e deacon's
ability,--that accuracy of eye, that gravity of appearance, that
deftness of touch, so to speak, which underlay his success. Be that as
it may, the business did not pay, and without hesitation I sold it; and,
with a comfortable sum for investment, I journeyed to Texas.

"It is proper for me to remark that the welcome I received was most
cordial. I chose a populous centre for a temporary residence, and
proceeded to look around me. I found the Texans to be a warm-hearted
people, much given to hospitality, and willing, with a charming
disinterestedness, to admit all new-comers, with capital, to the
enormous profits of their various enterprises.

"For the first time in my life, I found myself among a people who were
successful in everything they undertook. Their profits were simply
enormous. No speculation could possibly fail. However I invested my
money, I was assured that I would speedily become a millionnaire. Cotton
was a certain crop. Corn was never known to fail. The Texan tobacco was
rapidly driving the Cuban out of the market. The aboriginal grapes of
the State, of which there were millions of acres waiting for the
presses, yielded, as Europe confessed, a wine superior to Champagne. If
I preferred herding, all I had to do was to purchase a few sheep and
simply sit down. There was no section of the globe where sheep were so
prolific, fleeces so thick, or the demands of market so clamorous. And,
as for horses, I was assured that no one in Texas who knew the facts of
the case would spend any time in raising them. The prairies were full of
them, hundreds of thousands of them, all blooded stock, 'true
descendants, sir, from the Moorish Barb, distributed through the whole
country at the Spanish invasion.' I need do nothing but purchase fifty
thousand acres, fence the territory in, and the enclosed herds would
continue to propagate indefinitely. Such were the delightful pictures
which my entertainers presented to me. Captivated by the charming
manners of my hosts, my sanguine temperament kindled into heat at the
touch of their enthusiasm. Where every venture was sure of successful
issue, there was no need for deliberation or selection. I invested
indiscriminately in all, and waited buoyantly for the results."

Here the stranger paused, compelled, perhaps, by a slight interruption.
Dick had retired, closely followed by the major. Our guest certainly was
not devoid of humor, and I was convinced, as I watched the