Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-05-04

Joke OF the secretary that the Vine was
creeping over its own grave. After the
meeting the query as to what could be
Gone with the mine arose ever in John
Anderson's mind. lie put it to his
wife one evening after supper, and laid
back IN his armchair and smiled. His
wife was young enough to bo foolish
and old enough to be wise. She was
to John like one of the seven wise vir-
gins. This wife's advice was for him
to apply to the Board of Directors of
the company to be made snperintend-
ent of the mine; to leave her and the
child, and with gang of sturdy rock
breakers proceed to the side OF that
rugged mountain, where the mine was,
pick, crush and dig until they could,
as it were, find out how much of moth
ing or how much of something there
might be in the body or stalk OF the
Vine.
Other advice was-to take breath
and keep at it. Sho and the infant
could stund it for three months, living
on hope and their usual diet. This ad-
vice being given in n musical voice,
with the baby asleep in the wife's
arms, John received it as wisdom Of
the right sor;.
But who was going to pay for this
sort of thing? Where was the money
to pay John for going on oil fours,
week in and out? and the gang for
food to make their Drawn, and for oil
for their headlight is, and for machinery,
tools, coal and what all? And even SO
suppose, after al, nothing was
found? Going through a mine isn't
easy or cheap, like q highwayman 60
ing through miner!
The wise wife had a secret which
she now let out. OF course going
through The pockets of mine took
lots of time and thousands of dollars
in money. She knew enough to know
that. But there was lying in the bank
drawing two per cent. interest $40, 900
which John could have for the pro-
posed work in the Pumpkin Vino.
John did not know that his wife had
had an uncle who had been sea cap.
tain; who had died, and left Johns
wife $4,000 from his estate. This
great secret she had kept from John
that she might reveal it when an occa
sion happened important enough to
unseal her lips.
At the next meeting of the Pumpkin
Vine Company John Anderson was ap-
pointed superintendent OF the mine,
and permission was given him to sink
whatever amount of good money he
saw fit to iu that hole in the ground,
but no license was given to run the
company into debt.
Ono Sunday afternoon the latter
part of the following Moy, he stood on
the side Of a rugged mountain in which
lay the Pumpkin Vine mine in sullen
sleep. Some of his miners stood about
him. They were tough looking lot.
"Poker Jim," kind of leader of tho
gang, who had been recruited at con-
siderable expense, was considered the
best man of all to scent out gold. In
n game no one could out bluff "Poker
Jim;" but in mining matters
shaft-he played his hands for what
they were worth, and he was never
discovered. His men stood about
silently chewing tobacco. Ii was n
gang sworn to be mum. "Poke. JIM
allowed that he was the man who had
said no one OF them would get away
whole, should any break faith. Ger
tain prospecting had led to we'll laid
plan of assault; and the next day,
Monday, the opening work on the mine
was begun.
At the end of thirty days John wrote
homo that if there was any good news
It would have to come from the other
end of the line. He sent letter to
tho president of the company and told
him briefly that there was little to
say. He was we'll and ''Poker Jim"
was not discouraged.
When John had spent $4,000 of his
wife's money in the hole he had his
ten shares Of Pumpkin Vine stock
transferred to his wife's name which
was certainly laughable.
Then there came storm of wind
and fierce rain. For week it was all
water on the mountain, and the Pump
kin Vine Mine was flooded. 1t took
three weeks to pump out the mine,
and it cost lot of money to do it. 1t
was then near TIE end of August.
John telegraphed his wife that he was
down with rheumatism, aud then die
tated letter to the home Office, tell.
ing them there that "Poker Jim" had
broken his right arm in three places,
but was not discouraged.
When work was resumed in the mine
and the superintendent was hobbling
about on crutch, and Poker Jim,
with his right arm in sling, was
down the shaft again, it was approach
ing election times. Some of the men
got into fight one day discussing the
good and bad traits of Presidential
candidates, and although no one was
killed, wounds were common enough.
John had $1,000 more to drop into
the hole his wife had wired him $4,000
more, the last of the $12, 900. Poker
Jim was in i'll humor, as his right arm
aIways hurt him now. and John was