Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-05-12

twice made certain millions for him
self by the simple process OF chang
ing the value Of the coin? Dicing.
drinking, amorous Philippe. easy
going, shallow-thinking, truly vert
thou better fitted for throne than for
a bankers chair
The royal bank, which the regent
himself FASTENED to foster when he
saw the profits of the first private bank
of circulation and discount France had
ever known, issued notes against which
Law entered Immediately his firm pro-
test. He saw that their tenor spelled
ruin for the whole system of finance
which, at such labor, he had erected.
These notes promised TO pay, for in
stance, fifty livres lin silver coin, not
lin coin of the weight of the standard
OF this day. as had the honester notes
of Laws bank That is to say. the
notes meant nothing sure and nothing
definite They might be money for a
time, but not forever; and this the
director-general was too shrewd man
not to know.
But under this issue you shall have
all France. said the regent to him one
day, as they renewed their discussion
yet again upon this scheme .You
shall have the farming of the taxes.
| will give you all the foreign trade
as monopoly, if you like-wilI give you
the mint-will give you, in effect. as
have said, all France But, monsieur
my director general, / must have
money. 1t is for that purpose that
appoint you director general because
find you the most remarkable man in
all the world.
Your grace, said Law, print your
notes thus, and print them to such
extent as you wish, and France is
again worse than bankrupt. Then, in
deed. you have worse than repudiated
the debts of France
"Ah BAH mon drolei You are i'll
to-day. You have migraine, per-
haps? What folly for you to speak
thus France hath swiftly grown SO
strong that she can never again be
ruined What ails my magician, my
Prince of Golconday this morning?
France bankrupt! Even were it so,
does that relieve me of this begging of
De Prize, of Parabere, and all the 9TH
ers? My God, Monsieur Las, they are
like leeches! They think me made of
money"
And your grace thinks France made
of money
Nay; I only think my director-gen-
eral is made of money, or can make it
as he likes.
And this was ever the end of Laws
reproaches and his expostulations.
This, then, was to be the end Of his
glorious enterprises, thought he, as he
sat one morning, staring out of the
window when left alone. This sordid
love for money for it's own sake-this
was to be the limit of an ambition
which dealt in theories, in men, in ma
lions, and not in livres and louis dor!
Law smiled bitterly For an instant
he was not the confident man of action
and of affairs, not the man claiming
with assurance the perpetual protec-
ton Of good Icrtune He sat there,
alone, feeling nothing but the great
human craving for sympathy and trust.
A line of carriages swept back across
the street at his window, and streams
of mobiles besought entrance at his
door. And the man who had called out
all these, the man for whose friendship
all Europe clamored-that man sat
with aching heart, longing, craving,
begging now of fortune only the one
thing--a friend!
At last he arose, his face showing
lean and haggard. He passed into
another room.
will" said he, 81 am, at a place
where | am dizzy and need hand.
You know what hand it means for me-
Can you go-will you take her, as you
did once before for me, a message?
cannot go. l cannot venture into her
presence. Will you go? Tell her it is
the last time! Tell her it is the last"