The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-03-25
CHAPTER
EIGHT

a
* mechanism of the metropolis
was whrling smoothly again.
IL The last ultra fashionable De
cember lingerer had returned from the
country. Those of the same caste out
ward bound for a southern or exotic
winter had departed, and the glittering
machine, every part assembled, refur-
bished, repoished and connected, hay
Ing been given preliminary speed tests
at the horse show and a tuning up at
the opera. was now running under full
velocity. aud its steady. subdued whir
quickened the clatte' .Ag pulse of the
city, keying it to a sublimely synco-
pated ragtime.
1t was an open winter in New York
and financially a prosperous one, and
that meant brilliant social season.
Three phenomena particularly charac-
terized that metropolitan winter-the
reckless rage for private gambling
through the mediums of bridge and
roulette; the incorporation of COM
pany known as the lntercounty Elec-
trio company, capitalized at a figure
calculated to disturb nobody and so far
without any avowed specific policy 9th
er than that which served to decorate
a portion of its charter which other
wise might have remained ornately
and comparatively blank; the third
phenomenon was the retirement from
active affairs of Stanley S. Quarter,
the father of Howard Quarter, and
the election of the son to the presiden-
cy of the great Algonquin Loan and
Trust company, with its network sys-
TEN of dependent subsidiary and allied
corporations
The day that the newspapers gave
this interesting information to the west
ern world Leroy Mortimer, on being
bluntly notified that he had Overdrawn
his account with the Algonquin Loan
and Trust. began telephoning in every
direction until he located Beverly
Plank at tn Saddle club an organiza-
ton of wealthy men and sufficiently
exclusive not to compromise Plank's
possible chances for something better
Mortimer crawled out of his hanson,
saying that the desk clerk would pa.
and entered the reading room, where
Plank sat writing a letter.
Beverly Plank had grown stouter
since ne had returned to town from
Black FEELS but the increase Of weight
was event. distributed over his six
feet odd which made him only a trihe
more pondc"ous and not abdominally
fat But Mortimer bad become enOr-
nous Roll, of flesh crowded his mot
tied ear lo3es outward and bulgeI
above his collar. Cushions of it pad
ded the backs of his hands ana fin
gers. Shaving left his heavy, distend-
ed face congested and unpleaSanth
shiny. But he was as infinitely groom
ed as ever. and he wore that satiated
air of prosperity which had always
been one of his most important assets.
The social campaign inaugurated by
Leila Mortimer i'm behalf of Beverly
Plank had so far received no serious
reverses. His box at the horse show,
IF course. produced merely negative
results. His box at the opera might
mean something some day. His name
was mp at the LenoX and the PATRONS.
He had endowed a ward in the new
pavilion Of St Berold's hospital. lie
had presented fine Gainsborough,
"The Countess of Wythe," to the Met
ropolitHn museum. and it was rumored
hat ne had consulted several bishops
concerning new chapel for that huge
bastion of the citadel Of faith looming
above the metropolitan wilderness i'm
thp north