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- Теодор Драйзер
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- Стр. 63/297
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Thomas
Wycroft
,
the
last
of
this
useful
but
minor
triumvirate
,
was
a
tall
,
lean
man
,
candle-waxy
,
hollow-eyed
,
gaunt
of
face
,
pathetic
to
look
at
physically
,
but
shrewd
.
He
was
an
iron-molder
by
trade
and
had
gotten
into
politics
much
as
Stener
had
--
because
he
was
useful
;
and
he
had
managed
to
make
some
money
--
via
this
triumvirate
of
which
Strobik
was
the
ringleader
,
and
which
was
engaged
in
various
peculiar
businesses
which
will
now
be
indicated
.
The
companies
which
these
several
henchmen
had
organized
under
previous
administrations
,
and
for
Mollenhauer
,
dealt
in
meat
,
building
material
,
lamp-posts
,
highway
supplies
,
anything
you
will
,
which
the
city
departments
or
its
institutions
needed
.
A
city
contract
once
awarded
was
irrevocable
,
but
certain
councilmen
had
to
be
fixed
in
advance
and
it
took
money
to
do
that
.
The
company
so
organized
need
not
actually
slaughter
any
cattle
or
mold
lamp-posts
.
All
it
had
to
do
was
to
organize
to
do
that
,
obtain
a
charter
,
secure
a
contract
for
supplying
such
material
to
the
city
from
the
city
council
(
which
Strobik
,
Harmon
,
and
Wycroft
would
attend
to
)
,
and
then
sublet
this
to
some
actual
beef-slaughterer
or
iron-founder
,
who
would
supply
the
material
and
allow
them
to
pocket
their
profit
which
in
turn
was
divided
or
paid
for
to
Mollenhauer
and
Simpson
in
the
form
of
political
donations
to
clubs
or
organizations
.
It
was
so
easy
and
in
a
way
so
legitimate
.
The
particular
beef-slaughterer
or
iron-founder
thus
favored
could
not
hope
of
his
own
ability
thus
to
obtain
a
contract
.
Stener
,
or
whoever
was
in
charge
of
the
city
treasury
at
the
time
,
for
his
services
in
loaning
money
at
a
low
rate
of
interest
to
be
used
as
surety
for
the
proper
performance
of
contract
,
and
to
aid
in
some
instances
the
beef-killer
or
iron-founder
to
carry
out
his
end
,
was
to
be
allowed
not
only
the
one
or
two
per
cent
.
which
he
might
pocket
(
other
treasurers
had
)
,
but
a
fair
proportion
of
the
profits
.
A
complacent
,
confidential
chief
clerk
who
was
all
right
would
be
recommended
to
him
.
It
did
not
concern
Stener
that
Strobik
,
Harmon
,
and
Wycroft
,
acting
for
Mollenhauer
,
were
incidentally
planning
to
use
a
little
of
the
money
loaned
for
purposes
quite
outside
those
indicated
.
It
was
his
business
to
loan
it
.
However
,
to
be
going
on
.
Some
time
before
he
was
even
nominated
,
Stener
had
learned
from
Strobik
,
who
,
by
the
way
,
was
one
of
his
sureties
as
treasurer
(
which
suretyship
was
against
the
law
,
as
were
those
of
Councilmen
Wycroft
and
Harmon
,
the
law
of
Pennsylvania
stipulating
that
one
political
servant
might
not
become
surety
for
another
)
,
that
those
who
had
brought
about
this
nomination
and
election
would
by
no
means
ask
him
to
do
anything
which
was
not
perfectly
legal
,
but
that
he
must
be
complacent
and
not
stand
in
the
way
of
big
municipal
perquisites
nor
bite
the
hands
that
fed
him
.
It
was
also
made
perfectly
plain
to
him
,
that
once
he
was
well
in
office
a
little
money
for
himself
was
to
be
made
.
As
has
been
indicated
,
he
had
always
been
a
poor
man
.
He
had
seen
all
those
who
had
dabbled
in
politics
to
any
extent
about
him
heretofore
do
very
well
financially
indeed
,
while
he
pegged
along
as
an
insurance
and
real-estate
agent
.
He
had
worked
hard
as
a
small
political
henchman
.
Other
politicians
were
building
themselves
nice
homes
in
newer
portions
of
the
city
.
They
were
going
off
to
New
York
or
Harrisburg
or
Washington
on
jaunting
parties
.
They
were
seen
in
happy
converse
at
road-houses
or
country
hotels
in
season
with
their
wives
or
their
women
favorites
,
and
he
was
not
,
as
yet
,
of
this
happy
throng
.
Naturally
now
that
he
was
promised
something
,
he
was
interested
and
compliant
.
What
might
he
not
get
?
When
it
came
to
this
visit
from
Mollenhauer
,
with
its
suggestion
in
regard
to
bringing
city
loan
to
par
,
although
it
bore
no
obvious
relation
to
Mollenhauer
's
subsurface
connection
with
Stener
,
through
Strobik
and
the
others
,
Stener
did
definitely
recognize
his
own
political
subservience
--
his
master
's
stentorian
voice
--
and
immediately
thereafter
hurried
to
Strobik
for
information
.
"
Just
what
would
you
do
about
this
?
"
he
asked
of
Strobik
,
who
knew
of
Mollenhauer
's
visit
before
Stener
told
him
,
and
was
waiting
for
Stener
to
speak
to
him
.
"
Mr.
Mollenhauer
talks
about
having
this
new
loan
listed
on
'
change
and
brought
to
par
so
that
it
will
sell
for
one
hundred
.
"
Neither
Strobik
,
Harmon
,
nor
Wycroft
knew
how
the
certificates
of
city
loan
,
which
were
worth
only
ninety
on
the
open
market
,
were
to
be
made
to
sell
for
one
hundred
on
'
change
,
but
Mollenhauer
's
secretary
,
one
Abner
Sengstack
,
had
suggested
to
Strobik
that
,
since
Butler
was
dealing
with
young
Cowperwood
and
Mollenhauer
did
not
care
particularly
for
his
private
broker
in
this
instance
,
it
might
be
as
well
to
try
Cowperwood
.
So
it
was
that
Cowperwood
was
called
to
Stener
's
office
.
And
once
there
,
and
not
as
yet
recognizing
either
the
hand
of
Mollenhauer
or
Simpson
in
this
,
merely
looked
at
the
peculiarly
shambling
,
heavy-cheeked
,
middle-class
man
before
him
without
either
interest
or
sympathy
,
realizing
at
once
that
he
had
a
financial
baby
to
deal
with
.
If
he
could
act
as
adviser
to
this
man
--
be
his
sole
counsel
for
four
years
!
