Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-19

W EI'EE.
Of such men is short Of u brief half dozen
years? For little spell we hear of them
in the newspapers, in the boxes at the
opera, ut the race track, I'm the stalls of
gaycty theaters, at late uppers with ac
trcsscs in apartment houses with vaude
vile queens, in police courts, in prison,
and last of all-in the insane asylum OF in
the grave.
Then the hlase old roundcr, who sees
quite as great &; variety Of life, with far
less income and far more sense sips his
coffee at his very late breakfast and com
mert5 on fools in general and the wonIen's
fool in particular.
The general history of prodigals is the
same the world over. so is the general his
tory OF bright eyes and white arms. There
were poor Saportis, Pomeroy, Geninc JEFF
frey, Coal Oil Johnny" who spent ST.
UOU,O in IL year, and, on the other side
Of the sea. Jubilee" Juggins and Abing-
don Baird, o say nothing Of several an
throponorphous young sprigs of nobility
who have ut various times frittered their
fortunes and singcd their wings.
Oh, the popping of corks that these men
have heard! oh, the songs they have sung,
the lips they have kissed the lies they have
told and the lies they have believed. the
have died! And those who are not vet dead
arc drivcling, with vacuous brains, in in
sane asylums.
by far the worst form of prodigals are
those with long pockctboolls short brains
and weakness for soubrettes. Who ever
heard of "a Willie boy frantically pursuing IA
tragediennc? Who ever saw one of these
human cphcmeras sending diamonds and
huge bouquets over the footlights to a
grand opera contralto? 1t is the soubrette
habit that is SO runous when combined
with "a liberal bank account
Soubrettes and snftcning of the cerebel-
1um are not only allitcrative, but synony-
nous. And this is why Albert Weber is in
the insane ward at Bellevue hospital The
life Of Weber was that of a typical New
York srentthrift. Sixteen years ago, when
his father died, he was millionaire He
was then % years old. Soon afterward he
married and apparently settled down to !,
business that was rapidly increasing
He was slender of figure, with bright
boyish face and brown eyes He was hand
some In those days, according to women $
ideas, and he was not long in finding out
what potent factor his pockctbcok was in
affairs oi the heart After a few prelimi-
nary affairs, from which grounds were OBJ
started on the pace that kills
Even then there must have been some
thing wrong with his reasoning powers, as
some of the schemes upon which he entered
were of the widest and most visionary
character. Probably nobody will ever
know how many theatrical companies he
backed or how many diamonds he bought
for actresses who had taken his fancy.
His investments in mines "A dozen wears
ago were exploited quite as freely as were
those of Colonel Jack Havcrly He loaned
money to subsidiZc speculations in English
opera, and in this way, in due course of
time, he acquired the deadly soubret,e
habit.
During his fathers life Albert had been
allowed $4,000 n year, but he managed to
drive team in the park that cost far more
than q years income, and even thus early
his father was greatly exercised over the
young mans extravaganza and reckless
habits.
One of the advantages of youth is that 4
man has plenty of time to outlive his early
tollies and many n man has come out Of
the crucible wiser and better in every WAY
for his experience. The world-even the
business worlds lenient toward actions
which have in them the rcdecming virtue
of generosity. and for many years Albert
Weber did not lose any of his popularity
~ the losses which he incurred in trying
20 help those adventures who were only
too ready to help themselves at his expense.
But, unlike many men, he either did not
have the courage or tho sense TO break OF
before it was too late. Even while yet
carrying on business, ut the end of the day
he would HE away to the clubs and places
of amusement and ha1',on became IA
vorite in social element to which his IA
Their had never aspired.
Pretty soon he began to let the business
take care of itself. Then he became u man
about town in every sense of the word
A few days ago friend of Webcr's told
this story to reporter of the New York
Herald, which illustrates the habits of tho
man: II met Weber at breakfast at Del
monico's He looked fearfully seeiy, and
was in the same boat. We began II
drink trapped absinth. We drank three