The Argosy, October 1906 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

- oe - ae sera eas ra “< were as breed ‘Oneldae acre their _ negro or squalid white wives there to found a village. - Some*were stragglers ror a hase of gipsies that had passed through a few years before. The land was cheap and they bought it through George Dale, a half-breed, who was their ruler. As I entered the village dirty women and idle men eyed me curiously and laughed. They were the most brutalized People I had ever seen. A huge, dark- featured man, with “straight black hair, came toward’me. I decided at once that he must be Dale. * Well, Jew, what do you want?” he asked roughly. ee - “J vant to sell goots,” I .answered. | “T haf here many t’ings- for ladies. ‘Ah! Let Sos gadder rount me. So I show ee Liriosity was getting the better of them. Dale stood back and folded his | -arms ‘while the women BES at my. stock. »_ Rippons,” TE ‘said, ae up a se. “of ____ bright-colored streamers and displaying them. “All kints. Ah!” =4 placed a gaily colored ribbon along- aes of the greasy hair of cone “of the women. She- bought it. “What is this all about?” came a voice. : I opened my eyes in amazement and my heart leaped. ‘A handsome woman, evidently igno- rant and gross, but striking in appear- -. ance nevertheless, came from the most . pretentious house, and walked toward me. She was dressed as no woman of N ew York had ever dressed. 8 Her waist was of the finest satin, em- broidered with gold thread. The gown_ was of the same material, and over her “shoulders she wore a satin cloak, some- _ thing after the fashion of a dolman. ‘She wore a collar of white ermine, now sadly soiled from its filthy and un- = -wonted surroundings. 7 : _ “Had I not seen the contents of the ae: -second chest dug up in the old De FW atines cellar I would have been = Ss stricken dumb with amazement. _. This undoubtedly was Dale’s wife, the eee queen of this disreputable rabble. —— aos thinks — es —— to” sell,” a AN” ‘AGE oF MADNESS. = _ won't take the place of stockings or ‘veyed herself. —— = : ' “Oh, you are pretty enough sod Vail Se ¥y peLeuy’ g Se all he’s got.” —_. Saas =: safe.” pees tani it. a = = ae Comicbooks- coir PF a = . - “eS “a wa - ~ i ~ ot", r= eee, es 3 ~~ = Se —— a aes Well, == the old fool ae some. things I need. A fine dress won’t hold — your shoes togéther, and, a fur. collar - Se Bt ek let’s see what ters. Come, old man, 2 you've got.” = The others, with the same awe and re- — 4 spect that commoners give to royalty, en stepped back while she looked over my stock. eS “ T’ll take that,” she id snatching up == a paper of ,ins. oe She picked up a hand-mirror and sur- enough without that, ” laughed Dale. a ‘“Go to the dev—no, I mean goto the bank and get me sOme money. r ll buy “ All he’s got! 2 SS “Yes, all he’s got. I can’t go to the se: “The deuce it is. Are you going to — keep it and leave it when you die? — What are you afraid of now? This man is a wandering Jew. What does he care?” “Where did you come from?” asked : the big man. “Me? I gome vrom der goal mines off Bennzylfania. I zell much goots dere.” _ “Where’s that?” ‘“ Near here?” eS Oh, no. avay.” “Where are you going? ” “T go on mit Chicago.” meet “=: Sale <the. villages in this, and I naven’t got Se ooo pe: else.” ap nen Zee _“ Well—money is scarce.’ “$32 asked the woman. Many hundred _ miles ‘ ¥ woman. “ “He's With a doabtful look Dale cinned away and went into the house. . et He returned in about ten minutes w ith | 35 some money in his hand which he held se . out toward the woman. es She took the money and I saw these sheen of gold. ; : “ Here,” she said, handing a gold -piece to me, ‘“ I’ll give you this for the J6t.” + It had been scrubbed. and <2 2 rubbed to make it bright. My heart — thumped and pounded as I examined it. > It-was a Louis d’or of the seventeenth = A century. How had this squalid crew — come by it? Pe