Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

EDRO ALVAREZ was a twisted old man, whose mind was as crooked as his broken back. Avarice lurked in his malevolent black eyes, always searching for a shady trick, or the greedy end of a hard bargain. Through long years of sharp trading he had acquired the ill-will of all his neighbors, and the largest store in the tropic village. Now, in his old age, the biter was bitten, and all the village laughed because they knew the aged miser had no idea that- he ‘was being robbed. During the long, hot mornings he tended store just as compla- cently as ever, and in the afternoon took his nap comfortably, while Manuel waited on the customers. It was sleek little Manuel Gomez who was cheating the old man, resting content m his childlike security. Three months previous Manuel’s father had died and left him the vast heritage of three hundred dollars, all in gold, and in the care of Pedro Alvarez, to be held for a year until Manuel was twenty-one. Immediately Pedro had offered the young heir the sole clerkship in his village store. “Twenty pesos-a month did his clerk re- ceive,” the old man added impressively. Manuel simultaneously took the position and a wife. A man of affairs was he now; the salary of a prince and in a year a for- tune of the Indies. by George K. Cummings How pitiful and small were the prospects and the lives of those boys with whom he used to consort on equal terms! In the afternoon’ and evenings he had sole command of this great business. Eight pesos a day, sometimes, he took in over the counter, and on feast days as high as twelve pesos went to the till. Dreams came to him that some day he might perhaps buy the store for himself, that is, if he did not travel in strange countries when he came - into his fortune next year. Then he would look admiringly at the shelves and counter of the native tienda almest as proprietor. Did it not possess the finest stock of goods in the country? Olives- from Spain, salt codfish, rice, gondules, maize; even cans of American tomatoes were there. Tins of Danish butter and guava dulce were on the. counter, and garlands of dried onions and garlic festooned the rafters. And of all theSe he, Manuel, had charge. After the first novelty had worn off, Manuel began covertly to sample a bit here and a bit there from the goods on the shelves. In this way he insensibly acquired a fastidious taste that was not satisfied by the usual fare to which he had been accus- tomed from childhood. Then he began thinking: was he not selfish to have all these good things for himself while his little, lov- ing wife, Lolo, could have only peon ra tions? _ 764 ; tizéd by GDOC é = Q IA E WIT LINJM