The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-26
Al BLAKE

Ferrol had always felt toward his
neighbor. Al Blake. as horse between
the shafts Of a delivery truck might
feel toward trotter. When he left
Blake that morning the feeling Of a
burden on his back grew heavier still.
With no more brains than the average
man, Blake seemed usually beyond the
money worries that spoiled many a
day for Ferrol. What II the house ex.
penses ran up hundred dollars or SO
more than before? In a few days
Blake's little manipulations doubled
the comfortable store OF money at his
disposal
Blake had started as a lawyer. To
fill In time between clients he specu-
lated in stocks. AS clients we're slow
In coming In. much slower than re-
turns from daring ventures In tho
stock market, Blake soon forgot the
little he had learned about law and
became q student of unstable finance.
Income became to him a matter OF
pure luck and pluck" II he won, It
was what he expected; when he lost,
well, that was to be expected, too.
Tomorrow might bring him better
luck-apd 1t usually did, to him.
He had never been able to make up
his mind whether he felt respectful
or patronizing toward John Ferrol for
his steady, humdrum method OF pro-
viding for his family as a salesman Tor
a publishing house. When the market
went against him, Blake would think
of Ferrol as the dignifed, steady-going,
responsible middle man between the
publisher and the book dealer;
man with fair and dependable in
come. doing the right thing by his
family In not exposing them to the
vagaries of a lot Of gamblers. When
the market went his way, however, he
felt sorry for Ferrol, as being little
more than a salesman who had to
trudge on through life at SO much a
week and commissions which never
by chance rose to interesting pro-
portions.
Warmed at heart by the ten point
rise In his favorite holdings. Blake not
only felt sorry for Ferrol but decided
to help him. He had never tempted
his neighbor to speculate, out OF feel
ing that while speculation was all
right for those who had the luck and
pluck" and carried a light cargo OF
responsibilities. 1t was bad dope" for
a married man like Ferrol. This morn
ing, however, he felt 80 much conf
dence in the future of certain stock In
which he had been specializing that 1t
would be doing Ferrol a service to
''let him in on them" he considered.
He had even determined that OF
Ferrol stood In danger OF losing as
the result of his advice, he would
shoulder the losses himself. Blake
had the goodness of heart Of the
gambler who has been having luck
run his way.
Ferrol came to his office that az
ternoon looking guilty. He had drawn
$500 out Of the bank-half his saw
ings. He had never felt that $1,000
he had saved as a comfortable margin,
buffer between him and money wor
ries. That money was like his insUr
ance policy. 1t saved him from dread
visions Of what would happen to his
family If he should be run over and
killed. In taking half of his savings
for speculation purposes, he felt as
though he were gambling with his
children's future.
But the smile on Blake's rosy face
his confidence and experience in spec
ulating: the fascinating ease with
which he had made more money in a
week or two than Ferrol had earned
In year; the pressure at home; his