CHAPTER XVIII.
MR. BOMBS’ DISGUST WITH CHICAGO AND THE PYRO-KING’S PLANS.
Mr. Bombs came on from Chicago the evening after the first meeting of Ruth and Adelaide in the Library, greatly to the surprise of the Schwarmers, especially to Adelaide; but when she questioned him about it, he turned away without giving a reasonable excuse and went in search of her father.
“What! torn yourself away from Chicago so soon,” exclaimed Schwarmer—“the mighty central city—the huge centre of finance, rush and pluck!”
“Faugh!” replied Bombs, turning green. “The huge centre of soot, dirt and smoke! The mighty central inferno, with the Pang emissaries plotting to reburn it, and measuring it to see how much more smoke and flame it will contain.”
“Hold on, Fons,” laughed Schwarmer, “you are young yet and you are not in it. With the American millionaire in it and the foreign millionaire out of it, Chicago might have its attractions, even for you—that is, in a business way, most assuredly it might. You might have to wade through mud or dust ankle deep to get at the heart of Finance—that mighty man-made canon in La Salle St.; but hark, Fons, let me tell you that when you are really and truly up and dressed for business, that canon will seem almost as glorious to you as the very finest of the God-made ones. Most assuredly it will. It’s the brainy business man’s paradise. Enough of the ‘filthy lucre’ is handled there every day to run a kingdom.”
“More’s the pity,” retorted Bombs. “Why can’t they use a little of the stuff to abate the smoke and mud nuisance and fill up the ‘bad lands’ that girdle it like a slimy serpent?”
“Because the very size of the business stands in the way, Fons. From every street corner you noticed about a dozen chimneys spouting clouds of black smoke. At least I did when I was there; but I knew it meant business and a great deal of it, and that it would not be interfered with. Rest assured it wouldn’t. Then there are the Stock Yards. They are not beautiful but they are mighty. A thousand acres of slaughter-pens mean meat for the hungry millions. They are mighty interesting looked at in that way, most assuredly they are.”
“I didn’t give the whole thing but one look,” sniffed Bombs.