IX.
A GOURD IN THE NIGHT.
The Meteoric City that Dazzled Mankind—From Nothing to Sixteen-Thousand Population in Three Months—First Wells and Fabulous Prices—Noted Organizations at Pithole—A Foretaste of Hades—Excitement and Collapse—Speculation Run Wild—Duplicity and Disappointment—The Wild Scramble for the Almighty Dollar.
“The gourd came up in a night and perished in a night.”—Jonah, iv:10.
“The earth hath bubbles, as the water has.”—Shakespeare.
“All things rise to fall and flourish to decay.”—Sallust.
“A lively place in days of yore, but something ails it now.”—Wordsworth.
“Ah! who shall lift that wand of magic power?”—Longfellow.
“Wealth flowed from wood and stream and soil,
The rock poured forth its amber oil,