Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-04-18

Refugees in hordes filed the roads
with new Pharaonic exodus. So
many children plodded along In hum
CRY flight that Herod might have been
hunting down the innocents again.
With the moral cataclysm went a
financial earthquake. The European
exchanges flung their doors shut. The
American exchanges tried to keep
their shop windows open, but had to
close them down.
Bayard Kip was among the first cas-
ualties. Before he could put in stop
order his margins were gone. He had
said that prices, having struck bot
tom, could go no lower. Now the bot
tom itself was knocked out.
Prices stopped falling at last be-
cause of the closing of the markets.
Europe established a general morato-
rum. America established one Of
sentiment. Everybody owed somebody
else, and everybody gave tolerance be-
cause everybody needed it.
Night fell on the commercial world,
night illumined by horrors unknown
before. Bayard's factory could not
meet even its diminished pay roll. The
president Of the concern could not
borrow penny at the bank of which
he was a director. The factory shut
down, sending all its workmen into
the hordes of the unemployed. The
office forces were reduced to a mimi
mum and the salaries of the minimum
further reduced. Clay was thrown
out Of even his half-job and Bayard
was put on half-pay.
Bayard's sober thoughts concerned
themselves with extricating himself
from the wreckage. 1t was not pos
sible to debarrass himself of every
thing. He could not give up his ex-
pensive apartment. 1t was leased for
year and half more. He could not
dismiss his expensive wife; she was
leased for ninety-nine years. He
could not give up his character, his
costly tastes, his zeal for front, the
maintenance Of good facade.
The instinct of lovable bluff was
seen in his telegram to Leila. He
wanted her at home to comfort him,
now that he had no business for her
to hamper. Besides, he could not af-
ford to keep her at Newport. Out of
his ominously small funds he tele-
graphed her liberal sum to pay her
bills and her railroad fare and parlor
car fare. He met her and found her
astonishingly beautiful in her million
aire uniform.
He felt like the pauper who received
a white elephant for present. But
she was gorgeous in her trappings.
They embraced with mutual approval.
He laughed:
II was going to begin economy by
cutting out the taxi business, but
couldn't carry a Cleopatra like you in
the subway. You look like all the
money in the world. And you're worth
it." In the taxicab he crushed her to
him again in a dismal ecstasy and
sighed gayly: you're too grand for
me, honey. I'm busted higher than a
kite. You didn't bring home any
change, of course"
II did better than that" she beamed,
and, being married to him, made no
bones about bending and disclosing
one entire silk stocking most ele-
gantly repleted. It was transparent,
translucent, indeed, like gossamer
over marble, and Of sapling SYM
metry except for one unsightly knob
which she deity removed and placed
in the hand of Bayard.
He did not need to glance at his
palm to tell that it was full of bank
notes.
whats all thfs?' he said.
And she, prim and proper again,
chortled. THAT'S the money you tele-
graphed me to pay my bills with"
"But-"
"This is no time to pay bills"
you're a genius" he said.
And she was, in her way.
When they were at home again he
told her of his ruinous speculations.
She did not reproach him. She was
gambler enough to thrill at the high
chance, and sportswoman enough not
to blame him for losing his stakes.
Don't you worry!" she said, from
his lap, as from a dais. 'We'n be
rich yet. You mustn't imagine any
! thing else. There's everything In
thinking a thing is going to happen.
I'm too sensitive to be Christian Sci
enlist about pain, but am one about
good luck. You must just tell your
self that you're going to come out all
! right and you will.
"And we must keep up appearances
so that other people will believe in
us. It's the only way, too, to keep
your credit good. I learned that at
Newport. People who are people up
there never pay their bills. That's
why they get trusted everywhere, and
have plenty of cash. Their creditors
don't dare insult 'em or sue 'em. The