The Washington times., 1919-08-22
CHATTER XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.
Not for nothing had Regan been
named by his associates The Wolf
OF Wall Street. While usually no
more than a conservative, large
scale player, ever 50 often, like a
periodical drinker, he had TO 80 on
a rampage Of wild and daring
stock gambling.
At least I'VE times in his long
career had he knocked the bottom
out OF the market or lifted the roof
OF, and each time to the tune Of a
personal gain OF millions. he never
went on a small rampage, and he
never went too often.
He would let years OF quiescence
slip by, until suspicion OF him was
lulled asleep and his world deemed
that The Wolf was at last grown old
and peaceable. And then, like a
thunderbOlt, he would strike at the
men and interests he wished to de-
strOy. But, though the blow always
fell like a thunderbolt, not like a
thunderbolt was its inception. Long
months were spent in OBVIOUSLY pre-
pairing for the day and painstaking-
ly maturing the plans and condi-
tions for the battle.
Thus had Il been in the outlining
and working up Of the impending
Waterloo for Francis Morgan. Re-
venge lay back OF Il. but II was re-
venge against a dead man. Not
Francis; but Francis's father. was
the one he struck against. although
he struck against the living into
the heart OF the grave to accom-
plish it,
Eight years ago he had waited
and sought his chance ere old R.
H. M-Richard Henry Morgan
had died But no chance had he
found. He was. truly. the Wolf Of
Wall Street. but never by any luck
had he found an opportunity
against the Lion-for 10 his death
r. II. N. had been known as the
Lion Of Wall Street.
The Feud Carried On.
So. from father to son, always
under a show Of fair appearances,
Regan had carried the feud over.
Yet Regan's very foundation on
which he built for revenge was
meretriciOus and wrongly con-
ceived. True. eight years before
r. H. Ms death he had tried 10
double-cros him and failed; but ne
never dreamed that r. H. NJ had
guessed Yet r. H. N. had not only
guessed. but had sscertained. be-
yond any shadow Of doubt, and had
Regan known that R H. NJ knew
Of his perhdy, Regan would have
taken his medicine without thought
Of revenge. As Il was, believing
that r II. NJ. was bad as himself,
believing that r. H. NJ, out Of
meanness as mean as his own,
without provocatfon or suspicion,
had done this foul thing to him. he
saw no way to balance the account
save by running him, or, in lieu OF
him, by running his son.
And Regan had taken his time.
At first Francis had left the fnan-
cial game alone. content with let
ting his money remain safely in the
safe investments into which Il had
been put by his father. Not until
Francis had become for the frst
time active in undertaking Tam
pico Petroleum to the tune Of mil
lions Of investment, with an assured
many millions of ultimate returns.
had Regan had the ghost Of a
change to destroy him.
But. the chance given, Regan had
not wasted time, though his slow
and thorough campaign had re-
quired many months to develop. Ere
he was done, he came very close to
knowing every share Of whatever
stock Francis carried on margin or
owned outright.
It had really taken two years and
more for Regan to prepare. In some
OF the corporations which Francis
owned heavily Regan was himself a
director and no inconsiderable ar
bitter Of destiny. In Frisco COnsoli-
dated he was president. In New
York, Vermont and Connecticut he
was vice president
From controlling one director in
Northwestern Electric, he had
played kitchen politics until he con-
trOlIed the two-thirds majority.
And so with all the rest, either d.
rectIy or indirectly through cor
pOratiOn and banking ramifications.
he had his hand in the secret
springs and levers of the financial
and business mechanisms which
gave strength to Francis fortune
Yet no one OF these was more than
a bagateIle compared with the big
gest thing OF aIl-Tampico Petrol
cum In this, beyond a paltry 10000
shares bought on the open market.
Regan owned nothing, controlled
nothing. though the time was grow
ing pc for him to sell and deal and
Juggle inOrdinate quantities.
TampiCo Petroleum was practi-
Cally Francis private preserve. A
number of his friends were, for
them. deeply involved. Mrs. Car
ruthers even gravely so. She wor-
ried him, and was not even above
peStering him over the telephone.
There were others, like Johnny
baltimore. who never bothered him
at all. and who when they met
talked careleSsly and optimistically
about the condition Of the market
and financial things in general. All
OF which was harder for Francis to
bear than Mrs. Carruthers' per-
pCtual nervousness.
A Thirty Point Drop.
Northwestern Electric. thanks TO
ReEan's Vaccinations. had actually
dropped thirty points and remained
there. Those on the outside who
thought they knew regarded il as
positively shaky. Then there was
the little old, solid-as-the-rock-of
Gibraltar Frisco Consolidated. The
nastiest Of rumors were afioat, and
the talk OF receivership was grow