Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10


sold to eastern men for that price, cash.
They belonged to Mr.. Wheelan. Grove
has sold five lots to the Gaming factory
for thousand dollars apiece" Gus re-
ported. Il had an offer of twelve hundred
two hundred down, and the rest in two
years; but 1 told him ii was fifteen hun
dred or nothing. They've found indica-
lions of natural gas" However, Ii2Zie's
pleadings were so strong that he sought
the buyer, no less a parsonage than the
president of the Arcadia railway. and
offered to sell.
Hump said Mr.. Gault CGault was the
great mans name), I've bought elsewhere.
You're the day after the fair, my Christian
friend. But maybe We can fix a trade. Tell
you what: I'll give you thousand in Ar
cadia, selling for one twenty-five the
street now, but 1 call it par. and my note
for four hundred dollars for six months.
How's that?'
Thus it happened that Gus went home
with an announcement Of the sale of 1903
for one thousand six hundred and fifty
dollars He was buoyantly delighted, talk
ing or the new parlor furniture and even a
watch for Lizzie. 1t was provoking to have
Lizzie look SO serious when he explained
that there wasn't any ready money exactly;
she couldn't seem to understand that the
stock was just as good He really had a
finance.
Chuckling over the vision of Lizzie when
ne should bring, say six hundred or So dol
lars' ana ming the notes in her work bias ket
Gus tried TO sell his stock. But somehow
he found no buyers. And. somehow, though
outwardly the boom was booming as up-
roariously as ever; though the real estate
bulletins bristled grandly with figures and
prices were stiff; and brass bands PLAYED in
front of the real estate Offices; and the daily
journals waxed eloquent over the towns
prospects. underneath all this clamor was
sinister timidity. Nobody was buying
| Within month there was a general eau
tious retreat of the spectators. The re-
treat became rout At last Gus came
hay, nna
| and flung his head upon the table and
groaned. He believed that Lizzie was in
| her chamber. but she was there, in the
shadow, waiting; and she came forward
and lifted his head from the table to hold
| 1t against her heart. Let us bear II to-
gether. dear" said Gus wife.
Then the man tried to straighten his
shoulders and hold up his head with a mis-
nothing. Just yawning. I'm dead beat,
chasing round town after the scoundreL
Lizzie. Gault's gone. sloped."
Exactly. Canada, 1 guess leaving a
pretty mess behind him. The Arcadia's
| busted Stock isn't worth a cent: no more
| than his swindling note. He hasn't paid a
dollar for 1903; all could do was TO get It
| back He would have nailed me TO make
| the payments, and sold IL, but / was in
time: though Lord knows how I'll raise
money for the next payment, next month"
| little pause, during which Lizzie only
stroked his hair. before she said, timidly:
| Dear. they say the boom is burst. Don't
you think We better-we better let 1903 20,
and not try-it will be so hard to raise that
money and more in another six months and
1t takes so long for a boom to come back,
and there are the taxes and the interest"
| A savage laugh stopped her. and Gus
| leaped up and began pacing the room. Il
| tell you cayn't do II, Lizzie / cayn't bear
it. Maybe I'm just finging good money
after bad; but after the way I've worked
and hoped and planned. / cayn't stand IL
to see that lot slip out Of my fingers. The
property's bound TO come up, you know"
! But 1t was one thing to resolve to make
| the payments, quite another TO raise the
| money. How bitterly did Gus revile his ex-
travagance during the season of 1303's ficti-
:ious prosperity. His smart new clothes
! his new hat. his cravat. were odious to him.
You bruter' he accused himself, while
your poor wife did not spend useless
penny" He worked over hours TO get
money. He stinted himself every possible
| way. The peaceful evening pipe was sacri-
| feed; he ate dry roll for his luncheon.
One morning he brought bundle to the
Emporium. Not only his new clothes and
| hat but his watch and Lizzie's cherished
| table cover were spread on the counter for
| Mrs. Groves lack-luster eye. Can YOU
| give fifty dollars for the LOTT" Gus
asked, trying to keep the tremble out of his
| voice.
Your wife know bout that there kiver?"
| Gus was too wretched for retort; he nod
ded. The secondhand woman" eyed him
not keenly, but in her usual expressionless
| fashion.
"She knows" said Gus clearing his dry
throat: "she-she gave me ten dollars; it's
our second payment on the lot 1909
| Guess you wish you'd follered my ad-
| vice"
Gus hopping his brow. and his eyes
slittering with anxiety. forced sickly
kind of smile. Guess you bout hit IL that
time" said he.
well, why don't You foller It now? Let
them sharks take their darned old weed
patch back"
| ouiyer ran over tho wanna -,o~,. x.,.
face. while he began to gather up the loose
| articles.
Quit that. 1 s'pose you'd go somewhere
| else II you can't git what you want. Well :"
She opened the till and took out five ten
dollar bills, saying. There, I'm a fool too
and that's pair of u.s."
Gus thanked her warmly, but she gave
him no answer beyond staring at him
through his faltering speech.
We'll, amt 1 fool-' he heard her re-
mark to herself. as he hurried away.
| Though he had the money he was a
wretched man. 1t Inundated him to take
| Lizzie's hard earnings. Worse than all
| there WIS the insurance money. For years
Gus had kept his life insured. The thought
| that II anything happened to him Lizzie
| would have a little sum to help her face
the wolf had comforted him in MANY a
hard experience. Now 1t would be i'm
possible for him to raise enough by To-
morrow TO make the payment "Oh. we'll
| nothing is going to happen to me-" said
| Gus, land I'm bound TO stick to l303,''
| he was impressed With the different an
pearance of the Office when he went to raw
his note. Dismally quiet were the rooms
which had been so thronged. The few, men
lounging about read the bulletin boards
and talked in an undertone with froyns
and significant mods and fittings of The
eyebrows. While Gus stood waiting for his
receipt and absently gazing out Of the win
dow the number of signs ITO Let and
For Sale" which met his eye made his
heart shrink. At that moment IL he could
have got SIP principal and interesO out
of the hands of the affable young man with
the diamond pin he would have abandoned
1903 and fed. But the day of grace was
| passed.
He went down the marble stems into the
street The first object to greet him was
notice Of sheriff's sale tackled on to an
unfinished building. Yes the bomb had
burst Like an echo of his thought a tu-
multi of noises rose behind him. Wells Of
rake care! Look outr' pierced the
clatter OF wheels and the mad GALLON of
hoofs But he never saw the peril. the
heavy wagon, the frenzied horses and pallid
| driver; they were on him before he could
| turn his head. The Mortified people closed.
| IN the wake of the runaway over a tram.
| pied heap of clothes pulled from under the
| wreck OF wagon. Something like "A dripping
| req piotch, with a black circle jammci over
| II, meant mans head under his hat
| The driver limped up presently His FIRST
| inquiry after his horses having been graft
ned by the sight of them with Reads bang
| ing, knees TREMBLING