Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-01-17
HIS FAILURE.

I should never have known that he
was a failure II he had not told me so
himself. Most assuredly he had not the
air Of one. For his coats were always
fashionably cut, and his taste in liqueurs
was almost as delicate as my own, and
he could afford to crafty it far moro
frequently.
Such was tho testimony Of appearance,
and so far as 1 knew his history it point
cd to the same conclusion. He had been,
l understood, a writer, like myself,
though even less successful, and then
fortunate speculations'' had enabled
him to retire from a calling which he
found more honorable than
tive and spend his afternoons in playing
billiards at the club.
And yet Everard Deane esteemed him
self a failure. He told me so emphatic
ally one evening at the hour when
truth "peeps over the glass's edge when
dinners done"
at was oil that COMPOUNDED Stock Ex-
change" he murmured, gazing gloom
lily into a glass Of green chartreuse.
I begged him to accept my cordial
congratulations. "It's u better way to
fail than most" 1 said. For 1 had
known so many who failed upon the
Stock Exchange and lived happily
drinking champagne and driving about
in broughams-ever afterward.
But Everard Deane protested.
az don't mean what you mean" he
said. II didn't lose money on the Stock
Exchange. 1 made it-lots Of it. That
is the mischief Of it. That ia precisely
why l am n failure"
He looked gloomier than ever as he
spoke and ordered II second green char
treuse.
Jerking his head 80 as to indicate a
man at the farther end Of the room-a
we'll dressed man, excessively bejeweled
with whom, half an hour since. he
had cordially shaken hands. he whis-
pered:
"That is the man who has been my
evil genius. You know himT'
81 think so. It's Morrison Parker, the
great %financier, isn't it?"
at is. and Morrison Parker, the great
fnancier, has been my evil genius It's
q foolish story, but 1 sometimes like to
tell it after dinner. A brandy and solar
/ accepted, and when the waiter had
brought the glasses Everard Doane re-
sumed:
~ vas In author, you know-a young
author-with great aims and high am
billions. l made enough money to live
upon by writing for the papers, but ]
looked upon literature, not as a trade,
but as an art. l was a member OF the
Waste Paper club, whore all Of US pro
fessed TO take the same artistic views Of
life and letters and sat up till the small
hours discussing Thorn through "A hazt
Of tobacco smoke and steaming grog.
was very happy there until the day cam
when Morrison Parker joined the club
he owned n newspaper-The Stock Elk
change Recorder, l think he called it
and therefore he was technically quail,
fed. But when he came and sat up with
us in the small hours he did not tall
literature. He talked finance.
"Yet the W. subjects may occasion.
ally have relations with each other, "
suggested.
Precisely. That is the point thai
Morrison Parker used to insist upon,
especially when he had had a good day
and made us drink champagne witt
him TO celebrate his luck. Why do 81
many half educated city men profess h
look down on authors?' he would ask
And then he would answer his owl
question. Because there isn't one au
thor in 500 who knows how TO max
81, 900 a year. That has always beel
the great reproach of letters, from DIR
Johnson's time to ours. It's high tim
TO put an end to that reproach. VIII.
don't you fellows do it?'"
sighed, wishing that l knew how t
put an end TO IL myself, and then l ask
ed;
"And did your friend descend iron
the general to the particular and tel
you bow II could be done7'
"He did. He told us all to open
speculative account In Louisvilles.
"LouisvillesF That is the name Of Al
American railroad, / believer"
at Is. And opening a speculative nc
count means buying the shares withou
being able TO pay for them, selling then
az q profit and putting the difference Il
your pocket. Simple, isn's iSY"
VERY SIMPLE" ! said. "The meres