El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-30

place, or the love of woman, or the love
of gold, and of the three the last is the
| best prize to win, because with it you can
| buy the others. But come, now, wake up,
] sir, and let's get on with the business.
I'm not SO sweet on this city atmosphere
| of yours that I care to spend another
morning down here if it can be avoided.
| How are you going to raise the specie?"
''I'll proceed about it at once" said
| Shelf, pressing another of the buttons on
| his desk. You may as we'll witness ev
| cry step of the process"
In answer to the bell Fairfax came into
the room, nodded rather stif1y to Cambel
| and turned to Shelf with an expectant
I Yes, sir
In terse businesslike phrase his princi-
pal touched upon the silver crisis in
America and the gold famine in the
southern states. Then he explained the
external view of his projected enterprise.
1.-The Port Edes" he said, sis in the Her
culaneum dock, returned on our hands
today. Wire Liverpool at once asking for
freights to Norfolk, Va; Pensacola, Fla;
Mobile, Ala, or New Orleans at lowest
rates. New Orleans is her final port, and
offer that at 5 per cent less. Captain
Owen Kettle will be in command, and he
sails in four days from now.
when you have deputed your clerks to
do this, go yourself to the bank and nego-
tiate for half million in gold to be deliv-
cred on board the Port Edes in dock. The
insurance policy on the money will be de-
posted with the bank to secure them in
full for the loan itself, and for their other
charges the credit of the house will easily
suffice. That clear?"
Perfectly, said Fairfax, ''but should
like to remind you of one thing-wharf
thefts at New Orleans are notorious, and
you'll have to pay heavily to insure against
them"
for ric1-o
across the ocean and the run of the river.
Underwriters are justly nervous about
those all nation thieves But in this in
stance 1 propose to save myself that fee
and insure in different way. Mr.. Cam
bel is going out on the Port EdeS express
ly AS my representative, and fancy that
he and the captain together will be capable
of seeing to safe delivery. The ships ar
rival will be reported by telegraph from
the pass at Mississippi mouth and my
New Orleans agent can calculate her ap-
pearance alongside the levee to a quarter
of an hour. He will meet her with We
hicles and strong escort of deputy
sheriffs as she brings in to her berth
and take the specie boxes off by the first
gangway which is put ashore, and carry
them straight to bank Does this strike
you sound course?"
YES said Fairfax thoughtfully. Il
see undue risks. By the way, as the
Port Edes is merely a cargo tramp and
doesn't hold a certificate for passengers,
I'm afraid the board of trade wouldn It let
Mr.. Cambel travel by her simply as the
firms representative. But that could be
easily overcome
Oh said Cambel, III sign on ar
ticles in the usual way as one of the ships
company-as fourth mate, say, or doctor
with salary of shilling for the run.
'Tisn't the first time that pleasing fiction
has been palmed upon shipping master.
II doesn't deceive any one, you know, be-
cause the rate of wages gives one away
at the outset, but the country's mutton
headed paternal shipping laws are obeyed,
and so every body's pleased "
Fairfax laughed and went into the outer
offices, and Patrick Cambel turned to the
shipowner with a couple of questions.
To begin with,' he said, why did you
offer freight to Norfolk and Pensacola and
Mobile and those placess If you call in
there, the natural thing would be to get
the specie ashore and express it by raj
road direct to New Orleans. If you miss
that chance and start carrying it round by
sea, the thing looks fishy at once Now,
dshiness is an aspect which we can't afford
n the very least degree. The swindle will
call up quite enough sensation in its most
honest and straightforward dress
My dear Mr.. CaIlbel, please give me
credit for a little more finesse. L see the
you do but I merely mentioned them to
Fairfax blind. To begin with, it is a
hundred to one chance against our getting
any cargo consigned to them at this sea-
son of the year at all, even if we offered to
carry it gratis. In the second place, if it
was offered 1 could easily get out of it in
SO ways. Afterward, when the deplorable
accident takes place, an inquiry into this
VIII help to draw off attention from your
Floridian peninsula. Any one inclined to
carp will instantly be told that we were
equally ready to put the specie ashore Oh
the Virginia coast if our other cargo had
led US there. What do you think of that
now?''
BEG your pardon. That's clear sighted
enough and should work correctly. But
I fancy my other objection is better
founded. What in the name of plague did
you go and economize overinsurance for?
Why didn't you get the stuff underwritten
slap up to the strongroom of the bankf"
ITO save $500. If you aren't going past
the middle of the Mexican gulf, what is
the use of wasting money by insuring
furthert''
Five hundred pounds in a deal of
$500, 900! mere straw in a cartload!'
''That, my dear Mr.. Cambel, is bust
ness. As I often assure my young friends
commencing life, if one takes care of the
pennies, the pounds take care of them
selves. 1t is by looking after what you
are pleased to consider trivial sums like
these that the firm of Marmaduke Rivers
& Shelf has risen to it's present eminence."
''Oh, wind!' retorted Cambel. Don't
tell me.''
"Siri" exclaimed Shelf.
"Well, if you will have it, the eminence
appears to be uncommon lottery, and be-
cause of your internal meanness you're
doing your best to bring it over. It's just
k-;a