Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-11-25
CHAPTER VIII.


others is characteristic Of the
genius and virllity Of the American
people-New York. with its congested
polyglot population and teeming mil
lions, is assuredly one of the busiest. as
Il Is one OF the most strenuous an,
most noisy places on earth. Yet, de-
spite its swarming streets and crowd
ed shops, ceaselessly thronged with
men and women eagerly hurrying here
and there in the pursuit Of business or
elusive pleasure, all chattering, laugh
ing, shouting amid the deafening, null
tisonous roar Of traffic incidental to
Gotham's daily life. there is one part
OF the great metropolis where there is
no hustle, no noise, no crowd, where
the streets are empty even in daytime,
where a passerby is n curiosity and
child n phenomenon. This deserted
village in the very heart of the big
town is the millionaires' district. the
boundaries of which are marked by
Carnegie hill on the north. Fiftieth
street on the south. and by Fifth and
Madison avenues respectively on the
west and east. There is nothing more
mournful than the outward aspect Of
these princely residences which, aban-
doned and empty for three-quarters of
the year, stand in stately loneliness, as
II ashamed of their isolation and utter
uselessness. Their blinds drawn, af-
fording no hint of life within, envel-
Oped the greater part of the time in
the stiffness and silence of the tomb,
they appear TO be under the spell Of
some baneful curse. No merry voiced
children rOmp In their carefully rallied
off gardens, no sounds of conversation
or laughter come from their hermetic-
ally closed windows, not soul goes
In or out; ut most, at rare intervals,
does one catch q glimpse of gorge
ously arrayed servant gliding about in
ghostly fashion supercilious and suspi-
cious and addressing the chance visitor
In awed whispers as though he were
the guardian of a house of affliction.
Ii is, indeed, like a city of the dead.
SO II appeared to Jefferson as he
walked up Fifth avenue, bound for the
Ryder residence, the day following his
arrival from Europe. Although he still
lived at his fathers house, for at no
time had there been an open rupture,
he often slept in his studio, finding it
more convenient for his work, and
there he had gone straight from the
ship. He felt, however, that it was his
duty to see his mother as soon as pos
sible; besides he was anxious to fulfill
his promise to Shirley and find what
his father could DO to help Judge Ross
more. He had talked about the case
with several men the previous evening
at the club, and the general impression
seemed to be that, guilty or innocent,
the judge would be driven off the
bench.
Europe, thought Jefferson as he
strobe quickly along, pointed with en-
Wy TO Americas unparalleled prosper
ity, spoke with bated breath of her
great fortunes. Rather should they
say her gigantic robberies, her colossal
fraudsl AS a nation we were mo-
proud of our multimillionaires. How
many Of them would bear the search
light of investigation? Would his Owl
father? How many millions could on
man AAtht ny lAOICSA AhVA
lea was enjoying unprecedented pros
perity not because of her millionaires
but in spite of them. The Unite'
States owed its high rank in the famil
of nations to the country's vast natura
resources, its inexhaustible vitality, it
great wheatfelds, the industrial an
mechanical genius of it's people. /
was the plain American citizen VIII
had made the greatness of America
not the millionaires who, forming
class by themselves of inscription
capitalists, had created an arrogan
oligarchy which sought to rule th
country by corrupting the legislator
and the judiciary. The plutocrats-
these were the leeches, the sores in th
body polite. An organized band {
robbers. they had succeeded in dom
mating legislation and in securing col
troll of every branch of the nations il
dustry, crushing mercilessly and i'll
gally all competition.
Jefferson turned abruptly and wei
up the wide steps of an imposing whit
marble ediice which took up the spat
of half a city block. \ fine examp
OF French renaissance architectur
with spire roofs, round turrets al
mullioned windows dominating Il
neighboring houses, this magnifce
home OF the plutocrat. with its fu
nishings and art treasures. had co
John Burkett Ryder nearly 100000
1t was one of the show places of Il
town, and when the 'rubbernecl
wagons approached the Ryder ma
sion and the guides through their me
aphones expatiated in awestrick'
tones on its external and hidden bea
ties, there was a general craning
vertebrate among the seeing Ne
Workers TO catch a glimpse Of Z
abode Of the richest man in the worl
Only few privileged ones were ev
permitted to penetrate to the interi
Of this 100000 home. Ryder W
not fond Of company; he avoid'
efrauc vpr-G and lived in continual apnT