The Opelousas courier., 1893-12-02

as to business, his desk was in the Of
fee of q private banking house near
Wall street, and he was supposed to be
a silent partner Of the bankers them
selves. He belonged to two or three
clubs and spent much time in each Of
them, which is not the way of city
men of brisk business manner, Euch as
Mr.. Bruno possessed; and scores of
strangers, brought into one or other
of the clubs by city acquaintance who
did not know what else to do with
them, gratefully remembered Nh.
Bruno as one Of the evenings chief
sources of enjoyment. He had a way
OF becoming acquainted quickly and
OF making new acquaintance feel en-.
tirely at ease with him, and he also
had a way OF remembering q call or
two he had to make, and in which he
would invite q new aequaintance-of
tha proper gort--to join, which was 80
unlike the custom of New Workers in
| general that men from other cities
and without New York connections
were likely to feel under obligations
to him and also to believe that they
had made the entree Of metropolitan
society.
As time went on, it was remarked at
the clubs that Bruno himself intro
duced many men from out of town.
but as all Of these were anxious to re-
pay all courtesies they received, and
were fairly able to do it, the members
who took most notice Of Brune's hos
p~italtty made no objection, for they
were the professional club loungers-a
class of men who never fail to enjoy
entertainments for which other men
pay. There pours into the great city
q steady stream OF men and families
who have made money elsewhere and
wantto spend it wherethe mostpleasure
can be bought. 70 all these who fell
in his way Bruno was as hearty as II
they had been old friends. He did
not introduce them to members Of the
"Four Hundred" but he explained Is
them, confdentally, that his owl
friends were not Of that particular sci
because they did not care to be in 1T:
and that they were quite as good ane
refined as most Of the people whose
names appeared oftenest liz the fash
ionable news of the daily papers,
statement which nobody could deny
He would take unwearied pains, too
with families who desired to mal.e til
city their home he would take then
to real estate agents who could b
trusted to deal fairly with them, an
he knew the best decorators and up
helsterers. and dealers in furnltur
and pictures and ~brie-a-brac, and b
would introduce newcomers in a man
ner which would make them trul
grateful. He would also introduc
them to Holden & Trust, the banker
with whom he had his Office, takin
care first to assure them that there Wa
O great difference between banks in
great city the bigger institutions wer
mere machines, while Holden & Tru:
was q concern modelled after the Eng
lish banks, where the accounts WEI
few but large, and where any custome
was made to feel as much at home 6
if he were in a friends parlor which
indeed the business Office OF the fri
greatly resemb1ed in its appointment
and quiet.
No one ever seemed to find reaso
to complain of Bruno; he never too
his male acquaintance to ganblin
houses or got them drunk, and
! never made love to the young ladies
their families that am to the cit,
Indeed, to his newer acquaintance
this seemed his only fault; for a nun
Der Of young women who had broke
! with their original cavaliers, as b
came damseIs who aspired to becon
city bellies, found Bruno much more
their liking than most Of the oil
youths with whom, through his kir
@n1ces, they became acquainted. {
lad SO much of what women CO
"style," and he knew how to say nj
things. and to euggest new ways.
Killing time, and TO occasionally pr
gide pleasant surprises that co
inoney-a faculty which il quite
care among city youths, IN proportit
IL their numbers, as in any count
aIlags. be the wife Of such 8 M
would be to become Q social queen
70 thought some pretty young won!
whose knowledge came principal
from their d~ay-dredIns.