Gratia's Trials — page 133: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

194 oO WGRATIA’S “TRIAD we bs sneak ” she said, despairingly, ‘‘you have been drinking again.” ‘Suppose I have,” he retorted, impatiently ; ‘‘it is no worse than all the other fellows do.” ‘But it zs worse,” said Mrs Falconer, ‘‘because you know very well that what few of the ‘fellows,’ as you call them, would feel at all, sets your brain on fire. Robert, you prom- ised me . ‘‘There, mother, there!” he interposed, with a sort of in- solent fretfulness ; ‘‘don’t let’s have any more lecturing I’m not in the humor to stand it to-night. I can’t go along in this way any longer. I must have money.” ‘‘The old story again, Bob.” ‘¢The old story, and the new one,” said he, recklessly. ‘To tell you the truth, mother, I never have been quite frank with you before. I’ve been trying my hand at casino, and I've had the Evil One’s own luck 3 | ‘‘Which you deserved, for not keeping clear of those gam- bling hells after I had paid your debts once,” almost screamed Mrs. Falconer, whose work had dropped from her hand. ‘‘ But,” went on Robert, apparently without hearing her in- ~ terpolation, ‘‘I’ve had plenty of chances. They all knew-l had a rich uncle, who couldn’t help cutting up fat some day, and every one was willing enough to lend to me. Then [I lost heavily on the fall races at. Fleetwood and Jerome Park, and Johnson told me there was such a good opportunity for me to make a few thousands on Nebraska bonds. So I raised a lot of-money again, and my infernal luck swamped me and John- son both. The bonds ran down before we’d had ’em two days, and licked up our margin like wild-fire. And then there came about this story of the old governor going to take a young wife a ‘‘ How ?” breathlessly interrupted his mother. ‘‘How should I know? How do such anlage always. get about ?” comicbooks.com