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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.