Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-05-02
8. ruppose hs thought hin a nm.

naunt tne remoteSt conception what
he really was-and no doubt, also,
there are many who would honestly
take his view. AS if the fact that he
was horn with all possible advantages
did not make him and his plight mex
cusable.
mo, my dear Blackjack" said he.
cringing now as easily as he had con-
descended-how to cringe and bow to
c~ondescend are taught at the same
school, the n he had gone to all his
life. 1T is you I want to talk with.
And, first, I owe you my apologies. I
know you'll make allowances for one
who was new trained to business
methods I've always been like a child
in those matters"
you brighten me-" said I. 1.-THE
last gentleman who came throwing
me off my guard with that plea was
shrewd enough to get away with a
very large sum of my h~ard-earned
money Besides"-and l was laugh
ing, though not too good-naturedly-
I've noticed that you gentlemen be-
come vague about business only when
the balance is against you. When it's
in your favor, you manage to get your
minds on business long enough to col
lect to the last fraction of, a cent"
He heartily echoed my laugh. 81
only wish l were clever" said he.
However, I've come to ask your in.
diligence. I'd have been here before,
but those who owe me have been put.
ting me off. And they're of the sort
of people whom it's impossible to
press" ,
I'D like to accommodate you fur.
ther," said I, shedding that last little
hint as a cliff sheds rain, "but your
account has been in an unsatisfactory
state for nearly a month now"
I'm sure you'll give me a few days
longer" was his easy reply, as if we
were discussing a trife. by the way,
you haven't been to see us yet. Only
this morning my wife was wondering
when you'd come. You quite capti-
waited her, Blackjack. Can't you dine
with us tomorrow night-no, Sunday
at eight? We're having in a few
people think you'd like to meet"
"Glad to come" said l, wishing to be
rid of him, now that my point was
gained. We'll let the account stand
open for the present. rather think
your stocks are going up. Give my re-
CARDS to-the ladies, please, especially
to Miss Anita"
He WINGED, but thanked me grac
iously; gave me his soft, fine hand to
shake and departed, as eager to be off
as | TO be rid of him. Sunday next
at eight" were his last words. Don't
fail us"-that in the tone of a king adj
dressing some obscure person whom
he had commanded to court. 1t may
be that old Ellersly was wholly uncon-
scious of his superciliousness, fancied
he was treating me as if l were al
most an equal; but | suspect he rather
ac~centuated his natural manner, with
the idea of impressing upon me that
in our deal he was giving at least as
much as /.
My petty and inevitable success
with that helpless creature added
amazingly, ludicrously, to that dan
gerous citation which, as | can now
see, had been growing in me ever
since the day Roebuck yielded so read
lily to my demands as to National coal.
The whole trouble with me was that
up to that time l had won all my vic
tories by the plainest kind of straight
away hard work. l was imagining my
self victor in contests of wit against
wit, when, in fact, no n with any
especial eqipment of brains had ever
opposed me; all the really strong men
had been helping me because they
found me useful. But for my self.
hypnotism in the case of Roebuck, l
find no excuse whatever for myself.
He sent for me and told me what
share in National coal they had de-
cided to give me for my Manasquale
mines. "Langdon and Melville" said
he, think me too liberal; far too lib
eral, my boy. But l insisted-in your
case l felt we could afford to be gen.
erous as well as just" All this with
an air that was a combination of the
pastor and the parent.
l can't even offer the excuse of not
having seen that he was a hypocrite.
Il felt his hypocrisy at once, and my
first impulse was to jump for my
breastworks. But instantly my vanity
got behind me, held me in the open,
pushed me on toward him. If you will
notice, almost all confidence" games
rely for success chiefly upon enlisting
a mans vanity to play the traitor to
his judgment. So, instead of reading
his l~iberality as plain proof of intend
ed treachery, l read it as plain proof
of my own greatness, and OF the fear
1t had inspired in old Roebuck. Laugh
with me IL you like, but before you
laugh at me-, think carefully-those Of
you who have ever put yourselves to
the test on the field Of action-think
carefully whether you have never
found that your head decoration which
you thought a crown was in reality
the peaked and belled cap of the fool.
(To be Continued.)