The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-29

almost the first place they visit
ed, as soon as they had gained the
Langham hotel and their luncheon, was
the Times newspaper Office, where
Daisy's father paid for this advertise
ment:
If Mr.. Basil Clifton will communicate
his present address to Lyman w. Mer-
rick, Langham hotel, London he will give
the advertiser the opportunity of renewing
an old acquaintance, and of personally
expressing his gratitude for great act
of kindness done him twenty.six years
ago, in America. Any information of Mr..
Clifton's whereabouts will be gratefully
received
I'm easier in my mind after that"
Merrick observed to his daughter as
their cab drove away from the office.
I've tried considerable before, and
think that's about the only thing left
to do. Very likely 1 sha'n't hear, but,
if 1 don't hear tomorrow, every paper
in London shall have that advertise
ment the next day.
Il think perhaps" Daisy suggested,
looking sidelong at her father, Mr..
Clifton may not want to see you.
You've written before
often; but 1 owe him all have, all
the same, and I'm missing no chances
if 1 can help it. Perhaps he's dead, of
course-he was as old as I am now
twenty-six years ago. But perhaps he
isn't, and perhaps his luck has gone
down while mine has gone up. If it has
well, I'm here to sort of make things
even. It's all his, reckon, in a way of
speakin'-all from the beginning. did
nothing but sit-and take what came
of it,
He lent you the money to start,
didn't he, father?"
HE did-and he was a stranger. 1t
was rather an odd trade altogether,
and it was a rare piece of gall on my
part to put it to him. never told you,
1 think, but your poor mother knew it
all, and she never let up on urging me
to pay back somehow. You see, he
was a great collector of all sorts of
strange and curious things, and-hey
gee! Why, that's just the thing!"
'What?"
why, the Tokay; was just think
ing. If 1 find him, that bottle of To-
kay's just the sort of little present that
'ud please him! l ought to ha' thought
O. that before! What a fool thing it
was to sell the others-one magnum's
no sort of present for such man,
even a magnum of old Tokay!"
I'm sure he'd appreciate it, what
ever it was, father, if he's the sort of
man you say"
"Oh, yes, he would; he was a white
man right through and up an down
an all. Well, as 1 was saying, he was
a great collector of all sorts of rarf-
ties and at that time had a complete
Indians rigout of Wampum-the real
shell stuff-that l had brought from
West when 1 was a boy. Your gram
father traded an old gun for it. Well,
at that time, although it was sort of
cur1o, there was no particular big
money in such a thing-a few dollars,
perhaps-and it was about all 1 had
in the world after what clothes I stood
up in. But I was a huStling young fell
low, and 1 had my eye-both eyes
hard on some land-the land where
Merricksville is now, my dear The
land was cheap enough, but cheapneSS
amt much good to a man without a
cent, anyway, and 1 was most powerful
set on having that land. You can guess
why, now, knowing what you do.
They'd been drawing oil in Pennsylva-
mia for some few years then, but there
wasn't a well within sixty miles of this
place. 1 knew oil was there, though,
and there l stuck, pretty considerable
dancin' mad to think that here was my
fortune being lost for matter of five
hundred dollars or SO. You see, it was no
good a slouch like me going around to
borrow $500 without security, and if
l let on what l was after, well, any one
that believed my judgment would get
the land for himself, of course. Well,
that was how it was when / ran up
against Mr.. Basil Clifton.
He was just travelling. you see
been round the world, like ourselves
now, but doing it a deal slower. He
wanted to see some good wampum-
wanted to buy it; and somehow some
body remembered mel was doing odd
chores on a farm. He saw the set,
and, as l say, he offered to buy it.
Well, the only money that was any use
dollars that wampum was worth-then
would ha' been no use at all. I was
pretty desp'rate for that $500, knowing
what it meant, and 1 went in bald
headed on this chance, without much
hope of getting it. Stranger said,
here's the stuff, as you see, but it amt
for sale. Not for sale, you see, but I'll
give it for interest on a loan. l want
$500 for start in life, and I'll give this
in advance for interest
He opened his eyes a bit at this,
but was quite English and quiet about
it. How long do you want that loan
for?' he asked. Six MONTHS 1 said,
though 1 guess I could pay in three
L expect to be in England long before
the end of three MONTHS he said.
Then 1 should have to mail it on I
answered. Any security?' he asked.
No. says 1. He seemed considerable
amused in his quite sort of wayne
was man twice my age at that time,
you see-and he looked from me to the
wampum and back again several
times. Well he said at last, I'll spec
ulate on your honor, young man. Come
to my hotel and you shall have the
money And / had lit; and in two
months the oil was coming up in mil
lions of gallons, and Merricksville was
begun. He left his bankers address,
and there the money went, under the
three months, with letter for him.
got an answer on plain note paper.
headed care of the bankers-a very
kind answer, full of congratulations
but he wouldn't take a cent more than
his due; the speculation was my own
idea, he said, and he'd already got more
than the loan was worth And then
WE'LL then 1 married your mother, and
got took up with one thing and an
other, and it was ten years before
wrote again. And then he'd changed
his bankers, and so lost track of him.
But felt sort O. guilty about it some
how, not having written for ten years,
and having made such pile on his
money, and I tried and tried again, but
got no nearer. I was over here once,
as you know, and CHANGED to meet
an old friend of his, but he hadn't seen
him for years-ever since he lost his
wife and shut himself away in the
country, he said. OF course, after all
this time it's likely he's dead-he'd be