The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-19
ny RICHARD sPILIANE.

H
For q man who nae the politicians
Of the town in the hollow Of his hand,
who could make big merchants come
a~-runptng IL he SO desired, and who had
enough millions to make a splurge In
any society, "Uncle joe was unusually
modest. He dressed shabby, much Ia
the annoyance Of his clever wife and
Charming daughter. and was as com.
monplace In appearances as an old
shoe. Ills bank, too, was u~npretentious.
Ihere was a biz wide counter that
extended around two sides OF the in.
closed space. h other two sides did
not need counters, for they were
against the walls. Above the counter
was a wire screen. with openings here
and there. One Of the openings was
where the counter was rounded, turn
Ing from the front to the side OF the
room. At this benz In the counter
Uncle Joe" sat all day looking out
On the buay street or chatting with
sucn people as had business with him.
He never handled money, never raised
his voice above the ordinary CONVEX
1atlonal tone and lever seemed to pay
much attention to things, but his sharr
little eyes took in everything, or near.
~ everything.
FROM where he sat he could see
every one. worth seeing In the business
life Of that town, for tho bank waa
right in the heart OF the city. at the
Junction Of tho two principal streets.
And somehow he heard everything, or
nearly everything, worth knowing.
What he saw he didn't forget.
What he heard he seldom repeated. He
had come into that seaport town with
little more than the clothes he wore
and had plodded along for years be-
fore he had attracted attention. From
a small merchant he had become an
Importer. From an Importer he had
branched out to be r banker. Shrewd-
~ n quietly he had made progress.
Rarely did he make an error. 1t was
not until his fortune was big and he
was doing the most profitable anktnc
business OF the city that some OF the
old fogieE realized that he was a mower
In the community. He wrs so mild, SO
80 unobtrusive that 1.
was hard for them to understand how
he had made such Roadway.
Uncle Joe never told them the secre.
Day after day no sat at the counter.
and the city passed in review before
MIN. Merchant and politician stoned
now and then to gossip. The banker
was q most attentive listener SO long
ns the subject interested him. When
IT did not he han q habit of looking
:hto vacancy in a nreoccnpied sort OF
way that made a caller feel it was a
proper time 10 depart Tho Mayor
WAS a regular caller. The Mayor pat
ronlzed UNCLE Joe. The, city funds were
denositcd in the bank, and the Mayor
1eit that Uncle Joe should feel appre-
c~iativc. The Mayor did not know II.
but he never would have been elected
had 1T not been for Uncle Joe. In some
MYSTERIOUS way the banker had OBJ
tanned a hold on most OF the forceful
men Of each OF the political parties,
end unostentatiously. and usually
without their realization OF his influ-
ence, he had them do just what he
wanted.
It was the same in regard to various
DIG business concerns. There was not
all establishment. In town that Uncle
Joe did not have an accurate iinc on.
He was A remarkable student Of men.
On one of the rare occasions when he