| Show COAL OIL BILLY tho luola which his secretary brought to him at eleven al night in roid a young man just out of prison stood nt alic corner of a city street just out of the light of the lamps that shone before a great hotel was dressed in rags and shuddered and drew himself together as onla men of tho tramp order do A cold inan a cold gentleman a cold person of auy other sort never holds himself in that fashion heaven only knows yet this man seemed only to have started on the road downward to bo only on the verge of the steep hall which ends in the haupers paupers pau pers grave something in him which ga c him yet a possible hold on decency his s were good and his cauro and ho did not reck with chiky As he stood shivering and watching alic hotel door a cab daoro up to lie corner from it it and stopped alighted a burly man ol 01 rough aspect but wearing costly clothes his hair soaked in oil was arranged in blat pasted curls on cither temple his sido whiskers a sable silvered were and A great diamond blazed in his shirt front another on each little finger he wore a waistcoat of rich crimson velvet and a watch chain of heavy gold as thick as liia thumb crossed it twice he was altogether attired according to omo past idea of elegance only possible to a rich roan 1 A trunk of sole leather and a russia portmanteau were taken from the drivers mat and carried into the and tho owner was about to follow his eyes suddenly fell on the shivering man so near leini and he paused and with a muttered theres my luck beckoned with liis thick finger alio man approached 1 say said lie traveler speaking in a wheezy whisper 1 I say granger yon look hungry if you air I 1 her been myself you look cold too et you air I 1 could have seen you and gone you one better many a time here take that get yourself a square meal and he dropped a jingling handful of money into the open band and after youre full come up to the hotel and ask for sir baker from oil town perhaps I 1 can throw something in your WB ay iy heavens youre a man said the recipient of the money and the pro iniel help see here I 1 beg you know eh you ou ercil me and ho shook the money in hia and cold and hunger take the pride out of a man but I 1 going to beg I 1 cant refuse life all AH right cried the stout man dont forget to come and followed bit into the hotel an hour afterward as he sat alone with and wineglasses wine glasses on a table before him the A man to see you ir and the recipient of bis charity walked in he was not shivering now ind though he was handsome im litre he baid doubtfully and thanks to you feeling like a different man the lirot food ive eaten or thirty bourdi sit down baid the other bluffly Sitt lown here take our glat and nil it anuw you know my fiume pcr b apa ou know me ive maelu a fortune in oil city im called alich coal oil hilly letri of ti lings I 1 was in despair and tho boys bad given me twenty tour hours work without a hope of pay when daker well sprouted and old billy followed I 1 believe in luck the first man I 1 meet when I 1 get anywhere is always my luck youre my luck here thata why ibold you to come what can you do read write spell ic cording to regulation can yau flourish llo oft my letters and show me that way you look it im an educated man cald the stranger 1 could bo your secretary it you need one said mr baker 1 I engage you go to a tailor get n suit of clothes and send tho bill to me and remember I 1 dont set up for generous I 1 do aliis because youre my luck god knows I 1 never have been my own said the young man it looks like you been said mr baker smith said tho other john smith bill baker winked and nodded aal good at a t another lio said there go and order yourself a first clasa suit of clothes and toll cm to send tho bill to me mr baker coal oil billy tho richest man in oil city youre my secretary so the man who at dawn had been without hope liia placed by providence in a situation which was enviable he ought to have been grateful lie was only glad and already so great ana his longing ho began to envy his benefactor who dismissed him w ith n asu c of liis hands aliat made tho diamonds hash again those three diamonds would make mo rich ho said to himself it was a queer kind of luck that coal oil billy bad taken to his bosom had he but known it rallow of lia work iu will street of all its respectable gambling of the way men aro ruined and made rich there I 1 can only tell you that coal oil billy became a sort of king in that region and that ho was followed by a train of speculators and made in liis own person a sort of trap or bait for others that ignorant of the work lie wib at bis great wealth biad mys tenon power that shares in acar tain mine roso and foil at the sound of ais name that without actually holding money in hh hand ho throw about broadcast ask wall street it means I 1 do not know alic secretary biad his little venture 1111 made a dollars and banked it but was not happy in 1 safe of the room of ins master was a strong box full of gold on his lingers on liia breast sho no a fortuno in diamonds tho thiefs soul longed for booty honest service labor pleased him not often when coal oil billy slept snoring wonderfully alio thin faco of john bent over his bed if lie had but slept so soundly that alio diamond could bo taken from alio thick fingers and the great throat where they remained all night they would have been slipped kofl but a touch waked the man and a pistol lay under his pillow andrio was noi intemperate in his drink though ho was fond of both wine and brandy at last ono night mr baker in in R strange mood he was silent ho drank more than usual iio slept heavily A touch did not brouso liim the secretary felt that something queer had happened and the thief saw his opportunity sleeping in an adjacent room he came and went at will at his arst journey he transferred tho sleepers pistol to his belt that be was ho touched tho diamond at his employers throat and it fell into his hand ho drew the ring from the left little finger without arousing his victim lie drew the other kofl not so skillfully oil billy started to his feet and sent a crashing blow into the thiefs face and grappled with him at the same moment but alio man was ready lie drew liis pistol and aired alio firm leold relaxed with a groan baker fell heavily across alio bed and bolm smith bcd in his own room ho washed from his face stitched tho diamonds into his coat and quietly left the hotel fifty thousand dollars lay within eliat black if the estimate that lind been made of alic diamonds was comet lie was rich ho thought of the kindness of his patron troubled his conscience indeed lie biad none to trouble alio thief by nature is alic lowest order of man A gorilla has more feeling more sensibility to sell alio diamonds and go to europe was his dream so easily realized as it seemed to him with a change of and a false mustache lie lay in hiding for a few days until his bruised face was well in a tramps lodging house and then re assumma liis good clothes he made liis way to a diamond merchant on the card lie in lio biad written a foreign name which he had picked at random from the list of arriva lf on a recent from europe lie the to that ho had jewels aliat lad escaped tho duties of custom bouc and exhibited one of his diamonds it is a very splendid and expensive gem ho declared as you williec will sec at a glance the jewish diamond merchant shot him a keen glanco from alic black eyes under his white eyebrows anil carried the diamond to alio light he returned with it iu a moment and placed it at his elbow bah he said you take me for a fool that is an imitation not the best cither you have changed the stone ox claimed the thief 1 I have others like it I 1 can prove it I 1 can prove ill you hae tho htone or yon wish to cheat me at the sound of men ran into alio room alio thief holding alio two diamonds in his hand repeated liis cry the youngest of alio two men hero we aro well known you know it show mo those other diamonds he bent over them without touching them you bao been bewly deceived sir ho said for I 1 s co you speak iu good fait lil th aso stones aro yorlli oot liing they arc creio 1 1 r IWU jF 1 sl s l wl k t the wretched boung man could not icim ho went down stairs leaving alio diamond ing and in iho street below hoard ft paper boy extra extra full account of tho assassination of coal oil billy by his secretary and pulling bis hat ocr his eye hurried down A by street hero ho found n small storo and asked the german bolwind tho counter to tell him tho value of ono of aliu diamonds 1 I found it ho said in the street it is class replied tho man noth ing dioro than class glass inquired tho thief class so I 1 said replied tho german returning to liia work anil BO from store to aloro alio wretched hurried finding proof of alio of hi booty at every point wh ilu murder glared from alic placards upon tho walls and alio voices of tho paper benders venders repeated tho awful word so tho day waned A policeman stood at tho door of the great lintel where coal oil billy had picked up his luck about a week afterward and inquired mr baker better getting well lie half boy aco him the policeman ive got news for leini and he waa shown into the room occupied by coal oil billy sir good morning said ho good morning officer said mr baker alio was in bed with liis arm bound up found your secretory mr baker said the ollic cr where asked mr baker ho ashbro this morning said tho tho diamonds were in his pocketbook pocket book ah yes no matter about alio diamonds only bits of glass said coal oil billy you dont value cm ch said abo odker 1 I moan what I 1 say said billy bits of glasa its a queer story you know my first meet is my luck so ive heard said tho officer well I 1 hired aliis fellow on that ao count said billy you when I 1 came on here I 1 was ruined id sold alio diamonds and just put paste in their place to keep people from knowing it I 1 speculated as a beggar nobody guessed it I 1 was supposed to bo worth millions it was all the same do you know anything about spec nicer na ir said tho policeman well I 1 dont know much said oal oil billy but ihal mine tho big blizzard mine you know I 1 was ruined again when my luck camo to my bedside la rob inc and murdered me for those bits of glass my murder was reported in wall garect tho shares fell flat I 1 stayed murdered by aid of my doctors and bought cm all in for nothing then I 1 camo to life again the shares went up im richer alian I 1 ever was ask alio wall street men why I 1 dont know but I 1 know that fellow was my luck alic moment I 1 met faim y ledger |
