Page:The Wizard of Wall Street and his Wealth.djvu/292

 shares; an interest in Union Pacific, including, perhaps, 1,000,000 of the collateral trust bonds; heavy investments in the other lines known as Gould properties; a block of New York and Northern securities, and a control, with Russell Sage, of the St. Louis Southwestern.

In Wall street the Gould will was accepted with something akin to a vote of thanks. The satisfaction was in the fact that there was to be no partition sale, with the flinging upon the market of such a batch of easily affected stocks as Jay Gould had gathered. Even a partition of the securities in the will would have made many owners and possibly clashing of interests, where now one hand would cast the vote represented by this enormous aggregate of stocks. This voting power would rest absolutely and individually with George, and would make him even more than his father a power in Wall street, at least for a time.

Just now he is getting open praise even far beyond what appears in the will of his great business ability. Some who know him by his acts say that his weak points are his combative obstinacy and his penuriousness. Stories upon stories are told of his miserly disposition, but they come in large part from roysterers who looked upon the eldest son of Gould as under some sort of obligation to put up the cash for their festivities when out in company. George did nothing of the sort, but had a sharp account for each penny expended, and kept himself posted in prices of things from the highest to the lowest grade.