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in　the　State　assembly　and　senate。　　The　governor　and　the　treasurer　were　foot…free；　but　there　were　other　influencesprestige；　friendship；　social　power；　political　ambitions；　etc。　　The　big　men　might　constitute　a　close　corporation；　which　in　itself　was　unfair；　but；　after　all；　they　were　the　legitimate　sponsors　for　big　money　loans　of　this　kind。　　The　State　had　to　keep　on　good　terms　with　them；　especially　in　times　like　these。　Seeing　that　Mr。　Cowperwood　was　so　well　able　to　dispose　of　the　million　he　expected　to　get；　it　would　be　perfectly　all　right　to　award　it　to　him；　but　Van　Nostrand　had　a　counter…proposition　to　make。　Would　Cowperwood；　if　the　financial　crowd　now　handling　the　matter　so　desired；　turn　over　his　award　to　them　for　a　considerationa　sum　equal　to　what　he　expected　to　makein　the　event　the　award　was　made　to　him？　Certain　financiers　desired　this。　　It　was　dangerous　to　oppose　them。　　They　were　perfectly　willing　he　should　put　in　a　bid　for　five　million　and　get　the　prestige　of　that；　to　have　him　awarded　one　million　and　get　the　prestige　of　that　was　well　enough　also；　but　they　desired　to　handle　the　twenty…three　million　dollars　in　an　unbroken　lot。　　It　looked　better。　　He　need　not　be　advertised　as　having　withdrawn。　　They　would　be　content　to　have　him　achieve　the　glory　of　having　done　what　he　started　out　to　do。　　Just　the　same　the　example　was　bad。　　Others　might　wish　to　imitate　him。　　If　it　were　known　in　the　street　privately　that　he　had　been　coerced；　for　a　consideration；　into　giving　up；　others　would　be　deterred　from　imitating　him　in　the　future。　　Besides；　if　he　refused；　they　could　cause　him　trouble。　　His　loans　might　be　called。　　Various　banks　might　not　be　so　friendly　in　the　future。　　His　constituents　might　be　warned　against　him　in　one　way　or　another。

Cowperwood　saw　the　point。　　He　acquiesced。　　It　was　something　to　have　brought　so　many　high　and　mighties　to　their　knees。　　So　they　knew　of　him！　They　were　quite　well　aware　of　him！　Well　and　good。　　He　would　take　the　award　and　twenty　thousand　or　thereabouts　and　withdraw。　The　State　treasurer　was　delighted。　　It　solved　a　ticklish　proposition　for　him。

〃I'm　glad　to　have　seen　you；〃　he　said。　　〃I'm　glad　we've　met。　　I'll　drop　in　and　talk　with　you　some　time　when　I'm　down　this　way。　　We'll　have　lunch　together。〃

The　State　treasurer；　for　some　odd　reason；　felt　that　Mr。　Cowperwood　was　a　man　who　could　make　him　some　money。　　His　eye　was　so　keen；　his　expression　was　so　alert；　and　yet　so　subtle。　　He　told　the　governor　and　some　other　of　his　associates　about　him。

So　the　award　was　finally　made；　Cowperwood；　after　some　private　negotiations　in　which　he　met　the　officers　of　Drexel　&　Co。；　was　paid　his　twenty　thousand　dollars　and　turned　his　share　of　the　award　over　to　them。　　New　faces　showed　up　in　his　office　now　from　time　to　timeamong　them　that　of　Van　Nostrand　and　one　Terrence　Relihan；　a　representative　of　some　other　political　forces　at　Harrisburg。　　He　was　introduced　to　the　governor　one　day　at　lunch。　His　name　was　mentioned　in　the　papers；　and　his　prestige　grew　rapidly。

Immediately　he　began　working　on　plans　with　young　Ellsworth　for　his　new　house。　　He　was　going　to　build　something　exceptional　this　time；　he　told　Lillian。　　They　were　going　to　have　to　do　some　entertaining　entertaining　on　a　larger　scale　than　ever。　　North　Front　Street　was　becoming　too　tame。　　He　put　the　house　up　for　sale；　consulted　with　his　father　and　found　that　he　also　was　willing　to　move。　　The　son's　prosperity　had　redounded　to　the　credit　of　the　father。　　The　directors　of　the　bank　were　becoming　much　more　friendly　to　the　old　man。　　Next　year　President　Kugel　was　going　to　retire。　　Because　of　his　son's　noted　coup；　as　well　as　his　long　service；　he　was　going　to　be　made　president。　　Frank　was　a　large　borrower　from　his　father's　bank。　　By　the　same　token　he　was　a　large　depositor。　　His　connection　with　Edward　Butler　was　significant。　　He　sent　his　father's　bank　certain　accounts　which　it　otherwise　could　not　have　secured。　　The　city　treasurer　became　interested　in　it；　and　the　State　treasurer。　Cowperwood；　Sr。；　stood　to　earn　twenty　thousand　a　year　as　president；　and　he　owed　much　of　it　to　his　son。　　The　two　families　were　now　on　the　best　of　terms。　　Anna；　now　twenty…one；　and　Edward　and　Joseph　frequently　spent　the　night　at　Frank's　house。　　Lillian　called　almost　daily　at　his　mother's。　　There　was　much　interchange　of　family　gossip；　and　it　was　thought　well　to　build　side　by　side。　　So　Cowperwood；　Sr。；　bought　fifty　feet　of　ground　next　to　his　son's　thirty…five；　and　together　they　commenced　the　erection　of　two　charming；　commodious　homes；　which　were　to　be　connected　by　a　covered　passageway；　or　pergola；　which　could　be　inclosed　with　glass　in　winter。

The　most　popular　local　stone；　a　green　granite　was　chosen；　but　Mr。　Ellsworth　promised　to　present　it　in　such　a　way　that　it　would　be　especially　pleasing。　　Cowperwood；　Sr。；　decided　that　he　could　afford　to　spent　seventy…five　thousand　dollarshe　was　now　worth　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand；　and　Frank　decided　that　he　could　risk　fifty；　seeing　that　he　could　raise　money　on　a　mortgage。　　He　planned　at　the　same　time　to　remove　his　office　farther　south　on　Third　Street　and　occupy　a　building　of　his　own。　　He　knew　where　an　option　was　to　be　had　on　a　twenty…five…foot　building；　which；　though　old；　could　be　given　a　new　brownstone　front　and　made　very　significant。　He　saw　in　his　mind's　eye　a　handsome　building；　fitted　with　an　immense　plate…glass　window；　inside　his　hardwood　fixtures　visible；　and　over　the　door；　or　to　one　side　of　it；　set　in　bronze　letters；　Cowperwood　&　Co。　　Vaguely　but　surely　he　began　to　see　looming　before　him；　like　a　fleecy　tinted　cloud　on　the　horizon；　his　future　fortune。　　He　was　to　be　rich；　very；　very　rich。





Chapter　XIII




During　all　the　time　that　Cowperwood　had　been　building　himself　up　thus　steadily　the　great　war　of　the　rebellion　had　been　fought　almost　to　its　close。　　It　was　now　October；　1864。　　The　capture　of　Mobile　and　the　Battle　of　the　Wilderness　were　fresh　memories。　Grant　was　now　before　Petersburg；　and　the　great　general　of　the　South；　Lee；　was　making　that　last　brilliant　and　hopeless　display　of　his　ability　as　a　strategist　and　a　soldier。　　There　had　been　timesas；　for　instance；　during　the　long；　dreary　period　in　which　the　country　was　waiting　for　Vicksburg　to　fall；　for　the　Army　of　the　Potomac　to　prove　victorious；　when　Pennsylvania　was　invaded　by　Leewhen　stocks　fell　and　commercial　conditions　were　very　bad　generally。　　In　times　like　these　Cowperwood's　own　manipulative　ability　was　taxed　to　the　utmost；　and　he　had　to　watch　every　hour　to　see　that　his　fortune　was　not　destroyed　by　some　unexpected　and　destructive　piece　of　news。

His　personal　attitude　toward　the　war；　however；　and　aside　from　his　patriotic　feeling　that　the　Union　ought　to　be　maintained；　was　that　it　was　destructive　and　wasteful。　　He　was　by　no　means　so　wanting　in　patriotic　emotion　and　sentiment　but　that　he　could　feel　that　the　Union；　as　it　had　now　come　to　be；　spreading　its　great　length　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　Pacific　and　from　the　snows　of　Canada　to　the　Gulf；　was　worth　while。　　Since　his　birth　in　1837　he　had　seen　the　nation　reach　that　physical　growthbarring　Alaska　which　it　now　possesses。　　Not　so　much　earlier　than　his　youth　Florida　had　been　added　to　the　Union　by　purchase　from　Spain；　Mexico；　after　the　unjust　war　of　1848；　had　ceded　Texas　and　the　territory　to　the　West。　　The　boundary　disputes　between　England　and　the　United　States　in　the　far　Northwest　had　been　finally　adjusted。　　To　a　man　with　great　social　and　financial　imagination；　these　facts　could　not　help　but　be　significant；　and　if　they　did　nothing　more；　they　gave　him　a　sense　of　the　boundless　commercial　possibilities　which　existed　potentially　in　so　vast　a　realm。　　His　was　not　the　order　of　speculative　financial　enthusiasm　which；　in　the　type　known　as　the　〃promoter；〃　sees　endless　possibilities　for　gain　in　every　unexplored　rivulet　and　prairie　reach；　but　the　very　vastness　of　the　country　suggested　possibilities　which　he　hoped　might　remain　undisturbed。　　A　territory　covering　the　length　of　a　whole　zone　and　between　two　seas；　seemed　to　him　to　possess　potentialities　which　it　could　not　retain　if　the　States　of　the　South　were　lost。

At　the　same　time；　the　freedom　of　the　negro　was　not　a　significant　point　with　him。　　He　had　observed　that　race　from　his　boyhood　with　considerable　interest；　and　had　been　struck　with　virtues　and　defects　which　seemed　inherent　and　which　plainly；　to　him；　conditioned　their　experiences。

He　was　not　at　all　sure；　for　instance；　that　the　negroes　could　be　made　into　anything　much　more　significant　than　they　were。　　At　any　rate；　it　was　a　long　uphill　struggle　for　them；　of　which　many　future　generations　would　not　witness　the　conclusion。　　He　had　no　particular　quarrel　with　the　theory　that　they　should　be　free；　he　saw　no　particular　reason　why　the　South　should　not　protest　vigorously　against　the　destruction　of　their　property　and　their　system。　　It　was　too　bad　that　the　negroes　as　slaves　should　be　abused　in　some　instances。　　He　felt　sure　that　that　ought　to　be　adjusted　in　some　way；　but　beyond　that　he　could　not　see　that　there　was　any　great　ethical　basis　for　the　contentions　of　their　sponsors。　　The　vast　majority　of　men　and　women；　as　he　could　see；　were　not　essentially　above　slavery；　even　when　they　had　all　the　guarantees　of　a　constitution　formulated　to　prevent　it。　　There　was　mental　slavery；　the　slavery　of　the　weak