The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-10-15
THE GRUBSTAKE MINE

ut hasn't, Ell? Well, you reach your
hand into the left pocket of my belt,
and you'll find her letters. There,
that's right; now read the one on top"
So found myself glancing over the
first Of a batch of letters in fine
round school girl hand like stringful
Of knots The letter read:
Dear Jack-1f you want me don't be
a fool. Here's Pa favoring Daddy
Longlegs, who wants me awfu! bad.
He's given Daddy Longlegs straight
tip how to make his fortune. Pa told
him that they've just found tremen-
dous lot of ore in the Grubstake mine,
but the principal owners are lying low,
and saying bad things about the mine
until they can rope in ali the stock.
whatever that means. Any way,
they've broken down the pumps on pur-
pose to let the works get flooded, so as
to hide what they've found. Daddy
Longlegs has sense enough to speculate
in Grubstakes; You haven't.
KITTY"
"Yes," continued Jack. "Kitty's pret-
ty straight goods, and when she says a
thing she means il. If Daddy Long
legs had a thousand dollars, was
worth two thousand; at least that's
what realized in hard cash by selling
my ranch to tenderfoot. So rode
down here to Bitter Root City, went to
INitty's uncle, Hi Hewson, the stock
broker, planked down my roll of bills,
and said: Buy Grubstakes.' ..-..
"'You hadn't ought to buy outright
says Hcwson; you should margin -,
What's that? said l.
| eft MEANS said he, thai. you plank
| down your money; run the show; if
| the stock goes up. / sell out when You
think you're pretty well fixed for life:
if the stock goes down two thousand
dollars worth, you lose ell you have
got
"I'll gamble said I, with all I can
hold down by sitting straddle.'
| well, you should have seen the
brokers guying Hi Hewson in the Min
ing Exchange, and afterward I heard
them talking among themselves in the
Coffee Palace.
| "'Nhat.' says one smart Aleck, You
think Hi Hewson's working for Silas,
ch! You must think Silas P. Hewson's
gone loco! The old man confessed only
last week to q friend OF mine that the
mines played out. Why, the works
are chock ablock with water, and no
| tunneling facilities to drain it; the
pumps have broken down sand of real
pay ore there isn't dollar in sight
ga level head has old man Silas,'
| says another; as to Hi uewson, he's
roped in a sucker who thinks he can
gamble-some fool of cowboy, he
lSsays.' ! ksE85s - ~
"'There was another sucker last
| week. says smart Aleck; Daddy Long
legs they call him -planked down
thousand dollars on a falling market,
he, he! Well :he's busted now; mar
gin all run out
"At that they all drank toast, Long
live the suckers but-well-I laughed.
"Now read the second letter." said
Jack. E2EE2g ~ -
you're a daisy" 1 read. Daddy
Longlegs has come back dead broke;
and his Language is just disgraceful.
Hold on, keep right hold, Jack, for pa
says he'll soon be- letting the cat out.
Of the bag, 60 if the stock goes down
any more you must keep good heart
and hold on. -@-ss''-'-.ss'''..i KITTY. ''''"
{ ssThat' 8 saA Il riglit. 'pssaid jack, but
Eby fhe time got the letter On Monday
Emorning my margin -: running out
too: Says HITS all your own fault
you never took the trouble to ask my
advice, or you wouldn't have bought
until today but that was poor conso-
lation, for was like to be as big fool
as Daddy Longlegs. When the Ex-
change closed Oh Monday the Grub
stake was quoted at forty-three, and
if it went a point lower my two thou
sand dollars would be lost. Read the
third letter." :
Hold on to the stock" read. "You
needn't have been jealous of Daddy.
He ain't$in it, never was, for love
you, old boy. On Wednesday morning
the news will be in all the papers that.
the Grubstake was flooded On purpose
to keep the secret Of great bonanza;
your stock. will be worth q fortune.
Hold Oh for my sake, darling. Hold on
for all you're worth. KITTY
"At that plucked up courage" said
Jack, cheerfully, "sold my horse, sad
die, rifle, coat, 'shaps,' lariat, spurs,
watch, everything; and planked down
the cash with Hi Hewson. could
hold on now, lie told me, till the stock
dropped to forty and half; but If it
went below that I was lost.
"On Tuesday went to the Mining
Exchange Building with my heart in
my mouth. The stock opened at forty
three, then little was sold at forty
two, and at noon it stood at forty one
and half Scared almost crazy,
grabbed hold of reporter, stood the
drinks. and loaded him up with news.
I told =himsto say in his paper that the
Hewson outfit was bearing down the
market, that Silas had flooded the mine
| to hide his bonanza until the moment
| came to shout But the reporter made
out that the next edition came out at
four o'clock. and the Exchange closed
at half-past three.
"'Get out the posters early told
him, 'bribe the printers, work the ropes
somehow, and if I win my game, !
won't forget you
1.-THE reporter winked, and started to
write out his news; but when the mar
ket opened again in the afternoon.
there seemed to be no hope left, for
the stock was at forty-one and quar-
| ter, with only three-quarters of point
between me and .perdition.
From where I stood in the public
1 +I,o hrof~orc,