Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-08
H PLUNGER.

| LOnuOn Dank--a sinai private Ddnh-dHo
he had held that oncrous position for the
last Is years. His salary was ESQ pei
annum. Three years ago he had contrived
to get engaged, and, of course, the girl
was penniless.
sit is sink or swim with me now, he
said again. AT the end of the year !
leave old Fletcher g. Harrison and start
working in earnest. | would loon be
anything--a crossing sweeper, If You like
than stay on there any longer. l an,
burning my ships. cannot keep that
poor little girl Of mine waiting any longer.
I have sold out all my investments, kept
enough to keep me for half a year, with
economy, and put the rest into a good
thing I had wind of the other day. 1t is
safe, of course; but with any luck it will
pay so per cent some day"
"You utter fool, was all l could trust
myself to say.
I'VE shall see,'' he replied composedly.
SIN u years time, independently Of what l
can make by journalism, l expect my
ca, 900 will be worth EGO, 900. Then I
shall SELL"
ooh, you will sell then, will your And
you expect to make money by journalism,
ROOI 11l1lOCCuUl a VnOuSuuu q JCtl III VAlut
I suppose. Well, l only hope you may"
I regarded him with mingled feelings Of
contempt and envy-contempt for his
madness, envy of his sanguine tempera-
ment.
II know you fellows who write think
no one can make anything at 1t but your
selves" March spoke with a tolerant
smile at my infrmities. II mean to show
you that business habits are bound to pay
even in your profession"
IT am afraid you will not have many
receipts to enter in your ledgers," I re-.
torted. Poor march, I do not think he
had one single qualification for journal
ism. l felt unfeignedly sorry for him.
"You don't know me yet" were his
words as he left my room that night. The
CHEEKY ring of his voice left me In some
doubt whether l might not be mistaken.
OF course gamblers do succeed sometimes.
l saw nothing more of March for some
time.
Early in February I came across him
walking vigorously along Holborn. He
was shabby, but buoyant. He expatiated
largely IN his economical habits. He had
found a bed sitting room at s shillings =
week and was working hard. The shares
were going up slowly, but steadily. How
ever, there vas no hurry about them.
No; he had not made much out Of journal
ism yet, but he had always expected to
! find it a bit Of a struggle at first. He
tried hard to speak with the old hopeful
tone, but it was an effort, and his eyes
wore a haggard look. l urged him to sell
out his shares while they were up, but he
al as firm as a rock.
"Twenty thousand is my figure for
| those shares, " he said. "Not q farthing
less" wal glad afterward to know that
I had given him a respectable meal, for !
believe the poor beggar was nearly starv-
ing then.
1t was not until June that we met once
more. l happened to be walking along
the Strand in the afternoon. A man was
walking along the gutter, dressed in the
tracing no small amount of attention
from the crowd. Ho was distributing
small handbills TO the passersby, and hs
handed one to me. As he did SO Dur eyes
met, and I saw that he was March. He
turned away quickly when he saw that I
recognized him. / could not stop, Edith
was with me; but when we got to the
theater l told her his story, and the dear
girl insisted on my going out between the
I acts to try and find him. 1t took me Il
long time, but at last I ran him to earth
In a little by street near Charing Cross.
pressed a sovereign on him, but he
would have nothing Of it. He said, with
quite the old humorous air, that he had
been offered a place OIL the staff Of a lead
ing newspaper and was only doing this
to keep himself going until he could take
up the appointment.
my dear fellow" L. demonstrated,
"surely 1t would be worth while to realize
on q few Of those shares just to tide over
for tho present" l did not know that
they were practically unsaleable at that
time, nor did he tell me that. He con-
trived a laugh as he reiterated his old de-
termination. to hold on at all costs. / slip
ped the sovereign into his hand when he
was not looking and ran off.
"It's q debt, them" he called after me.
And I fully believe he meant it. That
man was as Proud as Lucifer.
A year passed away. / had taken a
house in Surrey and rarely came up to
London now except on business. One day
l had occasion to call on a firm in the city.
Halt way down Walbrook there was q
block. I pushed forward to see. A news.
paper seller, it seemed, had fallen down in
a fit or dead. Presently the body was
lifted into the ambulance and wheeled of
toward the hospital. As it passed by ]
strove in vain to get a glimpse Of the face,
for an unreasonable suspicion seized me
that it might be my friend. l was unduly
depressed all that evening. l resolved to
look In at the hospital next morning.
"Oh, I remember that chapl' an at
tendant said, Nothing much the matter
tainted from want Of food, fancy.
Curious thing was he made out that he
had Just come into a fortune-33O, 900, ]
| think he said. A bit touched in the head,
I expect"
"Where is hea What was his namep"
asked eagerly.
; .'Sent him out last night. He was we'll
enough after he'd had some brandy and q
hunk Of bread. Some name like Clark OF
Stark or Something monosyllable OF
sorts"
Twas it MarchP Because If so'-
"March 1t was. How do you know any
thing about it2' And 1t was March, after
all. saw his wedding announced in the
paper this morning. 1t wal the shook Of
reading Tin the copy Of, the paper he waa
selling) that the director Of his mine had
receive q cable announcing the discovery
Of q new and valuable gold bearing reef on
their property that csused his sudden col.
lapse. The gamble had turned out q suc-
CESS, but even now the gambler does not
| like to talk much about that years. expe