Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-06-09
THE MISSISSIPPI
, BUBBLE !
By EMERSON HOUGH
Author of The Story Of the Cowboy
1.-THE Girl at the Halfway House. = Etc.
ecopyrlght. lsOa. by Emeraon Hoagh.l
BY EN- ERsON E1OUGH


"How, sir! Good GodiD
"If the truth of this matter should
ever become known. those people out
there, that France yonder. would tear
your grace limb from limb, and trample
you in the Dust"
The livid face of the regent went
paler as the other spoke. There was
conviction in those tones which could
not fail to reach even his heavy wits.
ssLet me explain" went on Law. 'sI
beg your grace to remember again,
that when your grace was good enough
to take out of the hands of my brother
and myself our little bank-which we
had run honorably and successfully
you change at one sweep the whole
principle of honest banking. You
promised to pay note back of which
there was no value, no fixed limit of
measurement. Twice you have changed
the coinage of the realm, and twice
assigned new value to your specie.
No one can tell what one of your shares
in the stock of the Indies means in
actual COIN 1t means nothing, stands
for nothing, is good for nothing. Now,
think you, when these people, when
this France shall discover these facts.
that they will be lenient with those
who have thus deceived them?''
''Yet your theory always was that
we had too great a scarcity of money
here in France" expostulatod the re-
gent.
True, so did. We had not enough
of good money. We cannot have too
little of false money, of money such
as your grace-as you thought without
my knowledge-has been SO eager to
issue from the presses of our company.
1t had been an easy thing for the re-
gent of France to pay off all the debts
of the world from now until the verge
of eternity had not his presses given
out Money of that sort, your grace, is
such as any man could print for him
self, did he but have the linen and
the ink"
The regent again dropped to his
chair, his head falling forward upon
his breast.
But what does it all mean? What
shall be done? What will be the re-
sult?" he asked, his voice showing well
enough the anxiety which had swiftly
fallen upon his SOUL
@As to that" replied Law, laconical-
ly, 81 am no longer master here. l am
not controller of finance. Appoint Du-
bois, appoint DArgenson. Send for
the Brothers Paris. Take them to this
window, your grace, and show them
your people, show them your France,
and then ask them to tell you what
shall be done Cry out to all the world,
as know you viii, that this was the
fault of an unknown adventurer, of
Scotch gambler, of one John Law, who
brought forth some pretentious
schemes to the detriment of the realm.
Saddle upon me the blame for all this
ruin which is coming. Malign me, mis-
represent me, imprison me, exile me,
behead me if you like, and blame John
Law for the discontinue of France!
Bat when you come to seek your rem
edies, why ask no more of John Law.
Ask of Dubois, ask of D'Argenson, ask
Of the Paris Freres; or, since your
grace has seen fit to override me and to
take these matters in his own hands,
let your grace ask of himself! Tell
me, as regent of France, as master of
Paris, as guardian of the rights of this
young king, as controller of the
finances of France, as savior or de-
stroyer of the welfare of these people
of France, and of that America which
is greater than this France-tell me,
what will you do, your grace? What
do you suggest as remedy?"
you devil! you arch fiend!" ex-
claimed the regent, starting up and
laying his hand on his sword. There
is no punishment you do not deserve!
You will leave me in this plight-you
you, who have supplanted me at every
turn; who made that horrible scene
but last night at my own table, within
the very gates of the Palais Royal;
you, the murderer Of the woman I
adored And now, you mocker and
fouter of what may be my bitterest
misfortune-why. sir. no punishment
is sharp enough for you! Why do you
stand there, sir? Do you dare to mock
me-to mock us, the person of the
lzing21
Il mock not in the least, your grace
said John Law, nor do aught else that
i'll beseems gentleman. I should have
been proud to be known as the friend
Of Philippe of Orleans, yet l stand
before that Philippe of Orleans and
tell him that that man doth not live,
nor that set of terrors exist, which can
frighten John Law, nor cause him to
depart from that stand which he once
has taken Sir, if you seek to brighten
me. you fall
But look you-consider, said the
regent Something must be DONE"
sAs J. said, replied Law
But what is going to happen? What
will the people do?"
First, said Law, Judicially, Ticking