Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-10-12

Roebuck God Almighty had commando
10 Roebuck TO destroy. He and his Go
~ were In constant communication; hi
= God never did anything except for hi
90 benefit, he never did anything excep
~ on the direct counsel or command O
his God. Just now his God is com
manding him to destroy me. his conf
Dental agent in shaping NAM a vas
industrial enterprise and in inducing
= the public to buy by the million il
bonds n stocks.
l invited the angry frown Of the Roe
buck God by saying: "And / bought II
. the Manasquale mines on my own &C,
count"
ION your own account" said Roe,
buck. Then he hastily effaced his in,
A voluntary air of the engineer startled
. by sight of an unexpected red light.
/ yes replied /, as calm as If / were
not realizing the tremendous signif-
: canoe Of what l had announced. %
} look to you to let me participate or
equal terms"
That is, l had decided that the tim
had come for me to take my place
among the kings of finance. l had de-
cided to promote myself from agent to
principal, from prime minister to king
I must, myself, promote myself. for
In TINS world all promotion that is solid
comes from within. And in further
ance Of my object / had bought this
group of mines, control Of which was
vital to the Observation-Disclosures
combine for a monopoly of the coal of
the country.
Did not Mr.. Langdon commits
sion you to buy them for
him and his ~friends?" inquired
Roebuck, in that slow. placid tone
which yet, for the attentive ear, had a
note in 1t like the scream Of a jaguar
that comes home and inds it's cub gone.
But | couldn't get them for him." l
explained. THE owners wouldn't sell
until l engaged that the National Coal
n Railway company was not to have
them"
"Oh, I see" said Roebuck, sinking
back relieved. 1--WE must get Browne
to draw up some sort of perpetual, ir-
revocable power of attorney to us for
you to sign"
But / won't sign it." said I.
Roebuck took up a sheet of paper and
began to fold it upon itself with great
care to get the edges straight. He had
grasped my meaning; he was deliberat-
in~.
For four years now" / went on, ''you
people have been promising to take me
In as a principal in some one of your
deals-to give me recognition by max
ing me president, or chairman Of an
executive or finance committee. / am
an impatient man, Mr.. Roebuck. Life
is short, and l nave much to do. SO |
have bought the Manasquale mines
and l shall hold them"
Roebuck continued to fold the paper
upon itself until he had reduced il to a
short, thick strip. This he slowly
twisted between his cruel fingers until
1t was in two pieces. He dropped them.
n at g time. into the waste basket.
then smiled b~enevolently at me. You
are right" he said. You shall have
what you want. You have seemed such
a mere boy to me that. in spite of your
giving again n again proof of what
you are, l have been putting you off.
Then, too" He halted, and his look
was that of one surveying delicate
ground.
The bucket shop?" suggested l..
Exactly" said he gratefully. Your
brokerage business has been invaluable
to us. But-well, / / needn't tell you how
people-the men of standing-look on
that sort of thing
II never a paid any attention 30
pompous pretenses." said l." and I
never shall. My brokerage business
must go on, II my daily letters to in
v%estors. BY advertising / rose; by adj
vertising | am a owe that even you
recognize; by advertising alone can l
keep that power"
~ SCl bLAdl ~ ~ new ClICut1-
stances, you Won't need that sort of
Adapt yourself to your new
surroundings. Overalls for the trench;
4 business suit for the office"
Il shall keep to my overalls for the
present" said 1. They're more com
and"-here L smiled signif-
,antly at him-'if / shed them, 1 might
to go naked. The first principle
If business is never to give up what
-niI no We until VnIIr grin ic fioht n,
something better"
NO oub you're right" agreed the
yhite-haired old s~coundrel, giving no
sign that 1 had fathomed his motive
trying TO hint me out OF my
stronghold. IT will talk the matter
over with Langdon and Melville. Rest
assured, my boy, that you will be sat
He got up, put his arm affec-
ionately round my shoulders. I'VE all
ike you. / have a feeling toward you
Us if you were my own son.. / am get
ing old, and l like to see young men
me, growing up TO assume the
responsibilities of the Lords work
He shall call me to my re-
1t will seem incredible that a man of
NY s~hrewdness and experience could
,e taken in by such Shiny stuff as that
Il who knew Roebuck as only a few
knew him, l who had seen him
Il work, as devoid of heart as an empty
spider in an empty web. Yet I was
aiken in to the extent hat I thought
he really purposed to recognize my
services, to yield to the only persuasion
hat could affect him-force. / fam
led he was actually about TO put me
where / could be OF the highest use
illness to him and his associates. as
we'll as to myself. As If an old man
.ver yielded power or permitted an
,ther to gain power, even though IL
we're to his own great advantage. The
ivarice OF age is not open to reason.
IL vas with tears in my eyes that I
hook hands with him. thanking him
'motionally. 1t was with a high chin
md a proud heart that l went back
o my offices. There wasn't a doubt in |
ny mind that | was about to get my
was about to enter the
harmed circle of high finance"
That small and exclusive circle. into Z
which / WAS seeing myself admitted {
the usual arduous and unequal I
iattie, was what may be called the in /
iustrial ring-a loose, yet tight, COM |
line of about a dozen men who con- {
rolled in n way or another practi- /
ally all the industries OF the country. '
had no formal agreements: they
ield no official meetings. They did not
ook upon themselves as an association.
They often quarreled among them
elves, waged bitter wars upon each T
over divisions of power or plum h
But. in the broad sense, in the