Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-10-19

brace wondered why he should De
tiekled over any ones misfortune, but
he felt a merry tingling in his blood.
This boats got a good bass voice."
he remarked.
BASS yoicel Do you know what
I'd like to do? I'd like to bore a ten
Inch hole in her bottom and let her 60
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 / ever come as near be-
Ing a rich man as / was just now. !
lHld wOn--by George, / had 20 much
money stacked up in front Of me that
q mulatto from the North called me
'marster.' And then a cog slipped. We
could have split and had q small for
tune apiece"
"Blundering fool again?" Drace In
quired.
"Yes, sir, and 1 was the fool. !
wanted to be a rich man-and came
within one of 1t. You know, some
times Fortune hesitates as to whether
she shall crown you or slap you"
"In your case, she didn't to
hesitate long, Lib"
"No the hair-tangled hagi And
| then do you know what she did just
as / was forced to get up from the
table In as hot a fever as "
scorched O mans blood7 She smiled
at me. Now, Tll swear to that. But it's
all over. A fellow has his little day,
and then stretches out and lets the
undertaken measur him."
Eyes, 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 a million. How a 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
you haven't got poker in your blood,
which of itself is a marvel. But I 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"
NATJuuFNif n IItrhf mn trnt ~ oncuvopad
Drace, stoutly, 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 l don't think the subject very In
teresting.'
81 grant you. In this we walk
shoulder to shoulder. But there is
something of vital interest. Just now
Il lost"
EYes, and a very natural thing
Drace agreed.
"No, it wasn't natural. It was un.
natural that / should lose just at that
time. 1t was an accident. Listen to
me for just a 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, I have
a proposition to make that may seem
unnatural. Perhaps no man you ever
met before would make it. But you
never met such a man as I am, be
fore. You couldn't look forward and
see me. Could your"
81 didn't" Drace cheerfulIy admit
ted.
"And it would have been hard fol
you to believe that I exist, which
don't, according to the belief of SOM
of my folks. Now, then, what are VIZ
getting at? Another stake? No,
am not going to ask you to risk am
more of your money. But this is m,
proposition: You let me have 500
If / win, I'll pay back all I owe. Ant
II I don't, I'll belong to you-you
property, body and soul - but witt
this understanding, / am not to per
form any mental service In public
And 1t is further understood AM
agreed upon that IL by any chance
can raise 500, I am to have the priv
lege of buying my freedom. The frs
500, you understand, was a stake an
not a loan. Before you decide, weig
the advantages of owning a IA
!. will be your Greek, your enslaved phi
losopher, be your Eplctetus and tur
your mill. We will revive the ethics 4
ancient society. Went that prove the
history really does repeat itselfw
} Eyes" answered Drace, "but / don
care any more whether history Il
peats herself than / do that a stan
merlng man repeats himself"
NOW my dear friend soon to be m
mastar, / hope--I ask you; isn't
something to own q ~companionabI
slaveT
"Yes. BY the way. do you kno
New Orleans very wellf"
aWhatI Does a bloodhound kno
the scent OF a darkey?"
"All right, Lib-here's $100. Al
Z / believe that within an hour fro
now you'll be my property"
= --------
. CHAPTER III
: Drace sat musing over the stranl
creature who had just left him, b