The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1904-08-26
THE MUSIC OF MONEY
BY NEWT NEwKIRK.


BaptisteLaCroix was Weazened,
withered, little and old when he
came alone from France to New
Orleans. He died there, but that
was in 1901, so his story has been
lost to the world in the years that
have passed. Baptiste LaCroix
had god-Baptiste LaGroiX
loved but one kind of music-his
god was money and his music was
the chink of the shining metal.
Often, as he walked, Baptiste
thrust his hands into his pockets
and ran his trembling fingers
among a few coins that he always
carried, so that they would clink
together. Then his eyes would di-
late, his step would quicken and
over his scared face would creep a
smile, but it was a smile that
chilled smile of a miser. He
never did this within the hearing
of anyone but himself. Baptiste
was selfish of his music, and be
sides he feigned to be poor-so
poor that the covering was worn
off the buttons on his coat and the
cloth upon his elbows thin and pol
ished with long seryice-so poor
that he scarcely bought food sutli-
cient to sustain him, and therefore
he sometimes went hungry. He
was often called a beggar and was
as often pleased, for if the world
believed him poor the world would
not rob him. Poor Baptiste!
lie brought with him from over
the sea two chests which were
bound in iron, and stout. They
were small, but they were heavy.
In the old French Quarter of New
Orleans the miser bought a house.
The reason he bought il was be-
cause the house was put up at sale
TO satisfy a creditor and went for
a song. The building was not large
certainly not beautiful-but it
was strong, the walls were thick.
and that sufficed. Into this house
the miser moved the two chests
and within il he lived. It's sole ten
ant. When the nights were dark
he would close the shutters, bolt
the door. and, by the light of Il
sputtering candle. unlock the
chests and filter through his trem-
bling fingers the gold and silver
coins that filled them, until his
heart would pound in unwonted
rhythm 10 their music. Baptiste
would then relock the chests, push
them under his bed. tie the KEYS
about his neck, blow out the can
die and creep TO bed, where the
blended echoes of gold and silver
would lnll him To sleep. When
there was Il moon, enough light fl
tered through the windows 10
make the candle an expensive lux
ury. Moonlight cost him nothing.
Baptiste began to look about
him for some means whereby he
might add to his store Of wealth;
the more money, the meirier mu
sic. There were profits 10 be made
in the traffic of slaves. He inyesti.
gated and learned that men about
him had become rich in that bust
ness; they had made money that
might as we'll have been his. But
the buying and selling of slaves
had risk that terrified him.
These blacks were ill-treated and
ill-fed; many Of them were old and
one or more might die on his
hands. The loss of their lives was
nothing but-the loss of profits,
He wished he could have bought
and sold their souls, for he had
heard somewhere that souls never
die.
The conditions, however, were
before him and he must risk if he
would win. He bought with the
marvellous eye of a miser, in u
small way at first, but. as he
learned the tricks of the trade,
more extensively. Baptiste was 4
modest middleman. He knew
where to put his hands on such