The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-31

, rich. The bricks came down from the
! property with the same regularity and
/ people talked about the new bonanza as
men IN mining camps VIII talk about any
1 thing that seems 10 give promise of pros
perity for all. The Penobscot was on ev-
cry tongue.
VestaI had not been working au the
ore the mine contained. He had not only
! the pocket of ore that was as rich as the
Aztec ever dreamed of, but thin streak
/ 81 the hanging wall OF even higher grade
The streak had a greeniSh hue and p2rti-
| dies of free gold protruded from every
crevice. II was immensely high grade.
/ although there was not q great quantity
of it. 1t was worth 5000 a ton Or more,
and its color led NeStal 20 believe that IL
was rich in silver and other minerals as
well as gold SO instead of putting II
through mis- mill he carefully sorted Il
and kept il aside. intending to have 1t
treated by a process that would save a
Men in Helena gossiped with NeStal as
he came to the city with hi bars Of bull
lion They commented on MS sod for
That's nothing" said Vestal I'm only
running my loW-grade ore through now.
Wal Wait III ! get to working on the high
The returns already brought from the
mine had Tar surpassed expectations Of
even the old miners They believed in
them because they mad seen the Ibis
putable evidence. But when Vestal taxed
about its being low grade and hinteo at
something better. they laughed. OF
the mining camp saw that in an instant,
albeit wisdom is in some times and places
superficial. Yestal became the but of
ridicule- His associates conceded to MIN
his mine ana its richness, but they dion
believe what he said, and with the frank
ness of the early days they told him SO.
Vestal returned to the Penobscot. He
was nettied by the jeers of the people of
the city. He resolved to show them a
thing or two. And then he waived his
former resolutions about the rich ore that
been
into the mill. The great Jumps of gold
bearing rock went into the feed bins.
The stringerS OF gold came out on the
plates and the output of the property in
creased enormously as a natural result
Bigger gold bricks came to Helena. The
men who had ieered only marveled from
that time on and the advisers of Vestal
told him that he was a fool to have given
an option on the mine a a figure that
was like giving it away. Vestal kept the
secret of the increased output.
In the meantime, Trent had completed
his circuit of the camps. He had sold
some machinery and had dismissed the
worthless bond with its multiplying clause
from his mind. Business brought him TO
Helena again a few days before the time
had expired.~-He knew every one in the
territory then, and the driver of the
stage from Whitehall in was a frontier
acquaintance. like the rest. The treasure
box under the seat was more than usu-
shaping themselves. AS the stage drew
near the city. the driver remarked OH
the heft of the box.
Yes said Trent, there's money in
there to buy the Penobscot mine"
The remark was an ironical pleasantly.
The circumstance of the giving Of the
bond had just required to Trent. The
driver didn't know about the terms of
the bond. He took it seriously and it
wasn't ten minutes after the stage
reached its destination before every one
on the street had heard that the mine
that had been on every ones tongue was
about 10 go into the hands of new own
ers. The story reached the representa-
tives of Vestal. They remembered that
the bond had not been recorded and sus-
pected that it was a part of q deep
scheme in which secrecy was being OBJ
served for a purpose.
Aaron Hershfeld was Vestal's banker
at that time. The next day Trent was
sent for and at a meeting in the direct
ors' room of the bank, Hershfeld counted
out 5000 in currency. He called atten-
ton to the clause in the bond, providing
for the forfeiture, and rendered the
money. Trent was just 5000 ahead.