Story about a Wealthy Incompassionate Man and The Building of His Hotel

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In 1881 Mystic Springs patriarch Dr. Addeneye Cooke influenced the railroad to bring a line into the area. He would build his mountain top Grand Hotel from the local lime stone,the cornerstone of his new city. Soon after the cattle barons, steal magnates, and bankers bought up most of the land. They financed the various cultural amenities such as an opera house, a fine art museum, and a theater. The great Andrew Carnegie himself had the library built.They paved the streets with cobblestone and had sidewalks installed. The socialites had built themselves a small metropolitan getaway in the middle of nowhere.

Dr. Cooke’s Grand Hotel was scheduled to open in a month, the various craftsmen where rushing to finish the lavish Victorian style details of her interior. To help speed things along several of the workmen were living in unfinished rooms during the construction. One of them was a burly upholsterer named James Kelly who had an English accent and bushy brown handle bar mustache . Kelly had a temporary shop set up around back in the basement. He had already upholstered over two hundred and fifty dining room chairs with crimson dyed leather fastened with ornate brass tacks. Now he was working on the hotels crushed velvet settees and chase lounges.

It was a lovely morning around 10 o'clock when James Kelly stopped working to take a short brake, as was his custom. To bolster his strength until the midday meal, he removed a little silver snuff box from his pocket and sniffed a pinch or two of cocaine before leisurely drinking a pint of cool, hard cider. Enjoying a breath of fresh air in the open door way he removed his derby hat. A receding line of curly brown hair stuck to his forehead from perspiration. He gazed across the va...

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...aid, as he stood up and reached out for the dog.

James was holding the dog in his powerful looking arms, scratching it under his chin. Taking the doctor’s queue he started to hand the pup over while his grizzled hand tightened its grip around the dogs throat.

"That would be heartbreaking to see this poor pup suffer, absolutely tragic" Kelly said, as the dog started to gag and kick its legs from Kelly’s strangle hold.

When Doctor Cook had a hold of the dog James loosened his grip so the Scottie could breathe freely again. The two men just stared blankly at one another for about 30 seconds or more until Addeneye said,

"I'm having someone for dinner this evening, would you care to join me."

"I'd be delighted to sir"

"Excellent then, come up to the penthouse at seven for aperitifs."

"Yes sir, seven O'clock it is, thank you sir."

"Good day Mr. Kelly"

"Good day Dr. Cook