The Project Gutenberg EBook of When Egypt Went Broke, by Holman Day

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Title: When Egypt Went Broke

Author: Holman Day

Release Date: April 13, 2006 [EBook #4733]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN EGYPT WENT BROKE ***

Produced by Dagny; John Bickers

WHEN EGYPT WENT BROKE

A NOVEL

By Holman Day

WHEN EGYPT WENT BROKE

CHAPTER I

T. BRITT STARTS TO COLLECT

Tasper Britt arose in the gray dawn, as usual.

Some fishermen, seeking bait, stay up late and "jack" angleworms with
a bull's-eye light. The big worms are abroad on the soil under cover
of the darkness. Other fishermen get up early and dig while the dew is
holding the smaller worms near the surface of the ground; in going after
worms the shrewd operator makes the job easy for himself.

Tasper Britt--"Twelve-per-cent Britt"--trimmed his slumber at both
ends--was owl and early bird, both, in his pursuit of the pence of the
people, and got 'em coming and going.

He was the money boss for the town of Egypt, and those who did not give
him his per cent nickname called him "Phay-ray-oh"--but behind his back,
of course. To his face his debt slaves bespoke his favor obsequiously.
Seeing that nearly every "Egyptian" with collateral owed him money, Mr.
Britt had no fault to find with his apparent popularity. He did believe,
complacently, that he was popular. A man who was less sure of himself
would not have dared to appear out, all at once, with his beard dyed
purple-black and with a scratch wig to match. Men gasped when they came
into his office in Britt Block, but men held their faces measurably
under control even though their diaphragms fluttered; the need of
renewing a note--paying a bonus for the privilege--helped supplicants
to hold in any bubbling hilarity. Therefore, Mr. Britt continued to be
assured that he was pretty generally all right, so far as the folks of
Egypt were concerned.

Mr. Britt dyed after Hittie died. That was when he was past sixty-five.

It was only the familiar, oft-repeated instance of temperament being
jounced out of a lifelong rut by a break in wedlock relations.

Hittie was his yoke