Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-09-21
CHAPTER I-continued.

"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 rich man as was just now
had won-by George, had so much
money stacked up In front of me that
. 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"
"In your case, she didn't seem to
hesitate long, Lib"
mo the hair-tangled bag! And
then do you know what she did just
as I was forced to get up from the
table In as hot a fever as ever
scorched 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 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, 1t means that
you haven't got poker in your blood,
which of itself is marvel. But want
to tell you that every man is food for
some sort of desperate passion. If it
dsn't gambling, 1t may be love. How
about that?"
Hasn't caught me yet" answered
brace, 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, Il may marry, Liberty; that sort
of thing runs In our family, you know.
But I don't think the subject very m
teresting"
II grant you. In this we walk
shoulder to shoulder. But there is
something of vital interest. Just now
II lost"
Eyes. and a very natural thing"
brace agreed.
mo, it wasn't natural. 1t was I'M
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, have
b proposition to make that may seem
unnatural. Perhaps no man you ever
met before would make 1t. But you
never met such a man as am, be-
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 att Another stake? No. 1
am not going to ask you to risk any
more Of your money. But this is my
proposition: You let me have 500 !;
If win, I'll pay back all owe. And
II don't, I'll belong to you-your
property. body and soul but with
this understanding, / am not to per-
form any mental service in public.
And 1t is further understood and
agreed upon that If by any chance
can raise 500, am to have the privi-
iege of buying my freedom. The first
800, you understand, was q stake and
not loan. Before you decide, weigh
the advantages Of owning man. I
will be your Greek, your enslaved phi
losopher, be your Epictetus and turn
your mill. We will revive the ethics OF
ancient society. Won't that prove that
history really does repeat itselfT
yes" answered BRACE. "but don't
care any more whether history re-
peats herself than I do that STAN
mering man repeats himself"
NOW wg dear friend soon to be my