06/03/2026 08:08

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columnists, mil ionaire editors,a monarch of that new El Doradowhere the warmedover daydreams of al theghettosare churned into an opiate hazemore scarily blinding His voice sounded firmer, more like the deep rich voice he'd addressed the meeting in. blahblahblah-blah, whinnied Ned and took the sailor's white cap and put it on his head instead of his own hat. He sat on a stiff chair with his cocoacup balanced uncom-fortably in his hand and didn't seem to know where to put-264-his legs.

This time it was a stout starched woman standing over him. His col ectors bought anything that was expensiveor rare or had the glint of empire on it, and he had it brought to him and stared hard at it with his magpie's eyes. She wrote articles, she talked to politicians and ministers and argued with editors, she made speeches in unionhal s. After that he was a ruinedparalysed man barely able to speak;the day he gave up the presidency to Harding thejoint