e of the
indulgences of the gentleman of leisure. We grew to be constant comrades
and friends, and when he returned to New York to take the important post
which to the end of his days he filled so completely his office in the
Western Union Building became my downtown headquarters.

There I met Jay Gould familiarly; and resumed acquaintance with Russell
Sage, whom I had known when a lad in Washington, he a hayseed member of
Congress; and occasionally other of the Wall Street leaders. In a small
way--though not for long--I caught the stock-gambling fever. But I
was on the "inside," and it was a cold day when I did not "clean up" a
goodly amount to waste uptown in the evening. I may say that I gave
this over through sheer disgust of acquiring so much and such easy and
useless money, for, having no natural love of money--no aptitude for
making money breed--no taste for getting it except to spend it--earning
by my own accustomed and fruitful toil always a sufficiency--the
distractions and dissipations it brought to my annual vacations and
occasional visits, affronted in a way my self-respect, and palled upon
my rather eager quest of pleasure. Money is purely relative. The root of
all evil, too. Too much of it may bring ills as great as not enough.

At the outset of my stock-gambling experience I was one day in the
office of President Edward H. Green, of the Louisville and Nashville
Railway, no relation of Dr. Norvin Green, but the husband of the famous
Hetty Green. He said to me, "How are you in stocks?"

"What do you mean?" said I.

"Why," he said, "do you buy long, or short? Are you lucky or unlucky?"

"You are talking Greek to me," I answered.

"Didn't you ever put up any money on a margin?"

"Never."

"Bless me! You are a virgin. I want to try your luck. Look over this
stock list and pick a stock. I will take a crack at it. All I make we'll
divide, and all we lose I'll pay."

"Will you leave this open for an hour or two?"

"What is the matter with it--is it not liberal enough?"

"The matter is that I am going over to the Western Union to lunch. The
Gould party is to sit in with the Orton-Green party for the first time
after their fight, and I am asked especially to be there. I may pick up
something."

Big Green, as he was called, paused a moment reflectively. "I don't
want any tip--especially from that bunch," said he. "I want to try your
virgin luck. But, go ahead, and let me know this afternoon."

At lu