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THE STREAM OF POWER
By Genevieve Lee
Max Bulger was known to the well
advised in metropolitan business cir
cles as "a shark;" He had capital
coming, going, doubling, trebling,
and called it "the stream of power."
Within jts depths he lurked, ready to
'pounce on any unwary victim who
trusted to its treacherous course.
Into the stream he lured fair but un
suspecting crafts and generally
scuttled them.
His only living relative seemed to
be Bliss Porter, just out of college
and headed for a legal career. The
young man had barely heard of this
sordid half-uncle until he was amaz
ed, in another city, struggling along
indifferently, to receive a check for
$500,000 from his relative, crisply
ordering him to close up his affairs
and come to Chicago.
"I am going to leave my fortune
to you," was the blunt startling an
nouncement of old Max, "provided
you learn my business and carry it
on where I leave off."
This seemed promising, but, at the
end of a week, after his esteemed
relative had shown him "the ropes,"
Bliss Porter was disgusted. The
precious ways of the shark, the
tricks, the traps, the preversions
amazed and then shocked him. He
saw deluded business men in need
of money place themselves tptally in
the power of a heartless, devouring
monster. He saw a family disrupted
through the harsh measures employ
ed in collecting an overdue obliga
tion. Max Bulger cared only for his
pound of flesh. It mattered little to
him that his exacting extortions were
at the cost of all his victim possessed.
"I wouldn't accept his money, I
wouldn't adopt his business methods
if he gave me a million!" decided
Porter. "I. shall tell him so today
and end the farce."
They were out in the Bulger auto
mobile that afternoon and Bliss was
waiting till they got away from the
crowded business center to tieliver
his ultimatum. A jam of vehicles
blocked them near the curb at one
place. Directly within reaching dis
tance stood a thin threadbare old
man. He put out his hand for alms
to' the passersby. Porter's generous
nature Was touched by his forlorn
friendliness. He took a dollar bill
In His Eagerness the ex-Merchant
Left the Door Open
from his pocket, leaned out of the
machine and placed it in the hands
of the old man.
"Oh, I thank you, sir," began the
mendicant, and then his eye chanced
to fall upon Bulger. The latter
shrank, cringed. Into the face of the
old man there had come a fearful
rage, yet, withal, tempered with a