The Red Cloud chief., 1904-06-03

John Hawkins was publicly named az
the manipulation and principal winner,
but James Blake was hailed as the
daring operator whose brilliant gen
eralship had crowned the success OF
the deal. In the speculative tirma.
ment he suddenly blazed forth as "a
star of the first magnitude.
James Blake suddenly developed
traits which bewildercd his friends
and surprised himself. Under the
guidance OF John Burt he mastered
the details of the business. displaying
ability in dealing with the intricacics
which formed the daily routine. In.
capable Of acting for himself. he could
follow IA chartered course with the
precision OF a pilot.
Nature had denied to James Blake
that spark Of genius which inspires
the leader. but he possessed in "A high
degree those traits which leadership
attracts and invests with power. He
grasped Burt's plans Of campaign with
lbt lllui'ivh VI a b'i h"bo''' " ~
ecuted them with the dash and skill
of a Murat. In the two years which
followed, wealth poured into the cof-
fers Of James Blake 4 Company.
Blake's name figured In great iinan'
cial transactions. and his opinion was
eagerly sought in matters OF CONNER.
cial moment. Handsome as Apollo.
and the reputed possessor OF a large
fortune, he became a society lion. a
popular club man and the target 10
matrimonial archers.
Blake accepted his honors with dig
nifty and modesty. He was Willing
and proud to shine in the reflected
light of John Burt. He would have
endured unmerited disgrace as Sc
renely as he wore W honors'
From the when Peter Burt
stood with uplifted arms In the light
ning's glare and gave him a blessing.
John Burt had no doubt of his hnan'
| cial future. with his e fixed un.
waveringly on an immediate purpose.
he had boldly commanded fortune to
do his bidding.
A profile portrait Of Jessie Garden
rested on an easel which stood near
the desk In his library. IL was the
work of an artist OF local fame. drawn
from a tintype photograph-his sole
memento of the women he loved. The
pink paper frame, with a design In
hearts and roses, which surrounded
the photograph. was frayed and torn
but Jessie's sweet face was revealed
on the glossy surface OF the metal
the face which had looked into his one
summer day. when they rode to Hing
ham. and Jessie proposed they should
have their tintypes taken"
Jessie was in her sixteenth yeaI
when the picture was taken, but the
long riding.habit and the queenly post
OF her head against the plain back
ground added dignity to the nascen'
charms of face and figure. Johr
would sit for hours during the lon,
evenings and gaze at this portrait. !
was the one visible connecting linI
between the past and the present, thu
ocular inspiration for his future
Again and again he attempted to pic
ture the Jessie Garden OF the pres
ent. With his eyes fixed on the POI
trait. and his mind conferred on II
original, he struggled to span the vol
of miles and years which parted them
and to hold communion with her. A
times he imagined the message wa
received, and that a loving answe
came. bidding him to have faith an
to %persevere. Surely such correspor
dence was not in violation OF hi
promise to Peter Burt. Then Ii
, would turn to his books, and with
light heart toll far into the night. !
this room he mastered the secrets G
finance and of With hin
self as tutor, he took a postgraduate
course in business. No detail wa
too slight, no problem too intricate, I
, escape his attention. The world wa
, the chessboard Of his future oper;
tons. and he explored its past an
, studied its present with zeal unfai
!, sing and faith unbOunded.
But when slumber fell upon hin
. and his soul wandered into unknow
regions, he dreamed-dreamed not
:, millions nor of triumphs over mast,
9 minds. He dreamed of Jessie Ca
/; den.
:, ITO be continued.)