The record-union., 1896-10-18
THE GREEN-CUB MINE.
l.
j had lust ret1lrnad from my bun aui

/ copy deed, when received a telegram.
| Halo, Tommy" said Brown, who
| on earth's sending you a telegram"
For the clerks in our particular depart
| ment OF Law & LivingstOne's, No. III
| St Regent street, Glasgow, always gave
| special instructions to their ariStOcratic
/ friends not to send kilograms to the
office. or the governors would be reduc-
ing their salaries. So at least they said,
| but as the average amount of the sala-
rieS in question was something like
eighty-ive pounds year, the statement
| is open to doubt.
| l opened it, and a smile of delight
| fitted across my face as l read: Cen
trail Hotel-come-imm mediately-import-
ant-just-arrived.- emima.'
| can hardly hope to describe the effect
| produced upon me by that signature;
| for Jemima was my old chum Billy
| JohnStone, whose indomitable pluck and
| reckless boyishneSS had not sufficed to
| remove the nickname which his gentle
voice and girlish face had won him. But
| what gave me the actual pleasure was
| that l had not seen him for over two
| years, but had only heard from him at
| long intervals from Albany and Cool
| Sardie. l had not even called on his
| folk at Cathcart, other interests of a
pleasanter if more Notwithstanding ma
| ture keeping me generally in the west
ern districts of the city.
AS / did not know how long I might
| be out, I showed the telegram to old
Livingstone and readily got permission
| to go. / rushed down to the Central,
| wondering what the important business
| could be, and five minutes later was
t-l,o lii, fn1l
ever known--the only one 1 have ever
| met who was at once SchOlar-in a
| moderate sense-and player man and
! boy.
But what a change these two years
had wrought in him. Three inches had
been added to his hight, and the femi-
nine note in his face had changed and
left only a pleasant memory of it in his
| eyes, blue and soft as of old, yet with
the same old laugh lying in ambush be-
| hind them The other interests already
! alluded to tended to make me senti-
| mental but he quickly cut short my
| apostrOphes with a new, strange, busi-
| ness alertness which / was quite unable
to account for.
| Here. [ didn't send that telegram
just for fun, Tommy. I've got the fin
| est investment in the world for you, and
| there's just a possibility that in a cou-
pie of hours your chance will be past.
Have you any money!?
About ten or twelve pounds" / said,
after a moments reflection to consider
| if there was not another odd pound to be
scraped up somewhere.
He laughed THAT blessed law! Why
didn't you go in for the kirk, Tommy, or
buy public house on borrowed money!
But the law. Oh, could write melan-
choly epics about the law!" He had been
in a law office for eight months himself.
| Ten pounds! And what can you bor-
| row?'
hesitated, for am Scotch.
rs it safe?" 1 asked.
"Safei Dive think you rufffan, I'm a
Jabez Balfour? / tell you that except
what's necessary to keep me for an
other month, haven't a farthing that
| isn't in it, and everyone of these farth-
ings will be ten within three months!
| I became quite excited, as a prospect
OF fabulous wealth opened up before me.
II can get fifty pounds from old Service,
1 think, and 1 believe I could get about
another thirty"
| Ninety pounds. 'Tisn't so bad. Then
gallop and get it, and be back here with
in forty minutes. Every minutes pure
gold"
But it's impossible."
you must. 1t means nine hundred
pounds, Tommy, and I've heard about
some one called Peggy. Get a cab and
run the horse off it's feet. It's two to one
just now You'll be here by one-thirty,'
| ard he thrust me out of the door.
l hailed passing cab. We were more
| I,o lya tp h CT for fin
driving, but / scarcely noticed, for was
| in a world Of impossible dreams. Old
Service wasn't in his warehouse, and l
had to hunt him up at his club. He saw
| the excitement in my face and it was
| impossible to screw the money out of
him without telling him all / knew
who is your friend?" he asked sus-
piciously. 1 told him. Hes to be
| trusted?'
Like gold"
HIM He pondered. / was in fid-
gets.
III tell you what If you're open to
| take the risk, I'll give you a check for
three hundred-half to go in my name.
Eh?"
| ! almost tainted, but recovered-took
| the check, almost leaped over the stairs
| in my excitement, but managed to find
| the cab door without misadventure. The
! cab seemed to crawl as we drove round
to the others / wished to visit, but at
| one twenty five ] rushed into the hotel
| il frantic excitement and met "Jemi-
ma" in the entrance hall.
How much have you got?''
1 "One hundred and sixty for myself
and hundred and sixty for Service."
| by George, you've done well. Come
on then in to the cab again,''
We entered Stock Exchange" he
called to the driver. We were there in
a couple of minutes. He sprang out and
| hailed a passing broker:
How are Green Cubs standing?"
-Four and six believe. I'm not GER
tain, however There's not many deal
| ings in them.
| worth and send the note to-have you
| card
ITO Thomas Buchanan, care of Law
& LivinSstone's, st. Regent street."
/ "All right sir" and he left u.s.
"Jemima" turned and shook my hand.
That's the best days work you ever
did, Tommy, my boy One sixty divided
by five shillings-six hundred and forty
| shares and By this time Tomorrow
| they'll be worth a pound apiece In a
month you'll get any money for them .
Good gracious!" l exclaimed, startled
| beyond all measure, "how do you
| know?"
He took out a cablegram, evidently
| from Australia. and showed me that it
contained the one word, Grip"