Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-01-28

he had contented himself with invest
ing small sums, such as Flo orf20, the
operations" had, as Mr.. 7. B. Jones
had pledged himself they should, been
opened and closed in the course OF
four or five days, and he Capt. Kelly
had been lured into a state of false
security by the recipe of large divi-
bends. After time he had embarked
sums of ESQ and f100 in various syndi-
Gates, under the auspices of Mr.. T. B.
Jones. Some Of these he had lost.
This was the fortune Of war" Mr.
Jones kindly explained, while for
others he had received small dividends
that led him to swim out into danger
Of speculation.
At length there came a day when the
voice Of the plausible tempter told him
that fortune would be his within a
week if he would embark a large sum
in "a guaranteed syndicate" which
would deal with some new and star
Ting successful enterprise of railway
company that was we'll known to be
founded on a financial rock and to be
as safe as the Bank of England itself
He did it. He committed his pen
sion-or, rather, sold it to a sharper,
who cheated him in the transaction
naturally-and placed the whole sum
in the hands OF the smooth-faced, lying
scoundrel who had established himself
encouragingly in extensive and hand
some offices in New Victoria street, E
G. The cause of Capt Kelly's ex-
traordinary elation this day was that
he had received a wire from Jones say
ing:
Operations closed with brilliant
success. You will receive your check
tomorrow Am forming another
syndicate, from which l anticipate
equally brilliant results
He made thousand plans this day
and for several days following, for Civ
ing Patrice all or most of those joys of
life from which want of means had
hitherto debarred her They would
have a little country cottage, with a
lovely garden by the river, and she
should have her pony carriage and
a conservatory full of the choicest
flowers. But l shall still keep this
house" he added I'VE shall be I'D in
town often. It will be necessary that
L keep in touch with Jones. Wonder
full business head he has. By the way,
[ was telling him that you would
be very glad to increase your little in
come, dear child. Of course, all
have will be yours, but there is no
reason why your modest 1900 a year
should not be doubled, if you intrust
him with two or three thousand"
No, papa; I'm quite contented. |.
won't intrust him with a penny" she
said, resolutely, and she resolved to
tell Sholto Graham about it and ask
him to go and see Mr.. Jones and try
and find out whether or not he was de-
serving of the implicit confidence Capt,
Kelly reposed in him.
Day after day passed by and the
promised check from Mr.. Jones did not
arrive. Capt. Kelly grew less jubi-
liant, especially as the circulars of the
syndicates which Mr..
Jones was always forming ceased to
arrive also. He said nothing to
Patrice, however, but resolved that if
that nights latest or the next morn
ing's earliest post brought him no COM
from Mr.. Jones he would
go to Victoria street and see about
things.
Thrice Sholto Graham had called
at Jones office, and twice he had been
met by bland man who regretted ex-
tremely that Mr.. Jones was at the
on the stock exchange and
trusted that Mr.. Graham would become
one of their clients. He showed
Sholto a room crowded with eager, |
anxious-faced people, who were "op-
on their own accounts, and an
inner office that bristled with tele.
graph wires and telephones and mys-
FERROUS appliances that informed those
of every change made each
minute in the rise and fall of stocks. !
1t looked business-like and reassuring.
But Sholto Graham was not treasured. |
He went back to Capt Kelly's and
said SO, and the old gentleman was
seriously annoyed with him.
II am going out on the river to-
Sholto told Patrice that night
II wish I could ask you to come. my
darling, but I am invited myself by
another fellow"
rs the other fellow your sister,
and won't she have me-" Patrice
Gsked, laugningly. "Never mind,
Sholto, bring me some water lilies, i
you can lind any
''My sister has nothing to do with it.
and | would much rather take a h0li-
day with you than be out in a bcat all
day with fellow I don't care about
particularly. However, I've accepted.
SO must 60"
If he had been living in the palace
of truth, instead of in a network of
deception, he would have told her that
the invitation was from Mrs. Cumber
land ito go out for long, lazy day on
ker, and myself" But he was not
living in the palace of truth, so he kept
Mrs. Cumberland in the background.
The following morning while he was
being whirled down to Richmond,
Capt. Kelly was vending his way in a
sorely disheartered mood to those
offices in New Victoria street which
Mr.. Jones had vauntingly described in
his circulars and advertisements TO
be "palatialr'