St. Landry democrat., 1884-06-07

are steam engines to be put up, and
furnaces and FORCES to be built, and a
branch road must be built. Don't you
see2 Our two thousand dollars will
"1sOo thousand! Why, it was only a
thousand the other day"
eyes, I know; but d. you see, I've
lust concluded that two thousand will
give me just double what one thousand
will give; aye, and more, too; for they
will make me present of fifty shares
outright if put in two thousand dol
lars. That would be eight hundred and
fifty shares; and in less than a year that
stock will be worth ten dollars. In two
years it will be at par! And We'll live
to see it worth an even hundred. l tell
you, Jennie, it's big thing!''
''But where are you to raise two
thousand dollars, Walter?''
"Why, we've got a thousand in the
bank, and [ can raise a thousand on the
house and farm
Jennie Witherell turned pale and
trembled. She was frightened, for she
saw that her husband was entirely in
fatuated. Walter was thirty years of
age; strong, steady, Industrious, sim
ple-minded man; and she, the wife, was
two years Younger. They had been
married eight years, and three beautiful
children blessed their home. Walter
had received the farm with his wife. 1t
had been her fathers. but there had
been thousand-dollar mortgage on it,
and that mortgage he had lifted with
money Of his own when they were mar
ried, taking the title-deeds in his own
name. Thus far in life he had been
content to work honestly and indus
triously, seeing his store increasing
slowly but surely. He was an excellent
mechanic "a ouse-carpenter- and
wnen there Sas building to be done he
could assume direction of the work, re-
ceiving for his labor sufficient to hire
three strong men on his farm for the
same time. He had the best breed of
sheep in the county. the best cows for
milk and butter, and some of the very
finest blood in the way of horsefesh.
In short, he was one of the most thrifty
and most prosperous in every way, of
the mechanic-farmers in the Stats; and
the projectors of ''The Grand Orient
Petroleum, Mining and Manufact-
uring Company" had spotted him as
one of the first of their victims; and so
plausibly had they talked, SO grandilo-
quently had they set forth the golden
possibilities of their vast property, and
SO plainly had they given him to see
the wealth that mast flow in upon him,
that his head was turned.
On the very next day after the con-
to which we have listened,
Mr.. Plausible Sparkler called at Walter
house, finding himself and
wife both in. He was /, man of middle
age about forty with light, fiaxen
hair, neatly oiled and curled, an i'm
mense flaxen moustache. a pair of eyes
of light blush gray, which, in certain
lights, scintillated like the eyes of a
squirrel; prominent Roman nose, like
the cutwater of boat, with a sloping
forehead, and pair of ears that be-
asinine will combined with
great caution. He was dressed in the
very height of fashion, wore an enor-
nous diamond Cor paste) in his shirt
front, and a heavy weight of bright,
yellow metal cit looked like gol1) at
tached to his watch.
''Ahal--ha! ha! ha!' laughed Spark
Ter, after he had laid out his brilliant
plan for the hundredth time, and had,
in bold fancy, filled Walters Golfers to
The brim with gold! s'Ha! ha! ha!-old
Spoopendyke came to me yesterday and
wanted to give me his block of eight
story, marble-front stores in New York,
sor two hundred shares of our stock
All! the old rascal has a long head on
MS shoulders. He can see AYE, see
what our enterprise must come to. But
did not listen. You can imagine that
t was great temptation; but | put it
behind me. We had resolved that we
would not give our property to make
wealthy men wealthier; but to make
poor men wealthy poor men who were
1t the same time deserving. Think, my
lear Witherell- viii own more
tock, very much more, than old Spoop-
.ndyke proposed to take for that vaIua-
Die estate in the great metropolis
And so the oily-tongued man talked
N, until Walter had The same as prom
sed that he would be prepared to take
he stock on the morrow
That very afternoon, after Sparkler
lad gone, Walter Witherell filled out
nortgage-deed with his own hand, and
hen called in a justice to acknowledge
he signatures of himself and his wife.
Iennie signed it; but it almost broke her
leart to do it. And during the evening
lie took the deed to the man of whom
e was to have the money, and received |
thousand dollars-ten new, crisp, one
undred-dollar greenbacks, fresh from
he United States Treasury.
When Walter reached home, on his |
eturn from the money-lendeF's, he
Ound a boy at his door with tele-
ram. 1t was from his sister, in dis
ant part of the State. informing him of