Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-05-29
WALTERS SPECULATION.
A Life sketch.

$685. WALTEH'S SPECULATION.
A Life Sketch.
''Walter, / wouldn't do il. It's =
~ 4 business that we amt fit for We are
~ K doing very well now; at any rate. ave
are walking with our eyes open and
managing our own affairs Think how
we have worked and contrived, and al
s4a most stinted ourselves to get that thou
sand dollars into the bank And what
have we done it for? Don't you still de-
sire to own the Cranston meadow. ana
don't you mean to put up the new barn.
q, Walter! if you will listen to me YOU
will tell Mr.. Plausible Sparkler to take
care of his own business and allow Won to
: take care of yours. Let us ownthe beau4
- nful meadow, as we have SO long talked
OF, and let us have barn-room enough
Tor the cattle we can keep when that
meadow is ours. o, think, my dear
husband, we'll have one of the best and
whole region"
''Yes, ] know, Jennie; but Won don't
exactly understand. You don't take
into account what is sure to come back
~ & to US. Think of the thousands well
have where now we've got little or
nothing. Why, bless you! look at it,
Mr.. Sparkler has made me grand of
fer. He lets me have the stock Cor tsoo
dollars and a-ha'J' and the par value is
twenty dollars. Why, I'd be fool not
to take it. He wouldn't do that to many
how, you bet
.s.. Waiter, You, are entirely carried
away by that mans wonderful talk.
Now, will you just listen to me for a few
moments. In the first place, You know
very well that Plausible Sparkler
wouldn't piya Won a 6nllor 70 oo,o ,-,,,
He is. not one Of thaty~kind. Now,
about the price of the stock. Look me
in the eye, Walter; would that man sell
you horse for one-quartar or one-half
of what it was really worth? All, YOU
know he wouldn't. No, the very fact
4 that he offers the shares at that price is
- proof that they are good for nothing.
And now, there's just one more thing
1.-THE land Of which Sparkler tells was
so rich in minerals, in coal, and oil,
and in such magnificent lumber, do you
suppose he and his mates would be
around among poor folks like us picking
up dollar by dollar? No, you know
they would easily find the capital neces1
sary to develop IT. J1rI
''Ah! but, my dear wife, the very OBJ
ject of this company is to keep out these
wealthy capitalists. These men have
been poor themselves. and they are
bound to give poor men a chance. And
you see, they must have money-cap-
tal--with which to develop the proper
ty. and put it into working order There
~ are steam engines to be. put mp, and
furnaces and FORCES to be built, and a
branch road must be, built. Don't YOU.
see? Our two thousand dollars Wilt :.
"7too thousand. Why, it was only
thousand the other day."
Eyes, l know; but d. YOU see, I've
\ { MS concluded sthat TIVE thousand will
give me Just double what one thousand
will give; aye, and more, too; for they
will make me present of fifty shares
soutrlght if eLput in Atwoathousand dol
lars. That would be eight hundred and
fifty shares; and in less than a year that
a. stock viii 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
ro. You. Jennie, it's a big thingr'
''But where are you to raise two
thousand dollars, Walter?''
why, We've got q thousand in the
Va bank, and can raise Thousand on the
house and farm
Jennie Withereil turned pale and
trembled. She was frightened, for she
.sy 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 wears, 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 beeril
content to work honestly and indus
triously, seeing his store, increasing
4 Slowly but surely. He was an excellent !
mechanic house-carpenter and |
vhenahea- sas baildhs ITO be done he !
= ceiving fck his lsbue sd cientto hire
- three strong. Hiepoh lis farnsfor 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 Wy of horseffesh.
In Short he was one of the most thrifty |
and most prosperous in every way, OF |
the acknowledgements ii the State: and !
the projectors Of .".The Grand Orient
Petroleum, Mining and ManusactJ
uring Company had spotted him as
one Of the first Of their yictims; and so |
plausibly had they talked, so grandilo.i
quently had they set forth the golden
possibilities of their vast property, and
30 plainly had they given him to see4
she wealth that must fow in upon him,
that his lead was turned.
On t. very next day after the con-