The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1912-12-24

clearly DeIOF0 ne COulu give UP MS
| freedom and devote himself body and
soul to the task OF money making as
his associate.
He went across the square to take
a cab at the Brevoort His mood was
buoyant He was looking out on life
once more through rose tinted glasses.
At Eighth street he met at right angles
tho swarming thousands hurrying
across town from their work-heavy
looking men who trnmped with tired
| STEP striking the pavements duly with
their nailed shoes. tired. anxious WON
en-. frowEy headed little girls. sad eyed
boys. half awake-all hurrying. the
fear of want and the horror of charity
In their silent faces And yet the sight
touched no responsive chord Of sym
patty In Stuarts heart rs tt often had
As he drove uptown the avenue fash
cd with swim. silent automobiles and
bleoded horses. These uptown crowds
through whose rushing streams he
passed were all we'll dressed and car
ried bundles Of candy. flowers and
toys.
Stuart felt the contagious enthusi
asm Of thousands Of prosperous mer
and women whose lives at the moment
flowed about and enveioped his own.
What was 1t that made the difference
between the sQualid atmosphere below
Fourth street and the glowing. fash
ing. radiant. jeweled world uptown:
Money! 1t meant purple and fine
linen. delicacies Of food and drink.
pulsing machines that could make
O mile n minute. the mountain and
the sea. freedom from care. fear.
drudgery and slavery!
After all in this modern passion for
money might there not be something
deeper than mere greed. perhaps the
regenerating power OF the spirit press
ing man upward? Certainly he could
see only the bright side of it tonight.
AS his cab swung into Riverside
drive from Seventy-second street the
sight which greeted him was one OF
startling splendor. Bivens' yacht lay
at anchor In the river just in front OF
his house. She was feStOoned with
electric lights from the water line to
the top of her towering steel masts.
The illumination Of the exterior OF
the Bivens house was remarkable.
The stone and iron fence surround
ing the block. which had been built at
q cost Of a hundred thousand dollars.
was literally ablaze with lights. The
house was illumined from its founda-
lions to the top of each towering
minaret with ruby colored lights.
Stuart passed up the grand stairs
through a row of gorgeous flunkies
and greeted his hostess,
Nan grasped his hand with a smile
Of joy
"You are to lead me in to dinner.
Jim, at the stroke of 8.
I'll not forget" Stuart answered,
his face flushing with surprise at the
unexpected honor.
"Cal wishes to see you at once. You
will find him in the library"
Bivens met him at the door.
"Ah. there you are!" he cried cor
daily. Come back downstairs with
me. ! want you to see some people
as they come in tonight. Pvefa ut
of funny things to TEN you aboslt
them
The house was crowded with an
army of servants. attendants. muSi'
clans, singers, entertainers and re-
porters.
The doctor had been recognized by
one of the buffers whom he had be-
friendcd on his arrival from the Old
World. The grateful fellow had gone
out Of the way to make him at home.
and in his enthusiasm had put an al
cove which opened off the ball room
at his and Harriet's disposal. The
doctor was elated at this evidence of
Bivens' good feeling and again con-
graduated himself on his common
sense in coming.
Bivens led Stuart to position near
the grand stairway. from which he
could greet his guests as they re-
turned from their formal presentation
to the hostess.
He kept up a running fire Of bio
graphical comment which amused
Stuart beyond measure. 1t was rev
elation of the crooked ways in which
Bivens' guests or their fathers or grand
fathers had amassed their millions
many of them by robbing the govern
ment. the people.
"The world has never heard most
Of these stories-that's funnyv' Stuart |
exclaimed after time.
mot so funny. Jim. when you think
of the power of money to make the
world forget. God only knows how
many fortunes in America had their
origin in thefts from the nation during
the civil war, and the systematic
frauds that have been practised ON our
government since. I've turned some
pretty sharp tricks. Jim. in stalking |
my game in this big man hunt Of Wall |
street. but at least I've never robbed |
the wounded or the dead on a battle
field and I've never used a dark Ian |
tern to get into the government vaults |
at Washington. I'm not asking you |
to stand for that"