The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, November 26, 1909, Image 7

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    When Cupid Laughed
By W. CAREY WONDERLY
(Copyrlcht, by W. O. Chapman.)
mm fnr and wldo. But there Is OAf MmiMWi MlTCUllV M f tXlli iifllV f 111 till 1 flW.
&tfr ll&W
PJlHIS yenr's big nnd record
I " I I yield of wheat, corn nnd oth-
1 J n olntilno lino lnnn linrnlflrwt
fnr and wldo. But thcro Is
another harvest that has
been growing and ripening nil unno
ticed by government statisticians and
by everybody else, nnd that Is tho
bumper crop of now millionaires and
multl-mllllonalres. Never buforo wcro
there so many In Now York as thero
nro to-day. Millionaires wcro mado In
a night by tho great wave of consoli
dation and tho merging of hundreds
of industrial enterprises that was tho
Xeaturo of the opening years of tho
twentieth century, Just after tho closo
of Iho Spanish-American wnr. Thero
were steel kings, steamship kings,
pump kings, kina of car springs and
of air brakes and of all sorts ot
things. They blossomed forth between
the sunset of ono day nnd tho dawn
of tho nex):. Tno select circle of plu
tocracy widened so swiftly that It
broke all barriers and created a new
aristocracy of wealth In Amorlcn.
New York was Invaded by n hordo of
westerners whoso manners In some
caseB shocked even tho Imperturbablo
Eervltors at the expensive hotcln
where they monopolized tho royal
suites. Pittsburg, from bolng simply
n great mill town, a city of grimy
workmen, Jumped Into world-wldo
promlnonco because It was discovered
suddenly that it had more millionaires
to the squaro inch than any other
spot on earth, in New York all sorts
of people achieved fortunes, paper or
nctual, almost before they wero
aware; Jockeys, waltors, bartenders
nnd other humble folk glanced with
nmazo at tho balances with their
brokers nnd began ranking plnns for
yachts nnd country houses. Tho his
tory of this period was ono of tho
wonders of America.
Then, two years ago, tho panic
came and put a damponer on tho
financial hopes and aspirations of thoso who had
survived tho wirlous Ills that followed In the wako
of Industrial over-expansion. But since tho panic
clouds have cleared away thero has come another
and even more wonderful appreciation In values,
the most remarkable advanco In tho prices of all
commodities and securities that this country has
over known. Probably more millionaires have been
mado In the last 12 months by fho stoadlly rising
tide of tremendous prosperity than history over
has recorded in n similar period of time. Tho
number of thoso who havo grown rich quickly Is
greater, probably than It wns In tho time of mer
ger' nnd consolidation, nonrly a deendo ngo. Be
foro thovpanlc of 1907 thero wero, perhaps, 3,000
millionaires ln New York. Now thero aro any
where between 5,000 and 10,000.
The advances In tho valuo of securities In the
last two .years havo been almost Incredible Thcro
probably are more than 100,000 persons who aro
stockholders of United States Steel. In October,
1907, Stool Common was 21 ; In February, 1909,
It was 41 V4; this October It hns been well above
90. Tho shares of tho Pennsylvania railroad are
inoro widely distributed than any other transpor
tation Hne, moro than C0.000 pcoplo bolng listed
on Its books of shareholders. Two years ngo It
wa3 103; lately It has been abovo 150. Union Pa
cific Is next to Pennsylvania In tho length of Its
Btookholders' list. It la not only ono of tho most
popular Investment securities, but also ono that Is
speculated In most largely. Union Pacific com
mon was 100 in 1907; this year It has boon abovo
219, an Increase of moro than 100 per cent. Now
York Central, Southern Pacific, Baltlmoro & Ohio,
Atlantic Coast Line, Illinois Contral, Great Nor
thern, Standard "Oil practically all tho stocks In
tho long list of railways and Industrials havo ad
vanced from 50 to 100 or moro per cent. In valuo
slnco October, 1907.
Thousands of pcoplo who nro not speculators
and who aro Intolorant of speculation have profit
ed enormously by this wonderful rlso In prices.
They aro tho ones who bought for Investment
when (ho prices wcro low nnd who aro now reap
ing tho harvest. During tho panic enormous
blooks of gllt-edgo shares wero thrown on tho
markets when great speculators llko Ilelnzo and
Morse, and some others who' wcro not so spectac
ular or daring, had to sacrlflco nnythlnj and ev
erything for ready money, Their holdings now aro
scattered throughout tho country and havo been
tucked away in tens of thousands ot safes and
strong boxes.
While some of tho new millionaires como from
the ranks of thoso who wero bargain hunters in
the days of panic, most of tho now plutocrats aro
from tho army ot speculator.
Thero are so many of theso new rallllgnajres
that it would ho imnosBlble to list them allTndl
vldually with any degree ot accuracy. Compara
tively few ot tho old baud of millionaires huvo
failed to add materially to their fortunes slnco tho
panic. There aro bouio, it is true, who wcro moro
or less disabled In thoso days, nnd tho period that
predeced them who havo not succeeded In win
ning back their lost money and prestige; somo
who wcro in tho ill-fated trust companies, others
of the lnsurnnco crowd, and so on. But thoso
who hold on nnd wcro able to weather tho storms
havo been lifted up and now nro richer than over.
Not only thnt, but a largo number ot new groups
of great financial strength has boon devolopcd.
Thoro Is tho Hawley group, for Instance, which
hns mado millions and millions In tho rlso in val
ues of rnllwny shares. Edwin Hawloy, tho heart
of this coterie, was not a big Wall street figure
until within tho last year or so, but of lato ho has
added Immeasurably to IiIr wealth nnd to his pow
er as a transportation king.
Among thoso of his friends who havo climbed
into tho chariot of the plutocrats Is Frank A. Van
dorllp, tho president of tho National City bank.
Ho is reputed to havo mado moro than a million
out ot Chesapeake & Ohio and Union Pacific.
When ho was assistant secretary of tho treasury
a fow years ago Vandcrllp was a man of very
moderate means nnd lived In n modest llttlo Hat
In Washington. After ho came to Now York his
wealth increased somowhnt, but only slnco tho
first of this year has ho entered tho millionaire
class.
Another of tho Hawloy group who is one of tho
new crop of multi-millionaires is n banker named
Scott, who piled up a small fortuno, dollar by dol
lar, In Richmond, Va and who has Increased it
many fold of late In Wall street. Still another of
tho same group Is Robert' Fleming. Ho was not a
poor man when tho rlso In stocks began, but ho Is
said to bo a very rich ono now. Then thoro Is a
now crop of Union Pacific millionaires, Southorn
Pacific millionaires, Wabash, Rock Island and
many other groups of now millionaires who havo
become wealthy by tho tremendous upturn of tho
shares they wcro Interested In. Somo of theso
men wore millionaires boforo tho beginning of this
year; these havo now moved up to tho multi
millionaire class.
Thoro aro qulto as many who havo won for
tunes In the field of Industrial stocks, especially In
United States Steel common. Ono of theso moro
than a millionaire when ho began buying Steel
Is Frank A. Munsey, tho publisher, lie Is said to
havo started his Steel purchases two years ago,
when tho stock was around 22, and to havo accu
mulated n total of 100,000 sharcB at vory low
prices. Ills winnings aro outtmated at moro than
$5,000,000.
Theso Instances, taken at random, glvo an Indi
cation ot tho thousands of fortunes that have
I sprung up lately through tuff up
ward sweep of prices In Wall
street. Great corporations, like tho
flro and tho llfo insurance com
panies, havo also profited stupen
dously. Theso tremendous rosor
volrs of money own hugo blocks of
shares In scores of railway nnd In
dustrial companies lots of from
10,000 slmros to almost a control
ling Interest. Tho most of these
nro sober, gilt-edged, dividend-paying
stocks thnt hnvo not been spec
tacular In their advanco In price as
rnmnnred with somo Of those thnt
linvn irnllll lltl llko BkyrockotB. Yet
. n.non lilfrJi.nrlnrwl nlistrCH linVO
m ( ' V l ' 1 1 LUUOU
I been enhnuced In valuo from 20 to
I no nor cent, in tho Inst 12 montus
I They wcro bought nt pnnlc prices,
so tho published rocoruB oi mopu
companies Hhow, and theso Institu
tions now aro said to bo soiling
them ofT, cautiously and carefully
nt tho fancy flKiires that have been
nrovnlllnK ot Into. Unllko tho In-
dlvldunl investor, thoy bollevo in
enshinc in their winnings and salt
ing them down until thoro Is an
other chance to buy cheap.
In tho commodities thoro nro new
crouns ot mllllonnlrcs and multl
1 millionaires also. Somo of theso
hnvo won their wealth In whoat,
othora In corn, but most oi mum in
Thnre aro more new cotton kings nnd
princes to day than over before. Practically nil of
,non ro Boutherners. who havo had an export
this stntilo. Most of them havo boon
cotton planters themselves on a largo scale, and all
their Uvea they havo neon siuuying cuuuu, n
frrnwth and its ever-widening markets.
Aimnst vorv day thcro havo been rumors fly
ing about as to what Patten wns doing In cotton.
But curiously enough thero has been never n word
said about the real bull loader In tho cotton mnr
kct, tho man who has been tho blggost speculator
In this staple, and who recently has Jumped Into
the multl-mllllonalro class, Eugene G. Scales of
n-illns Tox. Scales la tho most towering bull,
nrobablv. that the cotton market over has known
Pnttoir Is a piker beside him. Even tho colobrntod
Mr. Sully In hla palmiest days never operated on
such n hugo basla as Scales has boon In tho last
eight months.
This now and mighty multl-mllllonalro In tho cot
tnn mnrkn t bus steadfastly kent hlmsolf In tho
backKround. Ho Is no amateur speculator, how
ovor, for five years ngo ho wns In ono of tho Sully
campaigns and retired from tho light with several
lnrco dents In his financial armor. But now ho
has won back all IiIb lossoa and n lot moro,
Somo among the many others who "know cotton"
and hnvo won big fortunes through Its rlao In price
nro ForgUB Reld of Norfolk, Vn.; Morris H. Roth
schlld of Woodvllle. Miss.: William P. Brown of
New Orleans nnd Louis S. Berg of Mississippi
Berg hnd chargo of tho Chalmotto terminals at
Now Orleans not long ngo nnd was n hard-working
rallorad mnn. A llttlo later ho pieced together n
lot of small Mississippi railroads and combined
them into nn offcctlvo and profltablo systom. Then,
with a modest fortuno, ho came to Now York, and
slnco then has been making money out ot cotton.
And so tho list runs on. Hardly a namo nmong
tho thousands of new millionaires la familiar to
Now Yorkers. They aro practically unknown out
sldo of the small communities they camo from in
tho west and south. Thoy live in tho costllo JdMltos
In the most oxpensK-o New York hotels;, Next
summer, If they havo no setback thoy will' begin
leasing or buying palaces at Nowport, Bar Har
bor or other places where tho socially elect are
supposed to llvo. Then thoy will begin trying to
break through tho imaginary Inolosuro with which
"society" surrounds Itself. Thcro are so many of
thoso now millionaires that perhaps llko tho incur
sion of u now race thoy will ovorwhelm and con
qucr tho rolatlvoly small group of peoplo who havo
been priding thomsolvea on having thoir wealth for
a decado or moro. At any rate, tho names of moat
of theso now millionaires probably will bo reai for
tho first tlmo In prjnt In tho next yoar'o boofcs of
Boclal roglatry, which form tho noaroat approaob. to
tho directory of tho peerago that tho plutocracy of
America knows.
"Surely, you know how I lovo you,"
ho persisted. "Why, my every thought
and notion Is of you!"
Tho woman nt tho ptnno shook her
pretty brown hend. While her bnck
was townrd htm, something told her
ho wns posing. Somehow Vnlcakn
was forever posing; his every movo
mout wna studied nnd artificial, nnd
she wns tired of foreigners. In thrco
months ono may oven grow tired ot
Home. On the spur of tho moment sho
docldcd to go home bnck to America
and at onco.
"Clclyl" Tho man's volco was a
caress. "Cicely, 1 lovo you."
"Plenso don't." Sho put up n hand
between thorn. "Won't you understand
thnt it ennnot bo? Much ns It pains
ub both, I must tell you that 1 cannot
marry you. Why go over It nil ngnln?"
Ho retrentcd to tho fnr ond of tho
room, nnd nnt down, quiet and
abashed, llko n chidden child. Cicely
could senrcely repress n smile, Vnl
cakn wna so ridiculously fuuny when
hu fell Into ono of hla nnughty-boy
posoa.
'Oh, you will got ovor It, mon ami,"
Bho laughed. "Come, help mo get tho
ten things rendyl My friends will
bo upon 4iio directly llko n pack of
hungry wolves. "
Vnleskn helped nor arrange tho
table nnd mnku tho llttlo thin slices
of broad nnd butter Into pyramidal
piles,, but when tho Leo X. urn wbb
purring llko a happy cut, ho reached
for his stick nnd gloves.
"Not going?" cried Mrn. Fairfax.
"Yes."
"Au revolr," sho laughed. And tho
next moment ho was gone.
Cicely glanced nround tho room,
Inking in every detail. Its artistic Ut
ter pleased hor. Sho could novor
bear to sco things Just right.
"Now for Ned," sho smiled, nrrnng
Ing a few vlolots in her gown. "But
ot courso ho will not come," sho
pouted.
A fow minutes later Miss Robins on
terod the npartmont Roberta Robins
A Suppressed Laugh Came from the
Direction of the Music Room.
was n painter of miniatures, young,
good looking, Bucccssful.
"Whnt'H up?" sho nuked, soolng Mrs.
Fnlrfax seated nlonu In state.
"Oh, Vnleskn ngnln. Ho proposes
ns regularly as tho sun Hctu. I nm
going bnck to America Just to cscnpo
him."
"Pretty wldo s with gonoroiiB In
comes do not grow on hushes," re
marked her friend, dryly. "You must
try somo other plan than going back
to Amorlcn. Whynotmnrry Ned Ran
dolph?"
"Ned Randolph lins long ngo for
gotten a pretty widow with moro
money than brains."
"What rubbish!" Miss Robins
helped horsolf to a sllco of broad and
butter. "Of course you will mnrry
Rnndolph, Cicely. Ho 1b awfully fond
of you.
Mrs. Fnlrfnx ahook hor bond. "I
tell you Is In no use, Bobble. Ho has
long ngo bocomu disgusted with this
frightfully frivolous widow."
"I'll wagor anything that you mnrry
him boforo June," crlod Robortn.
"Now, you know, Cicely, you nro fond
of Ned. And you can't deny that ho
followed you all tho way from Now
York to Rome. Now, my dear girl, I
havo tho greatest Idea a suro way to
patch up everything between you and
Ned Randolph. You know you hnvo
trontcd Nod shabbily, dear girl."
"Woll, we'll lot It go at that," sighotl
MrB. Fnlrfax, pouring tho tea,
"You must uak ValoBka to breakfast
nt tho Cnaluo Wednesday morning "
began Roberta,
"And glvo him anothor chnnco to
propose? Thank you, but I much pre
fer not, Bobble."
"And lose Ned forovor?"
Mrs. Fairfax played with tho tea-
cupa. "Certainly, n breakfast with
Valeaka does not sound Inviting," she
confessed.
"But Ned Randolph," crlod Miss
Robins, dangling tho prize beforo hor
menu s oyep.
"Ob, weir go on, ask Valoska to
breakfast Wednesday morning what
next?"
"At tho Casino?"
"Yes, yes."
"You will breakfast on tho bal
cony overlooking tho now golf links
tho south balcony, you know. Of
courao you wJU bo particularly fascin
ating, coquettish, laughing, you know
what 1 mean, nnd you muat raako Vnl
eskn aak tho eternnl question"
And he'll get tho otcrnnl nnswer, I
promise you."
"Exnctly. You will tell hlra .tb
plnln truth that you lovo nnothcr
nnmcly, Ned Randolph. You will glvo
Vnlcakn to undcrstnnd that you havo
been merely using him aa n pastime
that never for n moment wero you
sortoufl, nnd thnt now you nro only
wnltlng for Ned to come nnd tnko you
bnck to Amcrlcn. Hush, not nnothcr
word! Hero comes tho prluclpcasa
Mnrtonl nnd her American daugh
ter-in-law. Don't forget, Wednesday,
tho Casino, nt noon." And sho had
gono boforo Cicely hnd another chnnco
to approach tho subject.
When on Thursdny morning:. Rob
ortn RobttiB entered Mrs. Fnlrfnx'n
drnwlng room, gny with Hb mnny daf
fodils, nnd Bcentcd with tho brcnth of
Parma vlolota, Clcolj' knew by tho
Btecly glitter of her friend's oyes that
thero wns going to be n acono.
"Of nil tho Idiots!" cried Miss Rob
Iiib, slinking a forefinger nt tho pretty
widow mulling up nt her from among
tho cushions. "You will end your
your dnyB In n mad-house, Cicely Fair
fax. What did you do yesterday
morning nt tho Cnalno?"
"Why Vnlcakn wnu there, pon
honor, Bobble."
"You plnycd golf nil morning, for
hours nnd hours nnd bourn you golfed.
I wna nenrly Insnno!"
"But tho temptation was too. great.
nnd besides, the golf links aro tho
nust In Italy. Oh, Bobblo, you should
aco Vnlcakn play"
"Novor mind thnt long-haired mon
key. What nhout tho breakfast on
tho south balcony?"
"But tho chef ut tho Casino la not
equal to tho links, Bobble. Wo break
fnstcd nt Mnurlco's,"
"And golfed nt tho Casino!"
snnpped Robcrtn.
MrB. Fnlrfnx uffootod a childlike air.
"I fall to bco why I am to bo drawn
and quartorcd simply because I pre
fer tho chof at Maurlco's to the chef
at tho Casino."
"But I nald "
"You said I wns to nsk Valeaka to
brenkfnat "
"nt tho Cnalno," Interrupted Mlaa
Robins, "nnd whllo you nnd Vnloaka
wero falling Into Gibson porch on tha
links, I was holding n lion nt bay In
breakfast room No, D nt tho Cnalno.
It wnn all I could do to restrain him!"
Miss Robin's cyos Hashed. (
"But to breakfast with a lion!" Mrs.
Fnlrfax shook her head. "Roberta
Roblna "
"Tho Hon wns Ned Randolph,"
snapped tho nrtlst, Jumping up and
going to tho balcony.
A Bhufillng noise camo from the
music room.
"You bronkfaatod with Nod
Randolph, Bobblo?" Tho widow bur
led her fnco In tho cushions. "Wnsn't
that a strango way to show your friend
ship?" "Oh, you haven't n grain of aenao,
Cicely Fairfax! I had It all arranged
nicely. You nnd Vnlcakn were to
brenkfnat on tho south bnlcony, Ned
and I In room No, 5, directly In back
of you. And Vnleskn wns to proposo,
nnd you woro to toll him about how
you adored Ned, nnd Ned wns to Jump
through tho window nnd clasp you In
his manly nrms, nnd nnd Instead
you plnyed golf I ,
"But 1 didn't Know" npologlzod
Cicely.
"To-morrow wo muBt repent tho per
formnnce, only, this tlmo you bronk
fnst nt the Casino."
"But I hnvo an engagement with tho
Prlnclpcssa nt noon tomorrow "
"It's nil off. I'll telojphono hor!"
And boforo CIcoly could rcstrnln her,
Roberta had dashed asldo tho curtains
of tho music room door.
Ned Rnndolph, atnndlug behind them
llko a silly school-boy, hud tho grnco
to blush. But CIcoly Cicely burled
hor fnco In tho pillow nnd laughod.
"Nod! Cicely!" Mis Robins turnod
from ono to the other. "You heard?"
she demanded, Hushing.
"Everything. It was ugly of m,
Bobblo," Rnndolph spoke up. "You
will forglvo mo?"
"And you know nnd played golfput
posoly, CIcoly?"
"And Ned kept running to tho win
dow," enroo from tho depths of tho
chair. "Scold him, too."
"I must plead guilty," laughed Ran
dolph. "You sco, Bobblo, wo romem
bored how you plnyed the snmo little
trick with Mnrlnn Herring nnd young
Ashby ut Nowport Inst summor," crlod
CIcoly. "And I couldn't help having
a llttlo fun"
"So you two woro thoro! Oh, my,
and I had forgotton. But It 'took
then, Marian married Ashby."
"And Cicely la going to marry Ned,"
laughed Randelpb. "Sho is tired of
bolng a merry widow, aren't you, little
womau?"
"And you, Bobblt, what aro you go
ing to do?" said Cicely, ns sho mndo a
buttonoholo for the man's noat.
"Mo?" Roberta jumped up and
strajghtoncd hor hat. "Oh, I am going
to finish iny Interrupted honoymcaB.
Valeska and I only cdmo up from
Florence to help strnlghten out a llt
tlo affulr of our frlonds. Roally, wo
aro the moat unsolfiBh croatures alive.
You must como and see us. We have
a charming studio near tho Lung
'Arno. But I must run. Vally la
waltlug for mo at tho Nutlouulo. Au
rovolr."