Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-10-15
1t mutt be in something with solid

of the west, out ii Ine ucoci Ills
vada held any more Comstock lodes ne
knew that they were not for men OF
moderate fortune And then came the
recollection of days that he had spent as
q how with an uncle in western Louisiana,
lof visits to Texas, of the old Spanish
town of San Antonio and of stories told
there of Mexican honanzas-of ranges OF
mountains rich in silver ore; OF hooded
mines where the water had grown TOO
strong for the primitive native methods
Of draining. and men had stood by and
watched with tears the great veins, shin-
ing with native silver. hidden from their
sight; of mines only hundred or two
feet deep that had already yielded mil
lions and were to be purchased Tor llttle
OF nothing in consequence of the refrac-
| tory character of the deeper ores. All
| of these stories, with many OF the ro-
mantle histories connected with famous
! Mexican mines, the boy had drunk in
and looked wistfully toward the southern
border, where lay that wonderful land
which had already yielded a wealth
greater than that of the Indies and which
now awaited new race of conqulstadores
men armed with the mechanical IN
yentions of the Nineteenth century-to
wrest its still hidden treasures from the
grasp of nature.
When the memory OF these things
came to him. he said. Il will go to Mex
ico.r And this resolution was confirmed
by the fact that he had acquired,
through sheer love Of nature, one branch
of scientific knowledge which would
prove of value to him there. From his
school days he had liked geology. studied
it with interest. and become almost I'M
consciously good mineralogist He had
never been near mine without examin-
ing it: and tour through the west had
derived its chief interest for him from
this source. The idea of utilizing the
knowledge so acquired had never occur
red TO him until the present time. but
now he felt sure that he'would not need
the services of any expert to determine
the value of mineral property: he was
certain that he would know good mine
when he saw il. And unless things
have changed very much" he thought.
many good mines are to be had for
moderate prices in the obscure districts
of Mexico It is there will 90. J"
He told no one of his intention. In the
first place. he could tell no one of the
reason for it--that was a secret he was
determined not to share with any human
being-and. secondly. he was well aware
how visionary and wild such scheme
would appear to either his own or his
fathers friends, who knew him only as
young man Of fortune. totally without |
business training and unsupported of
scientific knowledge Whatever he did |
must be done without counsel and with |
out help. And here the latent strength |
of his character showed itself He de- |
cided and acted promptly. He would go |
to Mexico: he would look for investments |
ont of which money might Immediately
and rapidly be made. and in this specu-
lation-which meant financial life or
death TO him-he would risk twenty
thousand dollars The amount was fixed |
by the sum which he found he could at
once and without trouble obtain by the
sale of certain highly marketable securi-
ties If the money was lost. he could by
his own.exertions hope to replace at least
as much AS that. but if fortune favored
him. he might make it the means Of re-
trieving the great loss already incurred
At all events. he would try what could
be done before letting the world know
that his father had proved faithless to
his trust.
That it was not deliberate faithless-
ness-certainly not an intent to defraud
would not mend the matter either in
the eyes of the world OF in those Of the
persons Immediately concerned. The
fortune that had been used for specula-
tive purposes and so greatly impaired
was that of a young girl. Instantly con-
nected with his mother. whose large in
heritance had been placed in his fathers
hands with absolute confidence by her
fathers will She was now nineteen; in
two years an account of this Inheritance
must be given. On his fathers death
Derwent had assumed the guardianship
and bound himself to make this account.
before he discovered the grim fact that
WV Aetttt " ONCi W DtAln ullll. ne re- |
membered then some words uttered by
the dying man when he understood that
the end of all things earthly was at hand
for him. 'Sibyll'' he had said. drawing
down his sons face to his own paling
lips "Sibyli-you win find-it was all
you can make it right
Remember"-what grasp that was Of
the dying hand!-'you can make it
right
Derwent understood then what was
meant. and he understood it with fresh
sorce when he discovered the truth. He I
iad long known that his father wished
him to marry.the pretty orphan heiress
whom his mother already loved as a
laughter. It was probably because the
was so desirable that he. with I
he contrarity inherent in human nature.
lad never felt himself drawn toward the
dea. although he thought it likely that