Utilities Committee of the Board。 of Aldermen； anal vas listened to with
deference and gravity while he discoursed on the defacement of a
beautiful boulevard to satisfy the greed of certain private individuals。
Mr。 Otto Bitter and myself； who appeared for the petitioners； had a
similar reception。 That struggle was a tempest in a tea…pot。 The
reformer raged； but he was feeble in those days； and the great public
believed what it read in the respectable newspapers。 In Mr。 Judah B。
Tallant's newspaper； for instance； the Morning Era； there were semi…
playful editorials about 〃obstructionists。〃 Mr。 Perry Blackwood was a
well…meaning； able gentleman of an old family； etc。； but with a sentiment
for horse…cars。 The Era published also the resolutions which （with
interesting spontaneity！） had been passed by our Board of Trade and
Chamber of Commerce and other influential bodies in favour of the
franchise； the ideaunknown to the publicof Mr。 Hugh Paret； who wrote
drafts of the resolutions and suggested privately to Mr。 Leonard
Dickinson that a little enthusiasm from these organizations might be
helpful。 Mr。 Dickinson accepted the suggestion eagerly； wondering why he
hadn't thought of it himself。 The resolutions carried some weight with a
public that did not know its right hand from its left。
After fitting deliberation； one evening in February the Board of Aldermen
met and granted the franchise。 Not unanimously； oh； no！ Mr。 Jason was
not so simple as that！ No further visits to Monahan's saloon on my part；
in this connection were necessary； but Mr。 Otto Bitter met me one day in
the hotel with a significant message from the boss。
〃It's all fixed；〃 he informed me。 〃Murphy and Scott and Ottheimer and
Grady and Loth are the decoys。 You understand？〃
〃I think I gather your meaning；〃 I said。
Mr。 Bitter smiled by pulling down one corner of a crooked mouth。
〃They'll vote against it on principle； you know；〃 he added。 〃We get a
little something from the Maple Avenue residents。〃
I've forgotten what the Riverside Franchise cost。 The sum was paid in a
lump sum to Mr。 Bitter as his 〃fee；〃so； to their chagrin； a grand jury
discovered in later years； when they were barking around Mr。 Jason's hole
with an eager district attorney snapping his whip over them。 I remember
the cartoon。 The municipal geese were gone； but it was impossible to
prove that this particular fox had used his enlightened reason in their
procurement。 Mr。 Bitter was a legally authorized fox； and could take
fees。 How Mr。 Jason was to be rewarded by the land company's left…hand；
unknown； to the land company's right hand； became a problem worthy of a
genius。 The genius was found； but modesty forbids me to mention his
name； and the problem was solved； to wit： the land company bought a piece
of downtown property fromMr。 Ryerson； who was Mr。 Grierson's real
estate man and the agent for the land company； for a consideration of
thirty thousand dollars。 An unconfirmed rumour had it that Mr。 Ryerson
turned over the thirty thousand to Mr。 Jason。 Then the Riverside Company
issued a secret deed of the same property back to Mr。 Ryerson； and this
deed was not recorded until some years later。
Such are the elaborate transactions progress and prosperity demand。
Nature is the great teacher； and we know that her ways are at times
complicated and clumsy。 Likewise； under the 〃natural〃 laws of economics；
new enterprises are not born without travail； without the aid of legal
physicians well versed in financial obstetrics。 One hundred and fifty to
two hundred thousand； let us say； for the right to build tracks on
Maplewood Avenue； and we sold nearly two million dollars worth of the
securities back to the public whose aldermen had sold us the franchise。
Is there a man so dead as not to feel a thrill at this achievement？ And
let no one who declares that literary talent and imagination are
nonexistent in America pronounce final judgment until he reads that
prospectus； in which was combined the best of realism and symbolism； for
the labours of Alonzo Cheyne were not to be wasted； after all。 Mr。
Dickinson； who was a director in the Maplewood line； got a handsome
underwriting percentage； and Mr。 Berringer； also a director； on the bonds
and preferred stock he sold。 Mr。 Paret； who entered both companies on
the ground floor； likewise got fees。 Everybody was satisfied except the
trouble makers； who were ignored。 In short； the episode of the Riverside
Franchise is a triumphant proof of the contention that business men are
the best fitted to conduct the politics of their country。
We had learned to pursue our happiness in packs； we knew that the Happy
Hunting…Grounds are here and now； while the Reverend Carey Heddon
continued to assure the maimed； the halt and the blind that their kingdom
was not of this world； that their time was coming later。 Could there
have been a more idyl arrangement！ Everybody should have been satisfied；
but everybody was not。 Otherwise these pages would never have been
written。
A FAR COUNTRY
By Winston Churchill
BOOK 3。
XVIII。
As the name of our city grew to be more and more a byword for sudden and
fabulous wealth； not only were the Huns and the Slavs； the Czechs and the
Greeks drawn to us； but it became the fashion for distinguished
Englishmen and Frenchmen and sometimes Germans and Italians to pay us a
visit when they made the grand tour of America。 They had been told that
they must not miss us； scarcely a week went by in our communityso it
was saidin which a full…fledged millionaire was not turned out。 Our
visitors did not always remain a week；since their rapid journeyings
from the Atlantic to the Pacific； from Canada to the Gulf rarely occupied
more than four；but in the books embodying their mature comments on the
manners； customs and crudities of American civilization no less than a
chapter was usually devoted to us； and most of the adjectives in their
various languages were exhausted in the attempt to prove how symptomatic
we were of the ambitions and ideals of the Republic。 The fact that many
of these gentlemenliterary and otherwisereturned to their own shores
better fed and with larger balances in the banks than when they departed
is neither here nor there。 Egyptians are proverbially created to be
spoiled。
The wiser and more fortunate of these travellers and students of life
brought letters to Mr。 and Mrs。 Hambleton Durrett。 That household was
symptomaticif they likedof the new order of things； and it was rare
indeed when both members of it were at home to entertain them。 If Mr。
Durrett were in the city； and they did not happen to be Britons with
sporting proclivities； they simply were not entertained： when Mrs。
Durrett received them dinners were given in their honour on the Durrett
gold plate； and they spent cosey and delightful hours conversing with her
in the little salon overlooking the garden； to return to their hotels and
jot down paragraphs on the superiority of the American women over the
men。 These particular foreigners did not lay eyes on Mr。 Durrett； who
was in Florida or in the East playing polo or engaged in some other
pursuit。 One result of the lavishness and luxury that amazed them they
wrotehad been to raise the standard of culture of the women； who were
our leisure class。 But the travellers did not remain long enough to
arrive at any conclusions of value on the effect of luxury and lavishness
on the sacred institution of marriage。
If Mr。 Nathaniel Durrett could have returned to his native city after
fifteen years or so in the grave； not the least of the phenomena to
startle him would have been that which was taking place in his own house。
For he would have beheld serenely established in that former abode of
Calvinism one of the most reprehensible of exotic abominations； a
'mariage de convenance；' nor could he have failed to observe； moreover；
the complacency with which the descendants of his friends； the pew
holders in Dr。 Pound's church； regarded the matter： and not only these；
but the city at large。 The stronghold of Scotch Presbyterianism had
become a London or a Paris； a Gomorrah！
Mrs。 Hambleton Durrett went her way； and Mr。 Durrett his。 The less said
about Mr。 Durrett's wayeven in this suddenly advanced agethe better。
As for Nancy； she seemed to the distant eye to be walking through life in
a stately and triumphant manner。 I read in the newspapers of her doings；
her comings and goings； sometimes she was away for months together； often
abroad； and when she was at home I saw her； but infrequently； under
conditions more or less formal。 Not that she was formal；or I： our
intercourse seemed eloquent of an intimacy in a tantalizing state of
suspense。 Would that intimacy ever be renewed？ Thus
was a question on which I sometimes speculated。 The situation that had
suspended or put an end to it； as the case might be； was never referred
to by either of us。
One afternoon in the late winter of the year following that in which we
had given a dinner to the Scherers （where the Durretts had rather
marvellously appeared together） I left my office about three o'clocka
most unus