The Princeton union., 1899-12-28

Ask any city man about the standing Of
John Longworth, and you will learn
that the house is well thought OF.
People said he was lucky, but John
Longworth asserted that there was no
such thing. as luck in busipess-inl
which statement he was very likely
not correct. He had large Investments
in almost every quarter of the globe.
When he went into thing he went
into it thoroughly. People talk of the
inadvisability of putting all ones eggs
into one basket, but John Longworth
was a believer in doing that very thing,
and in watching the basket. Not that
he had all his eggs in one basket, Or in.
even one kind Of basket, but when
John Longworth was satisfied with the
particular variety of basket presented
to him he put a large number of eggs
in it. When anything was offered for
Observation-Disclosures it was a mine, a
brewery or a railway-John Longworth
took an experts opinion upon it, and
then the chances were that he would
disregard the advice given. lie was in
the habit of going personally to see
what had been offered to him. If the
enterprise were big enough he thought
little of taking voyage to the other
side of the world for the sole purpose
of looking the investment over.
When Edith Longworth was pro-
nounced finished, as far as education
was concerned, she became more and
more the companion of her father.
She went with him On his long jour-
neys, and so had been several times
to America, once to the cape, and onk>
long voyage, with Australia as the OBJ
jective point, had taken her complete
ly around the world. She inheritedt
much of her fathers shrewdness, anti
there is no doubt that If Miss Long
worth had been cast upon her own re-
sources she would have become an ex-
cellent woman of business. She knew;
exactly the extent of her fathers in
vestments, and she was his confdante
in a way that few women are with
their male relatives. The old man had
great faith in Edith's opinion, al
though he rarely acknowledged it. Hav-
ing been together so much on such long:
voyages, they naturally became, in q
way, boon companions. Thus Edith's
education was very unlike that of thu
ordinary English girl; a training which
caused her to develop into a different
kind of woman than she would have
been if her mother had lived.
The friendship between Edith Long
worth and John Kenyon ripened so rap
idly that on the day Wentworth had His
last disquieting interview with Jennie
Brewster they also were discussing
mining properties, but in somewhat df-
ferent fashion. Kenyon confded to the
girl that his own hopes and fears were
wrapped up in a mine.
After completing their work for the
London syndicate, the young men had
transacted little business on their
own account. They visited together
mica mine, which was barely pay
ing expenses, and which the owners
were anxious to sell. The mine was
owned by the Austrian Mining COM
pany whose agent, Won Brent, had met
Kenyon in Ottawa. Kenyon's educated
eye had told him that the white
mineral they were placing on the dump
| at the mouth of the mine was more
| valuable than the mica for which they
were mining. Kenyon was scrupulously,
honest-a quality somewhat at a dis
count in the mining business-and it
seemed to him hardly fair that he
| should take advantage of the ignorance
of Won Brent regarding the mineral on
the dump. Wentworth had some
! trouble in overcoming his friend scru-
| pies. He insisted that knowledge al
ways had to be paid for, in law, medi-
cine, or mineralogy, and therefore that
they were perfectly justified in profit
ing by their superior wisdom. So it
came about that the young men took to
| England with them a three months
option Oh the mine, which means that
for three months they We're to have the
privilege of buying the property at
certain figure named in the legal docu-
ment which was called in the mining
language, the ''option.'
"Well, I am sure" said Miss Long
worth, when Kenyon had given her all
the details, If you are confident that
the mine is a good one, you could see
no one who would help you more in that
way than my father. He has been look
ing at brewery business in which he
thought of investing, and with which
he has concluded to have nothing to do,
so he will be anxious to find something
reliable to take its place. How much
would be required for the purchase of
the mine you mention?"
II thought of asking $4,000 for it,"
said Kenyon, flushing as he thought of
his temerity in doubling the price of
the mine, and adding 10000 to it.
However, Wentworth and he had esti-
mated the probable value of the mine,
and had concluded that selling it at that
price, which would give them 6 $4,000
to divide between them, they were sen-
! ing a mine which was really worth very
much more, and that would soon pay
tremendous dividends on the s 1000,
He expected the young woman would
seem rather impressed by the amount.
He was therefore very much surprised