Free Glorious by Jeff Guinn Page A

blame for it is all on Mr. Cory. He would not let reason prevail.”
    â€œI thought that we respected the law,” McLendon said.
    â€œWe do, lad, we do. It’s a rule of mine that my people must never openly break or defy the law. It’s just that as practical men we must sometimes circumvent it.”
    After that, McLendon rarely encountered Patrick Brautigan and was glad of it. He privately nicknamed the man “Killer Boots.” For a while he was panic-stricken at the possibility that Salvatore Tirrito would be the hulking monster’s next victim, and thought about warning him. But he eventually decided that Mr. Douglass wouldn’t consider an obscure dry goods store worth killing for, if in fact he remembered Tirrito Dry Goods at all. Brautigan mostly kept busy discouraging union organizers at Mr. Douglass’s factories. McLendon tried hard not to think about how Killer Boots served their mutual employer. He told himself that it had nothing to do with him.
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    T HAT WINTER, McLendon accompanied Mr. Douglass on a train trip to Washington. They met with a highly placed official who coordinated government dealings with the railroads. A plan to place additional tracks in St. Louis included the annexation of some factory property owned by Mr. Douglass, who didn’t want to give it up. During the meeting the official argued that Mr. Douglass couldn’t always get his way. Several of President Grant’s closest friends wereinvolved in the railroad plan. Friends of the president got what they wanted. Mr. Douglass would just have to be a good loser this time.
    McLendon made a suggestion. Mr. Douglass owned additional property not a mile from the disputed site. There was room on it not only for the new track but also for a fine new public park that could be named in honor of the president. Wasn’t President Grant planning to seek reelection? In that eventuality, such positive publicity in a major city like St. Louis would surely be helpful. Mr. Douglass would, of course, need to be appropriately compensated by the railroad for the land used for the track, but perhaps the park property could be donated. The railroad would have its track, and the people of St. Louis would enjoy a new park. Everyone would benefit, the president most of all. The official took the offer to the White House. He informed Mr. Douglass the next day that President Grant accepted and was personally grateful.
    â€œThe president now considers you, Mr. Douglass, to be his friend,” he added. “If he can ever be of help to you, send word to him through me.”
    On the return trip to St. Louis, Mr. Douglass suggested to McLendon that they repair to the train’s dining car. It was late at night, and no one else was there.
    â€œThat was a most impressive performance,” Mr. Douglass said. “There is even more to you than I thought, and you’ve earned the most significant of rewards. I propose that soon Mrs. Douglass and I announce your engagement to our daughter.”
    Mr. Douglass said that he wasn’t going to live forever. He’d worked every waking hour to establish and expand his business empire, and he was damned if he’d allow it to be frittered away after his death. On the contrary, he meant for it to flourish and grow further, securing comfortable futures for his daughter and the grandchildren that hehoped would come. What he needed—what he had to have—was the right husband for Ellen, and McLendon had just convinced Mr. Douglass that he was the one.
    â€œIn many ways, you and I are very much alike,” Mr. Douglass said. “I myself started with nothing but my wits. There’s one critical difference. You’ve got no stomach for the hard action that’s sometimes required, and I doubt that you ever will. But when I’m gone you’ll have Patrick Brautigan, who understands the need for a hammer when a