El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-25
CHAPTER NNI.
JUE IUIkY MAN,


No one ever accused Mr.. Reginald Loss
ing of having brains; no one ever denied
that he had luck which was Inonumen-
tai. He had "a name for luck which was
looked up to- and maryeled ut, even in the
society papers.
Mr. LOSING had no settled trade or pro
fcssion. He was just lily in the way of
toll and dress. and he made "A very COM
Portable income ut il. He dabbled in out
siders ON the turf, in shares of uncharted
gold mines. in the fascinating game of
unlimited. too. and WAS able 10 look cum
plaeently on the results He Went into all
these and other operations with Il genial.
childish simplicity, and Ike the barker at
roulette there always seemed steady pull
I'm his favor. How il was done no one
knew. He did not know himself, and Ire
and all his world Inarv-led and prophesied
that his luck would some day turn with
rush and n sweeping tide.
When he got mixed up with The shelf
affair il seemed as IL this would he the
case.
There was omething very near akin tn
n I,anic in LloydS when the total loss of
the Port Edc> WIS reported, and those un-
fortunatcs vino had underwrittcn her wcrc
anxious To- dispose III their risks at any
,,-ice to- any crc,iulous man who believed
that this first report WAS a canard. Con
sequently there pretty siccp
gambling gone through i'll the space of
minutes, and more than one small man
got broke with surprising rapidity-
Now, Master Io-sing happened to bo i'll
the room ~ AL idle spectator and was bit
with the excitement and asked friend
who was n member to act for him. I'm
going to- play - hand in this, - quoth Mas
ter LOSING
AT that price," asked his friend.
When they get to- ~ guineas premium.
liable for about EIu. 500. There's $40.
600 underwritt.n.
I'm good for that. said LOSING and
an hour aftcrward proved himself -, -
hc had la pay. To tins day many Lluyds
men who wcrc interested ia that scene
congratulate themselves ON having made
80. 500 salvage 10y "a luke ont uf "a ship
that WAS totally lost
1t began to- dawn Losing after the
event that ms had made a fool of himself
and that his luck was through, but me had
the sense nut to whine aloud, and 80 his
friends forgot the matter i'll the excite
ment of other interests Tossing did not
forget, because the bank had written tn
him that his account was oycrdrawn, and
he had several bills which much wanted
paying. UnostentatiUusly lie began tn
look about him for n means of making "a
more regular and steady livelihood.
last did not seem any appreciably nearer.
he was able tn give full attention To n let
ter hc received concerning the Port Edes
aid her cargo. 1t WAS unsigned and bore
an American postrnark. 1t ran Is follows:
SIR hear that you now legitimate
owner of the Port Eds=s and her cargo She
was picked up at sea and il now in the Ever
glad.s of Florida in thorc followed the exact
latitude and longitude The specie * taken
out Of her, and you Will find 1t by digging
thcre came elaborate cross hearings and dircs:-
tions,. IL you "A wise and wish to
JOY what IL now your own. you will say ~ lit
tie about 1t To any one ~ possible.
The communication was, to- say she
least of 1t, mysterious, hut because, Loss
ing was fool he did not many pos
sibilitics ia il man with more iInagi-
nation might have done He determined
to find out how tbs matter lay with his
own eyes. and with that purpose journey
ed TIA the hotel ut Point Sebastian, now
rebuilt with new magnificence. 1t was
the winter season, and the place was
crowded, and among the crowd was Loss