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- Теодор Драйзер
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- Стр. 62/297
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The
war
was
just
over
.
Money
was
high
.
Investors
could
get
more
than
six
per
cent
.
elsewhere
unless
the
loan
was
sold
at
ninety
.
But
there
were
a
few
watchful
politicians
not
in
the
administration
,
and
some
newspapers
and
non-political
financiers
who
,
because
of
the
high
strain
of
patriotism
existing
at
the
time
,
insisted
that
the
loan
should
be
sold
at
par
.
Therefore
a
clause
to
that
effect
had
to
be
inserted
in
the
enabling
ordinance
.
This
,
as
one
might
readily
see
,
destroyed
the
politicians
'
little
scheme
to
get
this
loan
at
ninety
.
Nevertheless
since
they
desired
that
the
money
tied
up
in
the
old
warrants
and
now
not
redeemable
because
of
lack
of
funds
should
be
paid
them
,
the
only
way
this
could
be
done
would
be
to
have
some
broker
who
knew
the
subtleties
of
the
stock
market
handle
this
new
city
loan
on
'
change
in
such
a
way
that
it
would
be
made
to
seem
worth
one
hundred
and
to
be
sold
to
outsiders
at
that
figure
.
Afterward
,
if
,
as
it
was
certain
to
do
,
it
fell
below
that
,
the
politicians
could
buy
as
much
of
it
as
they
pleased
,
and
eventually
have
the
city
redeem
it
at
par
.
George
W.
Stener
,
entering
as
city
treasurer
at
this
time
,
and
bringing
no
special
financial
intelligence
to
the
proposition
,
was
really
troubled
.
Henry
A.
Mollenhauer
,
one
of
the
men
who
had
gathered
up
a
large
amount
of
the
old
city
warrants
,
and
who
now
wanted
his
money
,
in
order
to
invest
it
in
bonanza
offers
in
the
West
,
called
on
Stener
,
and
also
on
the
mayor
.
He
with
Simpson
and
Butler
made
up
the
Big
Three
.
"
I
think
something
ought
to
be
done
about
these
warrants
that
are
outstanding
,
"
he
explained
.
"
I
am
carrying
a
large
amount
of
them
,
and
there
are
others
.
We
have
helped
the
city
a
long
time
by
saying
nothing
;
but
now
I
think
that
something
ought
to
be
done
.
Mr.
Butler
and
Mr.
Simpson
feel
the
same
way
.
Could
n't
these
new
loan
certificates
be
listed
on
the
stock
exchange
and
the
money
raised
that
way
?
Some
clever
broker
could
bring
them
to
par
.
"
Stener
was
greatly
flattered
by
the
visit
from
Mollenhauer
.
Rarely
did
he
trouble
to
put
in
a
personal
appearance
,
and
then
only
for
the
weight
and
effect
his
presence
would
have
.
He
called
on
the
mayor
and
the
president
of
council
,
much
as
he
called
on
Stener
,
with
a
lofty
,
distant
,
inscrutable
air
.
They
were
as
office-boys
to
him
.
In
order
to
understand
exactly
the
motive
for
Mollenhauer
's
interest
in
Stener
,
and
the
significance
of
this
visit
and
Stener
's
subsequent
action
in
regard
to
it
,
it
will
be
necessary
to
scan
the
political
horizon
for
some
little
distance
back
.
Although
George
W.
Stener
was
in
a
way
a
political
henchman
and
appointee
of
Mollenhauer
's
,
the
latter
was
only
vaguely
acquainted
with
him
.
He
had
seen
him
before
;
knew
of
him
;
had
agreed
that
his
name
should
be
put
on
the
local
slate
largely
because
he
had
been
assured
by
those
who
were
closest
to
him
and
who
did
his
bidding
that
Stener
was
"
all
right
,
"
that
he
would
do
as
he
was
told
,
that
he
would
cause
no
one
any
trouble
,
etc.
.
In
fact
,
during
several
previous
administrations
,
Mollenhauer
had
maintained
a
subsurface
connection
with
the
treasury
,
but
never
so
close
a
one
as
could
easily
be
traced
.
He
was
too
conspicuous
a
man
politically
and
financially
for
that
.
But
he
was
not
above
a
plan
,
in
which
Simpson
if
not
Butler
shared
,
of
using
political
and
commercial
stool-pigeons
to
bleed
the
city
treasury
as
much
as
possible
without
creating
a
scandal
.
In
fact
,
for
some
years
previous
to
this
,
various
agents
had
already
been
employed
--
Edward
Strobik
,
president
of
council
,
Asa
Conklin
,
the
then
incumbent
of
the
mayor
's
chair
,
Thomas
Wycroft
,
alderman
,
Jacob
Harmon
,
alderman
,
and
others
--
to
organize
dummy
companies
under
various
names
,
whose
business
it
was
to
deal
in
those
things
which
the
city
needed
--
lumber
,
stone
,
steel
,
iron
,
cement
--
a
long
list
--
and
of
course
,
always
at
a
fat
profit
to
those
ultimately
behind
the
dummy
companies
,
so
organized
.
It
saved
the
city
the
trouble
of
looking
far
and
wide
for
honest
and
reasonable
dealers
.
Since
the
action
of
at
least
three
of
these
dummies
will
have
something
to
do
with
the
development
of
Cowperwood
's
story
,
they
may
be
briefly
described
.
Edward
Strobik
,
the
chief
of
them
,
and
the
one
most
useful
to
Mollenhauer
,
in
a
minor
way
,
was
a
very
spry
person
of
about
thirty-five
at
this
time
--
lean
and
somewhat
forceful
,
with
black
hair
,
black
eyes
,
and
an
inordinately
large
black
mustache
.
He
was
dapper
,
inclined
to
noticeable
clothing
--
a
pair
of
striped
trousers
,
a
white
vest
,
a
black
cutaway
coat
and
a
high
silk
hat
.
His
markedly
ornamental
shoes
were
always
polished
to
perfection
,
and
his
immaculate
appearance
gave
him
the
nickname
of
"
The
Dude
"
among
some
.
Nevertheless
he
was
quite
able
on
a
small
scale
,
and
was
well
liked
by
many
.
His
two
closest
associates
,
Messrs.
Thomas
Wycroft
and
Jacob
Harmon
,
were
rather
less
attractive
and
less
brilliant
.
Jacob
Harmon
was
a
thick
wit
socially
,
but
no
fool
financially
.
He
was
big
and
rather
doleful
to
look
upon
,
with
sandy
brown
hair
and
brown
eyes
,
but
fairly
intelligent
,
and
absolutely
willing
to
approve
anything
which
was
not
too
broad
in
its
crookedness
and
which
would
afford
him
sufficient
protection
to
keep
him
out
of
the
clutches
of
the
law
.
He
was
really
not
so
cunning
as
dull
and
anxious
to
get
along
.
