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