The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1885-12-12
COAL OIL BILLY"
The Luck Which His Secretary
Brought to Him.

: At eleven O'Clock at night, in mid
winter, a young man, Just out of pris-
on, stood at the corner of a city street,
just out of the light of the lamps that
shone before q great hotel. He was
dressed in rags, and %shuddered and
drew himself together as only men of
the tramp order do. A cold working
man, a cold gentleman, a cold person
of any other sort, never holds himself
in that fashion-Heaven only knows
why, Yet this man seemed only to
have started on the road downward;
to be only on the verge of the steep
hill which ends in the pauper's grave;
and to have something in him which
gave him yet a possible hold on deem
cy. His features were good and his
figure graceful, and he did not reek
with whisky. As he stood ~shivering
and watching the hotel door, a cab
drove up to the corner. From it, when
it had stopped, alighted a burly man,
Of rough aspect, but wearing costly
clothes. His hair, soaked in oil, was
arranged in fiat, pasted ourls on either
temple. His side whiskers-"a sable
silvered'-were stiff and plentiful, A
great diamond blazed in his shirt front;
another OIL each little finger. He wore
a waistcoat of rich crimson velvet, and
a watch-chain of heavy gold, as thick
as his thumb, crossed it twice. He
was altogether attired, according to
some past idea of elegance, only posi-
bic to O rich man.
A trunk of sole leather and a Russia
leather portmanteau were taken from
the drivers seat and carried into the
hotel, and the owner was about TO fol-
low them, when his eyes suddenly fell
or the shivering man so near him, and
he paused, and with a muttered
t'There's my luck!' beckoned with his
thick finger.
The man approached.
81 say" said the bejeweled traveller,
speaking in a wheezy whisper-'I say,
stranger, you look hungry. II you air,
I hev been thar myself. You look cold,
too. Ell you air, I could have seen you
and gone you one better many a time,
Here, take that. Get yourself a square
meal And he dropped a jingling
handful Of money into the open hand.
sand after you're full come up to the
hotel thar and ask for MI. Baker, from
Oil Town. Perhaps I a throw some
thing in your way"
'tBy heavens! You're a man, said
the recipient of the money and the
promised help. See here, l didn't
beg, you know, ehP You offered me
this" and he shook the money in his
hand. "Cold and hunger take the pride
out of a man, but I wasn't going to beg
jest yet. I can't refuse life, that's ALL
"All right" cried the stout man.
Don't forget to come" and followed
his trunk into the hotel.
An hour afterward, as be sat alone
with decanter and wine-glasses on a
table before him, the waiter announced:
"A man to see you, sir"
And the recipient of his charity
walked in.
He was not shivering now, and though
he was handsome. -,
.sI'm here" he said, doubtfully, land
hanks to you, feeling like a different
man. That's the first food I've eaten
Tor thirty hours"
..Sit down." said the other, bluffiy.
''Sit down. Here, take your glass and
Ill it. Nov, you know my name. Per-
haps you know me. I've made a fort
1ne in Oil City. I'm called Rich
Oil B~illy--lots OF things.
was in despair, and the boys had
me twenty-four hours work
without a hope Of pay, when Baker
Veil sprouted, and Old Billy followed.
believe in luck. The first man I meet
When | get anywhere is always my
uck. You're my luck here; that's why
told you to come. What can you dop
Read, write, spell according to regula-
ionP Can you flourish off my letters
md show me what's what in that wayP
|ou look if"