News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-09-09
CHAPTER VI.
The system at Work.


twentieth century prosperity; scrupu'
lousy, almost imposingly clean; i'm,
maculately groomed. Physically he
would have passed muster anywhere.
He was only thirty-five years old, yet
he had the bulk that suggested not
alone avoirdupois, but substantially
and maturity of mind. His keen gray
eyes, the firm, decisive lines of his
face, the poise and calm assuredness
of movement, bespoke strength abso-
Lutte control of self and mastery Of
others. Inherent shrewdness was
yelled behind mask of genial good
fellowship and franllness of speech.
He was the type that any man con-
ducting great enterprises would have
welcomed as a colleagh3 and feared as
a rival. John Brand spelled success.
He had sought it, encompassed it and
corralIed it. The doctrine of the sur
vivaI Of the fttest, he held sacred. 1t
was his casus belli and his Bible.
He apctheosized himself and his kind
and actually believed the world was
better off fer the breed. Modern
methods of manipulation and chican-
cry he looked upon, not as an impedi-
ment, but as 81 acce.l-s'i-g Frvr to
progress. Failure was the only sin
he knew.
He looked qui2zicclly now at the
cheap cigar his host had given him
and then around ut tie modest fur
nishings of the room.
"You haven't been very prosperous
since you LETT SCHOOL, he asked. 81
had the idea that you lad money up
there"
Bob's cneeo5 b1~ued It seemed to
him that Brands audre was not only
businessliEe, brit limoges -arilv b,uu..
But he ansU g-c6 cJc.y eHough:
ono, YOU see, an c,i aunt Of mine
took care of my edulagcn. Aleu-, the
time I gradugtsd she died. I've been
working pretty hard t~vi7r to get
along the best I could I've married
and bought this little home, but it's
hard to keep it up."
The millionaire's answer to this
statement was brutaIy sententf0us.
Guess you can't be much of a hush
ness man" he said cat least. blwing
this kind of house the way YOU
have isn't good business. I heard a.
fellow say one time that every INSTALL |
ment you pay On your home or furni-
ture is like putting a nail in the coffin
of your hope, and I guess he wasn't
far wrong. Not bad. eh?"
mo not for millionaires: not for
those who have got the price. but it's
dippant foolery for those who haven't
it. I know that I am paying more for
this place than it's worth and that I'm
helping some CAPITALIST to nut the
screws down tighter. But It's the eys.
tenn that's wrong. Brand, not me.
want a piece Of the earth TO which I
am entitled. l want to feel that there
is something under my feet besides
the pavement that your stock watered
cement company built. Your cement
will crumble up and blow away, but
this half-acre of ground will be here
for me and for my children. Why,
any man who is worth anything in our
social order of things has this longing
for the soil. Everyone knows it; you
know it. That's why you bought stock
in the Utopian Land company. We're
trimmed. OF course we are. We pipe
and you sing, but how are we going
to help it?"
The millionaire laughed 1--WE heard
that before" he answered. Seems to
me your friend Meade has made a
convert. But wait"-he held up his
hand to stop Reynolds reply. You
asked me how you can help it. I'm
going to tell you. You recollect that
you were a pretty good friend of mine
at school. Worked your heart and soul
out trying to get me on the varsity
eight and the eleven.
"Yes, and you didn't make them"
There's that wonderful memory
again. But, never mind One good
turn deserves another and I'm here
for that purpose. I am a business
man and I handle things from that
"The modern business man." said
Reynolds, els something of an enigma
10 me. 1 have never been able to fig
are out lust exactly what he is"