This was strong talk. In spite of their proverbial frigidness under all
conditions, Boston's best began to get fidgety.

"Indeed," went on the Monte Cristo from Philadelphia, "I'll do better
than that. On second thought I will give you $1,200 a share. Think it
over and we'll have another sit-down to-morrow."

It took Addicks but a few days to trade, for at each sitting the staging
was more enticing and the call from his associates in London more
insistent. Minor difficulties were magnificently waved away. A number of
scions of Boston's best families had good paying positions in the
different companies; what would Mr. Addicks do with them?

"Simple, simple," he replied; "double the time of contract and the
salary; no favor to them or you; good men are very hard to get, you
know."

One episode that occurred about this time was allowed to get into print
when the stocks and bonds were being floated, by way of showing what a
tremendous fellow Addicks was. In a hired hack he had driven up to the
club from State Street. A snow-storm was raging. After Addicks had been
in the club a few moments word was brought in to him that the driver had
found his sable overcoat inside the carriage. Addicks stepped into the
vestibule to speak to the driver, and next day it was all over the
club-house and through the "Street" that the prodigal Philadelphian,
overcome at the thought of the unfortunate driver in his scanty clothing
exposed to the cruel storm, had said: "My good man, take that coat as a
present from me."

For the truth of the story I do not vouch, nor for that other which
explains that the door-boy who spread this tale of generosity said
afterward, when discharged, that Addicks himself had told him what he
had done, and at the same time had given him a five-dollar bill. He
would have sworn the moment before that he heard Addicks tell the driver
to take the coat to his apartments.

Addicks got what he came to Boston for--the Boston, Roxbury, and South
Boston Gas companies. He did what he said he would, built a new one, the
Bay State of Massachusetts, and turned them all into the Bay State of
Delaware, and the Bay State of Delaware turned them out on the public in
exchange for their savings to the extent of $19,000,000 in the form of
bonds and stock. Addicks, to use his own language, "cleaned up around
$7,000,000," and turned to new fields, fields suited to his peculiar
genius.

As he looked over the United States he found