Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-22
THE COLONEL'S MISTAKE.

cred out of the service, at the Close VI th'
late unpleasantness" he made Al visit TO
an old schoolmste, in one OF the small vii
lages of western Pennsylvania For some
inexpliCable reason or other, the place
suited him. and he thereupon determined
TO settle down near his friend and go into
business The colonel came back from the
war with a snug sum of money. There
are some. know SO mean as 70 hint thai
Peddleview won his title as cotton fac
tor rather than at the cannons mouth,
from his knowledge of tactics; or from in.
nuence or otherwise. But this is inmate
rial To you We do know, however-we
who were with him in the feld-that he
WAS brave and daring, loved by his men,
respected by all of them, and never com
manded us to go where he would not 90
himself No, you are not to hear war
anecdots this time. ] am merely standing
UP for the colonel do so whenever
have a chance. He 10 not TO blame for his
present circumstances True, I'll allow
that he made great mistake, yes, very
great mistake. Did you ever hear about
III
Well, Peddleview opened a real estate
and loan office in FlatrOck- believe he
associated his friend with him as partner
but this didn't show, neither does 1t mat
! ter The letterheads and cards Of the firm
claimed a paid-up capital Of 100000. This
was a fabulous amount in the eyes of the
Flatrockians. Peddleview & Co were
considered the local Rothschilds. When
the house first swung open Its doors Tor
business, people began to look for somt
mammoth undertaking on the firms part
In fact, something huge was not only sur
missed but actually expected lt was said
| that a large shovel handle mandatory
would be built and operated, for the
towns benefit. II nothing more. Perhaps
| the investment would assume the charac
| ter of a wooden pump establishment or a
the people didn't know what. For
months and months, however, no evidence
| of any startling change in the growth OF
| Flatrock was apparent Peddleview was
known to be at his office early and late.
Business no doubt, WAS all that he had
anticipated. 1t was noised around that
he was making money rapidly. Why
should he embark in a more hazardous
eutcrprise' Public spirit' All, a noble
quality indeed: yet it not infrequently
covers multitude Of selfish motives. No,
peGdlevIew didn't exhibit any Of the
nfoTcsaid spirit, at least he hadn't up to
this time. To all intents and purposes,
business was-business to him. True,
once or twice, he had been seen leaning
over widow Grifiin's fence, in animated
Ouvcrsation with no less per
s;,rass than the widow herself. But
then these were accidental meetings
purely business interviews. Even II the
co.onel were TO marry her, it could not be
termed-or rather, perhaps. would MOI lie
termed-Other than a strict business
transaction, by the mob in particular.
The relict Of the late Tobias Griffin, you
must know, was left in very comfortable
pastures, not to say clover. And 1t was
said that she was the one who had done
most Of the accumulating. The widow
was a keen one, she was; sharp as tacks.
From the moment Col. Rufus Peddle-
view first adorned the register of the
village hotel with his striking autograph,
she had shadowed him, so to speak. And
now the portly officer seemed to be sue
cunbing TO the perpetual. well-regulated
importunites of the enchantress. AL
Flatrock talked, but what if 1t did
Whose affair was it, OF course Peddle
view knew nothing OF the history Of the
willy creature, and now that he paid heI
some attention. no one was so foolish as
10 volunteer information. II the colonel
couldn't take care Of himself, who couldi
Yet rumOr pitied Peddleview, and said
Happy. happy Tobias, dead. Shell
make the colonel toe the mark. His blfur
Gated garment days will soon be Ger
And thus the spring wore away. Sum
mer came; and the man who had so often
faced death aud conquered had seemingly
been inveigied into trap. His flame fol
the relict had broadened with the leaf
and deepened with each new moon. H'
had met the widow and he was hers
almost. The town cursed the SITUATION.
was sitting in The colonels oihce, on'
morning. when boy entered and handed
him note. He read II aloud. 1t was al
invitation TO attend an afternoon party a
the Griffin homestead. Peddleyiew wa:
pleased could see that He ran hi!
fingers through his hair, slapped his knet
twice, and reread the delicate sheet o
paper, smiling all the while with eviden
satisfaction. l gave him up as lost from
that hour. In love he surely was.
When petroleum was first discovered IL
the Keystone state, derricks sprang al
like mushrooms, in thousand places
Wells were bored wherever the capita
could be raised for the purpose; and only
il unsuccessful in an early stage OF opera
tions, measured their depth by the rul
that meted out the funds of the stock
holders. But then-geology is a fine
study, anyway, whether one get imme
date returns from his original outlay o
not. In those days, and perhaps now, mel
lost their all Of this worlds goods. Tn
gold fever Of the coast was tame besid
the hectic flush that sought for oil Alas
for poor repiner! Fortune moves in sub
terranean channels. Not all may gain 1t
tide. Its flood is full Of freaks In othe
words many uerricks rOttel down. OF