remiums similar to yours. He
spent that forty thousand, and another forty thousand on top of
it--money from his people. Then he borrowed all he could get, at any
rate of interest. He was bound to make it go, and he did make it go at
last; but when the tide turned and commenced to flow his way he didn't
have a dollar--not a dollar!"

Colonel Hazard looked into the fire and smoked reflectively.

"Humph!" commented Perner, "that part of it was like Frisby."

The Colonel turned quickly.

"Frisby--yes, that was his name. Why, do you know him?"

"What!"

The others had shouted this in chorus, and were staring at the Colonel
stupidly.

"Why, yes," he repeated, looking from one to the other; "Frisby of the
'Voice of Light.' I saw a copy of it lying here on the table one day.
It's a big property now. Do you know him?"

Perner had risen and was standing directly in front of the Colonel.

"We do," he admitted. His voice sounded rather unusual in its quality,
and he spoke very deliberately. "At least, we know _of_ him. It was what
happened to Frisby, or, at least, what we _heard_ happened to Frisby,
that we were banking on."

"By gad, yes," put in Livingstone.

"What did you hear happened to Frisby?" asked the Colonel, quietly.

"We heard," continued Perner, "that Frisby bought the 'Voice of Light'
without putting down a dollar--that he didn't have a dollar to put
down--that he contracted for papers and advertising without a
dollar--that he didn't have a dollar when his first advertising
appeared--that he got a thousand dollars in the first mail, and six
thousand dollars in one day! That's what we heard happened to Frisby."

Colonel Hazard rose and walked across the room and back. Above him the
gray of the New Year lay on the sleet-drifted skylight like the dawn of
truth. He paused in front of the fire and regarded the three listening
men.

"Well," he said, "it didn't happen to us, did it?"

XXIII

THE LAST LETTER--TO MR. AND MRS. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE, OLD POINT COMFORT,
VIRGINIA

"DEAR PEOPLE: You can go right on to Florida or to any other
seaport where honeymoons shine upon summer seas from skies
that are always cloudless. You can go, and with our
permission, as soon as you get this letter, and you may stay
as long as the inclosed check lasts--provided you first buy
your return tickets for New York.

"You see, the 'Bread Line' sold at Macbeth's, and this is
th