READY-MONEY MORTIBOY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1582, 30 August 1873, Page 4

READY-MONEY MORTIBOY.

A MATTER-OF-FACT STORY. \* Chapter XXXl.ll. —Continued.

■ ■••"Fff r WP,- is as.eyer. „Some•hbwi we'see more of L&d Muntoh ih'an we used^a.dp. v I .wish. , he,, would not come in so often ; {or though he is very ■pleasant- and ? alHhat; -it is>. rather; embark ' : raßsirig- if jjeople 1 come arid find him there. jWe'a^ partly : his .'father's tenants/ of i'cotirseyjbut'that'is ribta reason ,wh.y .he SlWuldJcbme , and play' v croquet with ' ; Us. ;!a^ thougli'iie.^dpes riot riieari to be condescending, it'.,is r ,,iri ;.§qni,e; respect^ sdesjut^ble,; as; niaaima ;! ; savs> (tlutfeie shoidd-jnpt <?orae«,, -The worst; ofdi :;is-ithat we itreat him, Lucy and L, as; sucli an old friend, that we really do not; take any notice of liim,.and. .quite ignore -the factjthathe is.a real vispount. , TheotKer .;day,-|li^':Ba^tis,comb.e. gitfs were'Jiere. We jha^^oftupj^.Coliisiri^Di^ and a ';litj^ i^nce.;' i .lJor.dLaup, > i)6n. came in by ..chance, iaftd" .stayed 'j, with-.jus. : They — I ;-niean'!theigi,rls— were .immensely jealous iof,iis^aiid,!-LhavenDt 'the ileast doubt, hate>us- both! fdrbeing. intimate ."with him; 'I 1 "am l -reminded "of< bur tjardeher — you ('fcfib^h'iaii 1 ?' il ( saw;Mm ; orie day last au- : tumii;' standing for 'two hours tbgether ad-, miring his chr^sanfeKemumsi ' ' Then.,l went ' 'put jsoj'Him, I^be^jiise/r.i^OjUgKii'Mff^might .ica|p3)..jCoj(d.. ..He*Va^ed!^jadiniring hand 'ai the flowers. •;' i .', „.."' . ■ „,/,'^Bjless■ yQU,,. f inißS, I . lie said: in the grandest way, as if that „was nothing to what he could do if he brought his? mind to bear upon it, '' I take no mariner of pride in them. ' . ; ■• ■ • : r ■ ■ :•, • "That is what 1 say- to ' Lucy about Lord Launton. Is it hot ! rather humiliating to tis that the earl, allows him to come here so often 1 You" see, lie thinks that we are good, worthy people ; arid that papa, in whom he, has. the : good sense to believe, a most "excellent person; and that we are all so deeply flattered by a visit frpmJiis, son,;that it iskindness to let him come as often as ever, he likes. For my own part, I am going to take an early opportunity of speaking to Lord Launton seriously. - : : * " I think Dick is recovering the ground he lost by his dreadful speech at the'children's feast. The rectorj good man, ,' looks on him with eyes of suspicion, and so do the curates j^but ; -the", people have , -taken Ms advice J very mucli to heart ; and I be- . -liey.e, ;seyeralr^eres.rf^/amii/e. are seriously /contemplating the desirability of sending •theirsohs away> - They go down, and consult' Mr> Mortibo'y ■at : the bank. Dick 'ge*tsrtl lot' of maps; 1 and points but where, they can emigrate to, arid what it will :: c^Bt/ r t IIi He. : neyerfails.^ lecture them o» the 'folly'of 'trying to make their sons ' gentletnenj'.astheytcali, it— that' 'is, to put them into' banks and' lawyer's bflicei, so jthat they may .yjearablack coat. He ! ,stUJ[cpni;inues4us uprigliteous practice of giving weekly doles to : old women. I think Mr Ghrimes instigateshim to this. He tells us that he has dissolved .partnership with his old friend, who has got all his Mexican estates. Those estates abroad do not .seem to. have, weighed, Terjr much >? bh''liis niirid :; {'and he 'confessed to ilie once that they were only. valuable when a man of energy— meaning him'self-7-was on the . spot to supermtend; them.-; He showed mjß, on^hejnjap'.where.they, iyere : put his thumb dp.wn^-ypu ;knpw' he has got an ' enormous thumb— and it covered a quarter of Mexico, f aboiit a-hundred , thousand /square .miles.! ■■h-.i,' ■>!': .n ■-.', • .; ;- ]W^herej'>he said-Mmy estates are ex- < actly there.' iti-min^.- '}),!■„.. r. ; .. M % Thank you, Dick,' I said. 'I am very much wiser than I was: befprej' '• Then he laughed, arid, begiir % talk LabOjUfcsoniething else, „',' ' ',;, M'r/^-^eßey^/ii^^B.to^bu,. I tell about Dick., fyldp riot ;kno^ how it is, except that ; .he'feally . dOes;]occup'y.our minds ; and o\\v talk a- good' deal.. 'What h'edidlasfc, what -he is'jgping-to do next, if he has committed any outrage on the- church 'or conventionalities in general — this is chiefly what we talk about. I like him better ' every day. I tliink he is getting 'softened, and' ( more.cpmpanipnable. He^ has left.pff the use 'of strange expressions,,; la unknown languages. He has begun jto "dress, more , ; Uke,jjliijordinary( Christian. , He. falls in jwith- pur. ways arid habits of thought. In f i time, I hope we IsKall make him a>steady,'' respectable member of society. .What I try to iteach:him;iis,''that 1 wemay be altogether wrong — only the division* of a word, you see— and it isyery disagreeable not to be like other people. :We hada .talk the other day about' things^ •' ;' "'You go to church because 'it! is re-' , he. said. ... M "']' \ '' ' ' {, f i /^ < -WeU >/ and;wKat.if w ( e do ?•' Going to , jchurclvjs gopd.'fpr people. I . "vlf the wellto--1 udoneppJe; did; noj. go,. the)ppor would not. And without church,, they would have no I /.weekly lessons in.gbod; manners/ -to say nothins? of higher things.' ■ : , - " ' You subscribe ;a >million ' a^year to convert 1 the'niggers:! > You 1 send out peopleyou call missionaries, who live in comfortable houses, and ! b iilljr and bribe the ..natives.,,^ I've 'se^itllem.;' ' " : ' 1 «ii" 'l$ cpurs^, f iTypu*ye. seen them bullyj ) iwig > arid.bribing natives,! can.say nothing. There you haye^an, adyantagej over us.' > " * All the time, jypu'ye got . all your ' iipaupers^at,home|starving,and going from:' ' bad.tO)worse;'i!'.:;,| : „; : , -What farefwe'to! do, .Dick? People give because they think; it -is right. The missionaries may , be bad men, but the object is'gdpd. ! ;; The societies niay be badly \ managed;' biit' their lim, is ;a good one.' " ' Yoiur, charities- 'make'ihe people pau- ] pers f^y^jir/Cliurcli', helps : to make them j ypw.rpoor: law them i slaves : your.trading interests grind them ; into the dust.' „..!.. .-,/; '...,'; :,,,'V"'My deaif cousin ,' il< said, 'don't say < i/OMr.in>HsuchJ*ja ipersonal 'way. -I really-- ] should be very glad if things were better. 1 i'TeUrme^hatliaW'to'd.^ As for your- \ • §$$^y&W- x > you, af ' least, can do 1 1 •'sbmletbing'.' <' : (1 y.'' : ' j ,■ ; - 1 "' ..; i^a^^^M^pnietliing J', When , Dick aopearS jn Jus social re- ] former, ' introducing ' ,his 'spriiething,' I t tremble for all our riotipnsV iHisVidea pi i society are primitive andi, radical < Only,!, ] } as he tells papa, he can- 1 ,do,any(harm, bpr 1 cause noh five per cent, have got>thepiucfc! t •to;tffink,£oritheiDH©lves:vv; i >. ,} 'arunpn whericiyrrtetdiyou, tillll 5+ hardlyknoW'wh'eh^o-'stop.-. • I i'teU yoii" <c everything; Don't you think people cxi' f t change their ideas and show hearW. t better on paper than in words ? I sit in! -\ % ;m3s;ojwn:ix6omjaloneyi};afterotdinner,) /arid 1 "t ■write like this^MlMthave'exhausted every? ,t thing that was in my head. I wonder- ?if ' a ybu really like to read my letters. Then ]]

L sit back and read it all over again, and try to ascrtain, by a calm, critical perusal, whether it is worth reading. Sometimes I say—' Kate will laugh at this ;' ' This is well put, young woman;;' and so on — like a friendly critic.? just ,to.,encourage myself » * * #• # # „ "Lhave just, read ;bhe whole letter thrdugTi^ain.j^Kale^ ;it is much too fijll pfi.CousiiiiHckrid^at is notmy fault": his 'being :always here. It is also much to full of myself. It is I, I, I — all Is, like the prophet's? creature, •• that he saw in his vispn.'UJdmustf: correct^ tliis fault in my next^ and make it all TJ, U, U, in compensation, like a churchyard orchard.? ssbu£knbw? Kate^ I should like to make it all F, F, F— ective. Ah, me ! if it were not for hope I should die. Stfpy pose we go on for years and years and years.- How wpuld it be,do you- think, wlien we^are bo;th.;pasi£si3sy, to fulfil our ?trotfi. and 4marry?l Dreadful!, bought ! "Love belongs to youth. If Frank cannot marry me when I am.ypung, and when he can kiss me and fondleime.loirith'e<sake of mes beaux yeux, let him not marry me at all. I would rather remain single for his {sake:- } T\[duld. not /you,? JjE&te ?/ ?tp wait, and wait— his plighted word holding true— till my cheeks are withered and my beauty all gone, and there is nothing to remind him of Grace he usedvjp lpye ; and then to feel that all the passion "was dead, and nothing left biit.the .smo t uldering ashes of duty ! Let me marry my Frank when.l h am young and fair, or let me nevef ttiapry at^llf dear Kateil jTeti 5 him- for me— oh 'what message cari^Esend him ? You are the kindest sister-in-law -that ever^poor- .girl..,,was _jfQMi^,.,to, ..haye. Tell him, in any guarded way that you like— not in so many words, because' it is immodest and unwomanly r pnly it is-.triie love hun^l jlojte ' jhim— I 3me. him ; and that there can never be more than one man in all the world to me, :-fYour pwn >: ,. r , , ; ,. ( " Gkace."" , ;.\ The foregoing ..Very} ■ ; silly -fand ' ypungladyish effusion — over which 1 do hope mj readers: wili^not lihger; ;till")they ■ becomt critical— may be read by the light of th( preceeding chapter. ,: '" Those who are too captious about girls letters will remark; that, therie; is ; .np r post, scrip at all in it! .«. .--i •;.-.<..... . ; , Chapter XXXIV In the twenty-fourth chapter of this story, I gave an account of the meeting qf\ Dicl Mortiboy and Frank. Melliship in London. As that event took place ten chap ago^T'Wilijremind n^ ;^eaders~>^htf ■ lafter-diriiier,-'befoW-ihe'bade bousir good night, Frank promised to breakfasi with Mm th^nextjday. „ ; -.., ,. ; / „, The morning caine'/' Breakfast was 01 the table, Dick was waiting ; but no Franl , jarriyed. , So-.^yoiuigj- J^eady : mpneyr— a: ' the'Market'Basing people 'began to ,cal ; h'im-^neverin l! hislife : had : st6od'on ih'ucl ceremony of any kind, he ate a very sub , ;Si;antial. breakfast, ,without his guest felt, , i little vexed that the cutlets were cold wondered where Frank was, and why h did not'come" ; and; finally, "istr'6lle'd~iiit the smooking-room, and lightedvhis 1 cigat He had scarcely drawn a dozen whiffs o .smoke,.when thQ.waiter brought up a can . "onl'a silver .srayi( ; -X s^-v.:.? ''~\ -•. " By Jove ! here he is^but breakfast' done with. " And without looking at th card. " Show the gentleman up and orde some more breakfast.;" . i r „ .. . t ■.- But the card was ! iiot Frank's. It ! bot ..the.name pf Alcide..Lafleur, Let me say a word about Dick Morti boy's partner. >rj <;,; _i >.-., J/t. i-»-"-:: :- All this time, what has Alcide l/afleui being doing ? nWhat of^her System, .;th( infallible mei^oUollbrealling.. banks,?., ii follow up wliich was the primary object p jpartners'.retuEnio^the old- \coimtry Dick, not iirimiridfurbf his pledge,' Verj shortly after .his . accession ip fortune made over; to Lafleuriheffive thousand >h( had promised him. He did not considei himself so bound by the terms of that" "die oath]pf his, which we have recorded-, ai to make an immediate division of his pro perty into two halves, 'and to give Lafleu: one ; but he did consider-himself :bpund in a general wayj "%' abide ' him til their partnership was dissolved by mutua consent. Meantime, Lafleur' seemed ii : nd jhurry tpVfest. his System ; ; lie, stayed ii London, drawing "on Dick occassionly fo: small sums, andkjeepingitheifiv.ejthpusanf intact for the Honibourg expedition! ' Cer tain-smaltdabblings-he-Tnade-at-e'carte' hazard, 100, and,such,games of chance ai were to be found in^Lpndon circles, jusi jtojkeep ( his hand in,; ; but.Ms main business was to pore^over liis' calciirations, |daj after day, in order to reduce his method to a mathematical certainty. Lafleur, s cbol^clear-headed man, ! studied, 1 ! 'ad. soon as he found it likely to help him,- the Science of all Probabilities! ' It helped him to the extent of f urnisliing him ydth an inexhaustible "supply of- 'figures ' and palculations ; and ij; strengthened,, so far as he coiild see, the chances of "the System he.had invented.. . ... . .,...'., : . T ..,His wjia ipjiim^hat'liisl^nodel is to an inventor. It haigrown up with years of steady play ; ;;and 7 unsteady fortunes. ,The idea of it came intp his head when Dick and he were 1 engaged in blpck.ade running, and usecf: to while; away ' their leisure hours in' a'little game on ' the after-deckj while ! the ! -crew were haung their little games in thef orcastle. It took root and.grew slpwly^taking form as it grew,- till,' to j the iiiyentor's eyes,, it seemed absolutely perfect and consistent; Np run of luck,"he thought, M^duld. stand agaiiist4t,.;;;,]^j|h7a i '|iipital''of .'; L 5,000, so as to meet the very, jyprs;fc Contingencies, it was so certain (to ."^: that jliejcould defy fortune. He had made one or two • little ventures r with.it;in/iAjnerica,; before they came over, with perfect success -and then, having that kind^ of love for it' wliich makes a man shrink' from using his invention^ tilt'tlie r diay of experiment comes, he postponed considerabre operations 1 till he cpuid, ! use^l^a^'tne'Hp^bdTirg tables. He was lDcean^aeroi^utwith i ,'neV machine." Be lopked,at ; it, examined it, perfected it; prnaniented.it, roasted of it ; but put off ,the.dayuofats f trpl,..which, would be either j ,hjs : death ; pr./hj4.glpry. .iDick; provided hinvmthjmQßej.for iua ; peraonai expenditure> so. that the; five thousand; remained iaiachi ' f'Por.iimself, Jaafleur. wanted com- ; psirativ(slylittte. (Be was not a man of 'expensive ■fastes'J HeK'dra'nk, 1 but ap-' ■p'arently'%tl{put great enjoyment^ and inleyer'sp a( t'ij-^roduceany oh his. Wad: i! ..'H^s^dked[ I but ; iu gfeat nibderaiioni arid /nly light cigarettes. 'He loved to^ress vellHhut'this iwas necessary for a'gentlenanin.hisiline lofiilife.i And he i liked to live the' reputation; of 'doing cer- / . . • ' .-.'VlviJ,; htiliti'i

tain things well — with which object, he might flave been seen practising with i , pistol iii a gallery, or fencing with a pro f essional .- this also with a view to certaii . contingencies.- y >. He wyj so perfectly confident of his System— so thoroughly reliant on its power of breaking any bank ever startedl however rich— that he did not, at this time, regard his old partner's altered posif BipnjiyiihMtlier envy : '\ orij distrust. j| Dibit had/kept J%vvord by|Mni hjbnestlyj U hk always did^pickVwbrd "quite'' ai good as any <ther man's oath. The money : -wluch hevwasßd .for the System, on the c possession vtfiwhich he based all his callculations, wasdn his hand. So far, all was wpll. „jgth,t his capital, he asked no niore^^iafltfr^-'a^'tliis-'iWej^was no vulf gar and greedy adventurer, eager to gep irioney anyhjw. Prom this he was saved by belief in ais System. All he wanted ■was the meaas qf-applying it.-i JFo get the means lie?w^ ;j of |course,lprepafed— t^b'%6 have afready seenW-toMo\nytlfing, every!thing. Ha-ving the means, he desired „ .ojily to r brins.his calculations to practical . ufcesY'arid^aief fleecing the bankers in a perfectly legitimate way, to settle down : somewhere tr other— say in Paris. He j liad riot .the ielightCii Iroving,>and. wild scenes that lis partner had. No coward'^ he shrank fipm that kind of life where personal conflicts are common. This dis- ; jlikejtp rouglUind tumble fights — common '■ enough among Frenchmen— was atoned "' vfor-.byu his perfect - readiness to fight with pistols or sword. Dick -was ready, on ' . the ; others land, } with^ either jrfistr or vweai- | pon. ; T^e'|)artiiefship Be^efen^thiem mA. ■* bberi at 'all times' true) Buthatrnb time^cbr^dial — at least, on Lafleur's part. He ad- • mired the ijan* -who-feared-. nothing"?and :• brayed ever/thing. He respected his pluck', 1 his determination, his wilf ulness, the way 1 in .which heforced his pwn&way, on people. |- What h'e-diiliked wasS' kcirtain£ bhtfalife 1 in his partier — a coarseness, he thought, of fibre — a ivant of delicacy in taste. He ..liked to -d^ess carefuUyi... Dick [dressed anyhow— mth a certain splendour ..when ) in, funds;;. Jiafleut: liked to: live; {fastidiously. . Dick cared little what he ate and '•■ draiik, !prwided thWmeat was in' 'plenty, s 3 andjhe:liqbpr .strong, andin; plenty too. , • : k great'beijfsteakj arid apo't j of foaming stout— the^ represented to Lafleur his ■ : partner's iiptes,: fa |W,liicli; he was -himself so. imniens°ly.. superior.' Dick, on the , other/, hand] j could not blii feel sohYe 1 ' Jpity —a little mingled with contempt— for a man so slightly built', 1 sb ; sirigulariy 'useless .in a ,xpjr, ._ At the same time, he admired liiS/dexterity at all games of chance, arid the-'calm way in which he met the ; ; ..strokes of fortune. 1 ; wellrmatclied pair,« soy^p' Jl'l^ach supplemented cert,airi^deficie'ricies w inHhe 1 other : an ill-matched pair, because they , had no kind. i oi sympathy with each other ; a partnership pf a brace of penniless ad- ■ venturers, determined to live on the | j world as bestjihey might : a society which [ ' Iheldtogether by the ; bonds; of,y habit, .of 1 long use, and the fact that; .'each' entirely trusted in the honesty of'nis 1 cbhipanibn '•j —Dick because'he iwas loyal,' -Lafleur be'i' ; cause he was isagacious.» :,,;,, ■ „ , ! i 'r: / i f !^ But now there was a ,feeling_growing iip t in bptii men's mines that the partnership ' f was : tb'cometo an end, and each be free to go his own way. Hoy the seperation was to L jtake place ->which of the;two was to intro- : "dxice the subject^-Hieithter' kriew. 1 'Dick, ! - -for his part— resolved Lafleur slumld no 1 longer- be' associated with him in the new life he was to lead— was prepared to make almost imyijßacrificeitp [break 'off. the con--1 nection. Lafleur, dn'tlie otlier hand, was equally ready ,tojgo, ;i on no conditions ' whatever.- Hehad the" Systemf ati'd'the capital to start, witli. - ? ■ They met, therefore, when Dick went up to town, on anfew footing. Men have -been divided into poks and pigeons—borrowers and ■ lenders— sharks, and prey for sharks. Birt there is a third and a I - jvery jmpprtantcla^s -:; the : class, jof who defend theb* own. " As strong as the beasts and lards- of jprey, they are ; bravery' becau's^ they are ' up by . the law and piblic opinion. It was to this class that ODick Mortiboy belonged : now r Laflejiir sbill to the camp whicE" he' had deserted. It is true that Dfck r haK regretted the dd days of excitement" and ! i peril, talked only to contrive new dodges, aid went about to execute 1 them. Whathe really missed, and would have recalled^ was i;he wild freedom of the ' Pldlif e^ iiiot :itsVjaritagonism> i to f sbci'ety. Oonventipna|ty, not mankind, was his enfemyif iCh? he,-ha t ted, and it weighed upon himlikji a thick blanket on a summer's riiglft'."'!' " "" "~~~' ■■'——- .««.. Lafleur came into thr room. Dick held : out -his' hand!' i /. :s dj, 0 r \ His partner sat down. With the^dold smile that alvays played! about Ms pale face, he asked— - " When an we 'going' to Hti'mbourg ?" : i-o.:'M dori^t kadw. ;: I doh*t tKiiik' ;l shall • : -go.-at: -.a11." .•[•'.;! h-d> ■:'{:• -.-:-^ :bj-;-,: ', ;.,i. ; ',: '^You were half engaged to gp;..,with ; me ? : : , s^ d . M feur > Reproachfully., . -M But, of course, if you cannot come— Is" your cousin with' 'ytiji still ?', , : ; ; -' : "No: I'lati' 'waiting; ; 'fpr hinil^ You have been tryiiig the. System 1 again?''i/- . I : "Dick, itiaperfect," ii; His .facehad ! a . pallid enthusiasm when he spoke . of his n iriveritibri. "1 have' 'studied it '-%'--I&ag J that I know every combination thechances c^ntake,. ; Xmustwin>; ? .;l,cannot; help it lam almost sony I had so much money from you, because Iteallyshallriot want it all. My capital is tdp.-big. ?'■-=-■:■;•■ - • ; "Still-still.- You know, luck ' may go^so as no mortal; capital i ever- held 'can stand against it. Remember that 'night Avhenwe were ; cleaned bufat St.' Louis!" "It may— of course it may. But wllo it never dpes. ; , At whist, T gu ,wti/>.hpid thirteen trumps, if you are dealing. "Brit who : ever : dbes ?; Nomari'irihis seiises evkcontemplates ajiandiike that; :Thenioit at St. Louis, wa,^ a bad one,' I; admit, fit was before my System was completed, though, or else We should— No— no\ we had no capital' ihen. ' But I've counted eyery reasonablg combination^ Dick, everything I eversawhappen-rand, you'll! admit that , I've , seen a. good deal— l've | played couritles^ games on paper, and I've always won. "jQpme'pver witli me, and see irie break 1 the banks, brie ' after' 'tne other.. By heaven, Dick,^-shall-'be' ''far .richer i2iaa, you 1",,.. ;. .■■,.■ : \ -„[ r -y ( T l" I u^^^ tC(gP ' >r 'But, ilOr^lttliii: ! 1 had better riotfleave my own place jnkt now.) Butther?, you? dbn ? t ! urid'drsMd the.positioii of. tlungSi!?-. r, -.nhoti { " ■ " I understand,", said Lafleur, *■* that, jpos^tion jpf ; Mr Dick Mortiboy! is' considerably altered for the better. I jhip- ■ pose^-But^Dic^really.rdid %o't thirik you would have, been- so ftquick in throi- • mg over, old, friends." j I „:; ,1. have ihroWri over no old friends.

Did I not honestly redeem my word, and hand you the capital you asked for ?" • -'« Youjdidy ;That is not quite allthough.Did,we notdiscuss thet System. tt^tt& ' way across the Atlantic ? Were you not ; as -keen as ,1, about ,it? Who, ; but you thought of coming^ over to England i? ,Why did we come ?. : .To get out of your father" this very surii--hot' to hand over to to e nab,le us to.go, away .together, and' break the banks in our old partnersh,ip. : ,And:np^,.when!all.is gained, you care nothing about it. Is it what I expected from you, Dick?!. •,! Counted your seeing my victories as much as on making them.".., Tvt v „. ,„>- I This was true?.'- r 'Hfe' f wanted Dick's ad,.pra^Pn and .jpraise, He wanted to feel a man's envy."' ~ ■ ' " " ; ,;: .'/ißecause,,y;oii. see, 'j.answfired his part- 1 ncr, " a good deal more is gained than we' ••ba'rgame.d,|pr, i \l rtoaprigec'cafe' to,'gamble. What does it mean if you care ndthihg about wiimingioriosing Iy> tJp'on ! ihy •■ word, Lafleiu", I would almost as soon, . if it were not for the habit of ; the thing, dance a waltz without any music as play : at cards withpirt; /caring to win. Life" when you're rich is quite a different sort. ; of tliingto. what ;^we» experifericed i in> rtlieold days. It's slower to begin with. You,, ■Md that everybody iis v y(Jur : friendyin r |he' second place.. .Then you discover, .that, instead'of ■lb&kin^ab'out !o 'to )! oi'6 >! good* "to. yourself, you've got to fuss and worry, about doing good to "other people. " " Fancy DicfeMprtibpyjrdoing good to anybody !»•<'"«•««« «^<r. &s "Queer isn't it ? But true. They tell ■ me I'm doing good, so I suppose I am.Then,,aser. allj ypu.can^ ( ,eat ; and'.[drink! more than "a certain amount. You don!t' :want : tp(hayje more -than.a; dbgcarfe atfd ; a riding-horse. You can't be always giving!, dinners and things. " What are you to do! hy^ithnyop. moheyt-r?. i You'vei always got." the missionaries left, to be sure ; bufcj lybu're'an assif 'you give thTemiany thing."----"By Jove— l should think so, indeed !"- 1 said Lafleur. . n ,- v „ ' ' Then/what are ypu ;to do ; with. . yourself and your -money ? I make a few. bets/! but I don't care much:iabout it. r I ; play a game of billiards, but it doesn't matter iwhetherl win or lose. Life'slost its'excitements, Lafleur. The old days 'are gone.^" 1 ",'"'" '"' "'.' ' , ..: ■'■''■'■•.''■; '■ ■ '■•';' : j ■ ." ; Li England^ jrou can' ;; always; gp !ion the turf. ; There : is plenty of money ! ; tp ; t be l lost there," -,iV^.',,j („.....r\]''.''.'.'.'^'>'''.'') -• " I never, carded much abpiitiorserraces, i unless I was. riding in th' em.!. 'my self: Vl daresay I. shall f go on the turf, though, for a little (excitement. I;ii'dbii'tvkridw/! what I shall do^r Lafleur. When life' 'be- I conies insupportable I shall go- across" J the water again; 'T'think, and v stay :: 'till ! X tired, of -that; 1 and want a chabge.' But a,s for cards— why, what .excitement' ) is equal^o/that of, p|avjing for 'ypur ' din- ! ncr, as we nave- dorie' : before ! rio^ ? How can one get up any pleasure in. a game when^t does, npt really signify , how it' ends?" 1 }x '-'->' • '■'»•''■ /--<■' " You always think of the end. But, thuik.pf the ( play, Dick... ..Think ,of work- 1 ing out your own plan^ ! and going down .with it, and fleecing everybody — eh ?Is there aio excitement there V}, x ,--, , ■, ..■ ' "There yduld be if I wanted the money.,Not now. I never cared to win from' 'those who ; couldh ? ifc afford to lose; La-' ■fleur,'^.. ; .irl »o :i;^< -,:.-. v.-i ;,■■':,.,„ f,!. f 'l-. know.-. Youu. were ■■ always i sbft-^ hearted,, J)ick.j , J} if, a man f .plays.with me, 1 play to win. It is his look-out whether he can afford to pay or not. I play to; win; j.r l've got no- more, feeling, Dick, over, cards ihan the green table it- ] self."' " r '•■"' "■'' '■■'■ ■'"■•■■ ' "■''•'■■■■■■ ' ' '• ;. The candour of this admission of. Lafleur's was equalled by its truth. ;, Dick sighed, ;and leaned his head upon , his hand.* ■"■ ' x ■ üßyu By Jove ? they were good times, some of them. 1 "■©o-'-ydu remember that very day, after the St. Louis cleaning out,how we woke up in the morning without ■ a cent between us ?«V v-?\ Lafleur nofded.ii3.Some reminiscences of Dick's were unpleasant. But he seemed warming back to his old tone, and La-' ,fleur wanted t to take him over , to Horn -; 'bburg'wrttf'hJm?^- '"™ v " J ' ' v ;: - '#,/ " „. ..''You went to. the.r billiard-rooms.,. 1 'weiitt'o'theMonty Saloon/ And'""wneni ;jTje met-.again.m,the ; e.vening.,,w,e.had,,got six hundred collars.' That was the day when I 4 fought the Peruvian.} It was a near : thing. I'll never fight a duel blindfolded again! As I:thoughtd,lieard ; his step's, and' I let fly. He had it in the right arm—' : broke»the- bone. Then he fjred-'with the ■■ :- left hand— being a blood-thirsty rascal and hit Gaesary the black waiter, in thp: ; calf. , I remember how w.ejaughed. Then" r weweriii'ori tS^'Gairo/^'XJp'on-'my word,' ' Lafleur, when I think of those , ( days my : ' blood boils. All fair play, too. Every man trying to cheat his,,neighbpur.: Good, 1 honest gambling, with a bowie-knife ready at your neck.''^Qnce.^!Weeki "..'. .<,