The Washington times., 1901-12-08

south where Il struggles aimlessly and
at last fades into the country Centropo-
lis stretches its dreary length dong the
river. 1t is patchwork of staring white
packing houses and dingy dramshops.
caught in the gigantic meshes of a web
of railway tracks: on the hilltop jun
BILE OF ill paved, dirty streets lined with
low, boxlike. red brick shops. with here
and there an Office building, ostentatiOus,
new. hristling above its humber neigh
bors like self-made man among his less
successful fellows. Through the resi-
dence quarter, toward the south. stretch
treeless. dusty avenues. bordered by va
cant ground. broken only at intervals by
pretentious houses OF forid architecture.
Crude. unlovely, blatantly new, the town
sprawls ever under a heavy canopy of
dull smoke.
The grey afternoon OF a November day
was deepening into twilight Two men
sat in the private Office OF the president
of the Higgins Investment Company in
the Higgins Building. the most ornate
and towering structure Of the city. One
OF them, pompous, red faced man with
thin brown hair smoothed carefully
across his bald head, had been talking
earnestly and long. tapping meanwhile
with his pencil the plans OF bridge
which lay spread open on his desk His
smooth flow of words ceased at an impa-
tient movement on the part of his COM
panion, and his small, heavy lidded eyes
watched that person narrowly as he said
ITS no use wasting words, Higgins.
We have been all over those points be-
fore. Your bridge scheme may prove the
bonanza you prophesy, but | haven't
faith enough in it to advise my clients TO
invest. Mark my words. CenUopolis has |
seen its best days; a collapse is coming. /
a,ra coming quick The speaker arose |
and picked up his hat
You viii see your mistake when the |
bridge is built and is coming money, |
replied Higgins, smiling unessily and |
rubbing his great hands together. You |
had better reconsider your decision,
Crandall"
NO l have made up my mind. Good
night, Higgins
Good night"
When his visitor had gone Higgins still
sat drumming imI atiently on the desk
with his pencil, look OF perplexity and
chagrin upon his face. Finally he rolled
up the bridge plans. fastened them Sc
curely with rubber band, and touched
an electric bell at his side. He waited
for response to his call with his arms
clasped across his ample stomach. his
fingers tapping thoughtfully one against
another The door opened slowly, ad-
mitting a thin yisaged man, sallow, mid
die aged, deferentiaL.
We'll, sir?''
There is no hope from Crandan He
absolutely refuses to touch it. And he
means no when he says it-damn him.
He has only 20 say the word. and money
would pour in like water. It simply
amounts to this: l have got to lock
somewhere else. We must have The
money by the first Of next month
"Yes, sir, or let our guaranteed mort
gage bonds go to the wall; and that
means"
Careful Dodge"
The man flushed slightly Well. you 7
know what ! mean. he SAID. .
Il know what you fear-you're cow l
ard. Dodge You always we're one. Con- a
fdence is what you want Look at me! '
Where would be by this time If hadn't '
had confdence?"
Yes. 1 know" returned Dodge humbly; +
'but ! didn't see just where the money C
was coming from unless Crandall would d
interest his people. The bank won't DO Il
anything more" 2
NO. Between ourselves, the bank is a
levilish hard up. too. Let me see-today f
is Friday" I.
'Tvs, sir"
''Well. / shall leave tomorrow night at
O'Clock for the East a
is there a chance there, do you v
hink"
The big man arose from his chair.
,ylng his companion majesticaliy. n
Think? l know! Am l in the habit of h
umping in the dark?7 e.
Dodge withdrew nerYousIy. closing the n
Ioor careaully and silently behind him. II
Higgins was a story common enough I.
ii the boom" towns OF the Western q,
states. Ten years before. at the com
nencement Of the wave OF real estate n
peculation which swept over the country r.
vest OF the Missouri. he had arrived at y
with 81, 500 in cash. unlimited :,
aith in his own judgment. and singu- II
arly elastic conscience. Within six .,
months series OF daring real estate
peculations had increased his original
apital to twice as many thousands as it sl
ad been hundreds. and within FIVE years al
lis $500 had grown into a sum close "a,
pom the million mark. His faith in his
Judgment ana ability grew apace with his
Increasing reputation as a great boom al
nancier," and from a daring, unscrupu- IT.
ous real estate gambler he evolved rap ..
lily into one Of the representative citi- h,
ems of the growing. feyerish town. He
'as one OF it's solid" men, a warden OF u,
Is most fashionable church. whose pre- -,
entious edifice his money had more than n,
alt paid for. and, although close upon T.,
Ity years Of age, he had rounded out his III
espectable role as financial and moral ri
illar Of the community by marrying a nc
Dung and pretty woman. He had in ~,
tailed his young wife in the biggest,
ewest. and most impossible architectural v,i
intasy of the south end He was proud Va
her, and layishly kind TO her as we'll. gb
lis present financial difficulties would ~,
ave daunted man endowed with q less an
'e' ""e'n'hs oeiiei ~ MS own destiny. SIX
Ut luck had not once deserted him dur an
'G the past ten years, and he believed In II,
ril
As be was driven this evening through ",
ie dreary streets of the ugly town, a o.,