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Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford Summary
Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford: A Cheerful Account of the Rise and Fall of an American Business Buccaneer by George Randolph Chester is a satirical novel published in 1907. It chronicles the exploits of J. Rufus Wallingford, a cunning con artist who embarks on various schemes to amass wealth, reflecting the themes of ambition, deception, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford Excerpt
Short Summary: J. Rufus Wallingford, a charismatic and unscrupulous businessman, devises elaborate schemes to swindle unsuspecting investors, highlighting the gullibility and greed prevalent in early 20th-century America.
Excerpt from Chapter 1:
The mud was black and oily where it spread thinly at the edges of the asphalt, and wherever it touched it left a stain; it was upon the leather of every pedestrian, even the most fastidious, and it bordered with almost laughable conspicuousness the higher marking of yellow clay upon the heavy shoes of David Jasper, where he stood at the curb in front of the big hotel with his young friend, Edward Lamb. Jasper was a man of fifty, with a thin face and a pointed gray beard, and he was clad in rusty black. Lamb was twenty-four, tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome, with the frank blue eyes and the wavy blond hair which are the delight of romanticists. He wore a suit of dark mixed goods, well cut, and a negligee shirt of grayish blue, with a careless tie to match. Both men carried heavy canes, with which they poked at the mud. A cab swung in toward the curb, and both men stepped back. The cab stopped, and a big, florid man alighted, a man so big that he seemed to fill the cab door as he emerged. He wore a suit of pronounced pattern, a bright red tie, and a silk hat set jauntily on the side of his head. He carried a heavy cane with a gold head, and he smoked a large cigar. He nodded affably to Jasper and Lamb as he passed, and entered the hotel. "Who is that?" asked Lamb. "That," replied Jasper, "is J. Rufus Wallingford, the promoter." "What does he promote?" "Anything that people will put their money into," said Jasper, with a grim smile. "He has promoted mining schemes, land schemes, patent schemes, and now I hear he is promoting a new carpet tack." "A carpet tack?" "Yes; a covered carpet tack." "What in the world is a covered carpet tack?" "I don't know exactly," admitted Jasper; "but I understand it is a tack with a head that matches the carpet, so that it will not show." "Does he make any money out of such things?" "Money!" exclaimed Jasper. "He makes millions! He has a way of making people believe in him and his schemes, no matter how absurd they may be." "He must be a genius," observed Lamb. "He is," said Jasper; "a genius in his line. But come; we must be going, or we shall miss our train."
This passage introduces J. Rufus Wallingford, immediately showcasing his flamboyant personality and hinting at his persuasive prowess in the world of dubious business ventures.
