e old slow-coach merchants and planters thrown up
to us? Talk of George Washington and the men of this day! Were things
any better because they were on a small scale? Wasn't the thrifty George
Washington always adding to his plantations, and squeezing all he could
out of his land and his slaves? What are the negro traditions about
it? Were they all patriots in the Revolutionary War? Were there no
contractors who amassed fortunes then? And how was it in the late war?
The public has a great spasm of virtue all of a sudden. But we have got
past the day of stage-coaches.

Something like this Henderson was flinging out to Carmen as he paced
back and forth in her parlor. It was very unlike him, this outburst,
and Carmen knew that he would indulge in it to no one else, not even
to Uncle Jerry. She was coiled up in a corner of the sofa, her eyes
sparkling with admiration of his indignation and force. I confess that
he had been irritated by the comments of the newspapers, and by the
prodding of the lawyers in the suit then on trial over the Southwestern
consolidation.

"Why, there was old Mansfield saying in his argument that he had had
some little experience in life, but he never had known a man to get rich
rapidly, barring some piece of luck, except by means that it would make
him writhe to have made public. I don't know but that Uncle Jerry was
right, that we made a mistake in not retaining him for the corporation."

"Not if you win," said Carmen, softly. "The public won't care for the
remark unless you fail."

"And he tried to prejudice the Court by quoting the remark attributed to
Uncle Jerry, 'The public be d----d' as if, said Mansfield, the public has
no rights as--against the railroad wreckers. Uncle Jerry laughed, and
interrupted: 'That's nonsense, reporters' nonsense. What I said was that
if the public thought I was fool enough to make it our enemy, the public
might be d---d (begging your honor's pardon).' Then everybody laughed.
'It's the bond holders, who want big dividends, that stand in the way of
the development of the country, that's what it is,' said he, as he sat
down, to those around him, but loud enough to be heard all over
the room. Mansfield asked the protection of the Court against these
clap-trap interruptions. The judge said it was altogether irregular,
and Uncle Jerry begged pardon. The reporters made this incident the one
prominent thing in the case that day."

"What a delightful Uncle Jerry it is