Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-05-29
Char3Ct9f.- cOmDaRiea Which-had

character OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES companies Which fbsda
proved to have, been simple frauds and
cheats.
Nine months had passed, when, one
day, Charles Moulton stopped Walter
in the street. and asked him il be. had
received a notice of assessment ten per
cent-from the Treasurer of the Grand
Orient. No, Walter SAID he lad not.
Welt" said Moufton, they sent to
me, and notified ME that If the assess
ment was not paid within thirty days,
my stock would be forfeited. or, if they
chose they could come on and collect
it, rs the bond which L signed .j,tst .tor
forms sake! gave them power to do.
So have sent on the hundred dollars.
l tell you, Walter, it came hard. O!
wish I'd listened to. my wife. and left
the thing alone. ''c"r - az
Walter wen: home feeling unhappy:
but he dared not speak with his wife on
the'subiect. 80! if 4 had only listened
TO Jennie!" That was the burden of
his wall.
1t was during the first week in No
vember that Walter had given the
mortgage on his home, and drawn his
thousand dollars from the Savings
Bank. 1t was in July, next following,
that Moulton and Simmons had been
assessed ten per cent. on the stock they
had taken. At that time, as Walter
afterwards learned, Simmons had been
inclined to let his stock, and his thou
sand dollars already paid in. 90, rather
than be bled any more; but the officers
OF the company had very clearly shown
him that they had power, under the
bond he had given, to come on and
make distraint on any. property of his
they could find. - $50 I-.''-
And Walter was in for two thousand!
Ii the. worst should come, it, would
swallow. up the rest of his farm--every
bit of it! He suffered more and more;
and he suffered the more keenly be-
cause he would not speak with his wife.
and ask her sympathy.
Z "A year had passed. and another No
vsmber had come. One morning, at
the post office, Charles Moulton, pale
andaghast, and quivering with mental
torture, pointed out to Walter Witherell
an item in a city paper, which friend
had sent him.. Walter took the paper,
and read as follows: zs--.-s-..- -. -.
"A SAD COLLAPsE.-We fear that many OF
the honest, .hard-workfng farmers and me
chanics OF the. surrounding country are, suf
ferers by the collapse OF the Grand Orient
Petroleum, Mining and Manufacturing Com
pany 50 called. The affair has been IA stu
hn Hrst
adrOitly did the corpOrators do their business
that their victims can cain no redress. The
company owned all the land they pretended
to own: but, in truth, q more utterly worth
less tract of land than was their territory was
not to be found on the continent. But the
loss of money puid for stock is not all. A few
noneycd men have bought Up the whole con-
Germ, and are now making distraiat upon the
original subscribers t. the stock, for The col
lection of the full face value of the premi.lm
notes which they unwittingiy gave at the TINT
ly a man of them dreamed that he was, givinS
a bO,ad.hd note when he signed that simple,
innocent-look1ng bond. 1t is hard, but 1t
might have been worse. Some may find the
experience worth all it will cost, while all may
do well to remember the homeiy old saying:
'Cobbler, stick to your last" q
Walter, gave back the paper with
a groan, and quickly sought the fresh
air. When he got home his wife was
frightened. She thought him deathly
sick. She fastened to his side and
wound an arm around his neck.
: ]" Dear Walter. what is it? What is
the matter?''
80, Jennie, Jennie! if 1 had only
to YOU" ga
And then, in broken tones and ia
tears, he told her of the sad collapse of
the Grand Orient. He concealed MOTH
ing; but told her the plain, unvarnished
truth. Not only was the two THOUSAND
dollars gone that he had already paid,
but they were coming for two thousand
more, and he could not escape pay
ing it.
Jennie sat down and looked into her
husbands face. What meant that
lurking smile which he caught ut the
corners of her blue eyes and about the
full, ruby lips? Was it possible that
she could find it in her heart to make
sport of his cruel, bitter agony? 80
Walter" she said at length. '.will3
you 60 and get your certificate of
stock and let us, look it over?''
He arose, moving like 4 decrepit old
man, and procured the envelope and
brought it back Jennie took it, and
drew out the certificate and opened it,
where is the company's seal?' she
asked. -af -. ~ Ia. "A
"What?" cried Walter, sis there nc
scalp"
No, and look at the signatures. Do
they look as such signatures ought to
look?n --.
A brief silence, and then the wife,
With happy teas mingled with her
srniles,s threw, her arms around ker
husbands neck, exclaiming as She did:
80, Walter, know you will forgive
me now. did a bold thing; at the
time you might have called it an out
rageous thing; but l could not pay
away that hard-earned moneyfor wirat
knew to be mess of pottage. Dear
husband, you have never owned
share of this stock. L went to Kate
knew that Sparkler was to
call there before he came here-and |
got her to beg of Mr.. Sparkler one OF
5he Blank certificates Of stot*, on the
plea that she wanted to keep the pretty
picture for curiosity, He gave it to
her, and she brought it at once to me.
When Sparkler called upon me l sent
aim about his business. Off hand. l told
him Just what l thought Of him and of
his company; andI will only say that
ne was very soon~ glad to get away.
Then carried back the thousand dol
lars the Savings Bank, and Mr.. Hol-
len took it back Just as though we had
never touched it. And Mr.. Baldwin
very cheerfully gave me up the mort
gage for the return of the thousand dol
ays he had given ,yeal.y ,The certificates
filed upmyself. believing you would
never notice its strange look.
Nov, Walter, darling, l am ready
o be scolded. Let me have it just as
ara nrol.- x-1,l, ,alos, so. or,lx -uhau ,-o,,