Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-22
The Daily Short Story /;
HIS MINE.

john Anderson at his fdtnefS death
was left with 500 or $500 in govern
ment bonds. S1OO or $500 in cash and
ten shares of the Pumpkin Vine Min
ing company stock, then quoted at 4
cents
At % John Anderson had saved by
his own earnest efforts enough money
TO marry and start a home. He had a
son IL months old, for whom he had
great expectations in the future.
One rainy afternoon in November he
was looking over old papers when he
came unexpectedly ON his ten shares
OF the Pumpkin Vine gold mine stock.
What could be done with the mine
arose ever in John Anderson's mind.
He put ii to his wife one evening after
supper and lay back in his armchair
and smiled. His wife was young
enough to be foolish and old enough to
be wise. The wife's advice was for
him to apply to the board of directors
OF the company to be made superin-
tendent of the mine: to leave her and
her child, and. with gang of sturdy
rock breakers, find out il there was any
gold there.
But who was going to pay for this
sort of thing? Where was the money
TO pay John for going on all tours,
week in and out, and the gang for food
to make them Drawn and for rum to
keep up their spirits and for oil for
their headlights and for machinery,
tools, coal and what not?
The wise wife had a secret which she
now let out. But there was lying in the
bank drawing . per cent interest S12,-
600. which John could have for the pro-
posed work to the Pumpkin Vine. John
did not know that his wife had had an
uncle who had been n sea captain. who
had died and left Johns wife $4,000
from an estate. This great secret she
had kept from John that she might re-
call IL when an occasion happened i'm
portant enough to unseal her lips.
Al the next meeting of the Pumpkin
Vine company John Anderson was APP
pointed superintendent of the mine.
One Sunday afternoon the latter part
of the following May he stood on the
side of a rugged mountain on which
lay the Pumpkin Vine mine in n sullen
sleep. They were a tough looking lot.
Poker Jim. n kind of leader of the
gang. who had been recruited at con-
best man of all TO scent out gold.
His men stood about silently chewing
tobacco. 1t was a gang sworn TO be
mum. Poker Jim allowed that he was
the man who had said no one of them
would get away whole should any
break faith. Certain prospecting had
led to well laid plan of assault. and
the next day. Monday, the opening
work on the mine was begun.
At the end of so days John wrote
home that IL there was any good news
It would have TO come from the other
end OF the line. He wrote letter 10
the president of the company and told
him briefly that there was little to say.
When John had spent $1,000 of his
wife's money in the hole, he had his
ten shares of Pumpkin Vine stock
transferred to his wife's name, which
was certainly laughable.
Then there came a storm OF wind
and fierce rain. The Pumpkin Vine
mine was flooded. 1t took three weeks
to pump out the mine and it took big
lot OF money to do 1t. 1t was then
near the end of August. John tele-
Craphed his wife that he was down
with rheumatism and then dictated n
letter to the home Office telling them
there that Poker Jim had broken his
right arm in three places, hut was not
John had 81. 1000 more to drop into
the hole. His wife had wired him
s.. 600 more. the last Of the $4,000.
Poker Jim was in an ill humor, as his
right arm always hurt him now, and
John was irritable, for the rheuma-
tism had settled in his knees and an
kles. Jim had called John Anderson
a rag and John had called Jim
''blowzy." They had drawn of for
crack at each other when two wires
arrived from the superintendent and
telegram for Poker Jim.
One of the dispatches to Anderson
was from the home Office, telling him
to shut down and close up and come
home; to stop at once the whole miser-
able businessi The other was from his
wife, saying the child was i'll, very i'll,
and that she was down with grief and
anxiety. And there was Poker Jim
standing like one stunned tool Then
be gave an unearthly whoop and
shout and tore around in a circle like
u
fling Nasty Jack, n member of the
gang, rushed up so overcome with emo
ton that he suffered. stumbled and
fell and cried out, ''Goldr' Poker
inns dispatch was from London and
informed him that his nearly forgotten
father had died and left him a for
-une. Nasty Jacks cry of gold meant
hat the old Pumpkin Vine mine had
yielded again at last.
John wired TO his wife to expect him
Dy the first train. He wired to the
nome office that 1t was no time to close
I'D when the Pumpkin Vine was put
ing forth leaves.
Anderson found his wife and child
doing well.
A few months later John had ten
shares of the Pumpkin Vine Gold Mine
company, which he had transferred to
MS wife, framed and hung up in the