The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-02-08
THE SILVER MINE MANIA.
To.day Poor-To-morrow n Carriage and
Laces and Flnery- Next Day ------

To-dhy Poor-To-moTfoW q Carriage and
Laees and Finery Next Day ------
Things have been in such q whirl
hereabouts recently, writes San Fran
cisco correspondent, that one hardly
knows who he is or what he Is, whether
a millionaire or an ordinary individual,
as millionaires are now therule, and cor
dinary people" the exception. I never
before SO thoroughly realized how re-
spectacle il Is to be poor. It Is posi-
lively so; for wealth-not common
matter Of o few hundred thousands, but
millions-is as glibly discussed as II the
people had been Graded in gold and sill
yer. The big fortunes that have been
made here lately are really astounding,
and TO listen to how so and so made
hundred thousand yesterday on an in
yestment Of five thousand, how the
"ring" must have cleared o couple OF
millions 30 far this week, is like reading
the "Arabian Nights" You can'tmo
always tell, either, who has been specu-
lating; in fact, II is almost impossible to
find anybody who has not, Rigid bust
ness men who frown atstock specrilations
are "in"; ministers, the servant girls,
the clerks, the lame, the halt, the blind,
are all in stocks. They hear Of such
large profits from small Investments that
they cannot resist. / know Of not one
but fifty instances where poor people,
from an investment Of n few hundreds,
have been raised toaffluence ina day. The
cook in our house came TO me q day or
two since to ask me to plaze take care Of
her money. Supposing she had few
months wages consented, whereupon
she brought me bag containing five
thousand dollars. "Hello, Bridget
said !, "where did you get oil t6isl"
"Nlade IL in 0phir, your honor. i
bought II at twinty dollars andsold It to.
day at three hundred dollars, and here's
the money, sir." I looked ut her. She
didn't look much like stock sharp.
Said !; "Bridget, who got you into
stoclsi" "Me sister, sir, who lives wild
Mr.. Brown, the broker; and she heard
him say at the table, when she was witt
in, that 0phir wns bound 10 60 up, and
she tould me, sir, and We put our money
together and bought II, and today we
sold II and got the money" "And did
your sister make an equal amountl"
''Yes, sir, just the same.p On the spur
Of the moment ] was about proposing n
partnership-a three handed game, Pod
gers, Bridget & Mary-the business TO
be conducted jointly, by Mary with her
ears, Bridget with her tongue, and self
as manipnlator, II Is needless to say,
Bridget and Mary furnishing the capital.
I confess I felt myself very small. There
was that unromantic, slightly pockmark-
ed, pug-nosed Bridget, with not half the
brains / ought to have, nor one fraction
Of the opportunity, had made more
money in proportion TO herrequirements
and capital in few days than i, with all
my supposed knowledge OF business md
chances, could in q lifetime. What q
swell Bridget would cut in the ouldcoun-
ltfry with her five thousand. 81
Ilnow a broker whom 1 heard yester-
day bid sixty-seven dollars o Sharefor all
the stock Of one mine, for his own per-
sonal account, amounting to over two
millions, who two years ago was merely
n curbstone broker and appeared on the
street with his coat buttoned up To his
chin because he had no shirt; whose
whole wealth at home was o straw mat
tress, one chair, one stool, 0 few tin
plates, fork or two, and q wife cooped
up in one miserable little room to help
him enjoy all this splendor, and go
hungry, as she did. Isaw her yesterday
in splendid crimson.lined clarence,
going down town, with the tallest hat
and q feather that brushed the flies from
the carriage-top; such a camers-hair on
her arm | and such lace trimming on her
dress and generally and minutely got
up regarllessl but withal, o lady born
and bred, and she carried II like aqueen.
/ stopped and looked ut the whole pic
ture, and mused; I may safely say 1
felt glad. "what a change r. i said TO
myself "that's right, my little woman;
you have had II mighty rough, and you
Just go II now; just take your reyengeon
the goddess for her previous scuryy
treatment What o glorious satisfac-
ton to man to see the woman he has
dragged down to poverty, and who
Bhared his lot unmurmuringiy (what aii
awful long world, by his owl. energy. his
own hands and brains, placed, ina brief
period, to the top Of the giddy pinnacle
Of prosperity TO that summing up Of all
earthly bliss TO woman, o better car
riaRethan any other woman's, wider and
finer lace founces, o set Of frrs rin-i
edualed, and camel'shair that makes
people, turn around in the street and look
after her. Lives there o woman with
soul so dead, who, TO herself, has not
said, "This is happiness" They are
poor, weak creatures, and have their lit
lie failings. These ore harmless. There
Is no sin in all that. five fellows do no
worse, then we are great deal. better
than / have nny reliahlh nccnunt of.