Theodore Dreiser

The Financier Theodore Dreiser

Cowperwood's father was a bank clerk at the time of Frank's birth, but ten years later, when theboy was already beginning to turn a very sensible, vigorous eye on the world, Mr. HenryWorthington Cowperwood, because of the death of the bank's president and the consequentmoving ahead of the other officers, fell heir to the place vacated by the promoted teller, at the, tohim, munificent salary of thirty-five hundred dollars a year. At once he decided, as he told his wifejoyously, to remove his family from 21 Buttonwood Street to 124 New Market Street, a much betterneighborhood, where there was a nice brick house of three stories in height as opposed to theirpresent two-storied domicile. There was the probability that some day they would come intosomething even better, but for the present this was sufficient. He was exceedingly grateful. Henry Worthington Cowperwood was a man who believed only what he saw and was content tobe what he was-a banker, or a prospective one. He was at this time a significant figure-tall, lean, inquisitorial, clerkly-with nice, smooth, closely-cropped side whiskers coming to almost the lowerlobes of his ears. His upper lip was smooth and curiously long, and he had a long, straight nose anda chin that tended to be pointed. His eyebrows were bushy, emphasizing vague, grayish-green eyes, and his hair was short and smooth and nicely parted. He wore a frock-coat always-it was quite thething in financial circles in those days-and a high hat. And he kept his hands and nailsimmaculately clean. His manner might have been called severe, though really it was more cultivatedthan auster