The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-07-22

lace. After a little silence he replied:
81 know all this. And your father
never used wine to excess-did not care
much for twas only in accord with a
social habit. And yet, temperate as he
was, you are poorer to-day by many
of dollars than you would
have been if he had not taken a few
of wine at your sisters wedding
reception!"
"You cannot mean what you say, Mr..
Clarksonl" the young man exclaimed,
his face flushing and paling by turns.
"It is true, my young friend" he an
swered. "And I, too, was hurt beyond
recovery by the wine 1 drank in health
to the bride on that occasion. 1t was in
business hours, and it robbed my mind
of the clear sight needed at a time when
to blunder was next to ruin"
81 am more surprised THANH can ex-
press" wa the young mans remark.
"My father hurt by winel 1t seems
impossible. Are you very sure about
this thing, MI. Clarkson 2"
at cannot be mistaken. The recep-
tions of disaster are cut very deep"
"Will you tell me the whole story9"
SIT is still fresh in my memory. 1t
seems an event Of yesterday. I had an
engagement to meet your father after
the reception. The Lake Superior cop
per mining fever was then at its height.
Your father was a cool, c~lear-headed
man, and generally kept aloof from
schemes of money making not connected
with legitimate trade. It SO happened
that one Of your restless, over sanguine
men, who are always on the lookout for
some scheme by which money can be
made more rapidly than in competitive
mercantile or manufacturing operations,
had made a visit to the Ontonagon re-
gion, and, in company with a county
surveyor prospected for a mine. Ac.
cording to his representation they had
| discovered one of the richest deposits In
the whole Lake Superior region, and
held the secret of its location. He had
come out East to organize a company,
and had yet only talked to a few CAPT
talists, who had arranged to meet him al
l o'clock on the day 1 have referred to,
in order to get a full development of his
plans.
"Neither your father nor I felt much
interest in the matter. We had little
faith in mining speculations, having seer
more money lost in them than gained, by
a thousand per cent. But we had beer
so strongly pressed to attend this meet
ing that we were constrained to be pres
ent.
"From the wedding reception, flushed
with wine-we had each taken three o,
four glasses, and DUR heads were no
very strong-we went to this meeting tC
hear about the marvellously rich deposi
of almost virgin copper discovered some
where on the range of the great Mime
sofa conglomerate belt. Maps ant
plans were spread before us; specimens
of copper were exhibited /; cost of land
and the particulars of working mines
and the money needed for development
set forth in eloquent detail.
"I saw that your father, in whose fac
was an unwonted glow, and in who's
eyes shone an unusual brightness, wa
becoming much interested, and foremos
in making inquiries and getting at fact
and figures. His ordinary GOODNESS an,
reserve were gone. He had permitte,
himself to come under the magnetism
of the plausible individual who wishe,
to draw us into his scheme of forum
making, and was completely carried ava
by his representations.
81, too, saw golden visions, and whe
your father said, Gentlemen, Imean t
go into this thing I was the first to re
spond, $50 do T. Our example was il
fictitious. We had the reputation of be
ing prudent, ~far-seeing men; and tn
fact that we saw money in an undeve
oped copper mine had a strong infuenc
upon those present, lone of whom ma
the remotest suspicion that our jude
ment was obscured and our vision dil
torted by wine.
"There were ten individuals presen
at that meeting. Under your father
lead and mine, the preliminary organ
cation of a joint stock company wa
made, and q committee appointed
procure a charter. The capital was t
be two hundred and fifty thousand do
lars, divided into five thousand shares 9
fifty dollars each, the money to be pal
In by installments as needed. As show
by full estimates and the results accom-
plished in leading mines, not fifty thous
and dollars would have to be expende
before paying returns were obtained
The stock would then rise to par, con
handing fifty dollars a share for tie
paid in.
"Your father headed the subscription
putting his name down for two thousan
shares. His faith and example wer
potent with me, and I followed with
thousand more. In O few minutes th
whole subscription was full, and we ha
a compact organization of ten men, tw
of whom, your father and I, held th
controlling influence ; our proportion {
shares being three-ffths of the who
number. 1t was voted to pay in at ono
two dollars a share, or ten thousand do
lars, in order to make a cash payment Q
the land, and to get funds for beginnin
Immediately the work of opening IL
mine.s The charter would come and tt
company organization proceed in du
course.
81 went away from that meeting fee
ing strangely. On going to my store,
remember sitting down at my desk an
resting my head between my hands, tr,
ing to think just where I wa and what
had been doing. remember saying t
myself as the excitement under which
, had been laboring cooled down and N
brain got clearer, Have I been dream
ing or acting the fool2' 1 was doing
moderately profitable business that r
suired careful working. My capita
while sufficient to ensure success, W;
not large, and needed to be well care
for and handled judiciously. I cou1
not take two thousand dollars away fro
it without deranging my calculations an
| limiting, in some degree, my operation
And yet, l put down my name for
, thousand shares of stock, at a par valr
of fifty dollars each, and might be Gale
/ on TO pay assessments to the full amour
, 81 felt the cold sweat on my forehea,
, I said to myself, what came over me
I must have lost my senses!' Then