The Washington herald., 1907-03-31
CHAPTER TX.

When Tom Truscott sat on the revolv-
ing seat of the New York Pullman-the
Congressional Limited-and thought over
his latest escapade, the hot blood rushed
10 his face. He was mortified. ashamed.
abashed. at his actions. Carried on by the
desire to win; to win not only for himself,
hut for his partners. he had gone a step
too far He had transgressed the laws of
good craftsmanship he had played un-
fairly, and fate had decreed an ample
punishment.
As the rapidly moving train puffed on
ward 10 Philadelphia. the full Nervousness
uf his ofense began 10 dawn upon him.
IIe grew nervous. ever irritable When
tHe little, snub-faced trainboy came
through the ear saying that he had AN
de lates' magazines, Puck, Judge, and
I.-i-i-i-fe," TruscotJ writhed in mortal
agony The fresh, little boy even threw
as red-covered novel into his lap, Read
de lates' story" he shrired; DE bigges'
sellin' novel of de year. De novel as has
got De Crisis skinned TO er whisper, and
makes George Ade and Jack London look
like tirty cents" Truscott let fly some
epithets that would not have mgratiated
him with the president of the road. How
they ever allow such cussed nuisance
Ola these trains is beyond my ken. he
said aloud Take this cussed book
away" and seizing the red-cOvered novel,
with its brilliant gold letter, he hurled it
across the car into an empty seat. where
it sprawled in all its twentieth century
taWdryness.
Era f,ff ef,ty -9fz1srzra4 f,, fff R,s,--,r
with all the world. He fully realized
what the clean, honest spoTtsmen in far
away Virginia would now think of him.
He liked these people. He loved their
careless ways, theirl impecuniousness,
their grace, their sporting blood. He
treasured their good opinion of him. And
what must 1t be now? How would these
good kind. farming people feel toward
the man who had wrecked a racing part
nership and mad shattered the hopes Of
two as gallant sportsmen as had ever
come from the State?
The more that Truscott thought about
it the graver appeared his offense. One
thing came foremost in his mind over
and above all the conflicting thoughts
and emotions which filled his troubled
brain. He must make restitution. he
must return to Virginia, suffer arrest
imprisonment, perhaps. but he must re-
turn the losings OF The Fauquier Stables
10 his two irresponsible partners He
must clear himself in their estimation, at
least, and must show them that to the
end he was their friend, and not their
enemy; that he was a clean fighter, and
not a dishonest crook.
When Truscott ate a hasty meal at the
Broad street station, Philadelphia, he
began 20 formulate a plan. When he was
walking over the white tiling to the
wrought-iron gates that shut the willing
public from the trains, he had il half
thought out. When the train pulled into
the series OF cattle sheds at Trenton,
under which the passengers are supposed
TO hover between trains. he had il map
ped out TO all but the smallest detail. As
he closed the window, outside Of New
ark, y. J.. in order to keep out the
stencil from the bone factories, he had
determined upon his drst move. And
when be walked down TO the Desbrosses
street ferry az Jersey City he was ali
ready 70 begin operations.
IL is certain that some men are born
with a genius Tor particular work II is
only too certain that TO Napoleon was
given the genius for organization. equip
ment advance. and retreat in military
affairs: that mis- same genius was in
Hannibal. Caesar, Wellington (t0 a lesser
cXtent). and in Washington. 1t is only
TOO certain that literary genius is born
only in the few. Once a century is 4
man produced whose written words are
worthy OF repetition a quarter of a cen
tury after his death. Once a century IS
poet born whose lyrics survive the raw
ages Of time. and the heat and conflict Of
the ages. Financial genius. genius for
speculative enterprise. is possessed by
equally few. Often temporary success
IN the world of money and banking is
sufficient TO turn an individuals head.
The hnancier Of the hour Is not the finan-
cier of the age. The king of speculative
enterprise Of the day is not the king OF
speculative enterprise Of history. Who
backed the South Sea Bubble2 No one
knows VINO backed the advance Of
BTaddOck and the American Revolution?
Franklin. Both were speculative. both
gambIed with the fate and desrinies of
Englfsh-speaking people. Both were great
CANDLES. Only one was successful
70 TruseoIt had been given a certain
genius, q genius for speculative enter
prise. Il had not shown Itself 70 adyan-