Kabanata Kabanata 48 · The trip home did bring another week with Mrs. Gerald, for after

mature consideration she had decided to venture to America for a

while. Chicago and Cincinnati were her destinations, and she hoped to

see more of Lester. Her presence was a good deal of a surprise to

Jennie, and it started her thinking again. She could see what the

point was. If she were out of the way Mrs. Gerald would marry Lester;

that was certain. As it was--well, the question was a complicated

one. Letty was Lester's natural mate, so far as birth, breeding, and

position went. And yet Jennie felt instinctively that, on the large

human side, Lester preferred her. Perhaps time would solve the

problem; in the mean time the little party of three continued to

remain excellent friends. When they reached Chicago Mrs. Gerald went

her way, and Jennie and Lester took up the customary thread of their

existence.

On his return from Europe Lester set to work in earnest to find a

business opening. None of the big companies made him any overtures,

principally because he was considered a strong man who was looking for

a control in anything he touched. The nature of his altered fortunes

had not been made public. All the little companies that he

investigated were having a hand-to-mouth existence, or manufacturing a

product which was not satisfactory to him. He did find one company in

a small town in northern Indiana which looked as though it might have

a future. It was controlled by a practical builder of wagons and

carriages--such as Lester's father had been in his day--who,

however, was not a good business man. He was making some small money

on an investment of fifteen thousand dollars and a plant worth, say,

twenty-five thousand. Lester felt that something could be done here if

proper methods were pursued and business acumen exercised. It would be

slow work. There would never be a great fortune in it. Not in his

lifetime. He was thinking of making an offer to the small manufacturer

when the first rumors of a carriage trust reached him.

Robert had gone ahead rapidly with his scheme for reorganizing the

carriage trade. He showed his competitors how much greater profits

could be made through consolidation than through a mutually

destructive rivalry. So convincing were his arguments that one by one

the big carriage manufacturing companies fell into line. Within a few

months the deal had been pushed through, and Robert found himself

president of the United Carriage and Wagon Manufacturers' Association,

with a capital stock of ten million dollars, and with assets

aggregating nearly three-fourths of that sum at a forced sale. He was

a happy man.

While all this was going forward Lester was completely in the dark.

His trip to Europe prevented him from seeing three or four minor

notices in the newspapers of some of the efforts that were being made

to unite the various carriage and wagon manufactories. He returned to

Chicago to learn that Jefferson Midgely, Imogene's husband, was still

in full charge of the branch and living in Evanston, but because of

his quarrel with his family he was in no position to get the news

direct. Accident brought it fast enough, however, and that rather

irritatingly.

The individual who conveyed this information was none other than

Mr. Henry Bracebridge, of Cleveland, into whom he ran at the Union

Club one evening after he had been in the city a month.

"I hear you're out of the old company," Bracebridge remarked,

smiling blandly.

"Yes," said Lester, "I'm out."

"What are you up to now?"

"Oh, I have a deal of my own under consideration, I'm thinking

something of handling an independent concern."

"Surely you won't run counter to your brother? He has a pretty good

thing in that combination of his."

"Combination! I hadn't heard of it," said Lester. "I've just got

back from Europe."

"Well, you want to wake up, Lester," replied Bracebridge. "He's got

the biggest thing in your line. I thought you knew all about it. The

Lyman-Winthrop Company, the Myer-Brooks Company, the Woods

Company--in fact, five or six of the big companies are all in.

Your brother was elected president of the new concern. I dare say he

cleaned up a couple of millions out of the deal."

Lester stared. His glance hardened a little.

"Well, that's fine for Robert. I'm glad of it."

Bracebridge could see that he had given him a vital stab.

"Well, so long, old man," he exclaimed. "When you're in Cleveland

look us up. You know how fond my wife is of you."

"I know," replied Lester. "By-by."

He strolled away to the smoking-room, but the news took all the

zest out of his private venture. Where would he be with a shabby

little wagon company and his brother president of a carriage trust?

Good heavens! Robert could put him out of business in a year. Why, he

himself had dreamed of such a combination as this. Now his brother had

done it.

It is one thing to have youth, courage, and a fighting spirit to

meet the blows with which fortune often afflicts the talented. It is

quite another to see middle age coming on, your principal fortune

possibly gone, and avenue after avenue of opportunity being sealed to

you on various sides. Jennie's obvious social insufficiency, the

quality of newspaper reputation which had now become attached to her,

his father's opposition and death, the loss of his fortune, the loss

of his connection with the company, his brother's attitude, this

trust, all combined in a way to dishearten and discourage him. He

tried to keep a brave face--and he had succeeded thus far, he

thought, admirably, but this last blow appeared for the time being a

little too much. He went home, the same evening that he heard the

news, sorely disheartened. Jennie saw it. She realized it, as a matter

of fact, all during the evening that he was away. She felt blue and

despondent herself. When he came home she saw what it

was--something had happened to him. Her first impulse was to say,

"What is the matter, Lester?" but her next and sounder one was to

ignore it until he was ready to speak, if ever. She tried not to let

him see that she saw, coming as near as she might affectionately

without disturbing him.

"Vesta is so delighted with herself to-day," she volunteered by way

of diversion. "She got such nice marks in school."

"That's good," he replied solemnly.

"And she dances beautifully these days. She showed me some of her

new dances to-night. You haven't any idea how sweet she looks."

"I'm glad of it," he grumbled. "I always wanted her to be perfect

in that. It's time she was going into some good girls' school, I

think."

"And papa gets in such a rage. I have to laugh. She teases him

about it--the little imp. She offered to teach him to dance

to-night. If he didn't love her so he'd box her ears."

"I can see that," said Lester, smiling. "Him dancing! That's pretty

good!"

"She's not the least bit disturbed by his storming, either."

"Good for her," said Lester. He was very fond of Vesta, who was now

quite a girl.

So Jennie tripped on until his mood was modified a little, and then

some inkling of what had happened came out. It was when they were

retiring for the night. "Robert's formulated a pretty big thing in a

financial way since we've been away," he volunteered.

"What is it?" asked Jennie, all ears.

"Oh, he's gotten up a carriage trust. It's something which will

take in every manufactory of any importance in the country.

Bracebridge was telling me that Robert was made president, and that

they have nearly eight millions in capital."

"You don't say!" replied Jennie. "Well, then you won't want to do

much with your new company, will you?"

"No; there's nothing in that, just now," he said. "Later on I fancy

it may be all right. I'll wait and see how this thing comes out. You

never can tell what a trust like that will do."

Jennie was intensely sorry. She had never heard Lester complain

before. It was a new note. She wished sincerely that she might do

something to comfort him, but she knew that her efforts were useless.

"Oh, well," she said, "there are so many interesting things in this

world. If I were you I wouldn't be in a hurry to do anything, Lester.

You have so much time."

She didn't trust herself to say anything more, and he felt that it

was useless to worry. Why should he? After all, he had an ample income

that was absolutely secure for two years yet. He could have more if he

wanted it. Only his brother was moving so dazzlingly onward, while he

was standing still--perhaps "drifting" would be the better word.

It did seem a pity; worst of all, he was beginning to feel a little

uncertain of himself.