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THE GEORGIANS” — BY WILL N. HARBEN, IN NEXT WEEK’S
THE FLOWERS CO! i FCTioiv
SUNNY SOUTH —SEE EDITORIAL PACE
VOLUME XLI1NUMBER FORTY*FIVE.
Atlanta, Ga., Week Ending January 7, 1905.
50c PER YEAR-SINGLE COPY 5c.
Pensacola Office of Patton, Reputed
jZ? To Be America’s First Millionaire
Chronicles of Paul Yelverton, Adventurer
Being First of a Series of Eight Short Stories, Each Complete, Yet All
"Written Around One Character & & &
By PAUL LINCOLN.
WrUmn for Xo/te 4'unny Soul H
HE bouse in which William
Pnnton, first millionaire in
the United States. so
claimed, did business—or
rather one of the houses—
is still standing; in Pensa
cola. Fla. He had a num
ber of branch houses in
other place.s, but this was
the main base of opera
tions. Blackened, with a
curiously gaunt appear
ance. its small windows
seeming' to lend to its
bareness, It looks little enough the im
portant trading post it was In 1766, when
; v s built, and for many years there-
3i.
The oldest house in this oldest city, it
possesses the keenest interest from its
association with the man who was suc
cessful. up to that time, above any in
r. • United States, and also from its con
nection with the noted Muscogee chief,
Alexander McGilliwray. whose ashes lie
hard by.
In 1763. when east Florida was the
peninsula, with St. Augustine as capital;
and west Florida extended as far as the
Mississippi river, with Pensacola for cap
ital, trading with the Indians was an
Immense source of revenue, both to pri
vate concerns and to the government.
And the firm of Panton. Leslie & Com
pany. which about this time began oper
ations 'here, was far-reaching in its ter
ritory, which extended to the Ohio river,
the money represented being literally
piles upon piles.
FIRST DEPARTMENT STORE.
Panton was a Scotchman, born in
Aberdeenshire, who had come to this
country early and acquired wealth in
South Carolina and Georgia. But his
sympathies |c r f. not with the lard wh.ch
allst, and sot a refugee to British pos
sessions. G"ing to Pensacola he en
gaged in trading with the Indians, and
some years later was at the. head of
the firm of Panton. I>eslie & Company,
with Alexander McGiilivray as silent
partner.
In 1789 the stock at their chief store
is said to have been worth $50,000. and
they had other stores at St. Augustine.
St. Johns, St. Marks. Mobile, and a. trad
ing post at Chickasaw Bluff, near the
site of Memphis, on the Mississippi river.
They had also extensive skin houses,
and employed a large number of clerks.
At one time their fleet consisted of fif
teen schooners. Panton became very
rich—perhaps a millionaire, they claim
he. was that, though St must have been
Art Old English Trading Post. Built About 1766 by William Panton.
hard to tell, so peculiar appears to have
been the nature of assets and indebted
ness when ail came to be wound up. But
he was the chief member of the firm.
The expenses of the business—one of
which was the open table, kept for «.ue
Indian chiefs, traders and factors, and
all other transient Indians—were enor
mous. Many thousands were spent year
ly in presents for the Indians.
Alexander McGiilivray, the silent part
ner of the concern and the mighty power
to which was largely due its (wonderful
luo.ess. Aiis iiie sc; of tins -Ayi .Scotch
trader. Lachlan, McGiilivray arid Selroy
Marchland, the half-breed daughter of a
French officer. He was born on the
Coosa river, near the site of Wetumpka.
Ala., but sent to Charleston, S. C., to be
educated.
At one time he was in a counting house
in Savannah, but when he had arrived
at manhood returned to his Muscogee
home. As chief of the united tribes oil
Creeks and Seminoles he was at the break
ing out of the revolutionary war, their
recognized head, and a zealous adherent
of the royal cause.
After its close McGiilivray, represent
ing the Muscogee confederacy, entered
into an alliance with Spain, and was
made a commissary for that govern
ment, diverting the Creek trade to Pen
sacola. and for years preventing the
United States government from recover
ing it.
PANTON’S PROTEGE.
Finally in 1790. visiting Now York and.
signing a treaty ceding certain disputed
lands, he was. by a secret article, ap
pointed agent for the United States and
brigadier general in the army. His
prominent position and great influence
made him of inestimable value to Panton,
Leslie Company, though his name
could never appear in the firm name.
Hi- hospitality and generosity are sa'.l
'.,,,e !««» t..U 7,is uep..: nm ui“'
'that of a polished gentleman, while his
correspondence evidences Intelligence and
the skill of a politician.
McGiilivray died in 1793, in Pensacola,
and was buried in the garden adjoining
William Panton's residence, which was
destroyed many years ago by fire. The
exact spot of his burial cannot be located,
but it was on this lot.
Panton died in 1804, and the business
was thereafter conducted under the
name of John Forbes & Co.
Tilts old trading post, which it is said
was built of brick brought from the
Island of Jamaica, has existed under two
monarchies and one republic, and bids
fair to stand many years longer, unless
razed to make room for some building
which it is hardly supposed could equal
it in the usefulness and importance
which it enjoyed for nearly half a cen
tury.
By DFREK VANE.
AT"!, YELVERTON. the
celebrated financier, had
accepted an Invitation to
spend the week-end with
Sir Jasper Temple at his
house on the river. His
host had met him at the
station and they were
now driving along a coun
try road in a smart wag
gonette urawn by a pair
of bays. Mr. Yelverton
was looking about him
curiously, paying only a
superficial attention to his companion,
who also seemed somewhat abstracted.
’‘Strange,’’ he was thinking, "how in
terested T am in this visit, tv by should
it mean anything to me? True, my host
is a baronet of ancient lineage and as
sured position, whereas I am only a suc
cessful adventurer of whose origin the
less said the better, but I do not think
that would account for the feeling I
have. T am not a snob, wltatever else
I may be, though 1 acknowledge that t
intend to get -‘“at I want out of so
ciety—as'out of other things.
“Do you believe in presentiments, Sir
.Insjer?” he asked ..abruptly, breaking
away from his thoughts.
*T think not. I have never really given
fine matter any consideration. Why?
t You don’t mean to say you are super
stitious?” with an incredulous smil®.
,r What’s bred In the hone, you know.
In my mother's country so many things
happen that nobody attempts to explain,
because they ore outside any reasonable
explanation, that I have learnt to be
lieve without understanding. T heard
some curious stories in my youth.”
“Yes, Tndia must ho a strange place.
In some ways, you haven’t advance!
from n hundred years ago. I suppose
— ou rt ’1 in-o'.' r> all r be civilized in cur
1 ry i 1
sei.se et i ae woru.
"Perhaps not." dryly. "Though my
father was an Englishman and I have
lived in this matter-o-fact country for
ten years engaged In the unromontlc
pursuit of money-making, I still firmly
believe that we are endowed with a
power—which very few of us realize
that we possess—which, if properly cul
tivated, might take us farther than eye
or ear can reach.
"But I see we have arrived, and you
are not interested in these foolish spec
ulations of mine.”
The groat financier looked slowly round
him as lie got down. He saw a typical
English home; a long, low white house,
half covered with creepers, with lawns
running down to the river and beds of
brilliant flowers.
“Looks peaceful and harmless enough,”
he thought, ns he followed Sir Jasper
inside. “What is the matter with mo?
Is my mother’s blood warning me, as
it has warned me before when any crisis
in my life has approached? 1 shall know
soon. This is only the casket, I have
yet. to see what it contains.”
Stella Temple. Sir Jasper’s only child,
had just finished dressing for dinner
when the carriage drove up, and a min
ute later her father knocked at her
door. She greeted him with a little sur
prise and dismissed her maid. It was
seldom that he was in such haste to see
her and she guessed that he had some
thing to say.
“I am glad you are looking your best
tonight,” he said. "I want you to mnkp
a good impression on Yelverton. 1
should like him to enjoy his visit.”
"Why are you so anxious for me to
please Mr. Yelverton? I don’t like these
city men as a rule."
"Neither do 1. But this one does not
glitter with wealth and complacency as
some of them do. Indeed, he has all the
appearance of a gentleman. I want you
to put him in a good humor, because he
is a power on the stock exchange and
could do a great deal for us. You know
I am not a wealthy man. Stella and I
have lost a lot of money lately.”
"I did not know. You tell me so little.
1 often wish we were on a more friendly
footing—that you would make a com
panion of me. I hope Mr. Yelverton has
not been inducing you to speculate?”
“I may wish I had never had any
financial dealings with him, but it is too
late to quarrel with him now." he re
plied. "BesSiTes, T can bring no definite
charge against him, he is too wary for
that. You are a good girl and I know
will help me if you can, though I don’t
deserve it. I am afraid I have been
rather a neglectful father, but when
your mother died everything went
wrong.”
PorUr-py T>. .Norton'?} Eastern blood
made him particularly susceptible to
feminine beauty, especially of the fair,
dazzling tjpe of Stella Temple’s. As
she advanced to meet him from the end
of the long drawing room, he caught his
breath, and for an instant he stood as
though some unseen hand arrested him.
Was it a living, breathing woman, tin's
white vision, with the starry eyes 3nd
gold-crowned head? Stella: a Star!
It was the name above all others for
her.
"It is very close indoors tonight. I
shall go for n stroll in the garden,”
Stella said, getting up from the dinner
table almost as soon as the servants
had left the room.
"We will join you presently,” her fath
er replied, as Paul Yelverton opened the
door. A= she bowed her thanks, she
glanced at the inscrutable face, which
possessed a certain dark, heavy beauty,
more foreign than English. He might
have stood for a. figure of fate, he looked
so strong, silent, and impressive.
It was half an hour before the two
gentlemen joined her on the lawn, where
she was strolling up and down In the
twilight, and then Sir Jasper soon made
an excuse and went indoors.
“I should not have guessed you were
Sir Jasper’s daughter,” Mr. Yelverton
observed presently. "There is very little
likeness between you, cither in face or
character. I should say.”
"Is it not. rather soon to deliver such
an opinion?” she asked a little haught
ily. resenting tie' familiar remark. "How
should you know?”
"1 beg your pardon, t was speaking
my thoughts aloud. But X am something
of a physiognomist, Miss Temple, and i
do not often make mistakes. It. is a
useful art to be able to read a face. I
wil; prohpecy that life will mean a good
deal to you. You have courage ami ca
pacity."
"I did not know you were a prophet—
except on the Stock Exchange, Mr. Yel
verton,” she answered with a touch of
scorn. She was too indignant to choose
her words or to remember her father's
Idea.
“I have offended you by my uncon
ventional ways. It is the last thing T
should wish to do. Put it down to my
foreign blood, which is more impulisve
than yours, and forgive me.”
He held out his hand. She would have
liked to call him theatrical, but he was
too much In earnest for that. She just
touched the slender dark hand with her
white fingers and turned to the house.
But that light touch made the mail’s
iron nerves quiver as they did not when
thousands of pounds hung in the bal
ance.
“Oh. gods of the old world—Siva, the
Destroyer, Kali, the All-Powerful—if I
'Uul kept Jjfiy niol-her’s faiih, v/bld you
’lave helped me now fo mv desire?” he
cried passionately, Hinging his hand aloft
as he stood alone by the river. The
next moment his arm fell to his side
and he gave a jarring laugh.
"And since when has my own right
hand not been strong enough to help
me?" he exclaimed with contempt.
"I must run up to town on business af
ter lunch.” Sir Jasper said to his daughter
the next day. "You can take Yelverton
for a ride this afternoon. He has proved
himself a real friend and deserves some
recompense. You have won a fresh ad
mirer. Stella.” laughing .a little uneasily,
CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE
S6e Impertinence of Charles Edward f
By H O RHODES
"Che Sunny South’s Series of Short Stories by Prominent Authors
JS?
OST people who know
Charles Edward Austin
and Lady Angela have
heard the story of their
first meeting. But. although
every one ought to know
this amazing and delight
ful couple, many do not;
so the tale is worth tell
ing. It is rather surpris
ing that it has never founa
its way into the newspa
pers. for the marriage at
tracted an enormous
amoiim of attention.
Charles Edward’s reputation at Har
vard had caused a number of elderly
Boston women to say that he must be
urite mad. But since his graduation,
which, to every one's astonishment, he
accomplished with honors, very little had
keen hea;d of him. He had been mak
ing. in leisurely fashion, a tour round
the world.
In June of 189S he had progressed as
far as Paris, coming from the East, ana
after leaving there he met, on the bout
crossing tie channel, Edward Singer,
whom he had known at Cambridge wnen
he himself was a sophomore and Singer
a senior. "Since that time I have grad
uated and seen a good many places that
any one, even Cook's people, can see;
while you've been somewhere,” was the
polite way In which Charles Edward
summed up their interchange of confi
dences. Singer was going to London with
the manuscript of a book on eastern Tin-
lies tan In his luggage. He had been
there for two years, and when Charles
Edward announced that he considered his
friend the only authority ori central Asia,
he only uttered the unspoken hope ni
Singer's heart.
Strange to relate, the tram drew into
Charing Crrss station on time. It was
the second time that month that this hao
happen- 1, a porter remarked with admi
ration. and it was only the 28th. When
the train does arrive when it should one
can go to one’s hotel, dross comfortably,
.aid dine at a reasonable hour. Even au
thorities on central Asia must eat and
tlie Gaiety theater, Charles Edward
so 9 o'clock found the two friends
ing coffee on the terrace of the Sa-
while the -fading light over the
ar.d the gardens began io grow a
deep purplish blue by contrast with the
glow Inside.
"Ought we to go on to the theater?”
asked Singer, after consulting his watch.
"Some time, 1 suppose,” was the an
swer. "But when I was here before, a
long time ago, I learned one great l'aci
about English life, which is that no one
has ever seen the beginning of a Gaiety
piece. It wouldn't be legal, I believe.
What the first half of the first act is
like is one of The great mysteries of Lou
dun."
“That sounds enormously experienced.
Joking aside, do you know London well?”
"i have a few esoteric bits of informa
tion like that, but—know London? No.”
"T was thinking really of knowing peo
ple,'’ Singer looked around the room
with manifest satisfaction. "One wouldn't
mind.”
It was a pleasant sight, even for one
who was not fresh from the regions of
the barbarians. Half the tables were still
filled, and the restaurant, with Its lev*
eeinng and its ayrk, mahogany-paneied
walls, looked like a warm, glowing cave.
At a table near by a party of tight
were dining. Facing Austin sat a girl
with a quiet face, but an infinite fund
of laughter in her eyes. Not much de
scription is neded; every one has seen
J^ady Angers portrait in the illustrated
papers. Charles Edward withdrew his
gaze from her.
"Mind!" ho exclaimed. ’’Rather noL.
No. I don’t know anybody here, f have
a cousin who has bagged an English
husband. If she were here she would
ii\ me. But the silly woman has chosen
jtst this time to go to America on a
visit. She is sending some letters for
me, I believe, but. tney haven't come.
And she won't be back herself for three
weeks or so. But even if one gat ac
quainted, one couldn't be sure of getting
acquainted with just the people one wants
to know.”
His eye rested again upon the girl
at the table near by.
’ How ridiculous all this business of
introductions Is anyhow. Singer. Here
you and I are for only a little time. We
should love to give dinners here every
night and ask quantities of these charm
ing people. We can't, because we don’t
know them. And so we’ve got to spend
all the time we have for London in
m king friends and getting ready to
enjoy it."
“It's a dazzling prospect, hut if I gave
dinners every night they would soon de
generate Into buns and milk at the—
what do they call ’em—the ABC shops.
You can talk about the Savoy.”
"That's nothing."
Austin was. honestly modest about his
money.
' 1 don’t exactly know what the current
quotations on Central Asian books are,
but I'll bet that in two twseks you will
sell yours for hundreds of guineas,
crowns, florins and ha’pence of their ridic
ulous money. But until then I'll be host
at our dinners.”
"I might venture to do that myself, I
suppose, as long as we don't know any
one to ask."
"Yes; I suppose you must know them,”
meditated Charles Edward. Then sud
denly, "I have an idea. Singer."
"Don't boast," his companion coun
seled.
"Will you dine here with me a week
from tonight?”
"Gladly," laughed Singer; "that's sim
ple."
"And wouldn't you rather be surround
ed by distinguished Londoners and bea.uti-
iu English women than to feed alone
v.".th me?"
"Yes, I should."
"Then, you shall. I have an Idea.”
This with a gesture.
"Don’t knock over that bottle. I’ll
ccme to dinner, but you won't get any
one else. ' I don't believe that even good
(Tuners like this are so rare in London
that people will come to dine with a total
stranger In order to get one."
"Oh, but they shall think they know
me.”
"If you are going to do it under an
assumed name, why not issue a royal
command for a state dinner at Bucking
ham palace?”
"1 shall use my own name of Charles
Edward Austin.”
“But how?”
"That's my idea."
And Austin sent for the head waiter-
“You can give me a private room for
a dinner of ten or twelve this night of
next week, can t you?” he inquired of
that gentleman. "ITl come in later and
order dinner. Austin is the name. Wed
nesday, yes. Oh, bJ'-the-by," as the
maitre d’hotel turned to go. "can you
tell me, is that lady in white at the
next table laid;/ Susan Simpkins? 1 think
I know her, but I’m not sure?"
"No, sir, that is Igidy Angela Farn-
ston."
"Oh,” said Charles Edward, putting a
note of disappointment into his voice.
“She is. let me see—”
"She Is Lord Emscott’s daughter."
"Of course. Thanks, so much," and
then to Singer, os Monsieur Rodelphe
moved away. “I know one person 1
shall ask. Let's go to the Gaiety.”
The valet at the Berkeley hotel took
away from Mr. Austin’s room on Thurs
day evening a huge pile of weekly and
daily- papers. There were numbers of
The Gossiping Times for the past three
months, with portraits and anecdotes,
one might have thought, of half the peo
ple of England. The smoking room
waiter observed a guest tiiat afternoon
deep for hours in the "Blue Book.”
"Who’s Who,” and “Burke's Peerage.”
A clerk in a Piccadilly bookshop sold an
Irreproachable looking young American
a copy of "The Polite Letter Writer.”
And that evening Charles Edward con
signed a number of letters to the post.
A glimpse at a few of them may- not
be uninteresting.
The first was addressed to the Countess
of Emseott.
Dear Lady Emscolt:
I hope you will remember me and that
you and Lord Emscolt will pardon rather
short notice, and if you arc free, Jfine
next Wednesday, the Savoy. 8:30. I can't
even call on you before then, as in the
interval I may have to go north. A
fellow countryman of mine, Edward Sin
ger, is coming and as all London is
clamoring to know him soon, on account
of his exploits In Eastern Turkestan, I
am seizing the earliest opportunity to
profit by my friendship with a new
.celebrity.
Do you remember promising me at
Monte Carlo last February that I should
meet your daughter In London? Will
you bring Lady Angela to dine? It will
make my number even. Yours most sin
cerely.
CHARLES EDWARD AUSTIN.
"Is there anything interesting in your
letters, mother?” asked Lady Angela the
following morning at breakfast in GroS-
venor Crescent.
"Nothing much. Invitations. One from
a Mr. Austin, whom I seem to have met
last winter at ?donte Carlo.’
"Who was he, Caroline?"’ asked her
husband.
“That's what I don’t seem to remem
ber. Frederick. Helena Frampton always
had a great many young men about. I
forget their names,
"You would, dear Caroline, wouldn’t
you? His wife’s uncertain memory was
or.e of the few trials of his life.
"I remember hearing of him,' said
Angela, "from Mrs. Frampton. Mother
was considered to have flirted disgrace
fully with him."
"Angela, you are outrageous." Lady
Emseott gasped.
“Y'es, I know I am. What night does
Ste want ns to dine?"
Lady E-mscott read the note.
“That ’fellow countryman’ means that
he Is an American,” observed Lady
Angela.
"We certainly don’t dine with him when
your mother doesn’t remember him.”
"I remember him well enough, Fred
erick; that is ns well as I remember any
of Helena’s young men.”
"Wednesday is a free evening,” was
Lady Angela’s comment. Sho cared very
little for unoccupied hours during the
Ijandon season.
”It doesn't need to be.” said her moth
er. 'Your Aunt Emily wants us to come
there tiiat night. And afterwards—
where Is her note? Oh. afterwards there
will be some more people In and a lit
tle talk on the housing problem by an
expert from the county council.”
Lord Emseott looked up apprehensively
from the Times.
"Has your sister changed her cook,
Caroline?”
"No, I don't think so.”
"We know the Savoy hasn't, father.”
"That quite apart, perhaps Eastern
Xrukestan interests me fully as much
as the housing problem. I think wc had
better accept, Caroline.”
The Gossiping Times said that Mrs.
Fred Wilding was a lion hunter. Charles
Edward s note to her was a simple task.
"Dear Mrs Wilding: Will you dine
with one American to meet another,
Wednesday next, the Savoy, 8:30? Ed
ward Singer is my lion. He is just back
from Central Asia and is going to make
us forget Landor and Sven Hedin in
no time. I ant also asking Lord and
Lady Emseott and the William North-
bridges. Yours most sincerely,
"CHARLES EDWARD AUSTIN.”
Mrs. Wilding remarked to a friend the
next afternoon that really it was get
ting to a point in London where you
JZ? JZ7
rarely knew your host or hostess, or
they you. But she asked in the next
sentence whether Lady Wynche knew
Edward Singer, the great explorer. Sin
ger, it appeared, would be coming to Mrs.
Wilding’s one day shortly.
The William Northbridges declined Mr.
Austin’s kind invitation with great
promptness, but Buxton, who is a F. R.
G. S., and who thought that he himself
knew something of Central Aslan mat
ters, accepted with alacrity. Mrs. Bux
ton would also come.
Mr. and Mrs. Revell have lived in Lon
don for years, although the;- are Ameri
cans. Charles Edward did not know
them, so the rules of his game allowed
him to ask them. Yet his conscience
troubled him a little when ha thought
that because they knew the same set of
people In New York that he did, the
difficulties of conversation with them
would be trifling. And when Mrs. Revell
wrote to say that she had kno-wn her
host’s mother and thought she must have
trotted him upon her knee in his early
youth, Charles Edward, to whom this in
formation was wholly unexpected, had
a moment when he felt that he had be
haved, to Singer at least, like an utter
cad. But he overcame these pangs of
remorse and ordered his dinner.
Charles Edward’s plan of campaign in
volved more expense than is usual, even
at a smart London restaurant. He took
a private sitting room next his_ private
dining room, and impressed upon the
waiter In attendance before dinner the
necessity of announcing the names of ar
rivals with great distinctness.
Singer came first. He had been told
an hour and fifteen minutes in advance
of the time appointed In the notes of In
vitation. It is as well to cage your lion
before you admit visitors to your menag
erie. Beside which, the host of the eve
ning hoped tha.t interest in Eastern
Turkestan would at once overpower all
other feelings in his guests, especially
the vice of curiosity.
‘"Well, Austin, I suppose you think
you're going to bring it off. Do you
really expect a dinner party of stran-
g’.rs?”
Could one trust to Singer's tact and
resource? in spite of the honors at grad
uation. Charles Edward’s knowledge of
CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE.