“‘Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for

one of the vacancies.’


“‘And what are they worth?’ I asked.


“‘Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is

slight, and it need not interfere very much with one’s other

occupations.’


“Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears, for the

business has not been over good for some years, and an extra couple of hundred

would have been very handy.


“‘Tell me all about it,’ said I.


“‘Well,’ said he, showing me the advertisement,

‘you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the

address where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the

League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very

peculiar in his ways. He was himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy

for all red-headed men; so, when he died, it was found that he had left his

enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the

interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of that colour.

From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do.’


“‘But,’ said I, ‘there would be millions of

red-headed men who would apply.’


“‘Not so many as you might think,’ he answered.

‘You see it is really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This

American had started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old

town a good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if your

hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but real bright, blazing, fiery

red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would just walk in; but

perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put yourself out of the way for

the sake of a few hundred pounds.’


“Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my

hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if there was