San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-03-21
and IL shc succeeded to keep oil the gain


to herself.
Being Of tho same fearless temper "a
her husband, she sat OFT for tho old In
dian fort towards tho close Of summers
day. She was many hours absent When
she came back she was reserved and sui
went about with maps Of grants and
Townships and Eldorados lying no
body knew where, but which every
BODY was ready TO purchase. In o
word, tho great speculating fever which
breaks out every now and then In the
country had ragged 10 an alarming do.
gree, and everybody was dreaming OF
making sudden fortunes from nothing
As usual, the fever had subsidized; tho
dream had gone off, and tho imaginary
fortunes with 1t; the patients were LETT
In doleful plight, and the whole country
resounded with tho consequent cry OF
"hnrd times"
At this propitious time Of public DIS
tress did Tom Walker set up M a usurer
In Boston. His door was soon thronged
by customers. The needy and tho ad-
venturous. the gambling speculator, the
dreaming land jobber, the thriftless
tradesman, the merchant with cracked
credit, In short, every one driven to raise
money by desperate means and desperate
sacrifices hurried to Tom Walker. .
Thus Tom was the universal friend OF
the needy. and he acted like "friend In
necd;" that IL to say, he always exacted
good pay and good security. In proper
ton to the distress Of tho applicant was
the hardness of Ills terms. He accumu-
lated bonds and mortgages, gradually
squeezed his customers closer and closer,
and sent them at length dry as sponge
from his door.
In this way he made money hand over
hand, became rich and mighty man,
and exalted his cooked hat upon change.
lie built himself, as usual, vast house
out of ostentation, but left the greater
part of It unfinished and unfurnished
out of parsimony. He even set up o
carriage In the fullness OF his vainglory,
though he nearly starved the horsess
which drew 1t; and rs the ungreased
wheels groaned and screeched on tho
axletrees you would have thought you
heard the souls of the poor debtors he
was squeezing.
AS Tom waxed old. however, he grew
thoughtful. Having secured the good
things of this world, he began to feel
anxious about those Of the next. He
thought with regret on tho bargain he
had made with his black friend, and set
his wits to work to cheat him out of the
conditions. He became. therefore. all
of sudden, violent church goer. lie
prayed loudly and strenuously, as "
heaven were to be taken by force OF
lungs. Indeed, one might always tell
when he had sinned most during the week
by the clnmor of his Sunday devotion.
The quiet Christians who had been mod.
estly and steadfastly travelling Zionward
were struck with self reproach at seeing
themselves 80 suddenly outstripped In
their career by this new made con-
vert. Tom was as rigid In relig-
ious as In money matters; he was a
stern supervisor and censurer OF his
neighbors, and seemed to think every sin
entered up to their account became a
credit on his own side Of the page. He
even talked Of the expediency Of reviving
the persecution of Quakers and Anabap-
lists. In word, Toms zeal became as
notorious as his riches.
Still, in spite Of all this strenuous at-
tention to forms, Tom had q lurking
dread that the devil, after all, would
have his due. That he might not be
taken unawares, therefore, 1t Is said he
always carried small Bible In his coat
pocket. He had also great folio Bible
on his counting house desk, and would
frequently he found reading 1t when peo-
pie called on business; on such occasions
he would lay his green spectacles on the
book, to mark the place. while he turned
round to drive some usurious bargain.
Some say that Tom grew o little crack
Drained in his old days. and that fnncying
his end approaching, he had his horse
now shod, saddled and bridlcd, and buried
with his feet uppermost. because he sup.
posed that mt the last day tho world would
be turned upside down, In which case Inc
should find his horse standing ready for
mounting, and ne was determined at the
worst TO give his old friend O run for it.
This, however, is probably mere old
wives fable. If he really did take such q
precaution It was totally superfluous; OF
least SO says tho authentic old legend,
which closes his story In the following
manner;
On one hot afternoon In the dog days,
lust as terrible black thunder gust was
coming up, Tom sat In his counting
house In his white linen cap and India
silk morning gown. lie was on the point
of foreclosing a mortgage, by which he
would complete the ruin Of an unlucky
land speculator for whom he had pro
fessed the greatest friendship. The pooI
land jobber begged him 10 grant few
few months Indulgence. Tom had
grown testy and irritated and refused
another day.
'My family will be ruined and brought
upon the parish" said the land jobber.
"Charity begins at home," replied Tom
81 must take care Of myself In these
hard times"
"You have made so much meney ouI
of me-" said the speculator.
Tom lost his patience and his piety-
''The devil take me-" said he, "h have
made farthingr'
Just then there were three loud knocks
at the street door. He stepped out K
see who was there. A black man wal
holding q black horse which neigbed and
stamped with impatience.
"Tom, you're come forF said the blach
fellow, gruffly. Tom shrunk hack, bul
too Late. He had left bis little Bibl'
at the bottom Of his coat pocket
and his big Bible on the desk burieC
under the mortgage he was about e
| forecloseS never was sinner taken mor'
unawarcs. Tho black man whisked hin
| like child a5tride the horne ano aNhl
he galloped In the midst Of a thundei
storm. The clerks stuck their pens be
hind their ears and stared after him from
/ the windows Away went Tom Walker
dashing down the street; his white car
I boiling up and down. his riorning gowT
/ fiuftering In tho wind. and his sieec
/ striking fire out % the pavement al ever
bound When the clerks turned TO lool
/ for the black man he bad disappeared
Tom Walker never returDed % fore
clos-e the mortgage. A cOuntTyrnan WIZ
lived on the borders a. the swamp 70
ported that In the height Of The thundel
qua be had heard a great Gathering q
hoofs and a bowling along the rad. ant
! that whfn he ran 10 the Windows he JUS
caught sight q q figure. such - i hav'
describTd. On q bore that ralloped hk.
mad scruss tie felds, Over TIE halls and