The Mena weekly star., 1909-06-17

all have a prejudice in favor of our own sanity. What I meant was that Mercer Is a bit of a fanatic: his hard luck has-well. prejudiced him"
 Keatcham's cold. firm lips straight. ened into his peculiar smile. which was rather of perception than of humor.
 One might say of him-Aunt Rebec. ca Winter did say of him-that he saw the incongruous. which makes up for humor, but he never enjoyed 1t; possibly 1t was only another factor in his contempt of mankind
 Colonel" said Keatcham. do you think Wall street is a den of thieves 2,
 T do," said the colonel promptly. T should like to take a machine gun or two and clean you all out"
 Keatcham did not smile; he blinked his eyes and nodded. T presume good many people share your opinion of us."
 Millions" replied the colonel.
 Again Keatcham nodded. q thought so." said he. "Of course you are all of; Wall street Is as necessary to the commonwealth as the pores to your skin; they don't make the poison in the system any more than the pores do: they only let it escape And sup pose you think that big financiers who control the trusts and the railways and"
 Us" the colonel struck in, "well?"
 You think we are thieves and liars and murderers and despots?"
 "All of that" said the colonel placid ly; also fools"
 You certainly don't mince your words"
 You don't want me to. What use would my opinion be in a one-thou- sandth attenuation? You're no homeo. path and whatever else you may be, you're no coward"
 Yet, you think surrendered to Mercer? You think I did it because 1 was afraid he would kill me? I sup pose he would have killed me if hadn't, eh?"
 He can speak for himself abou; that; he seems--well an earnest sort of man. But don't think you gave in because you were afraid, if that is what you mean. You are no more afraid than he was You wanted to live, probably: you had big things on hand. The Midland was only trump in the game; you could win the odd trick with something else; you let the Midland go."
 Pretty. close, e,"-Keatcham really l smiled-"but there Is a good deal more of it. I was shut up with the results of my-my work. He did 1t very cleverly. I had nothing to dis tract me. There were the big type written pages about the foolish peo- pie who had lost their money, in some cases really through my course, most ly because they got scared and let go and were wiped out when, If they had had confidence in me and held on. they would be very much better off, now. But they didn't, and they were ruined and they starved and took their boys out of college and mort gagged their confounded homes that had been in their families ever since Adam; and the old people died of broken hearts and the girls went wrong and some of the idjotic quitters killed themselves--it was not the kind of crowd you would want shut up with you in the dark I was shut up with them. He had some sort of way of switching of the lights from the out side. I never saw a face or heard a voice. I would have to sit there in the dark after he thought had read enough to occupy my mind. It was unpleasant. Perhaps you suppose that brought me round to his way of think lng?'
 The colonel meditated. "I'll tell you honestly" he said, after a pause, "l was of that opinion. or something Of the kind, until talked your case over with my aunt"
 "The old dame is not a fool; what did she say?'
 She said no, he didn't.convert you; but he convinced you how other peo pie looked at your methods. You couldn't get round the fact that a majority of your countrymen think your type of financier is worse than smallpox, and more contagious"
 "Oh, she put 1t that way. did she? for me. We'll, you think she was nearer right than you?"
 q think you do; I myself think it was little of both. You've got a heart and a conscience originally, though they have pretty well tanned out in the weather; you didn't want to be sorry for those people. but you are They have bothered you lot; but 1t has bothered you more to think that instead of going down the ages as colossal benefactor and empire builder, you are hung up on the hook to see where you're at; and wbere you will be If the people get thor oughly aroused. You all are building bigger balloons when 1t ought to be you for the cyclone cellar! But you are different You can see ahead give you credit for seeing"
 Have you ever considered" said Keatcham, slowly, That in spite of the iniquitous greed of the men you are condemning, in spite of their oppres- sion of the people, the prosperity of the country is unparalleled? How do you explain it?'
 Crops said the colonel; "the crops were too big for you"