The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-12-20

. -- <Fiib i ~ lIldl, II i
] should learn that L had staked a larg
D part of my entire fortune on a singI
! gambling operation, he would s~traightwa
! cut me off from his confidence, would loo
on me as too deeply tainted by my lon
I career as a "bucket-shop" man to b
worthy of full rank and power as a finar
cier. Financiers do not gamble. Thei
only vice is grand larceny.
All this was flashing through my min,
while / was thanking him.
am glad to have such a long fore
warning" | was saying. Can / be o
use to YOU? You know my machinery i
perfect can buy anything and in an,
quahtlty without starting rumors ant
drawing the crowd"
No thank you, Matthew" was his an
swer. Il have all of those stocks 1 wisi
at present."
Whether it is peculiar to me, l dom
knoW-probabiy tt my memory is So
constituted that 1t takes an indelible and
complete impression of whatever Is sen
TO 1t by my eyes and ears; and just as
by looking closely you can find in a pho
t~ographic plate a hundred details thai
escape your glance, so on those memory
plates OF mine | often find long afterward
many and many a detail that escaped ms
when my eyes and ears were taking the
impression. On my memoir plate of that
moment in my interview with Rocbuck.
ma details so significant that my failing
to note them at the time shows how unfit
then was to guard my interests. For M
stance, l find that just before he spoke
those words declining my assistance and
implying that he had already increased his
holdings, he opened and closed his hands
several times, finally closed and clinched
thefl-a sure sign of energetic nervous ac-
uot' ara IN that particular instance a
sign OF deception, because there was no
energy IN his remark and n roaco, rn,
energy. i am not superstitious. but I be-
lleVo in palmfStry to a certain extent.
Even more than the face are the hands a
sensitive recorder of what is passing in
the mind.
But was then too intent upon nv dill
emma carefully to study a man who had
already lulled me into absolute confidence
in him. / left him as soon as he would
let me go. His last words were. n
gambling, Matthew! No abuse of the on
Portunity God is giving us. BE content
with the just profits from investment. /
nave seen gamblers come and go, many Of
them able men-yery able men. But they
have melted away and where are thew,
AND | have remained and have increased.
blessed be God who has saved me from
the temptations to try to reap where / had
not sowrI! / feel that / can trust YOU.
You began as a speculator, but success
has steadied you, and you have put your
seif on the firm ground where we see the
solid men into whose hands God has given
the development of the Astounding re-
sources OF this beloved country of ours.
DO you wonder that I went away with a
heart full of shame for the gambling pro-
Jects my mead was planning upon the in
formation that good man had given me?
shut myself in my private office for
several hours of hard thinking-as I can
now see, the first real attention i had
~ URn - \ A If1 ~ t,2 @-,- ~
soon became clear enough that my Textile
plunge was a folly; but 1t was too late to
retrace. The only question was. could
ana s'hluld | assume additional burdens?
L l~1ned at the National Coal problem from
every standpoint-so 1 thought. And I
could see no possible risk. Did not Roe
statement make it certain as sun
rise that, as soon as the reorganization
was announced, all coal stocks would rise?
Yes, l should be risking nothing; I could
with absolute safety stake my credit. to
make contracts to buy coal stocks at pres
ent prices for future delivery was no
more of gamble than depositing cash in
the United States treasury.
you've gone back to gambling lately
Matt said ] to myself. You've been on
a bender, with your head afire. You must
get out OF this Textile business as soon as
possible. But it's good sound sense to
plunge on the coal stocks. In fact. your
profits there would save you If by some
Textile should rise instead OF
Ian. Actins on RoebIck's tip isn't gam
bling. it's insurance.
emerged to issue orders thai soon
threw into the National Coal venture all
I had not staked on a falling market for
Textiies. | was not content-as the MONS
g~ambling-hater, Roebuck, had begged me
TO be-With buying only what stock I could
pay for; | went plunging on, contracting
for many times the amount I could have
bought outright.
The next time I saw I,anedon r was AN
OF enthusiasm for Roebuck. / can see his
smile as he listened.
II had no idea you were an exnert On
the trumpets of praise, Blackjack" said
ne hnalty. "a very snowy ACCOMPLISH
men, he added, but rather Dangerous.
don't you think? The player may become
enchanted by his own music"
= try TO look on the bright side of
things" said I, even OF human nat,,ran
SIM when?" drawled he,
/ laughed-a good, hearty laugh. for tbis
shy reference to my affair Of the hear
tickled me. l enjoyed to the full onIv IN
long retrospect the look he gave me.
AZ coon as a man falls In love- said
ne, trustees should be appointed to ! |
of his estate"
You're wrong there, old man, "a
Hsvef worked harder or with !
q clearer head thar since / learned tbat
Ihere are'-I hesita ted, and ended lamelyN
other things in l.fe.s
ltangdonas handsome face s,ddapl,
aarkened, and Thought / saw In Me go
look Of savage pain. II envy Won" sssa
he with an effort at his wonted ligbtnas,
and synicisrn. But that look to,icba5 nv
heart; 4 talked no more OF my own hanni.
ness, To dofso,sI felt would be like bring
aaghte into the house of grief.