The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-27
R%E6INALD'S WIFE.

REGINALD'S WIFE.
. story of the Rynsrd Gold Reef Min
ing Company.
ACT 1.
"You dear old boy" said the girl. II am
ure I wish it could be-with all my heart
{ | have any heart"
II don't bslisve you have" replied the
boy, eloomily.
"Well. but Reg, consider; you've got no
money"
Eve got e5.O 900. II = man SAINT make
his way apon that he must be a poor stick"
You would. 20 abroad with it and dig,
nd take your wife with you-to wash and
kook.''
ave would do something with the money
here. You should stay in London, Rosie"
.Yes. In q suburban villa, at Shepherds
3ush. perhaps. No, Re0, when marry, If
evsr dol Am in no hurry-I will step out
I this room into ono exactly like it," The
DOM was 4 splendid drawing room in Palace
Gardens. splendidly furnished. II shall
AVE my feotman and my carriage. and /
hail."
Rosie, give me the right to earn all these
hings for your the young man cried, inn
petuously.
.You can only earn them for me by the
lime sou have one foot in the grave. Hadn't
better in the meantime marry some old
Gentleman with his foot in the grave, so ~
0 be ready for you against the time whom
on como homer In two or three years the
bther foot I dare say would slide into tho
krave AZ WE'LL"
"You laugh ut my trouble. You feel
lothing.'
IF the patsr would part-but he won't
. says he wants all his mon ey for himself
nd that I've got to marry we'll. Besides,
teg''-here her face olouded and she low
bred her voice-'there are times when he
ooks anxious. We didn't always live in
PALACE Gardens. Suppose We should lose it
Ill b quickly az we got il. Oh!' she shiv-
red and trembled. "No, l will nsvor,
lever marry a poor man. Get rich, my
kaluable possession of this heartless and"
She held it out. He took it. pressed it,
(tooped and kissed nor. Then he dropped
hsr hand and walked quickly out of the
Foom.
"Poor Reeaiel" she murmured. II wish
Il wish-but what is the use of wishing?"
ACT II. ..rE
Two m0u-On0 yOunR, sno ObuoI auouS
ifty-sat in the veranda of \ small bunga-
low. 1t was after breakfast. They lay
back in long bamboo chairs, each with a
bipar, 1t looked as If they were resting. In
-eality they were talking busine and That
Eery seriously.
''Yss, SIR said the elder man with some
hing Of an American accent, II have some
bow taken a fancy to this place. The stu
ation is healthy"
well, / don't know; I've had more than
bne touch of fever here"
1.-THE climate is lovely"
Except in the rains" ...
The soil is FERTILE
''T've dropped Ava thou sand in it and they
haven't como M again yet"
''They will. | have been round the es-
Eate and l see money in it,. Well, sir. here's
ny offer; e5, 600 down. hard cash. as soon as
The papers are signed"
Reginald sat up. He was on the point of
accepting the proposal when a pony rode up
10 the house, and the rider, a native groom.
Jumped off and gave him a note. He opened
t and read. It was t. ON his nearest neigh
Dor, two or three miles away: Don't sell
hat man your estate. Gold has been
found. The whole country IL full of gold.
Hold on. He's an assayer. If he offers to
buy be quite sure that he has found gold ON
Eour land.-F. G."
He put the note in his pocket. gave a YER
bal message to the boy, and turned to his
kusst without betraying the least astonish-
0ent or emotion. ~
II beg your pardon. The note was from
Bellamy, my next neighbor. Well? You
were saying" ~
"Only that I have taken a fancy-perhars
foolish fancy-to this placs of yours, and
n! give you, if you like, all that you nave
spsnt upon it,"
We'll" he replied reheotively, but with
handsome. But the place isn't really worth
the half that have spent upon it.. Any
body would tell you hat. Come, let us be
honest. whatever we are. Tl tell you y bet
ter way. We will put the matter into the
hands of Bsllamy. He Knows what a coffee
plantation is worth. He shall name . price,
b deal OF it."
The other man changed color. He wanted
to settle the thing at once as between en-
tlenen. What need Of third parties? But
Reginald stood firm. and he presently rode
Ptway, quite sure that in a day or two this
planter, too, would have had the news.
A month later the young coffee planter
stood on the deck of q steamer homeward
bound. In bis pocket book was "a plan for
his auriferous estate, in a bag hanging
tround his neck was q small collection of
yellow nuggets; in his boxes was a chosen
assortment OF quartz.
wei, sir" SAID the nnanCl0r, you've
brought this thing to me. You want my
hdvioe. Well, my advice is, don't fool
Eway the only good thing that will ever
happen to you. Luck such as this doesn't
Home moro than unce in Il lifetime"
Il nave been offered 100000 for my
ESTATE"
''Oh! Have you! Ten thousand? That
was very liberal-very liberal indeed. Fen
Thousand for a gold reef
''But | thought AZ an old friend Of my
Father you would. perhaps"
young man, don't fool it away. He's
waiting for you, l suppose, round the
corner. with a bottle of tizz ready to close.'
HE is." ii
SWELL, go and drink his champagne. Al
ways get whatever you can. n then tell
him that you'll see him"
II certainly will, sir, if you advise il. And
them"
"And then-leavo it to me. ~And-young
FlnanI think l heard, a year or two AGO,
|something about you and my girl Rosie"
There was something, cir. Not enough
TO trouble you about it,"
"She told me. Rosie tells me all her love
|affairs."
"ls'she-is she married." t"
ION no. and for the moment ! believe
she is free. she has had one or two en-
but somehow they have come to
nothing. There WAS ghe French count, but
that was knocked on the head verv early in
consequence OF things discovered. And
there was the boom in Guano, but he for
smashed. much to RoBis's Joy, be-
cause shc never liked him. The last WAS
Lo d Evergreen. He was a nico old chap
when you could understand what he said,