Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-24
: THE WHITE BLACKBIRD !
By )!
HUDSON DOUGLAS.
NDpyigh BY Browna co.,
HUDSON DOUGLAS
Copyright 1912. By Little. Brown [ co.,

You for your courtesy. May 1 offer you
my card?''
SLIME glanced at the slip of pasteboard
conferred upon him while the car was
being shifted out OF the showroom into
the street, where his elaborate chauffeur
was in waiting. And. Jump I'm, Mr.. Job
ling" he requested, with unconcealed
GOODNESS. as he himself took the wheel,
RELOCATING the chauffeur to a back seat.
1t ruff1ed his self-satisfied mood of the
moment more than a little to learn that
the fat man in the fur coat was. in fact.
a London solicitor. With the law in any
shape or form Jasper Slyne wanted MOTH
ing whatever to do, and especially at such
juncture. He was already repenting
his ill-timed politeness.
However. he could not very well rid
could do was to dash through the busy
streets of Genoa in the dusk at a pace
calculated to make the hair of any re-
spectacle and self-respecting solicitor
stand on end. But. out OF the corner of
one eye, he observed that Mr. Jobling
was wearing a blandly contented smile.
That gentleman did not seem SO we'll
pleased. however. as they turned uphill
into the Via Roma, and Slyne. under
standing. relented a little again. Il have
some baggage at the ISotta. he volun-
teered, and the cloud at once lifted from
Mr.. Jobling's brow.
Several assiduous porters slowed has
tily in the tonneau. beside the ornamental
CHduHeuT. the tratcl-WOrn trunks ana
suit cases which Slyne had left there that
morning, and stood at the salute till he
drove away. when they, no doubt. re-
turned to their lairs to count the profits
Of such politeness. He had. as usual.
been very lavish with his small change.
And his passenger was also impressed by
his liberalty.
Meanwhile the car was negotiating more
carefully the lumpy patchwork with
which the old Via Carlo Alberto is paved.
III
dlScontent over its slow progress. But,
once beyond Sampierdarena, clear OF close
traffic, on the open road to Savona, Slyne
made more speed; and it was self-evident
that he knew how to get the most out OF
his horsepower.
He looked, indeed-if looks go for any
thing nowadays quite at home, very
much in his element. lying lazily back in
the drivers seat Of the richly appointed
car which had been his companions an
hour before. 1t was late on a winter
afternoon, and what wind there was had
a chill in it, caught, no doubt, in cross
ing the Apennines. But Slyne also was
wearing a heavy fur coat and had pulled
on a pair OF gauntlets at the hotel.
AS the car rocked and swayed on its
rapid way through the last outskirts of
Savona, he was humming light heartedly
to himself the antique aria OF THE Man
Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo"
Been gambling a bit?" he presently
Jobling admitted the soft Impeachment.
And no luck" Slyne inferred, amused
ly. He could view with an equable eye
the misfortunes of others as well as his
itor's losses had brought his own way
such substantial profit as could be read
lily realized by the resale Of his car.
mo luck at all" Mr.. Jobling affirmed.
in his mind at length found outlet in
speech. Il wouldn't have believed any
one could have been SO unlucky," he de-
clared, with great bitterness. land at
such a critical moment. ] want so little,
too: I've no ambition to break the bank.
1t wasn't with any such foolish idea that
l came to Monte Carlo. 1 wouldn't have
had this happen for all the bank holds"
Which isn't a great DEAL" commented
Slyne. I've broken the bank more than
once myself and lost twice as much the
next evening""
You play some system. perhaps?' his
companion inquired. but Slyne shook his
head reminiscently. I've tried several
slightest use. And now 1t doesn't
matter. Of course. didn't come to Mon
AGO to make money: I'm not such a fool
But it's most Internally inconvenient -" d"
may cost me my chance of a fortune
practically within my grasp" His
voice had died away to mere mutter.
Slyne was smiling in disdain.
But / can't go on losing at the tables
forever" he exploded again. MY turn
must come. / feel i'm better fettle this
evening-as if my luck had changed. It's.
no doubt. since / met you: I must thank
you again for this lift. II I'd had to wait
in Genoa for the slow train. might have
got back too late to take the tide at the
flood. I'm a great believer, you know, in
striking while the irons hot
$50 am l." said Slyne. dryly, and much
amused by his monologue.
I'm sure my luck's on the mend" Mr..
Jobling went on, growing still more COM
municative under encouragement, land
the mere matter Of winning a few thou
sand francs is nothing to what will fol-
low-what must follow. I've made up
my mind to win all along the line: and
there's a great deal in the theory that, if
you apply sufficient will power to any
project, its success is assured. I'm abso-
lutely determined to win $1,000 francs to-
night, and then I fancy 1T was a
mistake to come here at all. . But of
course, a man who never makes a mis-
take will never make anything
I'll go straight back to London. and
surely. among the five or six million
people there. 80
Go be continued tomorrow