41 Lure O Gold 1904

"
"
The Lure o 9
Gold
got to be a millionaire. Then where would you be ?
Right in the insomnia class, with all manner of highpriced
complaints, and with a lot of land-shark doctors
trying to get your money away from you."
"I don t sleep as it is, Doctor," said I,
so I couldn t
be any worse off in that way than I am now."
He looked at my jaded eyes,
but instead of sympa
thizing with me, he said bluffly:
"Well, young fellows like you
don t need a lot of
money, anyway. They re better off without it. Why
don t
you take to the sea ? That s the life. You could
be a quartermaster or a purser or something on some
good ship like the Modesto. I tell you, you sleep on
the sea rocked in the cradle of the deep, you know.
There s nothing like it, my boy, nothing like it."
As we went to our room I moved my head sadly from
side to side and dreaded the getting into bed, where I
knew I
should toss about and think and think of the
lost gold, and plan and plan for its recover} 7 .
"Would
you be kind enough to give me a dose of
something to make me sleep, Doctor ?
I asked.
"An
opiate? Nonsense!" he grunted.
"What
does a healthy, well-nerved boy want of anything of
that sort ?
Do you take me for one of those doping
[72]