The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-04-29

For q rev minutes the Judge puffed
away in silence.
"That was a comfortable little wind
fall you had-your uncle dying off there
in California and leaving you thatmoney,"
he said at last.
eyes," answered Silas, beginning to
feel complacent. "Toler'ble nice little
pile ont-a thousand dollars. Got it
this mornin'."
"To be sure it is not a very large sum
for aman of your MEANS" continued the
Judge ; but it is nice to get such things,
and it will do to get a suit of clothes and
a few knick-knacks, maybe. And that
makes me think, Bronson-where is it
you get your clothes2 Ny wife often
says: 'Now, Judge Fay, if you only had
the taste of Nh. Bronson about dress 7
But then, bless mel Haven't or I would
look as tasteful on Sunday as you do"
The Judge was careful to say "Sunday,"
for if he hadincluded weekdays it would
have been more than even Silas could
swallow.
"Jerry Markle, he made my last suit"
answered Silas, surprised and pleased that
his dress should thus attract admiration,
and from so distinguished a source, too.
The Judge passed another few minutes
in meditative smoking.
"The fact is, Bronson" he resumed,
taking the cigar from his mouth. "the
fact is I wanted to see you about a little
matter that i-well, I may say of mutual
advantage. You see, Twas over In Penn
sylvania last week, and through the oil
regions. And while there I thought q
tract, five acres, right near the best pro-
ducing well. Of course 1 could have
made a good thing by selling it again,
but I concluded not to be selfish but to
come home and form q stock company of
a few of our influential men, like your
self andfothers."
"I am very much obleeged to We,
Judge" began Silas "but then
IL
"Please hear me through" interrupt
ed the Judge, with a soft, deprecating
wave of the hand /; "I am not done yet.
Now, there is lots of money&m this
thing if it is properly managed, and as I
didn't wish to connect with Tom, Dick,
and Harry, I have mentioned the matter
to but few of our best men. DR.. Ross,
Col. Clark and Squire Hardy have all
taken stock, and our minister, the Rev.
Mr.. Norris, expects to invest. The stock
is only a trifs-fve hundred dollars a
share}5Gis50 9S@sA .iIH4gl
"Yes-fye hundred dolarsTuncom-
mon cheap should, say,% stammered
Silas. A"But then, ye see, I hain't got
the money-that is, to spare, jest now.
I'm sort Of poor, like" 81
"Poor z" echoed the Judge " q man
of your means talking about poverty.
What is a paltry five hundred to your
And the speaker snapped his finger as il
the sum mentioned we're insignificant
beyond measure. why, man, II
warrant you have more than that will
you nowi"- 't
| "I know; but then I thought I'd bet
} ter" began Silas /; but the Judge broke
, in with apparent surprise.
| sob, that's it you have been already
considering the matter? I might have
known Col. Clark would speak to YOU
about it. When 7 told him Of my pro
posed company last weekhe asked Il you
were in it, and he said, IF Bronson
takes hold / will, because whatever Bron
; sontakesh hold ofissuretosucceed.' Thos
were his veryiwords and SO he spoke t.
NOu ulll6cA . wen, l. I'LL RIifo On vi
whole he did, and that you are going il
with us. But you can't have more thai
four shares, bronson l"-with a playful
I tap on the back-"and you needn't pa,
more than half down. That will b
: enough to carry the thing through.
think" -F4Tu 9TaF. ~
, And what could poor S1as say to- d
thisa With a nature weak and yielding
he was surprised and hattered to learn @
I. his own prominence in the community
T and. that such men as the Judge, Co
t Clark, and others, sho1ldagixe heedt
7 his views on any subject was, to say th
: least, extremely complimentary In fax
. Silas began to think his self-estimate ha
been placed altogether too low in time
past, and he presentlysmoked and talke
r himself into a very pleasing state Of con
placency indeed " p
meanwhile ; he piled On the "sof
solder" to a remarkable thickness, an
after a. time, somehow-Slas didn
exactly know how--the Judge took POI
session of the one thousand dollars, an
Silas found himself the owner of fou
d beautiful autographed certificates {
n stock, calling for five hundred dollal
G each.
It They looked nice, and Silas place
them in his pocket fully convinced thi
i he and Judge Fay, Col Clark and IL
others were very important men an
it shrewd fnanciers withal.. Then IL
Judge mildly intimated he had businel
7. to attend to, and Silas took his depa1
r ure. But when outside, and on his wa
home, Silas, like the prodigd son, sscan
IS to himself" and he began to think Il
1T investment not SO goods one after a
He tried to recall the arguments ar
+" brilliant promises of the Judge, b
I some way he couldn't remember the1
and the more he tried the more he forge
d while facing him was q. very importa
a. question :: ~
,e What would Maria say?
1T Yes, there was the rub And Mar
had a great deal to say when she hea
of it, as her words, at the firsto of this stor
D. do in part testify. But her words cou
er not bring back the money, and wi
is heavy heart the poor woman placed t
&c stock certificates in a bureau drawe
p, hoping against hope that somethil
i'd might come from them after all.
IS. Vain delusionl Days and wee
er passed by, and the "Great Union T
troleum Oil Company" paid no dividen
Up to its stockholders-at least, Silas did
Id receive any. In answer to his questio
y. the Judge always talked learnedly abo
or the geological formation,s the Evario
of strata to be gone through, and Won
ed describe with great nlinuteness the n
chinery used, until il bewildered lister
OF thought digging oil wells a very de
ed business. And so it was. Altogetf
too deepfor Silas.
ed JOne day in the early autumn ST
sr- came hame with a new idea in his hes
to He had been talking with the Judge, a
,at that great man had told him the cd
ge pany were on the eve of striking oil
1T; story Silas had frequently heard befol
an but this time a sudden thought came
ial him. He would go to Pennsylvania a
look for himself. He mentioned t
By project to Maria, and, to his surpri
en- she agreed with him..
ne az don't know what made me do