The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-03-20
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
In no blaze of glory did. Burning
Daylight descend upon San Francisco
Not only had he been forgotten, Blu,
the Klondike along with him. The
world was interested in other things
and the Alaskan adventure, like the
Spanish War, was an old story. He set
tied down in st. Francis Hotel, wal
interviewed by the c~ub-reporters on
the hotel-run, and received brief para
graphs Of notice for twenty.fou1
hours.
Several months passed in San Fran
cisco, during which time he studied
the game and its rules. and prepared
himself to take a hand.
firing of being merely an ~onlooker,
he ran up to Nevada, where the new
gold-mining boom was fairly started
lust to try a fiutter," as he phrased
it to himself. The fiutter on the To-
nopah Stock Exchange lasted just ten
days, during which time his smash
ing, wild-buil game played ducks and
brakes with the more stereotyped
gamblers. and at the end Of which
time, having gambled Floridel into
his fist. he let go for a net profit Of
half a million. W%hereupon, smacking
his lips, he departed for San Fran
cisco and the st. Francis Hotel. 1t
tasted good, and his hunger for the
game became more acute.
And once more the papers sensa-
tionalized him. BURNING DAYLIGHT
was a bigdetter headline again. In
reviewers focked about him. Old
files Of magazines and newspapers
were searched through, and the ro-
mantle and historic Elan Harnish.
Adventurer Of the Frost, King of the
Klondike, and Father of the Sour
coughs, strobe upon the breakfast ia
BILE Of a million homes along with the
toast and breakfast foods. Even be-
fore his elected time, he was forcibly
launched into the game. F1nanciers
and promoters, and all the f1otsam and
jetsam Of the sea of speculation
surged upon the shores of his eleven
millions. In self-defence he was COM
PEELED to open offices. He dabbled In
little things at frst-"stalling for
time" as he explained 1t to Holds
worthy, a friend he had made at the
Alta-Pacifc Club. Daylight himself
was a member Of the club, and Holds
worthy had proposed him. And it was
well that Daylight played closely at
first, for he was astounded by the
multitudes Of sharks-"ground-sharks,"
he called them-that focked about
him. He say through their schemes
readily enough, and even marveled
hat such numbers OF them could find
sufficient prey to keep them going.
Their rascality and general dubious
ness was SO transparent that be could
not understand how any one could be
taken In by them.
So it was that he resolved to leave
the little men, the Holdsworthys,
alone; and. while ne met them in good
fellowship. he chummed with none.
and formed no deep friendships. He
did not dislike the little men, the men
OF the AIta-Pacif1c, for instance. He
merely did not elect to choose them
for partners in the big game in which
he intended to play. What this big
game was. even he did not know. He
was waiting to find 1t. And in the
meantime he played small hands, in.
vesting In several arid-lands reclama.
ton projects and keeping his eyes
open for the big chance when it
should come along.
And then he met John Dowsett. the
great John Dowsett. 1t was the first
big magnate Daylight had met face to
face, and he was pleased and charmed.
There was such a kindly humanness
about the man, such a genial demo-
craticness, that Daylight found It hard
to realize that this was the John Dow.
sett, president Of a string of banks.
manipulation. reputed ally of
the ~lieutenants of Standard OIL, and /
known ally Of the Guggenhammers.
Nor did his looks belle his reputation
and his manner. Physically, he guar
anteed all that Daylight knew OF him.
Despite his sixty years and snow
white hair, his hand-shake was firmly
and he showed no signs of
decrepitude, walking with a quick,
snappy step, making all movements
definitely and d%ecisively.
1t was not long afterward that Day
light came on to New York. A letter
from John Dowsett had been the
cause-a simple little typewriter let
ter OF several lines. But Daylight
had thrilled as he read 1t. The bald
sentences seemed gorged with mys-
terry. Our Mr.. Howison will call up.
on you at your hotel. He is to be
We must not be seen to-
You will understand after we
have had our talk Daylight conned
words over and over. That was 1t.
The big game had arrived, and it
looked as II he were being invited to
sit in and take a hand. Surely. for no
'ther reason would one man so peremp-
invite another man to make a
across the continent.
They met-thanks to "our" Mr..
aowison-up the Hudson, in a mag