The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-21

much blood has been shed that he has quarraled with everybody"
 "The Fortunate Youth" wrote Lord March in a letter to George Selweyn, the famous wit, whose jokes as we read them now seem so sadly like corked wine, shas an estate In Virginia as big as Yorkshire. He has had the devils luck here, and if you can settle our Epson account please hand him k35O. which I still owe him after pretty well emptying my pocketbook. Lord Ches- tsrfield has dropped six hundred to him. He has won our money in very gem tlemanlike manner"
 He fought his battiees like q hero, gamester's battles though they were. He was not fiustered by good luck or cast down by bad. By George" said MT. Seiwyn in a rare it of enthusiasm( "you deserve to win. Your treat your fortune as a gentleman shouldF
 Now, how did Harry get the capital to begin his gaming? In his stately letters to the Princess Pocahontas he did not enlarge on this part of his ca- reer, nor suggest to her that he was living fin a fashion which even the sim pie Virginia lady would perceive as incomparable with an allowance of E25o a year.
 In London there l aytwo sums of E5. 900 each, one in Harry's name and InG OLuEE III OSOA 8O D. @ASS@ h00 V"''sa left to them directly. The latter Harry would not touch. He had not even caused it's transfer to his name. It seemed like natural act of love Tor the departed to let 1t lie as it was,
 But of his own he had taken $500. He did not mention to the Princess Pocahontas that he had thus begun to spend his capital. His luck at lang uuenet and macco swel1ed it to thous- ands. But he bought fine clothes, fine horses and made generous presents. He was free and kind with Fortuna tus's purse in his pocket. The un- lucky had. but to ask aud he stood ready to lend or give.
 In short, he was for a time wild, harum- scarum, dissipated fortunate youth. There was but one fly in his ointment. It was his engagement to Lady Maria. Somehow that dream had faded very soon. and he could not shut his eyes though the poor lad tried honorably enough. to the fact that it was paint and not bloom, art and not charm, that had affected him so pow erfuIly at first.
 He did not pine any more to hold her hand in some dim corner, He kissed no more dead roses. No longer did he all but swoon with bliss when she called him her Enrico and swore that she would never, never take from her heart the sachet that held her precious letter in which he had asked her to be his.
 Cousin Will had showed him the record of her age. Other tongues had whispered to him of her past career and the lack of spicy detail was due only to an uncomfortable habit he had l of clappinR his hand to his sword and telling officious gentlemen that they would have to answer for anything they might say:
 His honest mind never entertained and thought of breaking his words. He would not even permit himself to sus- pect that he had been trapped. Baroness Bernstein pleaded with him | in vain. He declared that he would marry Maria despite the fact that she was as old as his mother. Tn his stur- dy loyalty he even paid her debts when she got into trouble over the money she owed. It made another hole in his pat rimony. but this did not prevent him from going to Whites again and risk l ing some more.
 1 Luck turned against the Fortunate | Youth. He had to take recourse again | to his patrimony. It melted away In | the next nights like the thousands that | he had won in his brief. bright, daz- l zling career.
 | Then my Lord Castlewood. long dis gusted with himself at letting others win what he might win. suggested a little game of piquet. When 1t was done. Castlewood was the richer by a thousand pounds.
 That evening the Fortunate Youth goes into Whites and sits down with Lord March and others. He is no more fortunate than he has been in preced- ing nights. He calls for more counters and more. Then a little pale and silent but very easy and polite. he gets ur and goes home. He has lost all his winnings and all his patrimony--fivs thousand pounds gone in three nights | An. to think that a Virginian Princes back should be slapped by a hgged lbaiIiffs follower! That Mime Esmond'i son should be In a sponging house Yet to such a pass in the rake's pro- rress had Harry come quickly enough
 It was however. rage and annoy anoe that Harry felt more than wor-
 rv He had friends. So hA sent tc
 Lord Castlewood, telling him that
 uttle matter of five hundred pounds
 had caused his detention. And would
 Lord Castlewood be good enough tc
 make him a loan out of what he hae