He was born in a three wall cabin out in the nowheres. His mom stayed with him a day or two then left him alone with his sister. She found a broken crate behind the tavern to haul him around in until he could walk. Then one day she let go his hand and he never saw her again.
He fed himself from the gutters and barely stayed alive. He got worms so bad a worm came out of his nose one day. A woman selling vegetables pulled a rope of dark tobacco from her pocket.
``You, boy, you bite off a chunk and chew it good. You swallow it and don't spit up none and chew it good and swallow your spit then chew it good and swallow it and don't spit up none. You go off by yourself because you going to pass a lot of them critters.''
He did as she said and he did pass a lot of critters and after that he started to grow until he was as big as the other stunted children living on the streets.
He wasn't dumb though. He could lie cheat and steal as good as any. But he wasn't like the other kids. He wouldn't work for anyone. He stayed on his own.
He watched the world and figured out what people would pay for. He started by stealing newspapers off the presses and selling them in the streets. When he had enough money he bought the papers and distributed them in the far flung places with no service. Soon he had a network of kids using trains, horses and bicycles to relay the papers. When he got too successful he was forced out. He moved down to Texas and got into drilling mud at the beginning.
It took him twenty years to become old rich in Dallas and Galveston. Even in Newport and Boston his good manners and charm opened most doors. He had a beautiful companion. It was assumed that Margaret was his wife, but Margaret was really Richard. It had seemed a lark - and perhaps good sense that Richard should be his wife. Richard had such grace, such charm. They made a desirable couple at almost any social occasion.
It was his driver who sold the story to a yellow sheet. Something he saw. It was not made clear exactly what. Now the whole country knew them.
To celebrate their new fame they gave a great party at their house in the Hamptons. Almost everybody was there.