He dared not dream that the redwood
boxes called mansions, in which the wealthy lived in the days of
'60, would give way to the lordly castles of "Nob Hill."
These castles, whether of railroad tyrant, bonanza baron, or banking
conspirator, were yet castles in the air.
Perched in lofty isolation now, they architecturally dominate
the meaner huts below. Vulgar monuments of a social upheaval which
beggars the old stories of fairy changelings, of Sancho Panza, of
"Barney the Baron," or "Monte Cristo."
In the days of '60, Philip Hardin is too busy with plot and scheme,
with daily plunging, and dreaming over the fate of Lagunitas, to
notice the social elevation of the more aspiring male and female
adventurers. The rising tide of wealth grows. Judicious use of early
gained riches, trips to Europe, furtive lessons, the necessities
of the changed station, and an unlimited cheek and astounding
adaptability change the lucky men and women whom fortune's dower
has ennobled. They are all now "howling swells."
Some never reach as high as the "Monarchs of Mount Davidson," who
were pretty high up at the start, nearly a mile and a half. In many
cases, King Midas's Court shows very fairly scattered promotions.
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