The Washington herald., 1908-05-22
THE SOUL OF CROESUS
BY GERALD VLLIERS-STUART
Copyright nights
BY GERALD yILLIERS-STUART

If he was confessing to being an under.
taker. Then I suppose you will make
a deal for the whole gang?'
don't know what gou are driving
at he said. but anything you say will
be used against you at the trial.
There won't be any trial. I replied
jauntily, bringing out my roll Of notes.
I've got the stuff in my clothes
You viii make note, he said, turn
inis to a brace Of bobbies who were con
Iagious. that this gent has tried to
bribe me. They all looked at me as II
I were a curiousity, and made notes in
their books.
i saw IT was going to come high. so
made my first offer attractive. This isn't
any tipping business, said. taking the
band of the notes. It's five hundred
pounds a man, and two thousand for the
captain / thought they would have
walked right up TO the trough 81 that
bat not a BIT Of It.
You ought TO be ashamed Of yourself,
said one bobby. 'a-trying TO tempt honest
men TO go against their principles!'
DO you know. think agree with that
bobby" observed Lord Ancestor.
Luckily. there was one OF the detec-
tives who didn't. The minute he began
70 speak I knew he had been on the New
York force.
Well, I'll be durnedr he barked
what's policeman got 10 do with princi-
Pies? I worked up this case. and not be-
cause l mad anything against the club
thought I knew q, good graft when I see
1t, and this gent is playing the game like
q man, and not getting any encourage
ment. You are Mr.. Vandraken. the Amer
ican millionaire. amt your
L owned right up TO Il. You're all
right as far es you've gone. but this is
London. where the police have principles.
Well, you have got to buy those princi-
pies. Men lose their Jobs here for doing
what you want EN- to do. Well, you've
got 70 buy those jobs. That FIVE hundred
you offered-and ! amt saying anything
against it-may buy our principles, but il
won't buy our jobs. You capitalize them
at 4 per cent-that's about two thousand
q man. captain extra-then FIVE hundred
for leading us into temptation. and FIVE
hundred for yielding 20 il, and another
thousand because a man who has done
what we are going to DO can't look the
world in the eye as he did before-say
four thousand a man, and ten for the
captain There's some OF US whose prin-
ciples isn't worth the price, but we must
suffer with the rest. What do you say?' ''
What did you say?" asked Lord An
eester.
I didn't say anything I put the bank
notes in my pocket and fished out some
blank checks. Then the American detec-
tive went round and talked over his ac-
completes. BY the way, his name is Ben
Duff, and l have taken him into my serv-
ice. They couldn't resist, though some OF
them looked broken-hearted All the
same. they took their money and went
their way"
Poor deviisi" said Lord Ancestor
Don't you realize what you have done to
thenaP
L have made-them into weIl-to-do men,
that's what I have done for them
But can't you SEE no. I forgot.
You are a man without a conscience. The
only thing those men had was their self
respect, By the sheer brute force Of mon
ey you have made them part with it.
Well, If ! bought up their principles.
didn't l pay the full market price for
them?"
My dear man, there is no market price
for them. 'Pon my word. Vandraken. I
sometimes wonder whether It is lack of
conscience or brains which makes you
American plutocrats deal with mems self
respect as you do"
4 don't follow you." said Vandraken.
beginning 10 look bored. as he always did
when ethics were discussed.
Why. don't you seer" insisted Lord
Ancestor. 1T was because men had prin-
ciples that you chaps were able TO create
your wealth Self-respecting fathers Of
families, with the instinct of providing
for their young to carry them through
days and nights Of toil-those were the
kind OF men who made your steel. How
much wealth Will those ten men whose
principles you have bought ever produce
OF protect? Not a shililngs worth for the
rest of their livesi And you American
plutOcrats are creating men like that by
the thousand, as you buy your way to
whatever point you wish to reach NY
ancestors, now - they had some sense
They had the same feudal system YOU
have, but they maintained an elaborate
machinery for filling the masses so full of
religion and patriotism that they went on,
generation after generation, producing
wealth for them. or dying for them, on
she distinct understanding that It would
he made up to them In the next world:
and 1t all worked very nicely"
''Our civilization may be rotten" yawn-
ed Vandraken. but It will last our time,
and that is all we care about"
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.