The Winslow mail., 1922-09-29
Continued from Last Weekly

II
him, Drace waited. The Leona blew
her great horn and all the world
seemed to tremble. When the sound
had died, echoing miles away. the
gambler ccughed lightly and groaned.
l Drace wondered why he should be
tjckled over any ones misfortune, but
he felt a merry tipgling in his blood
/ "This boats got good bass voice."
he remarked.
"Rass voice! Do you know what
I'd like to do? I'd like to bore ten
inch hole in her bottom and let her go
down.
"You must have lost. Liberty"
Don't call me Liberty. Call me
Lib--just Lib; that's enough. But let
me tell you something. Never in all
my life have l ever come as near be-
Ing rich man as l was just now. ]
. had won--by George, I had so much
mulatto from the North called me
marster.' And then cog slipped. We
could have split and had small for
/ tune apiece
"Blundering fool again?" Drace in
( quired.
Yes, sir, and / was the fool /
wanted to be rich man-and came
within one Of it. You know, some
times Fortune hesitates as to whether
she shall crown you or slap you.'
Tn ooS ch fdr,s< n
hesitate long, Lib"
"No the hair-tangled hag And
then do you know what she did just
as | was forced to get up from the
table in as hot fever as ever
scorched a mans blood? She smiled
at me. Now, I'll swear to that. But it's
all over. A fellow has his little day,
and then stretches out and lets the
undertaken measure him.
Yes. Lib, and I'd advise him to
bring along extra tape when he comes
after you.''
Shottle attempted to smile, but the
fever within him was still SO hot that
his effort ended in a grim tightening
of the mouth.
That's all right. Virgil, but you
must remember that you are one out
of million. How fellow can lose
5000 at poker and get up from the
table with money still in his pocket is
beyond me. However, it means that
which Of itself is marvel. But l want
to tell you that every man is food for
some sort of desperate passion. If it
isn't gambling, it may be love. How
about that?''
Hasn't caught me yet" answered
Drace, stoutfy, even though the pic
ture Of the girl in the passageway was
at the moment floating bright before
| his minds eye. "Of course he add
ed, II may marry, Liberty; that sort
of thing runs in our family, you know.
| But I don't think the subject very in
teresting."
| IT grant you In this we walk
shoulder to shoulder. But there is
something of vital interest Just now
i lost"
|
Drace agreed.
mo, it wasn't natural. 1t was un-
natural that I should lose just at that
time. 1t was an accident. Listen to
me for just minute. Anybody can
do the natural and expected thing. A
dog or a cat or any other animal al
ways does. 1t is doing the thing that
nature didn't intend that marks the
progress of civilization. Now, l have
proposition to make that may seem
unnatural. Perhaps no man you ever
met before would make it. But you
never met such man as I am, he
fore. You couldn't look forward and
see me- Could your
II didn't" Drace cheerfully admit
ted.
"And it would have been hard for
you to believe that / exist. which
don't. according to the belief of some
of my folks. Now, then, what are we
getting at? Another stake? No,
am not going to ask you to risk any
more of your money. But this is my
II pfOpOSllIOH ~ LOU leU. IuG nave SIcc.
If ! win. I'll pay back all l owe. And
If don't, I'll belong to you-your
property, body and soul but with
this understanding. am not to per
form any menial service in public
! And 1t is further understood and
/ agreed upon that if by any chance
I can raise $1O0. I am to have the priyi
1 lege of buying my freedom. The frs
/ 500. you understand, was stake ant
| not loan. Before you decide, weigf
the advantages of owning a man.
will be your Greek. your enslaved phi
losopher. be your Epictetus and turr
your mill. We will revive the ethics O.
ancient society. Went that prove tha
history really does repeat itself?"
Eyes" answered Drace. "but don
care any more whether history re
peats herself than I do that starr
4 mnrlnI man reneats HIMSELF