Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-07-07
THE MAGIC BIT OF SILVER.
81 want Ito ask.youa Question, Go

meZ.
"Well, my dear boy, what is it?"
"Where did you get your money!"
The question was an abrupt one--it
was almost impairment. But Gomez
lie Bonilla was an intimate friend of
mine, good fellow, and-we had
dined To say truth, we had not only
dined but wined, and it was over some
excellent post pranials in the shape Of
further VINE and fragrant cigars that !
had asked the question. But | had
long wished to do so, and will tell you
why.
Some two years before, Gomez was
poor as church mouse He was al
ways q good fellow, but then, you
know, there is difference between
good fellows rich, and good fellows
poor. And, to my shame, be it spoken,
i think liked him better rich than
poor. Well, as / said, he was almost
destitute. He had a profession it IS
true-he was a journalist, but, in Spain,
the gains of the fraternity of the pen
are not large. What little he did earn
went to the bad, for he was an inveter-
ate gambler.
But fom poverty stricken journal
list he suddenly blossomed out into a
man of wealth. He had the finest
horses, he belonged to the most fash
ionabe club, he had the most luxri-
ously fitted town house, he had pur-
chased the country seat of decayed
grandee, he had the best cook in MAJ
rid, and he moved in the best of socie-
ty-for alas even in Spain the golden
key is beginning to open all portals.
But do not think from what say that
Gomez was not gentleman. for he
came of an excellent family.
Well, as l said, we had just finished
an excellent dinner, and over the wall
nuts and wine put my question:
"Gomez, where did you get your
money!
He looked at me thoughtfully, and
knocked the ash from his cigar. "Where
did | get my money! he repeated,
slowly. "And what says Dame Rumor
concerning it, Pedro?'
There are all sorts of stories" re-
piled; "Some probable, come wildly
impossible; some good. humored, more
illnatured. You will pardon my frank
ness if l tell you that l have heard
some people call your wealth 'ill-gotten
gains whispers Of a retired highway
men and the like. There are others
who hint darkly at counterfeiting.
Among the lowered classed there is a
whispered belief that you have sold
Yourself to the demon. And l have
even met intelligent people who limited
=. ~, onns -
perhaps they were right" was the
laconic reply.
stared at him.
Listen, and you may prehaps tell
me whether the means were supernat-
ural or not, have never been able, to
decide The reason that the source OF
nv fortune has never been discovered
was because the only man who knew
of it left the city the day after---
| He paused.
"The day after, queried.
| "Well, l will begin at the beginning;
| The story it curious one, and should
be told in sequence"
He lit fresh cigar and he then be-
gan:
you knew me two years ago when
I was poor. You also knew, as did
nv friends, that / had a passion for
gaming. You would all of you chorus,
when speaking of me. Poor Bonllla!
He has the worst of vices he Is des-
perate gambler You were all wrong.
Ii played because l was poor. ! was
not a gambler. | was Spectator. |
had fixed upon a certain sum winch l
considered competence. | saw no
way of acquiring it BY my profession,
so I devoted myself to the green cloth
YOU know how assiduously.
| He smiled of assent which irvolunta-
lrilv fitted over my countenance, watch
ed the smoke-wreaths curling over ms
head for moment, and continued:
zone evening I was feeling unusually
blue. | never drank, as you know-that
is. never to excess-apd certainly never
to do what is called drowning sorrow.
NV resource was the gaming table.
Unfortunately had in my possession
a considerable sum of money, which
had been intrusted to me by friend
for the purpose of paying some debts
he had been suddenly called away from
the city. l entered the gambling place
and seated myself at the roulette table
Fortune was against me; the few daro'
that belonged to me were soon gone
Something seemed to possess me tina,
II IL tx,t