The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-29

HAL. IOlACI VI lliC kICdb
i1rm of Brooks & Potter with connec-
tons in Boston, Chicago and Wash
tngton, and branch offices in two of
the huge, insolent uptown caravan
saries, was not what might be called
a dissipated person. He was simply
worn to a FRAGILE" He was the
younger member of the firm, its en-
cry and brains. and he had not even
time TO grow old. Marry? When could
he have wedged in fifteen minutes for
the marriage ceremony, TO say nothing
of the. necessary hours of counting, dele
ferrous TO successful business ca
reer? Why, for years he could not
remember when he had had all the
time he needed for eating, and sleep
was a lost art.
-Peleg Potter was rich beyond the
widest dreams of avarice but with
a wealth that suck vitality as leech
sucks blood
As Arthur Brooks. the head of the
firm, looked in he caught Potter's gaze
fixed upon vacancy, while both of the
mans hands were going through the
motion of tearing strips of paper tape
Why, Potter" exclaimed Brooks.
With sinking heart he recognized
symptoms familiar TO every old Wall
street broke-.
Potter" he called again, and shook
his almost unconscious partner by the
shoulder. Potter steadied his eyes AMI
looked up.
Il say. Potterl"
'Well-old man. was the mumbling
answer.
It's no use, Potter. You've got to
get off and take a long rest. You
can't stay here"
Peleg shook his head stubboTnly.
Cant do it. You know it. Cash
ier's laid up, and 1 got to see that
deal of U. S. Telegraph through-by-"
His eyes lapsed again into vacancy.
Brooks went into his private office,
leaving his junior partner i'm this semi
comatose condition. The senior called
his confidential clerk gave him a few
instructions and sent HIM off He then
rang up the office of a great steam
ship line. The Victoria Regina sailed
that day at u for Naples, and, at d
ridiculous advance, Brooks engaged
the, pursers cabin for his sick part
ner.
IF can only get him away from
the daily papers, the office and the
ticker" Brooks said to himself. "a
month on the water Will make a new
man of him."
At precisely 11:45 an automobile
~stormed the Syndicate wharf, and be
tween Brooks and valet Peleg Pot
ter was led up the gangway and gent
ly deposited, like a precious bundle OF
securities, in the purser's deck state
room. Before he could understand or
protest his partner had left him
The last fluffy visitor had gone
ashore, the last inevitable passenger
had barely caught the steamer after
the gangway haG been cast off, and
the VOVaea had bpgIIn
Two days after this preposterous
event Peleg Potter aWOlIe. himself and
alert The last thing he remembered
was booking the order of a rich lamb
TO buy ten thousand shares of T. &
p. when he knew the fool ought to
have sold.
The stateroom door was open, and
he looked ont upon the heaving hori
ION with amazement ard growing in
dignation. A young lady was lying in
a steamer chair observing the same
vastness. Potter could catch against
the. sky a clear-cut pure profile, in
spite of the thick blue veil that hid
the girls face.
"Heavens!" he cried. Buster! Godi"
The young lady, aroused from her
browsing. turned her head slightly at
the sound of these strange ejacula-
tons This motion caused Peleg such
a SPdSIi VI lnOd6Sly liAdl ilc HASTILY
pulled the blanket over his head, thus
muffiing a last agonizing call of BUS
teri
Although the heavens did not fall
and God did not respond, Buster did
for the respectful form of the valet
darkened the cabin and INSTRUCTED the
young lady from Peleg's distracted
view. As the shadow fell upon him
PeIeg popped out.
For Gods sake. he cried. shut
that door and tell me what this game
meansi"
In a few minutes Peleg had grasped
the essential facts of the situation.
II thought at first l had been kid
raped" he unused, for he knew one
person who would give many thousands
of dollars for his absence for ten days.
Here he had been at sea two days.
What might not have happened in that
time? The cold sweat inundated his
paIlid face. But Mr.. Potter was used
10 blows. He drew long breath, and
instead of the dust of a fetid city,
ozone life giving and exhilirating, filled
his lungs.
Oh, for the news! Oh. for a ticker!
Two weeks without a breath of Wall
street seemed impossible. incredible.
BY this time Potter was hell dressed
He cast glance out of the portfolio
There, before him, at rest, peaceful
relaxed. as If there were nothing in
the broad world to do but to exist and
sleep the girl lay, a dream of health
picture of Tepose. Mr.. Potter opened
his mouth and took another huge gulp
Of uncontaminated Atlantic air. He
felt as if something around his chest
snapped. Somehow or other stocks did
not seem as important as they did a
minute ago.
ITO - with the stock exchange"
he cried in his heart. He felt almost
on the utterance of that hersey as If
he had been bathed i'm a benediction.
Buster! l say. Buster! Bring me
passenger list, and be quick about II;
and have the steward send me up
something to eat. Drink? Not on your
life, you BANKED idiot! Hurry, or
III"
But Buster had long since disap-
peared, grinning like a boy playing
hockey For Buster (who was christ
ened Benjamin Boyd Buster) was hav-
ing the time of his life
In ten minutes Peleg Potter was
scrutinizing the passenger list for ia
n1iliar names. The first thing he no
ticed was that his own was not down.
This was accounted for by the fact
that his passage had been engaged lit
orally At the eleventh hour, and that
!. ,he was occupying the purser's nrivate