d the
group of men who now, under him, controlled the Chicago Trust Company
and the North and West Chicago Street Railways, and that the Lake City
Bank, of which Addison was still president, considered his collateral
sound. Nevertheless, even previous to this time there had been a
protesting element in the shape of Schryhart, Simms, and others of
considerable import in the Douglas Trust, who had lost no chance to say
to one and all that Cowperwood was an interloper, and that his course
was marked by political and social trickery and chicanery, if not by
financial dishonesty. As a matter of fact, Schryhart, who had once
been a director of the Lake City National along with Hand, Arneel, and
others, had resigned and withdrawn all his deposits sometime before
because he found, as he declared, that Addison was favoring Cowperwood
and the Chicago Trust Company with loans, when there was no need of so
doing--when it was not essentially advantageous for the bank so to do.
Both Arneel and Hand, having at this time no personal quarrel with
Cowperwood on any score, had considered this protest as biased.
Addison had maintained that the loans were neither unduly large nor out
of proportion to the general loans of the bank. The collateral offered
was excellent. "I don't want to quarrel with Schryhart," Addison had
protested at the time; "but I am afraid his charge is unfair. He is
trying to vent a private grudge through the Lake National. That is not
the way nor this the place to do it."

Both Hand and Arneel, sober men both, agreed with this--admiring
Addison--and so the case stood. Schryhart, however, frequently
intimated to them both that Cowperwood was merely building up the
Chicago Trust Company at the expense of the Lake City National, in
order to make the former strong enough to do without any aid, at which
time Addison would resign and the Lake City would be allowed to shift
for itself. Hand had never acted on this suggestion but he had thought.

It was not until the incidents relating to Cowperwood and Mrs. Hand had
come to light that things financial and otherwise began to darken up.
Hand, being greatly hurt in his pride, contemplated only severe
reprisal. Meeting Schryhart at a directors' meeting one day not long
after his difficulty had come upon him, he remarked:

"I thought a few years ago, Norman, when you talked to me about this
man Cowperwood that you were merely jealous--a dissatisfied business
rival. Rec