutes your ship will be hurled in -fragments into the air,” said thirty-six short shrieks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Leave your ship to her inevitable fate. Launch -your boats and save your lives. Your enemy will pick -you up and receive your honorable surrender,” said -one shriek, continued for five minutes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Standing on the deck of the <em>Warspite</em>, King Edward -the Seventh looked at his watch. If in thirty-six -minutes the <em>Esmeralda</em> should sink beneath the waves, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>the navies of England, with those of all other powers, -would be as obsolete for the purposes of attack or -defense upon the high seas as the galleys of Cæsar, -or the barge of Cleopatra. Another Trafalgar would -be as impossible as another Actium. The little -<em>Stromboli</em> and <em>Etna</em>, carried in the hold of the <em>Siva</em>, -could destroy every ironclad afloat. The latter vessel, -with her immense speed, could keep out of range -of the enemy’s guns, and she could send forth the -torpedo boats and destroy ship after ship. She could -pick up the torpedo boats, recharge their storage batteries, -refit their magazines with potentite shells, and -their tanks with compressed air, and send them forth -again and proceed with such work of destruction until -not a ship should live on any sea, except by license -of the <em>Siva</em>, and subject to her rule.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What revolutions and what changes would this -dynamic exposition not precipitate upon the mistress -of the seas? India would give her new emperor -the choice between walking out and being potentited -out, and Canada, and Australia, and every other colony, -would be taking leave. And Ireland—well, here -was a state of things! Ireland would have whatever -Davitt, and McCarthy, and Dillon should agree upon -asking, or else every British war ship would be blown -up, and every Irishman who could raise the money, -would try the effect of a balloon loaded with potentite, -upon his friends across the channel. Of course, -it was a game in which one could give blows as well -as take them, but that is a very unequal game between -an anarchist and a king. It looked as if King Edward -might be compelled to “rustle” to keep the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>British crown on his royal brow. It might be well to -look up a good cattle range in Colorado where he -and nephew William, with the Hapsburgs, the Bourbons, -and the Romanoffs might retire, should it be -necessary.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Among the stores of the <em>Esmeralda</em> which had not -been sent ashore was a decanter of brandy, which the -baron found in the cabin, and to which he devoted -himself so assiduously that when the whistles sounded, -announcing that the torpedoes were fastened to the -ship, he was, from the combined effects of past and -present potations, in a condition closely bordering -upon delirium tremens.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The first officer proceeded to the cabin, where Von -Eulaw and the baroness had withdrawn, and, attempting -to open the door, found it locked. The voice of -the baroness in a pleading tone was heard, followed -by oaths and maniacal laughter from the baron.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The torpedoes are fastened to us, and in thirty-four -minutes this ship will be in the air,” said the officer -through the closed door. “Our orders are to -leave the vessel ten minutes before the explosion. -You had better go on board of the launch at once.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is that so?” yelled the baron. “Well, we will -go into the air along with the ship, my American wife -and myself. My estates are all gone. The Queen of -Diamonds has seized them and given them to the -Jack of Spades. This earth has nothing more for me, -and we will take now a trip to the stars above.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The officer comprehended the situation in an instant. -“He has the jimjams, sure enough,” he muttered, -“Best way is to humor him.” “All right, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>baron,” said he, in a conciliatory tone. “But you -don’t want your wife to go with you, you know. Open -the door and let her come with us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah, no!” said the maniac. “The Baroness Von -Eulaw will go to heaven along with her dear husband, -that she loves so much, so much!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Madam,” said the officer, “can you not unlock -the door? If not, I will have it broken down.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” shrieked the baron, “she cannot unlock the -door, for I have thrown the key into the sea through -the window, and if anybody makes any trouble with -the door, I have a little pistol, and I will shoot first -my beloved American wife, and then the man at the -door, and at last myself, and we will all go to the skies -in one trip.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Madame,” said the officer, “is he armed?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He is, and will, I fear, do as he threatens,” replied -Ellen, with trembling voice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The situation is serious,” said the officer. “The -torpedoes won’t wait for us, and the crew will be getting -nervous. In fact, I am nervous myself,” added -the officer, <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">sotto voce</span></i>. “Suppose one of those infernal -machines should go off ahead of time?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Leave us, sir,” said the baroness. “If I can get -the pistol from him by persuasion, I will discharge it -as a signal, and you can then break down the door. -If I cannot do this, you must save yourselves without -us. It would be useless for you to jeopardize -your lives for us, for he will surely kill me, and will -probably shoot you if you attempt to force the door -now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What is the matter there aft, Mr. Morton?” -shouted the captain.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>“Dutch baron crazy drunk, sir. Has locked the -door, and swears he will be blown up with the ship. -Has a pistol, and will kill his wife if we try to force -the door, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get a rifle, Mr. Morton, and stand ready to shoot -him through the skylight. But I will first signal the -<em>Siva</em> for orders.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“<em>Aye</em>, aye, sir,” said the first officer cheerily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Something wrong on board the <em>Esmeralda</em>, sir; -she is signaling us,” said the first officer of the -<em>Siva</em> to the captain.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning, who was conversing with a Russian admiral, -overheard the speaker and came forward to where -the signal officer—the code spread before him—had -just answered, “Ready to receive signal.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The little scarlet flag in the hand of the signal officer -on the foretop gallant yard of the <em>Esmeralda</em> rapidly -spelled out the message.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Baron Von Eulaw and wife came on board as we -were starting. He has delirium tremens, and is -locked in cabin with her. Refuses to board launch, -and threatens to shoot her if we break down door. -We can kill him with a rifle through the skylight. -We wait orders.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The face of David Morning was white with the -whiteness of death, but, with a voice in which there -was scarcely a tremor, he addressed himself to the -commander of the <em>Siva</em>.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Captain, how far are we from the <em>Esmeralda</em>?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“About a mile, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How long will it be before the explosion?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Twenty-two minutes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>“Is there any way by which the torpedoes now fastened -to her can be removed, or their explosion prevented, -captain?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“None whatever, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Captain, signal the <em>Esmeralda</em> to have riflemen in -place, but not to shoot the baron unless he offers violence -to his wife. Signal her also to slacken speed -while we run down to her. Signal the fleet to slacken -speed, and fall behind. Get out a boat with crew to -put me on board the <em>Esmeralda</em>.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was a rapid fluttering of scarlet flags from -main and foretops, and the orders were obeyed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will go with you, Mr. Morning,” said the captain -of the <em>Siva</em>.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And so will I, and I, and I,” came in chorus -from a dozen officers and guests who had remained -breathless auditors of the conversation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” said Morning quietly, “I will go alone. I -do not propose to risk a single one of these valuable -lives, or this ship.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning picked up a coil of light rope from where -it hung on a belaying pin, and descended into the -boat, which, with crew in place, was now suspended a -few feet from the water. “Captain,” said he, “as -soon as we are launched you will steam away with the -<em>Siva</em>, and rejoin the fleet: The steam launch towed -by the <em>Esmeralda</em> will be sufficient to provide for the -safety of all. Run us as close to the <em>Esmeralda</em> as -you can, captain, before you drop us,” and Morning -rapidly knotted a slip noose in the rope.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Clang! clang! clang! sounded the signal to reverse -the engines; the <em>Siva</em> glided alongside and within -<span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>three hundred feet of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, and the boat -containing David Morning dropped gently into the -foaming water. Clang! again went the gong, and by -the time David Morning sprang up the ladder at the -companion-way of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, the <em>Siva</em> was half a -mile away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As the foot of Morning touched the deck of the -doomed vessel, it lacked thirteen minutes of the time -set for the explosion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What is the situation?” said Morning to the captain -of the <em>Esmeralda</em>.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Through the skylight we can see that the baroness -has evidently abandoned all effort to move the -baron, and is on her knees in the corner, apparently -in prayer. The baron is walking up and down the -cabin floor flourishing a cocked revolver, and muttering -to himself. The first officer with three gunners, -each with a Winchester rifle, are at the skylight -with sites drawn on the baron, anxious to fire as soon -as they get the order, and six men with a piece of -timber are in place, ready to burst open the cabin -door. It is only twelve minutes to the blow-up, sir, -and the men are getting uneasy. Shall we shoot and -rescue the lady, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet, captain. Can you open the skylight -from above noiselessly?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do so at once.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With his noosed rope coiled in hand, Morning approached -the skylight. Often in Colorado he had, -from love of sport, attended rodeos and learned the -trick of the lasso. His skill with it was the admiration -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>of the cowboys. “Kin Dave Morning handle -a riata?” said one of his enthusiastic admirers to a -correspondent of an Eastern newspaper. “Well, -stranger, I should smile! Kin he? He kin throw -his lariat a matter of forty feet around any part of a -jumping steer, hoof or horn. He kin throw a bull -buffalo at the head of the herd. He kin make a -buckin’ broncho turn two somersaults, and land him -on head or heels, just as he likes. He kin stop a -jacksnipe on the wing if he don’t fly too high. Oh, -I’m talkin’ to ye, stranger! Often I’ve seen him, -when he felt right well, throw his little lasso across -the room of the big hotel at Trinidad, and smash a fly -on a window pane without breaking the glass. Oh, -you can laff, of course! I ain’t got nothin’ agin your -hilarity, but if any gentleman feels inclined to doubt -the entire truth of anything I’ve been a sayin’, or has -anything to say agin Dave Morning, either as a vaquero -or a man, he kin get his gun ready, for my -name is Buttermilk Bill from the San Juan Range.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Poising his improvised riata, Morning looked down -through the open skylight. The baron, attracted by -the shadow, stopped in his nervous walk and looked -up. As he did so the noose dropped over his head -and shoulders, and pinioned his arms to his side, and -he was thrown to the floor, while the cocked pistol he -held in his hand was harmlessly discharged. Like a -cat, Morning dropped from the skylight upon the -floor of the cabin, followed by the first officer and the -gunners, all of whom proceeded—none too tenderly—to -wrap and tie the rope around the arms and legs of -the baron.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>“Now, then,” sounded the voice of the second officer -outside the cabin door; “now, then, my hearties, -once, twice, thrice, and away!” and, with a crash, the -door flew from its hinges nearly across the cabin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning half supported and half carried the baroness -to the launch, which was now lying alongside -with steam up, and they descended to the deck, followed -by the crew and officers of the <em>Esmeralda</em> and -the crew of the boat from the <em>Siva</em>.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where is the baron,” said the baroness faintly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The captain looked at the first officer, who made -reply, “He is in the cabin, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We have still five minutes if anybody chooses to -bring him aboard,” said the captain.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And after a pause of a few seconds nobody stirred.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ellen looked at Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And Morning leaped upon the deck of the <em>Esmeralda</em>, -followed by the captain, first officer, and one of -the men.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In less than a minute the Baron Von Eulaw, writhing, -cursing, and foaming at the mouth, was deposited -on the deck of the launch, which steamed away rapidly -in a direction opposite to that taken by the doomed -vessel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were just two minutes to spare. The wheel -of the <em>Esmeralda</em> had been lashed so as to head her -away from the fleet. Her chief engineer was the last -man to leave the engine room, and just before he left, -he pulled the lever to increase her speed, so that in -the two minutes which passed after the steam launch -and the <em>Esmeralda</em> separated, they were quite a mile -apart.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>Suddenly a dull sound like the throb of a great -muffled drum was heard. An immense arch of water -arose in air. Upon its summit was the <em>Esmeralda</em>, -broken into a dozen fragments, which writhed like -a python twisting in the agonies of death. For a -moment the cloven mail of the giant flashed and scintillated -in the sun, and then, with a sound of sucking -water—the death gurgle of those engulfed by the sea—each -fragment went out of sight forever, and great -billows of foam rolled over the spot where the mighty -ship went down.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> <span class='small'>“As a guide my umpire conscience.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Morning accompanied as far as Chicago the special -trains containing those of the European guests -whose official duties required their immediate departure, -but very many, including the Baron Von Eulaw -and his party, remained at Coronado.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a good deal of effort, the episode of the baron’s -conduct, and the circumstances of the rescue of his -wife and himself, were kept out of the press reports, -yet the affair was, nevertheless, one of those open secrets -with which many people enliven conversation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mrs. Thornton was, for once, disinclined to suffer -her admiration for a title to induce her to overlook -the homicidal freak of her son-in-law, and she urged -Ellen in vain to formally separate her life from that -of her husband. Possibly her appreciation of the fact -that Morning was now more renowed than any European -potentate, and outranked any king on earth, and -her comprehension of the further fact that he was still -deeply in love with her daughter, may have influenced -her counsel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Moved by some impulse, which perhaps she could -not have explained to herself, she took occasion when -thanking Morning for saving her daughter’s life, to -confide to him the history of how Ellen’s marriage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>had been brought about, to which she added the story -of her married life, and concluded by pressing upon -him for perusal, a package of her daughter’s letters. -These Morning carried with him to Chicago, and their -reading induced him, after parting with his distinguished -guests, to hasten his return to Coronado, -where he was advised that the Von Eulaw party would -remain for some weeks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On a delicious afternoon the baroness, with Mrs. -Thornton and Miss Winters, sat in the gallery overhanging -the old music hall on the sea. Although a -new and costlier edifice had been built, with improved -acoustics and elaborate design, the little gem at the -corner of the hotel, long washed by the waves and -threatened by the breakers, seemed still a favorite resort -for concert and afternoon recitals, and thither -came many who sought for a restful hour under the -eloquent discourse of the old white-haired professor’s -violin.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is a pity for the world,” said Miss Winters, -during a pause in the performance, “that so few are -able to look into the soul of Tolstoi’s labors. In one -of his chapters he expresses the epitome of all musical -sensations in half a dozen lines.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hope you are not referring to the ‘Kreutzer -Sonata,’ Miss Winters,” broke in Mrs. Thornton.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Miss Winters smiled rather than spoke reply. But -the baroness took greater liberty and rejoined rather -saucily, “The regular thing, dear mother, is to ask for -some palliative to remove the taste from your mouth -after the mention of the much-abused ‘Kreutzer -Sonata.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>Mrs. Thornton replied with a look of high disdain -and much fluttering of ribbons.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am not punctilious, but I could not sit and listen -to a defense of that man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am not defending him, though I might, especially -if he were my client,” laughed Miss Winters. -“I am only deploring that the world will not forgive -his truths nor forget his faults in the universal power -of his genius.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was well that the next on the programme was Beethoven’s -seventh symphony, and that the men strolled -in soon afterwards, for nothing is so prolific of enmities -as the subject of Tolstoi, unless it be that of tariff.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The enchanting numbers were ended, and the ladies -left the hall, the men taking another direction. -At the foot of the stairway they were accosted by -David Morning, who, after a greeting, turned and -joined the baroness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When did you return?” said she, looking full -into his bronzed face, and again at his traveling -clothes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Only this moment. And how are you? and has -the baron entirely recovered?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Completely, I believe, and for me, one could not -be so ungrateful as to be ill in this place.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I trust not,” replied Morning absently.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was silence for a moment, then, turning -shortly, and looking into the handsome face of the -baroness, he said, without calling her by name, but -earnestly, and it may be added a little peremptorily, -“I wish to have a few moments’ conversation with -you after dinner, if you will be good enough to consent.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>“For what purpose? When? Alone?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your first question let me answer later. Here, -under the palms, on the beach, anywhere, but alone, -certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Each question was superfluous, of course, but she -was gaining time. At length she answered slowly, -“I could wish you had not asked me for this meeting, -Mr. Morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I am going away. Will you, knowing this, -still refuse?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will come,” she said after a pause. “We will -sit here upon the veranda, after eight. The others -are going, I believe, to look at the dancers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And, thanking her, he lifted his hat and withdrew.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The halls were not ablaze on this night, for there is -not light enough in the world to coax the sullen -shadows from their lurking-places in a modern interior. -But the arches of heaven, albeit moonless, -were more obedient, and the electric scintillations -searched and filled every rood of ground with their -unwarm but willing light, or chased with exact pencil -the willful outlines of orange and oleander, or the -more tender ways of acanthus, pepper, and palm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning had wheeled a luxurious easy-chair alongside -of his veranda “shaker,” and sat with his hands -upon the upholstered back, waiting for the one woman -in the world to him, while the promenaders, in full -evening toilet, filed in pairs along the thronged corridors, -and the soft strains of “La Paloma” floated -down from the balcony and mingled with the plash -of the sea.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Engaged,” spoke Morning curtly, as a youthful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>lord, accompanying the British delegation, attempted -to move the fanteuil aside.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Beg pardon, I wish I were,” retorted the scion -of a noble house, striding away with the fair one upon -his arm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There is hope for that fellow,” Morning muttered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I left the baron to be taken to his room by his -valet,” explained the baroness approaching. “He -is a little tired and nervous,” and she loosened the -lace about her throat impatiently.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes,” dryly, was the only comment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He said he might get around here before he retired. -I hope you would not mind, he is so very -capricious, you don’t know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no, I don’t mind, but if he comes I am going, -for I ‘don’t mind’ saying also I’ve had enough of -that fellow!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness looked up with surprise, but Morning -went on excitedly:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I know I ought not to say this to you, but I -must say it, and a great deal more, unless you stop -me! I say you are in deadly terror of that man, and -you hate him beside, as you ought.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How can you—who told you this? Surely you -are assuming—”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, pardon me, I am assuming nothing. I read -your letters.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who gave you my letters?” asked the baroness -in amazement.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your mother urged them upon me, and I was -disloyal enough to read them, every line,” a little -triumphantly. He arose hastily and walked away -<span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>for a few paces, drying and fanning his face with his -handkerchief, then, returning, he leaned upon the -back of her chair, and, dropping his voice, said huskily, -and with quite uncontrollable emotion:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ellen—let me call you so this once, it remains -with you whether I ever utter the name again—dear -Ellen, answer this from your own sweet lips, have you -a spark of love for that beas—man?” correcting himself -too late. “I know how capricious the heart of a -woman is, and perhaps—but no! take your time to -answer, only give me your word,” and he walked -swiftly away, and looked out on the sea, and saw the -waves beat their soft white arms upon the sands, then -returned.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The woman had turned to ashen paleness. The -ever-repeating and distributing electric light had forgotten -the delicate tints of her dainty gown, and the -color of her hair and brows, with the roses upon her -bosom, and only the waxen face, with its dark eyes -filled with glistening tears, uprose whiter than the -beams.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Poor heart!” said he, noting the quiver of the -sensitive mouth. “It ought not to be so difficult to -speak the truth.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At length the tortured woman found voice:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“David Morning,” she said, in tremulous tones, -“I am not meaning to question your right to give -challenge to my despair, though, for reasons you can -understand, it is from you, more than from all the -world, I would have disguised it. You ask me if I -love that man? I answer, No, no, a thousand times -no! But my sense of obligation as his wife is as much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>stronger than my hate as misery is stronger than the -social bars which contain it, and I deem it neither -noble nor just to utter complaints against one who is, -whatever may be said, my legal protector before the -world. I do not deny that I have suffered untold -agonies, but I may as well bear them in one cause as -another.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I confess,” said Morning, with a manner suddenly -grown cold, “I do not fully understand you. You -speak of ‘obligations,’ and ‘social bars;’ you cannot -mean that you would deliberately sacrifice your -woman’s soul, with all its honor and its aims, to a life -of dishonor and deceit—for so I dare to name it—for -dread of the idle dictum of a malicious social scarecrow?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The baroness winced, but quickly rallied, and, leaning -forward in her chair, so near that he caught the -perfume of the roses on her corsage, she replied:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No! though I will say in passing that, whatever I -might do, no woman, be she termagant or angel, has -ever lived long enough to escape the opprobrium -arising from the poisonous effluvia of the divorce -courts! However, that is not the subject under discussion, -and my unhappy feet are placed upon more -tenable ground. I confess myself, then, not strong -enough to defy the convictions of a life given much—the -maturer portion, at least—to an examination of the -ethics of the question. And I resolutely affirm that, -in my own mind, I am convinced that to seek to evade -the results of my own deliberate action, would be sinful, -and in violation of my own conscientious perceptions—‘a -grieving of the Spirit,’ in the language of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>a very old author, and, therefore, a sin against the -Holy Ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Is it possible, thought Morning, forgetful for the -moment of the purpose that had brought him there, -that in this evening of the nineteenth century a cultivated -woman, herself the victim of a system fiendish -in its power to forge public opinion, and cruel as the -Inquisition, should have the courage thus to look her -awful destiny in the face tranquilly, and smilingly set -upon it the cold white seal of conscience? And for a -brief moment he wondered if she were a saint or a -lunatic.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then he thought of the many shafts of argument -that might be let loose to pierce the diseased cuticle of -her morbid philosophy, but he had not the heart, or, -rather, he lacked entire faith in their efficacy, so he -sat silently counting his heart beats. Finally, taking -alarm at his protracted silence, she resumed:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do not misunderstand me; I am not narrow -enough to convict, or egotist enough to try to convert, -others to my way of thinking; I only speak for -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your missionary seed would fall upon stony ground -if you were so disposed,” he answered quickly, -almost rudely. “Ellen Thornton,” he continued, -ignoring the hateful title that seemed to have engulfed -her body and soul for all of him, “for thirteen years -fate has been circumventing our lives. I have heard -your name over seas as you have heard mine, familiar -to all but each other. I have loved you with hope -and without it. Great wealth has been my portion, -yet I would be a beggar to-night if you would but -share my crust with me, with love like mine.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>Into the eyes of the woman, fierce with resolution -and despair, there came tears, half of pity, half of -joy—pity for his fate and hers, joy for that the love -she had deemed lost and gone from their lives was -here, tireless and strong as the sea, immortal and -sweet as the morning, and the voice of the man whose -head was bent near her own thrilled her with its -music.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“During all the years of parting,” continued Morning, -“I have been neither despairing nor misanthropic, -but I knew that the passion of my life had glowed and -burned, and—as I thought—died to ashes upon the -altar whose goddess was the dark-eyed maiden whom -my young manhood adored. When, less than a fortnight -ago, I was able to deliver you from the awful -death that madman would have inflicted upon you, -my exultation had but one sting, that I had saved you -for another, and for such a fate; and then, in my -insane rage, I cursed myself that I had not let you -die under my dizzy eyes, and so have rounded my -despair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I have come near to you now, our paths have -crossed. O God, how I have waited for the hour! -and how can I let you go? If I do, our ways will -again diverge, and every remove will bring us farther -apart. Do you know what this means to me? It is the -dividing of my soul from my body, of my heart from my -brain; it means a galvanized life, a career of eviscerated -motives, a gibbering, masquerading existence, emasculate -of manly and fruitful purpose, a hopeless love”—and -his voice trembled and sank—“ashes and dust -and nothing more.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>The baroness listened with passion tearing at her -heart, while her white lips were fashioning word of -wise restraint. Could she trust herself to speak? She -envied in her soul the women she had known abroad, -women of convictions, with uncoddled consciences, -charming, virtuous women too, but without the monitor -to guide the wayward thought, a sky without a polar -star, a ship without a rudder, and then she recalled -the burning words of the man beside her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know,” said she at length, “that I owe you my -life, and, in the logic of natural sequence, I should give -back that which you won. But it is love’s sophistry, -and, in truth, perhaps for no better reason than -because I so much desire it, I dare not. One phase -of your argument pricks my conscience in turn. You -tell me that your usefulness must pay the penalty of -my decision. Unsay those words, I entreat you”—and -she leaned far toward him. “God has singled -you out for a great destiny. Fulfill it. You have the -world at your feet; let that suffice you for the present. -I do not ask you to forget me!”—and her lips grew -tremulous. “I should die if I thought you could. -But work on, as you have been doing, for the sake of -humanity, and wait heroically, as you have done.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait for what? for somebody to die?” broke in -Morning hotly. “For somebody to die, that is the -English of it. Most lives are made what they are by -some woman. She may be a mother, a sister not -likely. Since I received that long-lost letter—anathemas -upon that circular desk,” and he pounded -the “shaker” arm with his fist—“I have had but -one inspiration in my projects, one question always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>ringing in my ears,—‘What will she think of it?’ Now -I have found you only to hear from your own lips that -my life is a failure, and yours a moral suicide, which -I seem as helpless to prevent as I am to put a stay -upon yonder waves that lash themselves to spray upon -the rocks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“David Morning,” and her voice was firm now, -“I think I owe it to you as well as myself to tell you, -even with the marriage ring upon my finger, that I -wish I were free from the yoke of this fateful marriage; -that if I could be delivered from the body of -this death, then could I mount with glad wings the -great height to which your love would raise me. But -I could have no weight of a crying conscience upon -my feet, no wail of wounded justice behind me, and -so I will bear it to the end.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You say, even with that marriage ring upon your -finger. What care I,” said he, rising and standing -before her, “for that circlet of gold upon your beautiful -hand? I know it is a mockery, so do you, and -but for it that hand might have been mine, and all -these years have been saved to love and the heart’s -gladness. What signifies the sanction of the law if -you have not the sanction of your own soul? I shall -not seek to dissuade you more, but one question I -will ask of you, and if wealth could buy words eloquent -enough to couch it in, I would surrender my -possessions and delve for it again, if need be, in the -depths of the earth. But truth is simple, and so I beg -of you to answer from your soul, and thereafter I will -do as you bid me. Do you love me, darling? do -you?” and he bent over her chair.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>She lifted a face radiant with beautiful light. -“Dearest,” said she softly, and David Morning thrilled -with delight—“dearest, I am glad that this meeting -and this understanding have come to us just here, -where hundreds of eyes are upon us, for, if it were -otherwise, I should forget all else except my desire to -comfort you, and should place my arms about your -neck, and ask you to seal upon my lips your forgiveness -of me for all that I have made you suffer. God -help me, I do love you, and I never loved any other. -You are my hero, my darling, and my heart’s delight. -All these years I have loved you, until the hour of -death I shall love you, and beyond the gates I shall -love you forever, and forever more.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Only a great sob came from the breast of David -Morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Noble man,” she continued, “you have accomplished -a great work in the world. God has selected -and armed you for the deliverance of his nations. -You have other and greater work to do. In the doing -it the luster of your shield shall never be tarnished, -as it would be were we to wrong another now. -Go forth, my hero, my life, and my darling; go forth -panoplied in your high manhood to your duty. In -spirit I shall be with you ever. I shall rejoice in your -mighty deeds. I shall live in your nobler thoughts. -Day and night, my beloved, will my soul dwell with -yours. Only in perfect honor and faith can I join you. -If the hour for such union shall ever be given to us on -earth, come to me and you will find me waiting. If -it come only in the other land, I shall still be waiting. -But here, my darling, my own, my heart’s solace, -here we must meet not again.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>And she placed her ungloved fingers in his.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The man and the woman sat silently hand in hand. -The music floated out from the lighted ballroom, -where “the dancers were dancing in tune;” the sea -curled its beryl depths to crests of foam, and sounded -in musical monotones upon the beach which lay a -white line upon the edge of the dusk, and the old, old -world, the sorrowful, disappointing world, the weary -world, was as sweet and young as when the first dawns -were filtrated from chaotic mists.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She broke the silence and withdrew her hand: -“Yonder comes the baron.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good-by,” said he, and he walked away into the -night, and as he reached the edge of the balcony overhanging -the beach, and felt the sting of the salt spray -in his eyes, he muttered something. It might have -been a good-night prayer, but it sounded like, “Damn -the baron.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c010'> - <div>[From the San Diego <cite>Union</cite>, May 15, 1896.]</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>We regret to announce the death yesterday, at the -Coronado Hotel, of Baron Frederick Augustus Eulaw -Von Eulaw, eleventh Count of Walderberg, eighth -Baron of Weinerstrath, and Knight Commander of -the order of the Golden Tulip.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The immediate cause of the baron’s death was hyperemia -of the brain, but he never recovered from the -nervous prostration induced by heat and long exposure -to the sun, while in the performance of his duty -as one of the representatives of the German Empire, -on the occasion of the dynamic exposition.</p> - -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>This distinguished nobleman, during his brief sojourn -among us, had endeared himself to all with -whom he came in contact, by the gentleness and -grace of his manner, his kindly sympathies, and unselfish -courtesy. The <em>Wilhelm II.</em> has been detailed -to receive his remains, which will be embalmed for -transportation in state to Berlin, where they will be -interred with fitting pomp.</p> - -<p class='c011'>The baroness, who to the last was devoted in her -attentions to the late baron, will, it is understood, remain -in this country in the home of her parents, Professor -and Mrs. John Thornton.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> <span class='small'>“All’s well that ends well.”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It was a lovely morning in June, in the year of our -Lord eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, when a carriage -containing a red-headed and red-bearded man -drove rapidly down upon Pier No. 2, North River, -where the occupant emerged from the equipage, and, -elbowing his way through the throng, approached the -gangway of an immense steamer gaily decorated with -flags of all nations.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was stopped by two officials in uniform, one of -them saying civilly that no strangers were allowed on -board.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is not this Mr. Morning’s steam yacht the <em>Patience</em>?” -said the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, sir, if the largest and finest vessel in the -world can be called a yacht. Certainly this is Mr. -Morning’s ship.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was told at the hotel that he would sail to-day for -Europe.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your information is quite correct; he goes as one -of the three delegates appointed by the President to -represent the United States at the Congress of Nations, -which will meet in Paris next month.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I want to see him before he sails,” replied -the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>“It is too late, sir, even if you had a card of admission. -His friends are now bidding good-by to the -bridal party, and in a few minutes the order will be -issued of ‘all ashore.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bridal party? Whose? Not Morning’s?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Haven’t you heard of it? Why, the papers have -been full of it for days. He was married yesterday, -in Boston, to the Baroness Von Eulaw.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” said the stranger, “I only arrived this -morning from Arizona. I am the superintendent of -his mine there, and am here on business of importance. -He will be mightily disappointed if I don’t see him. -Suppose you send word to him that Bob Steel is here -and wants to see him before he sails. I reckon he’ll -give orders to admit me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The request of Steel was complied with, and directions -given for his admittance. After exchanging greetings -with Morning and being presented to the bride, Steel -stated that he had business of importance to communicate. -The whistle had sounded “all ashore,” and -the guests were rapidly departing. Morning quietly -instructed the captain not to have the lines cast off -until he should have finished his interview with Steel, -and then, summoning the latter to follow him into a -private salon, said:—</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Bob, what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Morning,” replied Steel, “the news ain’t -good, but it is so important I did not dare to trust -to mail or wire, so I left the mine in charge of Mr. -Fabian, and came on myself. We didn’t find no ore -last month on the new level at two hundred feet, and -I set three shifts to work at every station, and—I’m -afraid to tell you the result.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>“Out with it, Bob. I was married yesterday, and -you can’t tell me any news bad enough to hurt me -much.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, Mr. Morning, there ain’t no ore in the -mine below the one hundred and fifty feet level. <em>The -quartz has come to an end.</em> We are at the bed rock, -and the syenite is as solid and close-grained as the -basalt wall where we did our first work, you and I, -blasting with the Papago Indians.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Morning whistled. “How much do we lack, Bob, -of the $2,400,000,000 I donated to the United States?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“About eight hundred millions, sir; but there is -more than enough ore not stoped out in the upper -levels to pay that twice over. We have seventeen -hundred millions at least.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That,” said Morning, “will finish the payment -to the government, complete all the enterprises I have -projected, give you ten millions, and all the men who -have stood by us from the start half a million each. -It will serve also to make some donations I have in -mind, and will leave over six hundred millions for the -Morning family. It is not so much money now as it -was when I made the discovery, but it will keep the -wolf from the door. Bob, the whistles are sounding -and I shall have to bid you good-by and send you -ashore. There is no possibility, I suppose, of this being -only a break, or a horse? No chance of the ore -coming in again lower down?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“None in the world, Mr. Morning. In that formation -it is impossible. The Morning mine, as a mine, -has <em>petered</em>!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bob,” said our hero, extending his hand with a -smile, “put it there!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>And Robert Steel and David Morning clasped hands -with the clasp of men.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bob,” said Morning, “on my soul I am glad of -it. The problem of overproduction of gold will no -longer vex the world, and now I shall have a chance -to pass a few hours in quiet with my wife.”</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes x-ebookmaker'> - -<div class='chapter ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c002'> - <li>P. <a href='#t282'>282</a>, changed “the fasces of a diamond” to “the facets of a diamond”. - - </li> - <li>Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTER DAYS ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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