The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-12-02
Mr.. EARL'S INVESTMENT.
A TALE OF OLD CHINA.

once knew an excellent old lady, brought up
in the strctest sect of the Pharsees who had a
thorn in the flesh in the shape of betting brother
How he could waste his time in so sinful pur-
suit, and how he could lose so much money in it
which he might otherwise have given to deserv-
ing relatives was the constant theme of her repro
baton and neglect But noticed that when he
was lucky, and came home boasting of how he had
''pulle1 OFF, a cool hundred two she was not
vehement in her reproofs. ''People," she then
said, 'must have their amusements; and if they
were not attained at the expense of their families,
there was at least something to be said for them"
Not that she didn't abhor gambling from the bot
tom of her heart; only when you had won, you
see il was not gambling, because the risk
One day her brother called at the old lady's
house in the highest spirits. He had put 200i on
Aahomet for the Derby, and took great pains to
explain TO her that his winning 2OO0t. in cOnse-
quence was "a moral" In this, of course, he did
not succeed; but he convinced her that it was
certainty.
'If you were to take 1Ol. of it, for instance Off
my hands my DEAR he said, you would be alb
sOutely sure of lO0Ln
'Frhe idea of my making such horrible thing
as a bet ~ she exclaimed, with Indignation. But
as he was going away that night, she slipped a
ten-pOund note into his hand and whispered, "If
it is really an absolute certainty that AIahomet
will win, think it's wrong, my dear Dick not to
take advantage of your kind suggestion for in
creasing my little income
AanOmet-aS manner
with favorites for the Derby-was strangled in his
stable the night before his destined victory, so
that she lost her ten pounds But that's neither
here nor there. only mentioned the anecdOte as
a proof of the great theory Of hereditary luck for
the old lady was near relative Of mine, and l
take after her i'm the matter of wagers. As gen
eral rule never bet, save when / am quite sure
to win. felt sure of the Claimant in the Itch
borne case being Arthur Orton long before he was
proved to be so. What satisfied me on this point
was the production OF letter to one Of his hackers
in which he said, 81 have got a capital affidavit
lOf his own Identity j from Captain Barker, but
cannot persuade Major ROwen Now, as a student
of human nature, was thoroughly convinced that
no man who was what he pretended to be would
write in that manner. He would have written Of
Captain Barkers affidavit a matter of course,
and have denounced the Major as a born idiot. At
all events, such was my opinion, and backed it,.
Amongst others who took a contrary view was a
certain Mr.. Barnabas Earl, with whom | laid 5OL
upon the subject. When Mr.. OrtOn was sentenced
TO captivity, naturally looked for my money; but,
as it happened, Mr. Earl himself had come to grief
IN the Ineantime-was put into York Gaol for
debt-and had not fifty pence to pay me with /
should have taken that very quietly, as a misfor-
tune that might have happened to ANYBODY
Though objected to its having happened to mel
only, year or two afterward, it chanced that
Mr.. Banabas Earl became rich manly what
means never sought to discover-and then nat
urally looked for my lOW / heard Of his fine
house in town; Of his patronage of the fine arts
and of a number Of other things of his horses and
fOotmen and carriages; but heard nothing of the
little debt of honor ne had contracted with me-
Very unWillingly, but certainly without scruple
wrote to remind him Of il, and TO that polite
(but, fiatter myself firm reminder / received No
reply. Upon that, "disgusted, | took and cusseC
it, as the poet says and didn't write again; but
need not cay that blotted out of the list of my
acquaintance from that moment the name o
Barnabas or as / hencefOrth playfully entitled
him, Barabbas) Earl, and determined never {,
speak 20 the brute again. Sometimes, however
you obliged to meet people in this world
whether you want to do so or not, and it was fateC
that he and ] should come together again.
In the spring Of last year exchanged for a few
weeks my little place at Barstead-by-th Will
my friend John Celadon for his house i'm Hendor
street Mayfair. Most people who have seen tina
temple of art, and also my own modest dwelling
will be probably of the opinion that got the best
il. Indeed, ''the Laurels," Barstead, may be de
scribed an unfinished residence compare,