The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-06-10

retary Will report to me at once Win
the four millions you have set aside
for the Van Dam company / shall be
pleased to place your name on my ex-
ecutive council in the big movement
we begin today. The other gentlemen
whom I have thus honored are now
waiting for me in the adjoining room.
They represent a banking power that
is resistless at the present moment.
"When the Van Dam Trust closes its
doors today a temporary panic will
follow. We will give the gentlemen
who started this excitement a taste of
their own medicine. render a service
to the nation and incidentally, of
course, earn an honest dollar or two
for ourselves. trust 1 have your
hearty support in this program"
Bivens again bowed low.
"My hearty support and my pro-
foundest gratitude"
"Ill expect your secretary with your
check for four millions within thirty
minutes.".
The king waved a friendly gesture
of dismissal. and the little dark figure
tremblingly withdrew. He had been
ordered to stab his associates.
Without a moments hesitation he
gave the cruel orders that sent them
hurting over the precipice.
When the president Of the Van Dam
Trust company failed to receive the
promised millions from Bivens he call
ed his telephone and, receiving no an
swer, sprang into his automobile and
dashed downtown to the little main
| office.
When the clerk at the door informed
him that Mr.. Bivens could not be seen
by any one, he drove back to the pala-
tial house of his bank, smiled sadly
at the mob in front of its huge pillars,
ordered its bronze doors closed, walked
around the corner to his home, locked
himself in his room and blew his brains
out
For a week the panic held the fnan-
cial world in the grip Of death. A doz-
en- banks had closed their doors and
score of men who had long boasted
their courage among men had died the
NSdti VA Wv al I'D NlACh puI W IuC lCSl
One of the most curious results of
the panic was the revulsion of pop
ular feeling against the daring and
honest young officer of the law who
had rendered the greatest service to the
people wrought by any public servant
in generation. He was hailed as the
arch traitor of the people, the man who
had used his high Office to produce a
panic and carve a fortune out of the
ruin Of millions whose deposits were
tied up in banks that might never again
open their doors.
Stuart, stung to desperation by their
infamous charges, attempted at first
to repel them. He stopped at last in
disgust and maintained afterward a
dignifled silence.
From the first day of the run Bivens
had laughed in the face Of the crowd
that besieged the door of his big Broad
way bank. He stood on top of the
granite steps and shouted in their
faces:
Come on, you dirty towards! I've
got your money inside waiting for you,
every dollar Of it-1O0 cents on the dol
larr'
The crowd made no reply. They
merely moved up in line in stolid 81
lence little closer to the door. Each
day this line had grown longer. Biv-
ems was not worrying. The king had
spoken. The folly Of these people in
their insane efforts to wreck Biven's
bank was making impossible a return
to normal business.
Stuart determined TO face this crowd
and have 1t out with them. He be-
lieved that bold appeal to their rea-
son would silence his critics and allay
their insane fears. He told Bivens of
his purpose over the telephone and the
fnaneier protested vigorously:
Don't do 1t, Jim. beg OF YOU" he
pleaded. "It will be waste Of breath.
Besides, You risk your life"
"I'll be there when the bank opens at
10 O'Clock tomorrow morning." was the
firm answer.
When Stuart appeared the next morn
ing a roar Of rage swept the csowd.
Howla curses, catcalls, Kisses, boots
and yells were hurled into his face. It
was a new experience in Stuarts life.
he flushed red. stood for a moment
surveying the mob with growing anger
and lifted his hand for silence.
The answer was a storm Of Kisses.
Apparently he hadn't friend In all the
Bwaying mass OF noWnng InanIacs. ne
drew his heavy brows down over his
eyes and the square jaws ground to-
gether with sullen determination.
With sudden impulse he threw his
right hand high above his head and his
voice doomed over the crowd in a peal
4 Il