Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-11-10
CHAPTER XXI.


with the certainty Of an agreeable hon
with his tailor. 1t was always n pleai
ure to deal with Kurtz for In his sho
customers were treated with the mos
delicate consideration. Statesmen, cut
ters filters, all were pleasant acQualnt
ances. kurtz himself was an artist
he was also a person of generally euI
tvated taste and Il man about town
His books were open only to those h
considered his equals. A stony face
doorman kept watch and ward in tn
Gothic hallway to discourage the gen
eral public from entering the preml
SEES. The fact that Bob owed severa
, hundred dollars dlsmayed that youn.
man not in the least, for Kurtz neye
mentioned money matters.
Our daily actions are controlled By
variety Of opposing influences which
are like threads pulling at Us from
various directions When for any rea
son certain Of these threads ari
snapped and the balance Is disturbed
we are drawn into strange pathways
and our whole lives may be changec
through the operation of what seems {
most trivial case. In Bobs case til.
cause approached, all unheralded. II
the person Of Mr.. Richard Cndy. d
youth whose magnificent vacuty OF
purpose was the envy Of his friends
Cometlike, he was destined to appear
flash brightly, then disappear below
the horizon Of this tale. Mr.. Cady
greeted Bob with listess enthusiasm
lettering the while upon his cane like
Japanese equllibrist
Haven't seen you for ages he be.
gan. Been GbroadT
Rob explained that he was spending
the summer In New York. a statement
that filed his listener with the same
horror he would have felt had he
learned that Bob was passing the hea T.
ed season In the miasmatlc jungles VI
the Amazon.
",Iust ran down from Newport.
Cady volunteered. I'm sailing today
Better join me for trip. | know
he cut Bob's refusal shOrt-"travel's
an awful nuisance; get seaslck my
self"
"Then why play at it?'
Cady rolled Il mournful eye upon bis
friend. Girl" said he. holloway.
show girl. II stay III marry her.
and that wouldn't do. Positively not
SO I'm running away III wait over
If y0u'll join me-"
I'm working man."
Flaw" Mr.. Cady expelled short
laugh.
"True! And I've quit drinking"
Now Cady was blase. but he had a
heart; his syulpathles were slow, but
he was not insensihle to misfortune.
Accordingly he responded with cry OF
pity. running his eye over his friend
to estimate the ravages Of temperance.
Up against IT. Inquired the other.
$50 says my heartless father He
has sewed up my pockets and scuttled
10Y drawing account. hence the dinner
pail on my arm. I'm In quest OF toll. y
"l'll bet you starve." brightly pre-
dicted Mr.. Cady, In an effort at en-.
enlargement am lay you five thou
sand that you make hivver Of any
thing you try"
ave quit gambling. too"
As they shook hands Cady grunted
my invitation to glohe-trot Is with
drawn. Fine company you'd be-"
As Bob walked up the avenue he
pondered deeply, wondering II he real
ly were so lacking in ability as his
friends believed. Money was such a
common thing, after all; the silly
labor OF acquiring It could not be half
SO interesting as the spending of 1t.
Anybody could make money, but to
enjoy ii. to circulate It judlclously. one
must possess indlviduality-of a sort
Money seemed to come to some people
without effort, and from the strangest
sources Kurtz for instance, had
grown rich out Of coats and trousers.
Bob halted. frownlng, while Ylna
peered out from his hiding place at
the passing throngs, exposing a tiny
limp. ping-rlbbon tongue. II Kurtz
armed only with pair of shears and
foolish tape, had won to affluence
why couldn't another? Stock bmkinR
was ~ longer pro6table; and old
Hannlbars opposition evidently forced
a change OF occupation.
The prospect of such a change was
annoying. but scarcely alarming to al
ingrained optimlst, and Bob took com
fort In rejecting that the best-selline
literature OF the day WAS replete with
instances OF dislnherlted sons. impov
erished society men, ruined bankers
or mere oilers. who by lightning
strokes OF genius had mended thelr
fortunes overnight. Some few. In the
earlier days OF fren2ied fiction, had
played the market. others the ponies
still others had gone west aud devel
oped abandoned gold mines OF obs, Nre
water powers A number, also, had
grown dlsgustingly rich from patent
ing rat-traps OF shoe buttons One
young man had discovered a way &c
keep worms out Of railroad ties and
had promptly bludgeoned the railroad
compan es out Of fabulous royalties
Over the stock-market idea Boil
could work up no enthusiastically
knew too much about it--and, mas
much as horse racing was no longer
fashionable. opportunities for a Pitts
burgh Phil future seemed limited
Moreover, he had never saved jock
ey's life nor a Jockeys mother from
eviction, hence feedbox tips were moi
likely. Nor did he know single SOU
In the business Of inyenting rat-traps
or shoe buttons. As for going west
he was clearly OF the opinion that q
search for abandoned gold mines OF
forgotten waterfalls wasn't In his line
and the secret OF creos0ting railroad
49,. no1w that he cama Ia think OF II