uld be good with those who could help
him most--say, Cooke & Co., Clark & Co., Drexel & Co., and the Girard
National Bank--providing his personal reputation had not been too badly
injured by his sentence. Fortunately for his own hopefulness of mind,
he failed fully to realize what a depressing effect a legal decision of
this character, sound or otherwise, had on the minds of even his most
enthusiastic supporters.

His best friends in the financial world were by now convinced that his
was a sinking ship. A student of finance once observed that nothing is
so sensitive as money, and the financial mind partakes largely of the
quality of the thing in which it deals. There was no use trying to
do much for a man who might be going to prison for a term of years.
Something might be done for him possibly in connection with the
governor, providing he lost his case before the Supreme Court and was
actually sentenced to prison; but that was two months off, or more, and
they could not tell what the outcome of that would be. So Cowperwood's
repeated appeals for assistance, extension of credit, or the acceptance
of some plan he had for his general rehabilitation, were met with the
kindly evasions of those who were doubtful. They would think it over.
They would see about it. Certain things were standing in the way. And
so on, and so forth, through all the endless excuses of those who do
not care to act. In these days he went about the money world in his
customary jaunty way, greeting all those whom he had known there many
years and pretending, when asked, to be very hopeful, to be doing very
well; but they did not believe him, and he really did not care whether
they did or not. His business was to persuade or over-persuade any one
who could really be of assistance to him, and at this task he worked
untiringly, ignoring all others.

"Why, hello, Frank," his friends would call, on seeing him. "How are you
getting on?"

"Fine! Fine!" he would reply, cheerfully. "Never better," and he would
explain in a general way how his affairs were being handled. He conveyed
much of his own optimism to all those who knew him and were interested
in his welfare, but of course there were many who were not.

In these days also, he and Steger were constantly to be met with in
courts of law, for he was constantly being reexamined in some petition
in bankruptcy. They were heartbreaking days, but he did not flinch. He
wanted to stay in Philadelphia and figh