The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24

NAAA
 ducal finances so impressed the duke with
 it's clearness that he promoted Gil Bias
 to be his own clerk. and intrusted him
 with the work of compiling the reports
 that came to the government daily to
 show what the grandees and others of
 rank were doing to fulfill their obligations
 to the King.
 Now that he belonged to the court. Gil l Bias felt that he must live up to his rank. | He took lodgings in the best hotel in | Madrid, and maintained a hospitable l table. which never lacked for guests In
 a short time he became known as the fav- orite of the powerful Minister, and after
 that he was surrounded with hatterers and supplicants.
 One day, when he had earned his mas- ter's particular thanks, the latter said to him: Hereafter you shall have 150O ducats year; and if rich and generous persons ask you to do them a good turn with me I do not forbid you to aecede to their request"
 Gil Bias kissed the Dukes feet and
 looked around for a lackey who might
 help him in the new and laudable field
 thus opened. In young fellow named
 Scipio he found what he wanted-a beagle
 who would drive the game to him.
 Within "A hours Scipio found a young
 nobleman who was willing to pay well for an introduction to the Duke, whose pro- lection he needed. One hundred pistoles passed into the purse of Gil Bias as the fruit of this first transaction. It was small beginning, but he progressed rap
 idly. Before many months he had learned
 so much that he succeeded in extracting
 from the Prime Minister a license that
 gave a certain travelling doctor the mo-
 nopoly of practicing in all the cities of
 the Kingdom. The grateful scientist paid
 200 pistoles-cheap enough, said Gil Bias,
 for the privilege of being the sole swind-
 Ter in his field
 He became greedier with each success;
 but when at last he tried to sell the gov
 crnorship of the city of Vera for 1000
 pistoles the Prime Minister laughed and
 said: Friend Gil Bias, you have a per
 feet mania for doing favors for your feI-
 low men. do not object when the mat
 ter is small, but when you want favors
 of magnitude I must really ask you to
 account to me for one-half the profits. My post Is an expensive one."
 Feeling secure after this bargain, Gil
 Bias and Scipio cast their nets in all di-
 rections They sold governorships and or
 ders of nobility. transforming many a good citizen into worthless nobleman.
 Even the church felt his philanthropic touch, for he scattered appointments and canonical honors generously.
 His common sense left him as his wealth grew. When he had amassed 30, 900 ducets | almost overnight, he rented great es- I tablishment and obtained the Minister | permission to dress his own servants ir
 the ducal livery He was ready to pretend to be relative of his mighty patron.
 He spoke of the greatest grandees as if | he were their intimate friend, calling them by their first names. He forgot his | honest parents so entirely that he did not remember how humble his birth had been. | for he had drunk deep of the River Lethe,
 which flows through royal courts and | has the excellent property of making | every one forget all relatives and friends l who are lowly and poor.
 | Thus oil Bias never did kindness for 1 his friends who had helped him in his | poverty. If they came to him with a petition scipio was sent out at once to | find somebody who would pay good l price for the same favor. Finally he cut even Fabrico's acquaintance. and when a
 man from his village came to tell him that his father and mother were in want
 and that a few charitable crumbs from | his luxurious table would be as a gift from heaven to them. he had the incon- venient caller kicked out of doors. l He did, however, do one good turn for an old friend, but he did it through van
 ity. Learning that the governorship of 1 the great city of Valencia was vacant. he l obtained the appointment for Don Alfon- so and sent 1t to him, conceitedly pictur- ing to himself the amazement of his old | time employer.
 Plentifully as money came in, Gil Bias l found ways to spend still more. He was heavily in debt, but did not permit 1t to
  volved in an intrigue of the Crown Prince.
 which made him dream of endless royal | favors in time to come.
 1 Unfortunately he had extended the
 business of selling appointments so great | ly that he had entered into hot competi- ton with another powerful favorite of the | Duke, Don Rodriguez de Calderon. The latter discovered the intrigue and dis l closed 1t to the King. Next day. as Gil Bias was about to promenade majestic 1 ally as usual he was seized and hurried l to a castle, where he was locked up with 1 out word.
 | It was not until the faithful Sciplo | bribed his way to him that Gil Bias learned that he had been sentenced to life | imprisonment for his part in the prince | ly escapade. Scipio told him that he had rescued two bags with douboons. ! which was all that was left him, his es- tablishment having been plundered and stripped by police and servants as soon l as he was arrested.
 Gil Bias at once wrote to the Duke of Larma, asking for his intercession. He felt sure of succor, for the duke had sug gested and aided the intrigue for reasons of his own. But the reply that was re- turned to him, by the minister was: T find it exceedingly impudent that Gil Bias should dare turn to me after committing
 such a villainy. will aid no scoundrel like him, but leave him to the just anger of the King"