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DIAMONDS TO SIT ON
a year with petrol and oil supplied by the Government. What would you say then ? ’ ‘ Oh ! go away. Go away ! We’re working,’ said the ‘ old ’ men. The idea of the club was dying a natural death when suddenly a pioneer came forward. Persitsky, who had been listening to Avdotiev, said very confidently : ' You’re not going about it in the right way. Give the list to me and we’ll begin again.’ And the two men went round the various tables. ‘ Here, you, you old mattress ! ’ said Persitsky to a blue-eyed youth, ‘ you don’t need to give any money. Have you any certificates for the 1927 Loan ? Come on ; how many have you got ? For fifty roubles ? All the better. Just hand them over to our club and they’ll form the capital and by August we’ll be able to reahze all the certificates and buy the car.’ ‘ But what if my certificate wins ? ’ ‘ How much do you expect to win ? ’ ‘ Fifty thousand roubles.’ ‘ Well, we’ll buy cars with the fifty thousand. And if I win I’ll do the same. And if Avdotiev wins he’ll do the same. In fact, whoever wins will buy cars with the money. Now do you understand ? You’ll be able to go to the Caucasus in your own car, you silly fool, and the others too—“ Law and Life “ Current Events ”, and the lady who does film notes. Why, they’ll all be driving behind you ! Well, what d’vou say to that ? ’ Not every holder of a certificate believes he will win, and that is why he is interested in the certificates held by his friends and neighbours. He is always terrified that they will win and that he will not. The idea of a neighbour winning prompted all the certificate holders to join the club. The only anxiety was that none of the certificates would win, but that did not seem possible. Within five minutes there were twenty members.
