Evening star., 1914-01-25


be set UP, and when he returned Billy had
departed, heading straight for Burmah's Sc
cluSlon.
RURMAH was in his shirt sleeves working
- over numerous calculations when Little
Billy entered and sat down.
"Burmah," he said, "you told me once
never to ask YOU any questions; but Just
can't help it. Are YOU sure that railway Is
coming here
Billy said Burnah quietly, I'm bet
ting nv last dollar on it. And, what's more,
| advise YOU BOYS to buy all YOU can handle.
There's nothin' sure in this world till it's
done OF course there's chance that I'm
fooled, and that there will never be road
here while any of us are alive to hear ITS
engines toot; but I'm bettin' there will
be-
But where on earth is the Colonel going
to get the money to buy back this lando'
queried Little Billy with anxious solicl-
tude.
Burmah suddenly became engrossed in
his figures again and then said without look
ing UP, Il guess you know Arabella's gone
and engaged herself to that man Lester,
don't youo Maybe he's got money. don't
know And, anyhow, it's none of my busl-
ness. Only, neither the Colonel nor Ara
bella is to know anything about that letter.
You understand that?" He turned and
scowled at Little Billy, and then continued
his work. 1T strikes me you'd better go
and get hustle on yourself. Look up those
lists. Don't dawdle around and waste time
guessin'. lust do what you're told.
"It's his money, just the same!" doggedly
muttered Little Billy as he went back to the
offices. But, by Iingoes! any gamble that's
good enough for him will do for me! And
III tell Pick and Tommy what he said.
Hang Kirbyl He quit us.
A Ii day long, and until late in the even
n ing, Burrnah Jones made hasty visits.
And everywhere he went he talked to those
of the faithful who had not deserted Port
Hatch, and always the talk was the same:
to cling to their property, to buy moro II
thev wanted to risk the advent of a rail-
way, which he, Burrnah Jones' was con-
WINGED would come, and never to lose their
grip.
In few instances this was varied
trife and those cases were with the widow,
who lived across the street from his rooms
and still watered her flowers and tended her
little shop, the elder Todd, and Herr
Schmidt. To each of these he offered to
lend money, and urged them to accept it,
for the purchase of lands. And each did
accept wondering in the meantime at the
generosity of the man who had never been
known 10 De elllcT Sl1c1lltilTlll, d dIcdlllel,
or anything but the hardest, closest kind of
business man. For Hubbard he also drew
check, and gave him caution and advice.
He found time to draw list of names of big
foreign landholdcrs who had bought for
purposes of speculation and to draw check
for Lester for one hundred thousand dollars,
and these he carried with him to Marquard
Villa and delivered to Lester late that even
ing.
He occupied his room in the villa that
night, and for long time looked out of the
window before retiring, wondering DULY
whether he would ever again enter it, and
was once more filled with homesickness that
amounted almost to heartache.
Well" he said to himself before he went
to sleep, in lieu Of prayers, If I've been
fool, and everything goes smash, I'll have
the satisfaction Of knowing that | done my
best A monthll tell the story. And,
Lord, if you have made a sucker of me be-
cause deserve it, and are goin' to put me
in the scrapheap, be easy on the Colonel and
Arabclla and the rest of EN-, because they
amt done nothin! Just take it all out on
me! Amen!"
And neither the Colonel nor Arabela Sus-
pcctcd, when he bade them goodby the fol
hot h. lai No of