The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-06
,,ON after Fcnimore Dayton be-
came reporter his city editor
| sent him to interview James
Mountain. That famous financicr
was then approaching the zcpith
l a. |
E,Wwrrs-s6
EkSss1sl
NT-R~1w1 D~W


s's--' OF his power over Wall Street
aud lombard Street. l had Just been
announced that he had absorbed inc
t;rent East tern and Western Halfway sys-
ten-of5 course, by the methods Whleh
,,lyc made some men and some news
,,ne,s Eabitlally speak of him ms the
.eyal bandit" The city editor mad Two
scpsons for sending Dnyton--tirst because
he didt not like him: second because any
other man on the staff would Walk ABOUT u,
FOR an hour and come back with the report
that Mountain had refused to receive nm,
while Dayton would make an honest
effort.
n Dayton turned in at tho Eduttaplc
Building and went up 10 the floor occupied
by Mountain. Ranger & Blakehlll. he
nodded to the attendant at the door OF
Mountains own suite of offices. strollcd
TRANQUILITY down the aisle between sev ,,.,,.,
f rows OF desks at which sat Mountains
personal clerks, and knocked at the glass
door OH which was printed Mr.. Nouns
tain In small gilt. letters.
& Gomez 1t was All angry voice M onn-
tain's at It's worst,
Dayton opened the door. Mountain glanc-
cd IN from the mass of papers before
him, His red forehead became a net
work of wrinkles and his scant white eye
brows bristed. 'And who are you?" he
snared.
''Nfy name Is observation-disclosures Day,
ton" replied the reporter with q grace
fully polite bow. ''Mr. Mountain, ! be-
lieve?"
s. 1T was impossible Cor Mr.. Mountain alto
u gcthcr to resist the impulse to bow in
rer,rn Dayton's manner was compelling.
and what tho dcv--what can I do for
your"
S..I'm reporter from the
s'.What'' roared Mountain, lcaplng to
sl,is feet in a purple, swollen-vened fury
stft.fIOw dare vOu en- ter ,hCrc?2
"But--why Jnot?' Dayton looked sur
orised. mo ono tried to stop me-
'Impudencc!"
ii. Pardon me-not impudonce' Dayton
smiled ngreeably. "Impudcnccs is .unsuc-
II cessful audacty, For example, If YOU
had failed to get the Great Eastern and
Western they'd have said VOL, were im-4
nldent to try. AS 1t Is, men call It nudnc-
ty. Now, il I'd failed to get her1S-per-
Il haps--' ~,
Mountain listened with grim smile He
saw In Young Dayton the signs OF q dual u
ty lie especially admired-he couldn't help 4
6softcning towards him. II stand cor
rectcd'' he said gruffly. Then he laid
his hand on the young mans shoulder
and pointed toward the large room. ''Do
you see those clerks ?" he demanded.
s5.I do" said Dayton.
There are thirty-sevcn of them-and
that big numbskul at the door makes
thrty-eigllt. ] employ those thtrty-eight
men to save me from--audactX such as
yours. Yet here you are--in my private
office! How do you explain it,"
{5 Dayton laughed-his laugh was very con-
tagious. II don't know, I'm sure, he
said "Perhaps If they We're the sort Of
men who could outwit me, they'd be
lioiilg my work and I'd be doing theirs.
Mountains eyes smiled. The longer he
looked at Dayton's refined yet rcsolute
face the better he liked it. "sit down."
fFhe said in an ironic tone Of mock rcsisna-
tior. But be quick, and be careful not
ITO irritate me with questions that are
audacious. My Digestion is poor, and,
therefore, my temper Is not--what II might
be-"
THAT is the first recorded story of Day
tons colossal check" Now for the last
one-the one since which his cheek
has been thought of and Spoken OF, admir-
ed and envied, as "NapoleOnic daring.
SIX He soon rose to be a notable special cor
respondent One winter afternoon at a
musical in the studio OF his friend,
&Brownlee, 5ethe artist, he met girl with
whom he straightway fell in love, She
was Elsie Grant, the only daughter OF
Mrs. James Wexford Grant. She had
spent most OF her life abroad, and her
mother was even then negotiating for an
italian prince who though we'll of Elsie
and also Of her large dot. And then Day
ton had come-and he was never the man
to shy at obstacles.
He begutAu her ,9nother into not seeing
4 what was gtlhg on. He made love to her
daughter in Il straightforward way. 10
Elsie. who then could think only in terms
or the Almunuch de Gotha, it seemed the
way of a Rudolph OF Hapsburs issuing
from his barren mountain farm IN Switzer-
land to conquer men With his sword and
women with his smile, and to found an
empire When the Grants went abroad in
Sf.Iyn In lfaI In, q n
European commission from his news
paper and went In the same steamer He
put the ISSUE squarely before her the day
before they landed-hc did not speak of
love until she had given him the right not
oily by encouraging him, but also by
making 1t plain that she pnss!onatcly
wished to hear the words that lay be-
hind his looks and tones. Don't answer
me now" he said. II don't want YOU on
impulse You're going down into the
country for a week When you come up
to London you will know
He went on to London and began to
cast about for something out of the
ordinary TO send his paper. In II Times
report Of a meeting of the Royal Society
he found the hint he was seeking, The
X world renowned philosopher and scientist,
Lord Frampton QIubert Foss), had ad-
dressed the society on THE Destiny OF
Democracy"
=
the London correspondent of his paper.
'.Eyerybody in America knows his name.
And what he'll say along those lines VIII
make a lot of talk over there just now
.fBut--Iveagh was an Engltsl,man, unr
used TO and abnorrent Of American ways
sou can't do It Mr.. Dayton, LORD
Frampton," with emphasis on The title.
'is (, very old man--almost 90 lie lives
as quietly as possible; sees no one. He
wouldn't think Of interviewing. Hes very
old fashioned. dislikcs even our news
papers And he's been sort OF reciuse
eli his l!fe,'
Just drop him a line
III tlsc mail two mornings later came
the answer. Dayton opened It In the
presence of Iyeagh, 1t WAS a printed slip
which read;
Lord F'rampton appreciates your
courtesy, hercgrets that aGe and the
20 If his health make IL impossible for