Full Text Archive

Full Text Archive
https://www.fulltextarchive.com
they--the politicians--her father, Mollenhauer, and Simpson, were going to "get him yet"
(meaning Cowperwood), for some criminal financial manipulation of something--she could not
explain what--a check or something. Aileen was frantic with worry. Could they mean the
penitentiary, she asked in her letter? Her dear lover! Her beloved Frank! Could anything like this
really happen to him?
His brow clouded, and he set his teeth with rage when he read her letter. He would have to do
something about this--see Mollenhauer or Simpson, or both, and make some offer to the city.
He could not promise them money for the present--only notes--but they might take them. Surely
they could not be intending to make a scapegoat of him over such a trivial and uncertain matter
as this check transaction! When there was the five hundred thousand advanced by Stener, to
say nothing of all the past shady transactions of former city treasurers! How rotten! How
political, but how real and dangerous.
But Simpson was out of the city for a period of ten days, and Mollenhauer, having in mind the
suggestion made by Butler in regard to utilizing Cowperwood's misdeed for the benefit of the
party, had already moved as they had planned. The letters were ready and waiting. Indeed,
since the conference, the smaller politicians, taking their cue from the overlords, had been
industriously spreading the story of the sixty-thousand-dollar check, and insisting that the
burden of guilt for the treasury defalcation, if any, lay on the banker. The moment Mollenhauer
laid eyes on Cowperwood he realized, however, that he had a powerful personality to deal with.
Cowperwood gave no evidence of fright. He merely stated, in his bland way, that he had been in
the habit of borrowing money from the city treasury at a low rate of interest, and that this panic
had involved him so that he could not possibly return it at present.
"I have heard rumors, Mr. Mollenhauer," he said, "to the effect that some charge is to be
brought against me as a partner with Mr. Stener in this matter; but I am hoping that the city will
not do that, and I thought I might enlist your influence to prevent it. My affairs are not in a bad
way at all, if I had a little time to arrange matters. I am making all of my creditors an offer of fifty
cents on the dollar now, and giving notes at one, two, and three years; but in this matter of the
city treasury loans, if I could come to terms, I would be glad to make it a hundred cents--only I
would want a little more time. Stocks are bound to recover, as you know, and, barring my losses
at this time, I will be all right. I realize that the matter has gone pretty far already. The
newspapers are likely to start talking at any time, unless they are stopped by those who can
control them." (He looked at Mollenhauer in a complimentary way.) "But if I could be kept out of
the general proceedings as much as possible, my standing would not be injured, and I would
have a better chance of getting on my feet. It would be better for the city, for then I could
certainly pay it what I owe it." He smiled his most winsome and engaging smile. And
Mollenhauer seeing him for the first time, was not unimpressed. Indeed he looked at this young
financial David with an interested eye. If he could have seen a way to accept this proposition of
Cowperwood's, so that the money offered would have been eventually payable to him, and if
Cowperwood had had any reasonable prospect of getting on his feet soon, he would have
considered carefully what he had to say. For then Cowperwood could have assigned his
recovered property to him. As it was, there was small likelihood of this situation ever being
straightened out. The Citizens' Municipal Reform Association, from all he could hear, was
already on the move--investigating, or about to, and once they had set their hands to this, would
unquestionably follow it closely to the end.
"The trouble with this situation, Mr. Cowperwood," he said, affably, "is that it has gone so far
163 / 312

---