The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-06-14

street and Lombard street. 1t had just
been announced that he had "absorb-
ed" the Great Eastern and Western
railway system-of course by the meth
DDS which have made some men and
some newspapers habitually speak of
him as ''the royal bandit" The city
editor had two reasons for sending
Dayton-tirst, because he did not like
him; second. because any other man on
the staff would walk about for an hour
and come back with the report that
Mountain had refused to receive him,
while Dayton would make an honest
effort
Dayton turned in at the Equitable
building and went up to the floor occu-
pied by Mountain, Ranger s. Blakehill.
He nodded to the attendant ut the door
of Mountains own suit of offices, stroll
ed TRANQUILITY down the aisle between
several rows of desks at which sat
Mountains personal clerks and knock
ed at the glass door OH which was
printed "NIr. Mountain" in small gilt
letters.
"Come" 1t was an angry voice
Mountains at it's worst.
Dayton opened the door. Mountain
glanced up from the mass of papers
before him. His red forehead became
network of wrinkles, and his scant
white eyebrows bristled. "And who
are you:" he snarled.
My name is Dayton-Fenimore Day
tom replied the reporter, with grace
fully polite bow. "NIr Mountain. be-
lieve?"
1t was impossible for Mr. Mountain
altogether to resist the impulse to bow
in return. Dayton's manner was COM
pelling.
"And what the dev-what can l do
for you?"
"I'm a reporter from the
what" roared Mountain, lcaping to
his feet in a purple, swollen veined
fury. "How dare you enter hcre|'
"But-why not?" Dayton looked sur
prised. mo one tried to stop me-"
'Impudence"'
Pardon me-not impudence." Day
ton smiled agreeably. .Impudencc is
unsuccessful audacity. For example,
if you had failed to get the Great East
ern and Western, they'd have said you
We're impudent to try. AS it is, men
call it audacity Now, if I'd failed to
get here-perhaps'-
Mountain listened with grim smile.
He saw in young Dayton the signs of
quality he especially admired. He
couldn't help softening toward him. 81
stand corrected" he said gruftiy. Then
he laid his hand on the young mans
shoulder and pointed toward the large
room. do you see those clerks?" he
demanded.
Il do" said Dayton.
"rhere are thirty of them, and
that big numskull at the door makes
thirty eight. | employ those thirty
eight men to save me from audacity
such as yours. Yet here you are, i'll my
private office! How do you explain it?'
Dayton laughed. His laugh was very
contagious. 81 don't know, I'm sure"
he said. Perhaps if they were the sort
of men who could outwit me they'd be
doing my work and I'd be doing
theirs"
zAIountain's eyes smiled. The longer
he looked at Dayton's refined yet reso-
lutte face the better he liked it. "Sit
down." he said in an ironic tone of
mock resignation. "But be quick, and
be careful not to irritate me with ques-
tons that are-audacious. My diges-
ton is poor, and, therefore. my temper
is not what it might be-
That is the first recorded story of
Dayton's Colossal cheek" Now for the
last one-the one since which his
'cheek" has been thought of and spo.
ken Of, admired and envied as "Napo.
leonic daring
He soon rose to be notable special
correspondent One winter afternoon
at musicale in the studio of his
friend, Brownlee the artist, he met q
girl with whom he straightway fell il
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 the1
negotiating for an italian prince who
thought well of Elsie and also of hel
large dot. And then Dayton had come
and he was never the man to shy at oh
stacles.
He beguiled her mother into no
seeing what was going on. He mad
love to her daughter in straightfor
ward way. To Elsie, who then coult
think only in terms of the Almanac
de Gotha, it seemed the way of a Ru
dolph of Hapsburg issuing from hi
barren mountain farm in Switzerland
to conquer men with his sword ant
women with his smile and to found al
empire. When the Grants went abroat
in March lie succeeded in getting ROY
ing European commission from hi
newspaper and went i'll the SAM
steamer lie put the issue squared.
before her the day before they landed
He did not speak of love until she hat
given him the right not only by encour
aging him, but also by making 1T plail
that she passionately wished to hea
the words that lay behind his looks an,
tones. Don't answer me now" Ia
said. 81 don't want you on impulse
You're going down into the countr.