Prev | Current Page 149 | Next

Smith, Francis Hopkinson, 1838-1915

"Colonel Carter of Cartersville"


Last of all came Yancey in a flaming red necktie, the only new addition
to his costume--a part, no doubt, of the "chicken fixin's" found by
Chad in the carpet bag.
The breezy ex-major, as he entered, seized my hand with the warmth of
a lifelong friend; then moving over and encircling with his arm the
colonel's coat collar, he lowered his voice to a confidential whisper
and inquired about the market of the day with as much solicitude as
though his last million had been filched from him on insufficient
security.
When, a few minutes later, the round-faced man, the agent of the great
English syndicate, walked in, preceded by Fitz, nothing could have
been more courtly than the way the colonel presented him to his
guests--pausing at every name to recount some slight biographical
detail complimentary to each, and ending by announcing with great
dignity that his honored guest was none other than the very confidential
agent and adviser of a group of moneyed magnates whose influence
extended to the uttermost parts of the earth.


Pages:
137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161