Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-10-19
pcriwinkle House
mot at ali. Ny name is Virgil

you don't say7 Well. WELL Put
never heard of you. either" Now the,
laughed, the joyous and unsuspicIon,
mirth OF youth. They stood lookIns
down upon the deck-hands. loadIns
freight, listening to the stream of IN.
second mates profanity. who swore
his emotion by the stars, the moon
the river, the universe and when the
Leona was on her way again the
fiddles going, the muddy roustabouts
singing. Liberty Shottle and Drace
seated themselves on campstools.
~eagering toward swift acquaintance,
the friendship Of two natures far apart
In aim and principle.
III you've got two cigars. TIL toln
you In a smoke" said Shottle. saThank
you You see. my people. what few
OF them are left, say that / dent
exist. They haven't cast me off. or
anything Of that sort, but being OF
staid habits themselves, they swear
that ! am too unreal to exist. Lord.
what is the world but queer? What's
your gamer"
4 haven't any-any game" parried
the Northerner. "But what are you
doing on this boat y~ourselff"
I'm going down to New Orleans"
replied Liberty. ito see how long |
can stay there. I had a pretty fnir
job a couple of months ago teaching
a school near Memphis. They liked
me, too. I've got a sleeps hide from
Chapel Hill university, North Caro-
lima, with all the wool singed OF and
the board acknowledged my qualIfca-
lions, but they caught me shaking dice
with the boys and told me that as
there were some branches of learning
they didn't care- to have instIIed. I'd
better get a professorship In some
higher Institution. Have you been In
there?"
Liberty Shottle waved his hand
and Drace. thinking he meant the ball.
room. answered him.
only passed through. I've been
rather worn with that sort of thing"
"oh, you think | meant the BALL
meant the ~poRer-room."
Yes, ! sat In there for a time"
"How did you come out7"
Not very well. Lost two hundred"
you speak of losing two hundred
as lightly as If 1t were a matter OF
breath Instead Of blood. Would y o
holding my hand till you say II
Two hundredi Why. Won
know, a fellow would teach bullet.
heads and sIssies for two months for
hundred dollars . Now, LET me
lay down a proposition: l am lucky
tonight. l lost fifteen dollars. all / had
but I'd just got up to the point OF
winning when / lost my last de,Iar.
Just one more ante, and 1t would have
my way. ! saw 1T coming-bat
a laundering fool headed 1t Off. Now.
here's my scheme. and It's a good one:
want your two hundred back Won
me to a hundred, and I'll 70 In
here and make a cleaning. Don't re-
ou-hav let your
mind digest the situation. Most Of the
In this life come from snap
"Ah, you think you can win, because /:
ron lost2"
"My dear Virgil, there Is, you might
'ay, a psychology in everything. Who
wins a fight? The man who believes
lie can't? No, the man who knows he /
an. And ! know right now. Why. I'd
my life on II. You give me the
hundred and stay right here and wait.
for my honesty, / can give you ref .
rences-the mayor OF New Orleans :
nd Judge Hebbins of Memphls-but :
lie died last week. No matter - I'd :
imp into the river and let the paddle :
Wheel beat me into sausagemeat be- 8
ore I'd deceive you. Liberty Shottle.
my name !"
Drace leaned back and laughed. '
Liberty, a thing astonishing to me is I
DING to happen. I'll stake you to the r
undred." 4
No superstitious devotee ever re- g
from the priest Of the gods a s
baton with more OF emotional strain r
han Liberty Shottle evlnced when he a
Iosed In tight clutch on braces adj
hundred. Then he bowed
nd disappeared. r
Drace sat musing, and soon he be- a
nm to wonder why he had been 90 a
ieak as TO give 500 to this peculiar II
,llow, a stranger. Well, Liberty had m
him. Made him laugh, and In 4,
lis world there Is more money spent n
" the promotion of laughter than for ls
le relief of tears. IA
Presently Shottle returned. He sat
and though physically ne was
CHIT, the camp stool groaned beneath e,
m. Drace waited. The Leona blew a
,r great horn and all the world IN
.emed to tremble. When the sound n
I'd died, echoing miles away, the n,
coughed lightly and groaned. O,
wondered why he should be OF
rkled over any ones misfortune, but m
J felt q merry tingllng In his blood. n
This boats got a good bass voice." n,
} remarked. b,
BASS voiceI Do you know what a
like to dor I'd like to bore a ten
ch hole In her bottom and LET her ON