The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-10-13
The Last Ten Thousand



On a wet gloomy afternoon In the
April of 1877 Mr.. james Heath SAT
In a house III Atiam-stEest, StfafdI
And IN the esiFiousiy- furnished apart.
Mehts which he called his office: The
very dirty Window eiirtains. ST ths
Room wsss ST tbs fichest silk: The
Costly Turkey carpet was covered
with dust and Uttered with bundles
of old law papers and newspapers,
besides letters and other documents,
which, having been torn up, had evil
IDENTIFY lain on the floor untouched
for weeks or months. On the walls
of the room were hung a number 6i
valuable oil pdiBtiRssy water e9l8fsl
ndeBgravings: Mad6nRas and H6lS
Families 81 the early Spanish and
Italian schools; pets Of the ballet and
the priv Fling, Dutch b88fs, iahd'
seabsss, Portraits ahd racing sSeenes-
Mingled as they were without the
least regard to style or subject; THE
general effect was altogether novel
and surprising. About the chamber
were a number of chairs and couches,
mostly of antique patterns, but all
of them made of the most costly ma
terials. and covered, like che eafpet,
with dust. In the corners IF the
room Were piles Of well-bound vol:
times, and two massive sideb0ards-
one Of oak, the either Of ebony-were
piled with miscellaneous heaps 81
books, glasses; and silver plate: Ev;
srythihg about the chamber, in short,
was dirty, costly, and homogeneous.
Finally, muffled up in thick over
coat, and with his back to the fire.
place, in which there was no fire; sat
MIR. Heath, He Was a. rather stout
man OF about sixty, with keen, gray
eyes white hair, and d very ftbietind
complexion. On the table before him
stood among q number of paper q
bottle of brandy and d tumbler, and
he was engaged in reading d long
letter, which, was written in d rather
sprawling, boyish hand,
"Dear Sir" the letter ran, ~ must
have $500 by Monday, and / want
at least $500 besides. This, with
what l owe you at present, will
make Ga, 900. 1 propose, in consider
alton of that 81, 900 which l now
ask you to advance. to assign to
you the whole offny life interesti1i the
ELS, 900 8 per cent, consols; together
with the whole interest Under the
policy If assurance for the SO, 900.
The premiums on the policy amounts
to 5000 per annuii; So that the $3.50
odd which accrues from the consols
will leave a balance of about $50 per
cent. interest on the "a 900 until the
policy falls in. In other words, for
"a, 900 you get an absolute rever-
sion in &10, 600, together with $3.50
q year until the reversion is realized.
l am aware that could do better
than this, but l want the money at
once and am ready to submit to
the sacrifice for immediate payment.
/ shall call on you tomorrow after
noon at 4 O'Clock, when 1 hope you
will let me have a check. Yours,
faithfully.
ROBERT OSWALD"
Mr.. Heath read the letter very
carefully through two or three times,
after which he laid it on the table and
leaned back in his chair, while he in
dulged in a soliloquy which he NUT
tered half aloud.
"Yes," he said, 1.-THE terms are good
enough. The young fool in In con-
sumption already, though he's bare
ly twenty-three, and this season will
kill him. Chapman says his right
lung Is nearly gone-lucky l got him
to insure for the big sum at once.
Wants the money, l suppose, tomeet
his losses on the City and Suburban.
What's he going to do, l wonder,
when he has parted with his interest
in the els, 900? Fall back on his
mother, l suppose. She's supposed
to be wealthy, but her money is all
in American stocks, they say, and il
report is true she knows how to keep
it. The widow of a Scotchman.
who made a fortune in America, they
came back to England about five
years since to get into society and
put young hopeful through Oxford.
The father died three years ago, and
the mother has been leading a rath-
er retired life since, so they say. But,
nonsense, what has all this to do
with me? Young Mr.. Oswald, who
has got himself into consumption
through dissipation, is practically
offering me SO, 900 for further adj
vance of 81, 900. Even i'll had to
wait few years it's good enough.
But he hasn't twelve months life in
him. Three months more, at the
rate he is going at present, ought to
finish him. And then?"
Mr.. Heath continued almost
aloud, and in an excited manner:
"Then have made the &1OO, 600
which it has been the ambition of my
life to be worth. This is the last ten
thousand. With this shall be worth
almost exactly one hundred and two
thousand pounds in hard cash, be.
sides the goodwill of this cursed
business, and all the things, which
shall dispose of at once, Why,
ought to have nearly one hundred
and ten thousand pounds; but never
mind, once l have a hundred thou
sand pounds in hard cash. l shall
give up. To that l have made up
my mind. And then? Well, / shall
go on the Continent for time. I'd
be pretty well forgotten in the course
of two or three years, and my name
Is not in particularly good odor just
now-hasn't been for years past.
Never mind that--when a man has
four or five thousand a year, people
are not too particular about mis- an
tecedents. may take a place a lit
tie way out of London-be a sort oil
county magnate for q bit-and work
INV uov into a decpnt c1uh