ng person that newer, stronger, more conquering generation
which was marching ahead, leaving me, older and slower and sadder,
far, far behind it. Ah! To be once more that young, that strong, that
hopeful!

When I began to reflect upon what seemed visionary plans, I was
saddened, foreseeing inevitable disillusion, perhaps even stark
failure, ahead of him. That he would stubbornly try to carry out those
plans I did not doubt: I knew my Laurence. He might accomplish a
certain amount of good. But to overthrow Inglesby, the Boss of
Appleboro--for he meant no less than this--why, that was a horse of
another color!

For Inglesby was our one great financial figure. He owned our bank;
his was the controlling interest in the mills; he owned the factory
outright; he was president of half a dozen corporations and chairman
and director of many more.

Did we have a celebration? There he was, in the center of the stage,
with a jovial loud laugh and an ultra-benevolent smile to hide the
menace of his little cold piglike eyes, and the meaning of his heavy
jaw. Will the statement that he had a pew in every church in town
explain him? He had one in mine, too; paid for, which many of them are
not.

At the large bare office in the mill he was easy of access, and would
listen to what you had to say with flattering attention and sympathy.
But it was in his private office over the bank that this large spider
really spun the web of our politics. Mills, banks, churches, schools,
lights, railroads, stores, heating, water-power--all these juicy flies
apparently walked into his parlor of their own accord. He had made and
unmade governors; he had sent his men to Washington. How? We
suspected; but held our peace. If our Bible had bidden us Americans to
suffer rascals gladly--instead of mere fools--we couldn't be more
obedient to a mandate.

Men like James Eustis and Judge Mayne despised Inglesby--but gave him
a wide berth. They wouldn't be enmeshed. It was known that Major
Appleby Cartwright had blackballed him.

"I can stand a man, suh, that likes to get along in this world--within
proper bounds. But Inglesby hasn't got any proper bounds. He's a--a
cross between a Republican mule and a party-bolting boa-constrictor,
an' a hybrid like that hasn't got any place in nature. On top of that
he drinks ten cents a bottle grape juice and smokes five cent cigars.
And he's got the brazen and offensive effrontery to offer 'em to
self-respectin' men!"