Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1904-06-25

John Hawkins was publicly named as
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 frma'
ment he suddenly blazed forth as
star of the first magnitude.
James Blake suddenly developed
traits which bewildered his friends
and surprised himself Under the
guidance of John Burt he mastered
the details of the business, displaying
ability in dealing with the intricacies
which formed the daily routine. In
capable Of acting for himself, he could
follow a chartered course with the
precision Of pilot.
Nature had denied to James Blake
that spark of genius which inspires
the leader, but he possessed In high
degree those traits which leadership
attracts and invests with power. He
grasped Burt's plans Of campaign with
the intuition Of a Bernadotte, and eX-
ecuted them with the dash and Skill
of a Murat. In the two years which
followed, wealth poured into the COZ
fers Of James Blake & Company.
Blake's name figured in great finan-
cial transactions, and his opinion was
eagerly sought In matters OF CONNER
cial moment. Handsome as Apollo,
and the reputed possessor Oh large
fortune, he became a society lion,
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 unwon honors.
From the moment 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 fnan-
cial future. With his eyes fixed I'M
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. 1t was the
work Of an artist Of local fame, drawn
from a tintype Photographic sole
memento Of the women he loved. The
pink paper frame, with 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 year
when the picture was taken, but the
long riding-habit and the queenly pose
of her head against the plain back
ground added dignity to the nascent
charms of face and figure. John
! would sit for hours during the lone
evenings and gaze at this portrait. II
was the one visible connecting linz
between the past and the present, the
ocular inspiration for his future
Again and again he attempted to pic
| lure the jessie SdluCu VI thO PiSo
ent. With his eyes fixed on the por
trait. and his mind centered on 1t!
original, he struggled to span the voit
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 ant
l. to persevere. Surely such correspon
g dence was not in violation of hi
:. promise to Peter Burt! Then h
=, would turn to his books, and with
I light heart toll far into the night. II
o this room he mastered the secrets o
finance and of commerce. With him
self as tutor, he took postgraduate
!. course in business. No detail wa
too slight, no problem too intricate, t
escape his attention. The world wa
; the chessboard Of his future opera
tons, and he explored its past an
q studied it's present with zeal unfae
= ging and faith unbounded.
:, But when slumber fell upon hin
e and his soul wandered into unknow
i, regions, he ACKNOWLEDGMENT not G
. millions nor of triumphs over maste
: minds. He dreamed of Jessie Cal
, den.
(To be continued.)