Gordon Young

“ You can readily understand how such a flourish of generosity would move a man like Colonel Nevinson, particularly at a time when those whom he thought good friends would not lend him a dollar. Why a woman of her avaricious nature and calling would with so timely a gesture call to her the devotion of a bankrupt, I cannot imagine—unless it is barely possible that she loves him! ”

“ Hales was determined that for all of her passionate artfulness there would be no quarrel. He disliked Nevinson intensely, but had no downright hate of him.
The maskers watched. She, whose habitual pose was sinuously slothful, could dance brilliantly. As they watched, waiters passed along bearing glasses on trays. Men were buying drinks for everybody, treating the house. Monsieur Max might well have gone off to a lone mirror and winked at himself.
The gay masqueraders laughed; many were a little unsteady; they shouted compliments at Elvira, and comment rippled merrily. ”

“ Hales led the half-dozen men detailed for the work, at a run.
Monsieur Max, bareheaded, alone, was on the stoop of the Golden House, jumping about frantically, waving his arms, looking across at the fire, cursing, trying at times to call men to come with water. As he saw the men coming on the run he thought they came to help him save his valuable property, and he began yelling instructions.
"Into the house!" said Hales to the men with him. "Get everybody out!" To Max, "Get what you can carry in one armful. We blow up this house!" ”

“ Sir, it was under such circumstances that he gave what he thought was El Crucifijo to Miss Tesla and refused to tarnish his gift with money. I can not but admire him, though, sir, he has become less admirable in many ways. Drinks more; and, if possible, is more quarrelsome; insults his former associates who wisely refuse him credit and will not listen to those who do wish him well. He takes pains to insult prominent people, sir, by declaring that his only friends are such persons as Monsieur Max, the keeper of a bawdy house, and that Eton woman, who should be an inmate of the house! ”

“ Another couple spun by. Hales looked after the woman, catching merely the glimpse of a laughing red streak on a heavily painted and powdered face, half hidden by its mask. She wore a strange costume of brilliant rags and tatters, and danced with the pudgy bear, who must have been sweating like a Turk at his bath under such a woolly dress. ”

“ They were curious, delighted with such a perfect take off of the street preacher, who nightly damned them all—and to whom many gave their contributions, for didn't he have a wife and baby, and have to live?
"Well, Preble, we didn't expect ever to see you in a house of Babylon!" a man shouted.
Hales, after a moment's hard look at this person who seemed to have a daring sense of humor and some ability at acting, glanced through the jostling crowd for the poor tatterdemalion. He saw her, standing alone, half shrinking, staring, rigid. ”

“ Here, sir, in this city we are passing through a phase of heroic barbarism, Homeric, or more nearly, sir, in some aspects, Elizabethan—Elizabethan, when men who ventured greatly and singed the beards of kings spent plundered wealth in revelries where bejeweled women, and burly courtiers in velvets drank themselves dead and fell vomiting on the rushes that served to cover their floors. Here in our city men with muddy boots, boots on feet, sir, that have trampled across a continent, stamp over silken rugs ”

“ But when Colonel Nevinson, sir, finding that Miss Tesla wished to own the ranch, simply put the deed he held in her name and with customary irritability refused any suggestion of payment, I did not have the cruelty to say to him, 'Very generous, but an empty flourish, sir!' To say that would have been inhuman, however honest, for Colonel Nevinson is almost a bankrupt. A little money would mean much. His fair-weather friends have scampered from him. He no longer has credit or resources that are negotiable. Each morning men expect him to acknowledge bankruptcy. ”

“ As they were admitted through the street door the maskers entered a small room where attendants announced:
"Now, gentlemen, please remove your weapons and let us put them away for you. No weapons will be permitted in the ballroom!"
Such was the ruling of Monsieur Max; and this seemed so excellent a precedent that for for years afterwards invitation cards to mask balls bore the words—""No weapons admitted."
Hales, with holster empty, followed the the big, bearded Pierrot, whom he recognized as Wallace B. Kern, into the ballroom, into the midst of gay voices and skirling laughter. ”

“ Not more than five!" said Madame Renault in a sort of babyish voice. "Elvira speaks much of you. Indeed, monsieur!"
"We have been wishing, señor, that you could come to our mask ball tonight." Doña Elvira leaned forward and stroked the neck of her horse, but kept her eyes on Hales; then, smiling, coaxingly—"You will come? It is a mask ball. Will you?"
"No," said Hales
"Oh, good, Louise! He is coming!" the Doña cried happily toward her companion. "You have an invitation with you, Louise. Give it to me for Mr. Hales. It will be such a pleasure to have him." ”

“ When one house was bursting upward with fire, the fire leaped out of the next. The roar was deafening. Large pieces of burning wood were tossed skyward by the upward rush of flames. Men held their breath for fear the wind would rise.
"There goes my store!" a man near Hales yelled. ”

“ Our city, sir, is rude, strong, turbulent, full of those contrasts that denote barbarism. For ten thousand years a turbulent, adventurous vanguard has has led our people westward from the Asiatic cradle that rocked the new-born race of the Caucasian, and here the march of the Empire ends. ”

“ Here, sir, in California ends that great migration of the Caucasian people. There are no longer unknown lands and wildernesses before them. Here, sir, the swarming caravans of Man will pile up in dense communities, spread out, with a flowing movement press backward on to the country through which they have come. Here, sir, along the western coast of America is where God has drawn his finger and said, 'No farther! Stand and fulfill your destiny!' Here, sir, Destiny begins the final chapter in the history of the white race ”

“ A moment later the bearded Pierrot, laughing heartily, half stumbled against him and was quickly apologetic.
"Entirely all right, Mr. Kern."
"Ah! You know me. And you?"
"Hales."
They shook hands.
"Great fun, eh? Lord, I'm being a fool tonight, and like it!" Kern laughed deeply. "Ever see so many beautiful ladies?"
"Never so many dangerous ones."
"Same thing. Oh, there, see? The colonel and the Doña! That woman could send a desert saint to hell!"
Col. Nevinson and a woman in the dress of a Spanish dancer were on the floor. Hales would hardly have recognized her as Elvira. ”

“ Hales was told, "We are going to blow up a row of houses over there—shut off the fire."
"Max's Golden House, it's in that row!" said Kern.
"Then it must go!" the man who seemed to be directing the fire-fighting said.
"Make sure to get all the people out," Kern exclaimed anxiously. "Some of 'em wouldn't hear if Gabriel tooted!"
"Captain Hales," said the one who was acting as fire chief, "gunpowder is being brought. Will you take some men and blow up the Golden House!"
"With pleasure!" said Hales, making unconsciously a gesture very like a salute. ”

“ Miners were starved into returning to the cities. People said the flush times were over. Gold was playing out. California would soon be abandoned to the greasers. Shiftless grumblers and unlucky men who prophesy evil for others called an hour's ebbing of the tide disaster.
Shortly before noon Hales called on the Prebles to make inquiry for himself.
Ezekiel Preble, his wife and baby, occupied one room in the house of a preacher who had a church. Preble, faithful to the promise he had made the Lord, devoted himself to street preaching and lived on free-will offerings, most of which he gave away. ”

“ The roar was dull, abrupt, like a solitary clap of heavy thunder, and black smoke obscured everything.
10 In a few hours the city's first great fire was under control. By noon, having been hemmed in by men who tore down and blew up buildings, it had practically burned itself out. The loss was a million dollars. ”

“ Turn from evil and fear not the reproaches of men, neither be ye afraid of revilin's, for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall eat them like wool. Repent ye, repent! The Lord thy God will bring destruction upon ye that walk in sin, and thy blood shall be poured out as dust, and thy flesh be as dung. ”

“ It was the voice of the street preacher, Preble. Rain or fog, he appeared every night; but in spite of his wrathful warnings, saloons increased, wickedness flourished.
Judge Deering was alone, reading aloud from a book of poems. His first gesture toward Hales was one of great delight, then his manner changed and foreshadowed unpleasant news.
"Two days ago," he said heavily, "Anna Hales disappeared from Preble's house, where she made her home. We, sir, fear suicide. My boy John"—Judge Deering spoke of young John Taylor, and treated him as a son—"is desperately anxious. ”

“ And the lurching wantonness of wayward women made men more drunken than with wine.
"Here"—Hales pulled Kern nearer the wall—"you know what I think of Nevinson, but——"
"Aw, listen, now listen," Kern cut in with paternal soothing. "Forget it, Hales. We're all good fellows here tonight. The old colonel's in a financial pickle too—done for. Night like this, don't bring up old scores. Be a good fellow, grab a girl, tell world go to hell!"
"You do the listening, " said Hales abruptly. "And you or somebody warn him against that Eton woman. ”

“ You recall that he speculated heavily in lumber. He owns nearly all the lumber in San Francisco, and today it is worthless. For the time being, there is no building going on, and we are in the midst of a great depression——"
He also said:
"That Eton woman, sir—she had the audacity to call upon Anna. The Rev. Preble would not turn her away. He told me himself that he considered it an opportunity of reproaching Miss Eton for the evilness of her life, and that she listened with great interest. And I, sir, suspect with great amusement."
"Preble must be a fool," said Hales. ”

“ Give 'im to me, I'll——"
"—destruction cometh as a whirlwind, distress and anguish cometh upon you, ye scorners that delight in your scorning——"
"Make heem stop eet! Sacré—— He spoil ze partee—— Ow, mon dieu—— Make heem stop——"
The voice of the preacher boomed through the wail of Monsieur Max, through the startled exclamation of revelers who simply did not know what to say. He stood gaunt and severe, challenging Satan in Satan's own house. The revelers were not greatly awed, but they were greatly astonished. ”

“ Sir, the flood of the future beats upon these shores!"
5 Shortly after nine o'clock Hales appeared among a small group of odd fellows; a big Pierrot with deep voice and a beard showing under the mask, a small pudgy, heavily furred bear, a Chinaman, a Turk, that advanced from the muddy street over an improvised sidewalk to the doorway of Monsieur Max's Golden House where holiday revelry was to make merry the Christmastide.
Dancing, music and dining were free. The guests were expected to pay for wine. Monsieur Max was no fool or philanthropist. ”