Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3perhaps you have realized, during your vacations when you have been working in the bank. You have been steady, you seem to understand credits, and you are a faithful collector. I think you can run the business well enough after I am gone." His eyes twinkled. "I suppose that has been your plan?" "I don't know, sir," answered Paul. "You see, my room-mate, Carl Wildmerding IV, son of Carl Wildmerding III " John Castle interrupted quickly,'' textit{The Carl Wildmerding, the New York Wildmerding I" "Yes, sir," said Paul, proudly. "He has offered to place me in a broker's office in New York—and that seems a great chance." The old man looked sadly at the younger one: "Youth," he pondered; "youth will be served. To think that the son of a poor parson should have gone so far, so quickly, unhelped." "But I can't let Sylvia go to New York now," he said, aloud. "I am old and may not have long to live, and I want her with me for my last days. Don't think, though, that that is my reason, even the smallest bit of my reason," he cried. "What is the reason, then?" asked Paul, and he allowed his impatience to rise to his voice, even though he spoke to old John Castle, his employer, the richest and most masterful man in Darbey county. "I wouldn't stand in the way of my daughter's husband," said the old man, gently; "but it is wisest for you not to start in New York. Few of its strong men have started there. It is better for you first to become the biggest power in Darbeyville and the county; then expand, go to Indianapolis or Chicago, and if again you are man enough to rise to the top, it will be time to go and conquer New York." "But," persisted Paul, "I dislike to waste the backing I have. Such friends as Wild- merding and Ellis would give me an enormous advantage over other young men starting in." ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.