- •In torpedo fashion; but his movements were apparently never He returned that night, and lo! the expected had happened.
- •It. He’s already offered me sixty-two for it. I can get it for
- •Ing when he came in.
- •It for the first year, but if you mind your p’s and q’s, they’ll cious and conservative investments and because of his cau-probably give you something as a gift at the end of that time.
- •It was fine to be getting on this way in the world and having such a good time.
- •In any woman. He was practical, methodic, orderly. His shoe At first, when Frank called, she did not have much to say.
- •I’m marrying you. We have independent means.”
- •In the whole thing. Butler could be made official garbage-And since then times had been exceedingly good with Ed-collector. The council could vote an annual appropriation ward Butler.
- •Vast advantage to him, and to devote all his attention to that.
- •Vague gray-blue; his hair a dusty light-brown and thin. His Cowperwood and thought how fortunate she was.
- •Impression, of course, that it was scattered freely in various
- •It was called—which interested him greatly. He rode on it occasionally when he was delayed or did not wish to trouble 109
- •It was Butler’s habit when he became involved in these
- •Intention all along of the two men to use these houses jointly.
- •In as tactful a manner as possible, that the dance afterward
- •Vain. My mother and father tell me I’m too vain as it is.” There was much jesting, some slappings of shoulders, some
- •Into her eyes, then left. Aileen’s bosom heaved. It was hard
- •I’m wild about you.”
- •It’s your business now, first, last, and all the time. You can’t not young, not vivid, not as unschooled in the commonplaces get your mind off of that.”
- •Its place. His large feet were incased in good, square-toed, well—
- •Ings for business purposes and residences in which Chicago
- •Voice. To his father he said a little later, “It’s panic, unless the majority of the banks and brokerage firms stand together.” commercial section since
- •In a position to help him were now as bad off as himself.
- •Voices could be heard faintly in the distance, far off to-
- •It was not time for love, and he felt it.
- •Ing about this, and it was puzzling him greatly.
- •Voted to the talents of Mollenhauer’s three ambitious daughters, a library and private office for himself, a boudoir and 174
- •If he were saved would he give the money back to Stener? If
- •Ing hourly worse since its inception the day before.
- •If we did anything which would look as though we were
- •Ing except loans, loans, loans, and the need of protecting
- •It.” He returned to his drawing-room and scanned both ac-He had never seen a map of Chicago before in just this clear, counts most carefully.
- •Ined. He hurried down the street to various bankers and bro-
- •It was in the face of this very altered situation that
- •Ing his father’s gloom. He was satisfied that there was scarcely When did you say he notified you not to buy city loan?” a coal of hope to be raked out of these ashes of despair, but
- •Indicated would trouble him or interrupt his great career.
- •Illegally, and he is very much wrought up about it. The mayor Stener will tell you that, if you ask him.” and the other city officials know of it now, and they may
- •It was decided to appoint a subcommittee “to investigate”
- •Impression that Cowperwood had desperately misused the City Treasurer.
- •It. We wouldn’t dare. We have men and women who have
- •Vest off, was listening to Aileen’s account of her troubles.
- •Vously.
- •Ing wits told her what to do.
- •Validity. It is more than likely that we owe this spectacle called He came out of the church after a time and returned home.
- •Ibly sad, despairing look.
- •It next. Ye’re young yet. Yer life is before you. I tremble for but Aileen did not see it at all.
- •I have yer best interests at heart. I love ye; but ye must. I’m
- •If you’ll let me. Will you speak to your mother, or shall I?”
- •Ings and communications for the time being, and even go Never! What could he mean by suggesting such a thing?
- •Ity known as hard common sense.
- •It appear that Stener was lying out of the whole cloth about 320
- •I can safely leave you.”
- •Investment into an accidental but none the less criminal mire of failure and exposure and public calumny and what not.
- •Very guarded references to his client, describes him as a nice,
- •Itable these few short years have been to him. Was George w. Stener worth any such sum up to the time he was re-He pointed to Cowperwood.
- •Incident like that? You know there wasn’t. He had never be-
- •Ishing the situation for the sheer sense of superiority it gave
- •If it wasn’t for the girl’s mother and her sister and her broth-
- •View of life, Mr. Butler, and I have another.”
- •I’m thinkin’. Why should ye want to be takin’ her away from
- •Ing was that the financier and the former city treasurer would
- •Ized that it would not be wise politically to stand out against what was wanted. Still, when he and Marvin learned that
- •It looks as if I have to go to jail or leave the country, and I’ve
- •It had been a terrific blow to her. Now to have this thing Steger is coming here in a little while to let me know. I had a suddenly broken to her in this offhand way, even though she 389
- •Ing judges in his favor, and that of the three agreed judges
- •It was that of the two housebreakers whom Cowperwood 405
- •Ing of extenuation in your case.” Judge Payderson paused
- •Into a street-car which ran to within a few blocks of the prison.
- •It, and something to read too. If you’re in business yet, I
- •If he did not get out before then she would be nearing twenty-The next day, however, she wrote him just the same, de-nine and he would be nearing forty. Would he want her then?
- •Insulting to her father, ignoring him on every occasion, refusing as often as possible to eat at the same table, and when 456
- •Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Daniel Drew, James Fish, and others and the Erie Canal, at a greatly reduced cost. It was a vision in the East, and Fair, Crocker, w. R. Hearst, and Collis p.
- •Vigor of body, was a solemn, conservative speculator as to
- •In the great wheat crops of the West, a quiet divorce was It was with this thought that he went to visit Aileen, and granted Mrs. Frank a. Cowperwood in Philadelphia, because to plan for the future.
- •Ics of that?
Ings for business purposes and residences in which Chicago
“Ho! Extra! Extra! All about the big Chicago fire!” was already rivaling every city on the continent. Transporta-
“Ho! Extra! Extra! Chicago burning down! Extra! Extra!” tion was disturbed, and the keen scent of Wall Street, and The cries were long-drawn-out, ominous, pathetic. In the Third Street in Philadelphia, and State Street in Boston, in-dusk of the dreary Sunday afternoon, when the city had ap-stantly perceived in the early reports the gravity of the situa-parently retired to Sabbath meditation and prayer, with that tion. Nothing could be done on Saturday or Sunday after tinge of the dying year in the foliage and in the air, one caught the exchange closed, for the opening reports came too late.
a sense of something grim and gloomy.
On Monday, however, the facts were pouring in thick and
“Hey, boy,” called Cowperwood, listening, seeing a shab-fast; and the owners of railroad securities, government secu-bily clothed misfit of a boy with a bundle of papers under rities, street-car securities, and, indeed, all other forms of his arm turning a corner. “What’s that? Chicago burning!” stocks and bonds, began to throw them on the market in He looked at his father and the other men in a significant order to raise cash. The banks naturally were calling their way as he reached for the paper, and then, glancing at the loans, and the result was a stock stampede which equaled headlines, realized the worst.
the Black Friday of Wall Street of two years before.
Cowperwood and his father were out of town at the time the fire began. They had gone with several friends—bankers—to look at a proposed route of extension of a local steam-railroad, on which a loan was desired. In buggies they had driven over a good portion of the route, and were returning to Philadelphia late Sunday evening when the cries of news-158
Dreiser
ALL CHICAGO BURNING
“That looks rather serious,” he said, calmly, to his companions, a cold, commanding force coming into his eyes and FIRE RAGES UNCHECKED IN
Voice. To his father he said a little later, “It’s panic, unless the majority of the banks and brokerage firms stand together.” commercial section since
He was thinking quickly, brilliantly, resourcefully of his own outstanding obligations. His father’s bank was carrying YESTERDAY EVENING. BANKS,
one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of his street-railway securities at sixty, and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of city COMMERCIAL HOUSES, PUBLIC
loan at seventy. His father had “up with him” over forty thousand dollars in cash covering market manipulations in these BUILDINGS IN RUINS. DIRECT
stocks. The banking house of Drexel & Co. was on his books as a creditor for one hundred thousand, and that loan would TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
be called unless they were especially merciful, which was not likely. Jay Cooke & Co. were his creditors for another one SUSPENDED SINCE THREE O’CLOCK TO-DAY. hundred and fifty thousand. They would want their money.
At four smaller banks and three brokerage companies he was NO END TO
debtor for sums ranging from fifty thousand dollars down.
The city treasurer was involved with him to the extent of PROGRESS OF DISASTER IN SIGHT.
nearly five hundred thousand dollars, and exposure of that would create a scandal; the State treasurer for two hundred thousand. There were small accounts, hundreds of them, 159
The Financier
ranging from one hundred dollars up to five and ten thou-the bank might have to make for one hundred and fifty thousand. A panic would mean not only a withdrawal of deposits sand dollars, the onus and scandal of the situation would be and a calling of loans, but a heavy depression of securities.
on him.
How could he realize on his securities? —that was the ques-On the other hand, his son was meditating on the tangled tion—how without selling so many points off that his for-relation in which he now found himself in connection with tune would be swept away and he would be ruined?
the city treasurer and the fact that it was not possible for him He figured briskly the while he waved adieu to his friends, to support the market alone. Those who should have been who hurried away, struck with their own predicament.