Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-07

from 8 s5Ii On NJ own account. This was say
ing a great deal, as sometimes his means were
very imited,-yery limited indeed: in fact may
say that his whole capital on some occasions
could not be set down without the application of
the minus sign to the total. On the ether hand
when he had to deal with ideas his whole man
ner changed. He became reckless and un-
scrupulous. Convinced that the end justified
the means, he was daring to a degree. If you
offered him flyer to save him from starvation
he would refuse the loan firmly and decisively;
If you asked him to invest your sslittle an in the
rOttenest of rotten speculations he would seize
the money with the eagerness Of miser. He
was sanguine 10 degree, and as a necessary
consequence most uncertain in his spirits. To-
day he was full of hope, life, and happiness; to-
morrow he would be cast down with care, death,
and despair. Monday comedy, Tuesday trag-
edy, and Wednesday comedy once again, to be
followed on Thursday by tragedy as beforei AS
he sat facing me at my breakfast table could
see by ms uReasiness that to-day was devoted to
the tragic muse.
"YOn don't look well, old fellow" said after
he had been served with brandy and soda.
whats the natter
s. Oh, nothing, !" he replied, "only the African
Soap Company limited has come TO grief"
"wen, a acknowledgements miscalcu-
| lation. BY my figures two hundred and forty
million pounds of soap should have been pur-
| the beggars refused to wash, and thus our sales
were very limited. You see what with our off,
ces in Lombard street, and our warehouses on
the Thomas Embankment, and both our stats
the expenses were rather heavy"
" How much did you SELF"
"Well," said Harry. with laugh. centre nous
only pound and half of brown Windsor. A
chief bought it to eat while laboring under the
impression that the soap was composed chiefly
OF rum When he found out his mistake he
came back clothed in his war paint and armed
with kind OF poisoned tomahawk to ask for the
return of his money"
"How much did he give for ito"
Ion, pretty fair fgure-two thousand acres
Of forest, pound Of cookie shells, and seven of
his Oldest wives. But there, the matters over.
The company was wound up yesterday"
"What are you doing now?"
Nothing, sir, absolutely nothing" replied
Harry. with a sigh. " have the grandest
chance in the world OF making a fortune and
capital"
Slocum-super-Mare," said my friend, mys-
teriously, chats the idea, Slocum-super-M arel''
WHAT'S Slocum- super-Mare?"
"You mean where is it. Why it's the dearest
spot on the Sussex cOast-just the place for my
notion"
whats your notionP-
a, Mhy to turn the place into an English Dieppe
And then Harry commenced long lecture
upon watering places in general, and Slocu m
super-Mare in particular. BY degrees his en-
found myself growing more and yet more in
terested in the fate Of Slocum-super Mare. AZ
ter an hours conversation, devoted to the airing
OF several schemes of q most startling character,
Harry sighed for a second time and said:
Well, it's no good talking; 1t can't be done
We have got no capital, old man, 50 it can't be
DONE"
/ found myself signing too and regretting the
Z" But why don't you open your letters?"
asked my friend, after a long and mournful ST.
lence.
Z" One of them's dun" answered, gloomily
" The more reason you should attend to it at
once. Ciyility turneth away hills-take my
With some hesitation opened the LAWYERS
letter and perused its contents.
started from my chair! Could believe my
eyes. Was IL really true?
whats the matter, old mani" said Harry
gasPed for a moment, then drank a cup of
cold coffee.
"Mr Smirks-my godfather-is dead,"I be-
gan.
dear, dear" said Harry, in sympathizinc
tone, ''yOu knew him well-yOu are of course
sorry, but bear up old man, bear up, we mast
Old.@ HN' en seen MN ''H'' "< n's years
well, then, you oughtn't to give way So"
" He's left me f40, 000.r
WHAT" cried Harry, starting up.
Pact. on my word"
% congratulate you, old man, on nv soul |
do" and Harry seized my hand and shook it
heartily.
After recovering myself little, opeped nv
second letter. What disappointment. Old
MumfO1d my AEces father) refused his CON
sent TO my marriage, and told me in postscript,
that his daughter hadsjust accepted, by his adj
vice, far weather. sutton that could pretend
to be. This leds a blow. i expected old Mum
ford to be barbarOuS, but my Alice's-or rather
somebody se's Alice's-perfidy was too much
a great deal too much. L sat down and buried
my face in my hands. Harry bent over me, and
asked me what was the cause of my sOrrow. In
a few broken sentences L told him all. There
was pausf-a long pause.
50 L tel you what it is, old man." said he, az
last, 50 know what you want-excitement.
Come, now, i have a capital notion, an excellent
notion"
What is ito asked, glOomily.
Slocum- super Mare; me replied, enthusiast
cally. "That's the thing to make your thOus-
ands into millions. and my coppers into pounds.
Come, old man, let us make up our minds to
take up Slocum-super-Mare
And then and there SlOcum-superMare was
taken up.