Evening star., 1909-06-24

! back on time. Blacarda will move
/ heaven and earth to keep you away. He
knows by now, as We all do-that you
weren't boasting when you said your
presence in the lobby meant all the differ
ence between defeat and victory
That's right said Caleb, gently
f1attered, but I'll be on deck. lisa way
I've got. There's always a bunch OF
weak-spined chaps of our crowd in the
| assembly that's so scared at reform
threats an all such rot that they're ready
| to stampede if I'm not hand to ham
mer the fear of the Lord into 'em. An
that same crowds big enough to turn the
vote if they bolt to cover. But they won't
III be there. Blacarda amt likely to
play the same game twice. Apart from
it's hen' useless, he's too scared An
there's not another trick in all the pack
that can get past my handy little bunch
of secret service men,
But if the bill should pass
! 1T amt goin' to. How often have
l got to ding that into your head? 1t
amt goin' to-
Perhaps I'm overanXious," Caine de-
| Tended himself. But you must remem-
Der. practically all my money is in
Steeloid. On your recommendation |
have put every available dollar i'm it, So
| have Standish and half dozen others
know"
Then lay back an be happy" advis-
ed Conover After that bill is smashed
ground to stay. the stock'll take another
big hop. If you an Standish an the
others have a few thousands to use i'm
buyin' on margin you'll clean up good
| lookin' pile. I've got other deals on now
that make Steeloid look like thirty cents
! So amt lyin awake worryin' on nv
| own account. It's as much for Won fell
| lers as for myself that I'm goin' to get
down to work on the Blacarda matter as
| soon as | come back from my vacation.
nf to-
an-goin down for keeps" '' 'p
You're awfully good to give us these
Ups. Ups. = said h taine, ,. And we all appre-
may attack some other interests of yours
as we'll as Steeloid? He hates you; and he
is not the sort of man to confine him.
self to single line of revenge.
There's where you're wrong. SON" an
swered Conover. THE trouble with you
people is you get all your learnin' from
books wrote by other folks as stoopid as
yourselves. The thing to study amt a
be fewer folks took in by gold brick
games. Look at me, now, fr instance /
never read a book clear through in nv
life. But there amt a man of my quaint
ance | haven't read through. SO. they're
as easy for me to read a primer. Now.
you look at Blacarda as sort of man
who's li'ble to attack me from a dozen
sides at once. That's cause you can't
read him. ! can. An I know what he S
Ii BILE to do an what he amt Blacarda
b'longs to the king cobra class-harm-
less as kitten to them that knows where
his poisons hid, an only dangerous to
folks that picks him up by the wrong
end"
Caleb. warming to his theme. leaned
back against the corner of the table and
laid down the coat nc was folding.
Men who read men," said he, oracu-
larly. rule men. Men who read books
are ruled by the folks who wrote them
That's the difference Let me explain
what mean by what I said bout cobras
| had to run down to Moo York last
fall on business. | had couple of hours
on my hands an / went up for a look at
the Bronx Zoo. there. I went into a
squat, Dago-lookin' joint called the .ReptI
house. Full of snakes and Gravity. Shiny
things. Big crowd in front of one glass
cage. Only snake in that cage was a
big, long. brown critter with an eye that
want good to look at. The sign said he
was king cobra an habitated some
where or other. The attendant wanted to
wash the winders OF that cage from the
inside. What does lie do? Does he put
his arms in an wGsie a mop within