The Cairo bulletin., 1904-01-17
The Mississippi Bubble
BY EMERSON HoUGH
AaIbor of The Story of tbs "Ibs Girl ar Gbs
HaLfVay HeaSe." Etc.
Copyright. 1909. b, Emerson Houghl

ing inc value OF the COIN Dlclns,
drinking amorous Philippe. easy
going, shallow-thinkins. 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 o. the first private bank
of circulation and discount France had
I 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 10 pay, for in
stance, fifty livres "in silver COIN" not
''in 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-eeneral was too shrewd a 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
vet again urcn this scheme. You
shall have the farming Of the taxes
! viii give you all the foreign trade
as monopoly, if you like-wil give You
the mint--will give you. in effect, as
! have said. all France But, monsieur
| my dircctor-eeneral. must havo
money. 1t is for that purpose that I
appoint you director-general- because
!, find you the most remarkable man in
all the world"
''Yom erace," 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 drole' You are Ill
to-day. You have migraine, per-
haDs? 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 Golconda, this morning
France bankrupt Even were 1t so.
does that relieve me of this begging OF
De Prize of Parabere, and all the 9TH
ors? My God, Monsieur Las, they arc
like leeches They think me made OF
money"
"And your grace thinks France made
of money"
Nay: | only think my director gen
eral is made of money, or can make i
as he likes"
And this was ever the end of Laws
! reproaches and his expostulations
This, then, was to be the end of hi
/ glorious enterprises, thought he, as HI
sat one morning, staring out of thu
window when left alone This sordit
love for money for its own sake--thi'
was to be the limit of an ambition
which dealt in theories in men. In ma
lions. and not in liv?es and louis dor
Law smiled bitterly For an instan
be was not the confident man of actor
and of affairs. not the man claiming
with assurance the perpetual protec
ton of good fortune. He sat there
alone. feeling nothing but the gtea
! human craving for sympathy and trust
, A line of carriages swept back across
: he street at his window and streams
of mobiles besought entrance al hi
door. And the man who had called on
all these. the man for whose FRIENDSHIP
, all Europe clamored-that man sa
with aching heart, longing, craving
begging now of fortune only the on
. thing-a friend.
At last he arose. his face showin
q lean and haggard He passed int
another room.
"Will," said he II am at a plae
where | am dizzy and need hand
: You know what hand it means for me
Z, Can YOU go-will you take her. as 20
did once before for me, MESSAGE
cannot so. ! cannot venture into he
presence. VIII you go? Tell her il
!, the last time Tell her it is the last"
, CONTINUED Tomorrow