Lion and the Mouse
.LES KLEIN
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THE LION AND THE MOUSE
A Play in Four Acts
BY
CHARLES KLEIN
OOPTBIGHT. 1906, BT CHARLES KLEIN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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THE MOUSE." being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the
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made to THE AMERICAN PLAY COMPANY, S3 West 42nd street,
New York Gtty.
NEW YORK
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court.
Act of March 4, 1909,
THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
A Play in Four Acts
BY CHARLES KLEIN.
Anthor of the "Music Master" etc.
Originally produced at the " Lyceum Theatre/
New York, Nov. 2Oth, 1905.
With the following cast.
N. B. The characters are named in the order in
which they first appear.
EUDOXIA SADIE STRINGHAM
REV. PONTIFEX BEETLE EDWARD SEE
JANE BEETLE MARGARET GRAY
MRS. ROSSMORE * JULIA HANCHETT
MTSS NESBIT . CAROLYN ELBERTS
JUDGE ROSSMORE WALTER ALLEN
Ex- JUDGE STOTT FRAZER COULTER
EXPRESSMAN JAMES T. MCBONALD
TOBY RICKETTS AUGUSTIN BALY WILKS
SHIRLEY GRACE ELLISTON
JEFFERSON RYDER RICHARD BENNETT
(By courtesy of Charles Frohman.)
HON. FITZROY BAGLEY MARTIN SABINE
JORKINS JAMES STONE
SENATOR ROBERTS E. A. EBERLE
KATE ROBERTS MARION POLLOCK JOHNSON
MRS. JOHN BURKETT RYDER MARGUERITE ST. JOHN
JOHN BURKETT RYDER EDMUND BREESE
MAID RUTH RICHMOND
3 1731
THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
SYNOPSIS.
ACT I. Reception room in ROSSMORE S Cottage
in a small Long Island Village.
ACT II. Inner Private Library in the RYDER
Mansion on Fifth Avenue.
(Lapse of six weeks.)
ACT III. Same as ACT II.
(Lapse of two months.)
ACT IV. SHIRLEY S suite in the RYDER Establish
ment.
(The next morning.)
TIME: The present.
THE LION AND THE MOUSE
ACT I.
SCENE: Combination reception and dining room
in a cottage in a small Long Island village, set
ting according to diagram. Bell at rise. As
curtain rises, EUDOXIA, a sour-faced New
England, gawky type of girl, with a constant
scoivl on her face, is ushering into the inner
room the REVEREND PONTIFEX BEETLE and his
sister, JANE BEETLE. PONTIFEX is a country
parson and has a small face with pointed nose.
He is a callow youth of forty. Theology is
written on his brow. His sister is a young wo
man who looks as if she is constantly under
self restraint and was going to explode into a
fit of rage, but zvith considerable effort manages
to repress herself.
EUDOXIA. (Enters L. and crosses to R. door)
I can t be taking my hands out of the flour all the
time. Nothing was ever said to me about answer
ing bells all day. Mr. Rossmore is out. (Shakes
head) Tain t no use, they don t see visitors.
PONTIFEX. Kindly inform Mr. and Mrs. Ross-
more that the Reverend Pontifex Beetle and his
sister Jane Pontifex Beetle have called to present
their compliments. (Crosses from R. D. to L.
5
6 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
Hands her a card) Sit down, Jane. (Points to
chair, JANE sits reluctantly)
EUDOXIA. (Looks at them hopelessly) She ll
blame me for this.
PONTIFEX. Blame you? For what?
EUDOXIA. She told me to say she was out, but
she isn t. I can t lie to a minister of the gospel.
(Looks away) Leastways not to his face. I ll
give her your card, sir. (Exits upstairs)
PONTIFEX. (Waits until EUDOXIA has disap
peared looks around curiously. Pitks up paper)
Law Papers. Wall Street Reports, the God of this
world (Throws it down in disgust) Evidently
ordinary people, Jane. (Goes to mantel, looks at
letter)
JANE. As such they will not thank us for prying
into their affairs.
PONTIFEX. Prying ?
JANE. Just plain prying. What else is it?
PONTIFEX. It is protecting my flock as leader
of the United All Souls Baptismal Presbytery it is
my duty to visit the widows and orphans.
JANE. These people are neither widows or
orphans.
PONTIFEX. They are strangers and it is my duty
to my congregation to find out who is in their
midst. No less than three of the lady trustees of
my church have asked me who and what these peo
ple are and whence come they.
JANE. The lady trustees are a pack of inquisi
tive old women.
PONTIFEX. (Crosses to table) Jane, do you
know that you are nearly uttering a blasphemy?
JANE. One of these days I shall quite do so.
PONTIFEX. These Rossmore people have been
here six weeks. They have visited no one ; no one
visits them. They have avoided a temple of wor
ship ; they have acted most mysteriously. Who are
they? What are they hiding? Is it fair to my
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 7
flock? (Looking closely at back of photos for
signatures) I am afraid that it may be some buried
scandal.
JANE. Then why dig it up.
PONTIFEX. Do I owe my innocent flock nothing?
If there is a scandal we should be acquainted with
the details.
JANE. I hope they will turn us out.
(EUDOXIA enters with MRS. ROSSMORE and exits.)
MRS. ROSSMORE. Mr. Deetle Miss Deetle I
am much honored.
PONTIFEX. The honor is ours Jane and I called
MRS. ROSSMORE. Won t you sit down?
POINTIFEX. Thank you. (ALL sit) Mrs. Ross-
more, the fact is we are thinking of giving a
festival next week, a festival with strawberries.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Strawberries at this time of
the year.
JANE. Canned.
PONTIFEX. (Pause and then awkwardly) Do
you like strawberries?
MRS. ROSSMORE. It is very kind of you. Indeed
I appreciate your kindness most keenly, but my
husband and I go nowhere, nowhere, at all. You
see we have met reverses. (Pause sighs)
PONTIFEX. Reverses dear me you ve met
with reverses. (Pause} When material reverses
come we naturally look for spiritual consolation,
and my dear Mrs. Rossmore, in the name of
the Uniformed All Souls Baptismal Presbytery
(Rise) I offer that consolation.
JANE. (To PONTIFEX) My dear Pontifex, you
have already offered a strawberry festival which
Mrs. Rossmore has been unable to accept.
PONTIFEX. (Glaring at his sister) Yes. Quite
so. ( EUDOXIA enters from L. up hallway to answer
8 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
bell) Come, Jane. (ALL rise) We must be going,
you will pardon our hurrying away.
(Enter Miss NESBITT, a garrulous young woman
dressed in the height of the village fashion.)
Miss NESBITT. My compliments and (Busi
ness -with two cards one large and one small) I d
just like to leave cards for Mr. and Mrs. Rossmore
that s Papa s card. (Hands EUDOXIA a large
business card) And that s mine. My papa is John
Nesbitt the banker and
EUDOXIA. Yes, Miss, I know John Nesbitt the
banker.
Miss NESBITT. Why, how do you do, Dr.
Deetles and Mrs. Deetle and oh, this is an unex
pected pleasure, Mrs. Rossmore, how do you do. I
just called to leave cards. My father is John Nes
bitt the President of the Massapequa First Na
tional Bank, and I just thought that we, being
sorter society leaders here, it was a social duty to
leave cards. ( EUDOXIA gives cards and exits L.)
That one of Pa s is his business card. He ll be
delighted to see you at the bank or at our home ; it
is over the bank.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Most charmed to make your
acquaintance, Miss Nesbitt.
Miss NESBITT. Well, you must be lonely here,
week after week seeing no one.
MRS. ROSSMORE. You are all too kind. Won t
you sit down?
Miss NESBITT. Thanks. (Bus. of two ladies
trying to sit in the same chair) It s kinder nice to
meet the Doctor here and you, Miss Deetle. It
sorter helps to break the ice, so to speak.
JANE. (Aside to Miss NESBITT) And you will
find plenty here to break.
PONTIFEX. I am afraid we must be going.
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 9
Miss NESBITT. We all hope to see you at our
raspberry festival.
JANE. Strawberry, my dear.
Miss NESBITT. Oh, yes, strawberry. (Bell.
MRS. ROSSMORE rings bell) Here s tickets for two.
(Hunts in bag) I ll just leave the tickets in case
(Bus. searches in reticule) Why, I declare I m
sold out. (Laughs) I ll come over with them
later. (Bus. writes in a little book) You ll be sure
to come.
MRS. ROSSMORE. (Helplessly) I I shall try
(Hall door bangs. Enter into hallway JAMES
ROSSMORE) Here is Judge Rossmore now. (ALL
rise. JUDGE ROSSMORE is a man who is prematurely
old, a careworn, tired out, pathetic figure, he acts
as if dazed in a dream. He looks sadly at the
visitors and then at his wife for explanation)
James, dear, this is the Rev. Doctor Deetle.
PONTIFEX. How do you do?
MRS. ROSSMORE. And his sister, Miss Deetle.
This young lady is Miss
Miss NESBITT. I m Miss Nesbitt my father is
John Nesbitt, the banker I called to leave cards.
(Produces card which she thrusts in ROSSMORE S
hand) That s Pa s business card, but it s all the
same. He has no private card. He says he is a
a public man and don t need private cards.
ROSSMORE. I am very pleased to to meet you
all. (Crosses to fireplace)
PONTIFEX. I am afraid we really must be going.
Good-bye, Mrs. Rossmore. (Crosses to c.) De
lighted to have had this little visit. (Up to door
R. C.)
JANE. (Up to MRS. ROSSMORE c.) Mrs. Ross-
more. I desire to offer my sincere apology for in
truding on your privacy. (Bow and exit R. fol
lowed by PONTIFEX)
Miss NESBITT. (Up to MRS. ROSSMCRE c.)
You ll come over and see Pa, won t you. We live
io THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
over the bank. Pa owns the First National Bank,
you know. I ll be back with two tickets later.
Good-bye.
(Exits through hall into street. EUDOXIA bangs
the door after them.)
EUDOXIA. (As she exits) Comin and goin ,
comin and goin all day long. (Exit L.)
(ROSSMORE L. gases sadly into fire. MRS. ROSS-
MORE crosses to him.)
MRS. ROSSMORE. Has anything happened?
ROSSMORE. Yes, my dear. The steamer was
sighted early this morning Shirley has arrived.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Shirley has arrived? Did you
hear from Judge Stott?
ROSSMORE. Yes. He met her at the pier and
they are on their way here.
MRS. ROSSMORE. I half wish we d gone to meet
her ourselves. (Crosses to R. of table)
ROSSMORE. I ought to have gone (Rises and
conies down) It was my place Martha, but I was
afraid ; afraid to look my own daughter in the face.
Shirley in this place Shirley living from hand to
mouth (Meets MRS. ROSSMORE in front of table)
MRS. ROSSMORE. I wish we hadn t -allowed her
to go rushing all over Europe. She d been here
when it happened ; she d know now. She ll be here
for dinner I must tell Eudoxia (Ready the car
riage wheels off. MRS. ROSSMORE pulls bell cord)
ROSSMORE. Quite a come down from Madison
Avenue, isn t it?
EUDOXIA. (Enter L.) Did you ring, ma am?
MRS. ROSSMORE. Yes, Eudoxia, my daughter
will be here for dinner.
EUDOXIA. Your daughter. Nothing was said
about a daughter. That makes three in family,
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. n
ma am. When you engaged me you said there
would be only two.
ROSSMORE. Well, with your kind permission
there will be three.
EUDOXIA. Very well, ma am one extra nothin
was said to me about extra daughter. (Exit L.)
ROSSMORE. (After EUDOXIA S exit) Ah, my
dear, this nation doesn t breed servants, at least
not good ones.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Well, my dear, she s the best I
could get. (Rises and crosses to him)
ROSSMORE. I don t think she and Shirley are
going to harmonize. (Remains at fireplace. Bus.
the noise of a carriage driving up to house. They
stand and listen and look at each other as if afraid)
MRS. ROSSMORE. It s Shirley.
ROSSMORE. I wish it were over. I wish she
knew.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Shall I go, or would you like
to. (Go to ROSSMORE S L. Bus. EUDOXIA goes
to door)
ROSSMORE.. It seems as if the real blow is
about to fall. Stott might have phoned up.
STOTT. (Through open door to someone off
stage) Drive back for the others.
EUDOXIA. Others! (Carriage)
MRS. ROSSMORE. The Judge.
ROSSMORE. Alone ?
MRS. ROSSMORE. I don t hear her voice.
(EUDOXIA at door.)
STOTT. (Enters R. gives bag to EUDOXIA) It s
all right. (Comes c.) Ah, there you are, by
George, I ve had some difficulty in rinding you.
(Bus. shakes hands with ROSSMORE. EUDOXIA
takes bundles upstairs)
ROSSMORE. My dear Stott, how are you?
Where where is she?
12 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
STOTT. At the depot waiting for the hack to
drive back for her. It s the only one. I came
ahead to prepare you. By Jupiter, this is a one
horse town and no mistake. Why did you pick out
such a hole?
ROSSMORE. No one knows me here and
STOTT. Well, perhaps you re right
ROSSMORE. How did she take it?
MRS. ROSSMORE. Does she feel very badly?
(STOTT scratches his chin.)
ROSSMORE. Come, speak out, we can stand it.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Is she she very upset?
(Pause, still very uncomfortable)
STOTT. The fact is she doesn t know.
MRS. ROSSMORE. She doesn t know.
ROSSMORE. And you ve brought her all the way
down here without telling her what has happened.
Oh, Stott!
STOTT. I couldn t I just simply couldn t.
ROSSMORE. And you expect me to (Sits R. on
sofa)
STOTT. I couldn t tell that girl returning from a
beautiful time in Europe and the Orient, that her
father was penniless, and
ROSSMORE. And disgraced go on and say it.
STOTT. You know the girl loves you, Judge ; she
would have gone into hysterics. (EuooxiA opens
the door) I really hadn t the heart to tell her.
ROSSMORE. But, Stott, you promised.
EXPRESSMAN. (Outside) Whoa! Whoa!
(Enter EXPRESSMAN) Where does this baggage
go?
EUDOXIA. All on em?
EXPRESSMAN. All on em.
EUDOXIA. Ain t you in the wrong cottage?
EXPRESSMAN. No, I ain t. This is the Ross-
more s cottage Cooper Cottage that was?
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 13
EUDOXIA. Yes, well
EXPRESSMAN. Then it s O. K.
STOTT. It s all right. Get them in here and out
of the way as soon as you can.
(Exit EXPRESSMAN.)
EUDOXIA. Nothing was said to me about bag
gage two in the family more like twenty-two.
(Exit L.)
(EXPRESSMAN brings on trunks.)
STOTT. I ve got some papers for you to sign,
Judge. Your personal creditors have accepted the
seventy cents on the dollar, but that includes the
sale of furniture, pictures and all of Mrs. Ross-
more s jewelry now this inventory.
ROSSMORE. Not now ; not now. I ve no head
for figures now wait till she knows wait
(Crosses R.)
STOTT. Brace up old man, it s nothing.
ROSSMORE. Nothing. Then why didn t you tell
her?
STOTT. (Wagon) I mean it s nothing when the
shock is over. Take a good plunge, the icy waters
close over your head, you shiver a little, then strike
out for the shore, and you re all right.
EXPRESSMAN. (Shouts aside) Whoa whoa
STOTT. There she is
ROSSMORE. My heart is just like lead. (Crosses
to piano)
(Enter to SHIRLEY, door in halhvay. She is
dressed in a beautiful travelling costume in
striking contrast to simplicity of surround
ings.)
14 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
MRS. ROSSMORE. Shirley
SHIRLEY. Mama! Oh, Mama, dear old Mama!
(SHIRLEY kisses her mother} I am so glad, I tell
you six months in Europe has made me so home
sick I father I ve been longing to see you.
{Looks at him, the expression of her face has
grown serious) Why, how you have changed. I
can scarcely believe it s you say something let me
hear the sound of your voice, father !
ROSSMORE. (Tries to smile) Why, dear I I
SHIRLEY. Ah, it s you it s you. (Hugs him)
ROSSMORE. Of course it is my dear child of
course it is.
SHIRLEY. Yes, but it isn t the same. There s
no ring in your voice. It sounds hollow and empty.
It sounds like an echo. (Bus.) And this place
this awful place (Looks around) I don t under
stand I this isn t where we live, is it? (Looks
at them, they all avoid her gaze. ROSSMORE nods
affirmatively) In this little bit of a place?
JUDGE. (Affirmatively) In this little bit of a
place. (Sits on trunk c.)
MRS. ROSSMORE. (Looks around sorrowfully)
It is a little bit of a place, isn t it ?
ROSSMORE. It s the best we can afford.
SHIRLEY. It s the best we can afford? (Stares
at her parents)
MRS. ROSSMORE. Shirley your father has
lost everything. (Sits R. of table)
ROSSMORE. I ll tell her myself Martha. I ll tell
her myself. You re quite right, Stott. If she s to
hear it from anyone, let her hear it from me. You
remember, my dear that my capacity as Judge of
the Supreme Court, I rendered decisions, several of
which were adverse to the corporate interest of a
number of rich men. Well, since that time, they ve
used all of their power and influence to get me out
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 15
off the bench and they have so manipulated
events that to-day I stand falsely accused of having
accepted bribes. (Sits in arm-chair)
STOTT. You can never convince me that this
whole scheme was not a conspiracy formulated by
ready Money Ryder, the railroads and the Trust
Companies. Ryder was the man who had most to
lose by your honesty on the Bench. Ryder was the
man you hit the hardest when you enjoined
his Transcontinental Railroad from appropriating
thousands of acres of land.
SHIRLEY. And you think Mr. Ryder is responsi
ble for these disgraceful accusations against father ?
STOTT. I m sure of it.
SHIRLEY. Father I I am interested in this
man. (Rises, down to R.) I I know his son very
well; why are you sure that he (Over to R.)
ROSSMORE. I knew him years ago, Shirley and
on account of this old acquaintance, I wrote him
two letters asking him if the concern I was invest
ing my fortune in was a safe one. If he had pro
duced these letters at the Congressional inquiry, it
would have materially helped me, but he never
even answered our request to produce them.
SHIRLEY. Couldn t you compel him?
STOTT. We could never get to him. The man is
guarded as if he were an Emperor.
SHIRLEY. But still he he may not have re
ceived the letters.
STOTT. After the Transcontinental R. R. deci
sion Ryder was heard to say that he d have Judge
Rossmore off the bench inside a year.
ROSSMORE. And he has done it. That is, he will
do it.
SHIRLEY. Father, does this mean that you have
lost your position, your fortune, and your your
good name?
ROSSMORE. Yes.
16 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
(Pause. ALL look at SHIRLEY. She is struggling
to keep back her tears. The effort is obvious.)
MRS. ROSSMORE. (Rising) And we have to live
in this little bit of a place.
SHIRLEY. (Laughs a little. With considerable
effort) Don t you call this a little bit of a place.
(Takes her hat off) I think it s just the dearest
little jewel of a home you could have selected.
(Crosses to c.)
MRS. ROSSMORE. (Who has been crying now
brightens up) Do you think so?
ROSSMORE. It s not so bad, eh ? (Rises)
SHIRLEY. Oh, it s just what we wanted; the
very thing. We always wanted a little place like
this all by ourselves, no strangers. (Takes off
coat and things and puts them on table) It s just
splendid. (Pretending to be delighted but there is
a tear back of it) Oh, if you only knew how I
dislike New York, with its great ugly houses and
its retinue of servants and domestic and social re
sponsibilities. We shall be able to live for our
selves now, father ?
ROSSMORE. Why, yes, dear, but there s not
much room. (Crosses to her)
SHIRLEY. But there s quite enough. Let me
see, upstairs three rooms, eh and above that three
more.
MRS. ROSSMORE. No, then comes the roof.
SHIRLEY. Of course, a nice gable roof, a slop
ing slanting roof that the rain runs off beautifully.
(Crosses to c.) Just the thing. Fine. You
thought of everything, didn t you mama? (Forc
ing a laugh) Oh, I can see that this is going to be
jolly. Just like camping out, and you know how I
love to camp out. (Crosses to R.) Oh, and you
have a piano, too. (Bus. strikes keys, it has a tin
pan effect) What a lovely tone, a little old per
haps, but I like those zither effects, it s like a
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 17
spinnit, i6th Century. I can see you and Mama
dancing a stately minuet. Thank goodness, if we
want to dance we shan t have to send out a lot of
invitations for we don t know anybody, and what s
better still, no one knows us.
(Enter Miss NESBITT ivho comes to c.)
Miss NESBITT. Excuse my rush, but I promised
you these tickets for the festival, Mrs. Rossmore,
and I always like to keep my promise. I ve num
bered them 17 and 18, not because there ll only be
seventeen or eighteen there, but because it is the
seventeenth and eighteenth tickets I ve sold. No
wonder Pa says I m a hustler. (Bus. hands MRS.
ROSSMORE more tickets) One dollar for the two.
Perhaps your friends would like to go too. I ve
just two more tickets. (Bus. in reticule) This
will make the nineteenth and twentieth, and I think
that twenty will about get the fir : prize. (Bus.
takes out large card) No, tHs ain t a ticket.
That s one of Pa s business cards, shall we say two
more?
MRS. ROSSMORE. Well, I this is my daughter
Shirley, this is one of our neighbors.
SHIRLEY. (Crosses to c.) One of our intimate
neighbors. Charmed, I m sure.
Miss NESBITT. Most pleased to know you.
(Shakes hands) I m Arminta Nesbitt ; my father s
the banker; we live across the street in that brick
building. Were you playing when I came in?
Don t let me disturb you. Go right on. This call
is more business than social. You must come over
and see me. Will your gentleman friend take a
ticket?
STOTT. I ll take the whole four. (Takes them)
Thank you. (Bus. with money) Two dollars I
think you said.
8 THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
Miss NESBITT. Yes, but these are for Mrs.
Rossmore.
STOTT. I m Mrs. Rossmore s legal representa
tive. All business must be transacted through me.
Miss NESBITT. Oh, I see. You are buying
these tickets for them.
STOTT. Exactly.
Miss NESBITT. Well, wouldn t you like to buy
some for yourself.
STOTT. And you are the Banker s daughter.
Miss NESBITT. I am.
STOTT. Give me two more.
Miss NESBITT. Twenty-two. The prize is mine
for a foregone conclusion. (STOTT bus. with
money) Thank you. This call is more business
than social. Don t forget to come and see me.
Good-bye. (Drops notebook c., exits R.)
(STOTT exits after Miss NESBITT.)
SHIRLEY. I m going to like this little town.
(Crosses to MRS. ROSSMORE and kisses her)
MRS. ROSSMORE. Oh ! Shirley !
SHIRLEY. Now, mother, we must be brave like
Father. Don t you see how brave and unflinching
he is why, I do believe he is laughing at the whole
thing. Of course he is. It appeals to his sense of
humor. Father has a sense of humor if he is a
Judge, eh? (Laughs, crosses to him) Why, it s
absurd, when you come to think of it, that any one
should accuse him of being corrupt and having for
feited the right to retain his Judicial honors.
Father s going to clear his name of this preposter
ous charge and we re going to help him. (crosses
R. c.) Oh, we re not helpless just because we are
women. We are going to work, mother and I, eh?
(Bus. of grip)
MRS. ROSSMORE. Work?
SHIRLEY. Wor>
THE LION AND THE MOUSE. 19
ROSSMORE. Work, why my dear child
SHIRLEY. (Sits on trunk) Why not? Let me
tell you something. The short stories I have writ
ten from time to time, which have been accepted
by the Universal Magazine, have been made into a
book, and are most successful. And I ve half
finished a new novel. Who do you suppose I made
my central character ? Oh, you d never guess, John
Burkrtt Ryder.
ROSSMORE. John Burkett Ryder.
SHIRLEY. Under another name. I call him John
Broderick.
ROSSMORE. But why did you select this man
Ryder?
SHIRLEY. Because he s the most interesting
man in America to-day the greatest financial giant
the world has ever known. I met his son Jefferson