Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17
OMAHA SOCIETY IN A NOVEL
Meredith Nicholson Weaves a Clever Story
with Local Background.
AK-sAR-BEN BALL AND KIDNAPPING EPISODE
Pretty Pen Pictures and suggestive
Comment Made on Omaha'a
Chief Social Institu-
tiOns,

SRAAAnGhh hAAo 0h OHhAhANA
Chief Social Institu-
tiOns,
Omaha society has at last made its debut
into a modern work of fiction.
The occasion of its coming out party is to
be found In the new book by Meredith
Nicholson under the title of 1.-The Main
Chance" in which fact and fantasy are
cleveriy interviewer with a background Of
Omaha hidden under the disguise of Clark
son, the scene Of the plots action. Mr..
Nicholson has, as every one knows, through
his connection with one Of Omahas most
estimable families, had ample opportunity
to observe our society at Its best, and that
he has made good use of his opportunities
will be plain to any one who reads through
his book. The book, by the way, is dedi-
Gated ITO Z. K. M. who will remember and
understand" which will be quite sufficient
to make a great many other people, who
can recognize familiar incidents here and
there, also remember and understand.
The story itself in brief describes with
picturesque sidelights the advent into this
western town of a young man, John Sax
ton, from the east, sent here to collect the
remnants Of some bad investments Of some
Boston friends, and his progress in almost
unconsciously wooing and winning Evelyn
Porter, the daughter of the principal
banker in the city, just returned from an
eastern college to attach herself to the
western soil from which she had sprung.
There is just enough similtude in the char
acters that have been drawn to keep a per-
son In touch with Omaha people and affairs
on the qui vive to recognize I'm them men
and women who move about us in human
flesh and blood Mr.. Nicholson. however,
has taken care to disguise them sufficiently
by making each a composite Of several real
personages so that the game of guessing
must be played without any certainty as to
the solution.
Brings in a kidnapping.
That the author has not gone far away
from actual life is speedily seen when the
reader finds after going about halfway
through the volume that the central point
Of action is the KIDNAPPING of the young son
of the great banker amid surrounding cir
eumstances remarkably like to a kidnapping
story of recent date still fresh in the public
mind In addition to this we have a de-
scription and criticism of our annual Ak
Sar-Ben pageant and the royal court ball
readily recognized under the thin veil of
the knights of Midas" Some of the nen
pictures of Mr.. Nicholson has drawn are
suggestive. If not always fattering to our
self-esteem. The commercial position of
Omaha, or rather "Clarlxson" in the story.
which is introduced ''as no mean CITY," is
desztbed in these words:
The business of Clarkson had to do with
primary employments and needs. The cat
Tie OF thousand hills and many rough pas-
lures were gathered here, and here wheat
N exchange for these products Ciarkson re-
turned I 70 the country all of the necessities
ana some or the luxuries OF life. Several
important railway lines had their adminis-
trative offices here. Ores were brought from
tne ps,,, Rockies. from Mexico and even from
British Columbia. to the great smelters
whose smoke and fumes hung over the
town. Neither coal. wood nor iron lay near
AT hend' SO that manufacturing was almost
unknown; but the packing houses and smell
eers gave employment to many laborers
races. Varney street cut through the town
at right angles to the river, bisecting tho
business sl lines district. 1t then gradually threw
on It's commercial aspect until at last II was
lined WITH the homes Of most of Clarkson's s
many Of them to be left vacant; and weeds
and signboards exercised eminent domain
between booms. North and south OF Var
ney street were other thoroughfares which
sroVe TO be equally fashionable, and here
citizens had sometimes built themselves
anything in Varney street Everywhere
EagEed edges remained; old unpainted
lotherwise contained handsome houses
4 Sugar-loaf cubes OF clay doomed lonesomeIv
with houses stranded high on their sum,
poor to cut down their bits of earth to con-
iolIII form to- to new levels The clay banks were
the next high tide OF prosperity.
Shafts Aimed at CIubdOm.
The Omaha club transformed into "the
Clarkson club" comes under the spell of
the authors pen for this little tribute:
The Clarlsson club was, during most of
" the day, the l2neliest place In town. Only
few Of the sleeping rooms were occupied
Ndent OF the Gay that drew any considerable
number Of men to the dining room. The
antlered heads OF moose and elk were hung
In the hail. and colored prints OF EnEiisb
hunting scenes and bad oil portraits OF sew
ersl pioneers were scattered through the
reading ana loungtng rooms. There was
a room which was referred to fiatteringly
as tho library. but its equipment OF litera-
novels which had been contributed by mem
pers at times cotncident with house clean
Who mai1tainsd S1; nonIrassd kson business men
IN st. Louis or Chicago clubs said in ex-
g eSsing the poor patronage Of the clarkson
club that Clarkson was not a club town
like Kansas City or Denver where there
spend. -
The Country club is brushed over with
brief mention and the little house party
maintained some years ago by a group OF
= our society men as ''The Benedicts." IS
resurrected newly christened as 'srhe
bachelors" Tho thoughts ELECTED by our
effort to make Ak-sar-Ben successful both
from popular and social standpoint are
given In running conversation discussinr
the selection OF the bankers daughter and
the heroine OF the novel to be the queen OF
the ball. and later description OF the car.
nivai, from which these excerpts are taken
Ak-Sar-Ben Ball in Fancy.
TITS the principle OF that thing that Tn
Kicking about This is one of the things
that detest in these western towns IL,
the inability TO escape from their inferna
business. On the face OF IL their Midas bal
Is social event, but at the bottom ~,
merely business venture. All the busines,
men have got TO go I'm for 1t, but Il doesn't
stop there; they must drag their familie,
IN Evelyn Porter has got 10 mix up viii
the daughters OF the plumbers ana m,
candlesuck makers I'm order that the goo
or commerce may be satisfied"
you don't quite grasp the situation
SAID SaNton. IF you had TO get out amons
these men who have hard work TO do every
DAY you'd have q different feeling abou
such things. They've got TO make the tow
go. and this carnival Is one OF the ways n
which they can stir things up Commercial lI
ana at the same time give pleasure 10 !
haWN MmW