The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-25


 ing manufacturer, and MT. Lindsay
 Tweed, the eminent wool merchant, met in the elevator on the way up to Welch
 office. As they recognized each other
 they nodded. each with confident and
 initiated smile. Going to cut melon
 today?" inquired Tweed and Shinn an-
 swered, q guess we'll thump It anyway
 to see if it's ripe"
 Having had each one his joke. they en-
 tered Welch's office in excellent humor.
 The office boy directed them to one of
 the inner rooms; Welch and Paul Herrick
 were awaiting them
 "Old man not come yet?' asked Shinn.
 Hell be here" Herrick answered. He
 telephoned me just an hour ago; he ar
 rived in town only this morning."
 Tweeds voice broke III.
 And hows the market today, Herriek?
 Strong, eh-and maybe we'll give it an
 extra little fillip. That's a great business
 you're in-with your private signals and
 pass words, and what not More like play
 than business, I always think. What's s
 your countersgn on the floor Herrick?'
 Pm afraid I don't quite understand"
 said the young man.
 "Oh, yes, you do. Why, Vance. my
 broker. was telling me he has private
 signals on the .exchange-two fingers for
 this and three fingers for that
 The door opened and Caspar Dane en-
 tered. He took off his hat without
 smile; a man built on a large scale, with
 the habit of a genial responsiveness, and
 face as naturally merry as it was shrewd,
 he had now not smile of greeting for
 any one. He shook hands with each of
 his fellow directors in grave silence, and
 although 1t was spring out doors and the
 morning sun was shining in at the win
 dows, the room seemed smitten with . chill.
 Dane took the chair at the head of the long table Shinn and Tweed sat together
 on his right: Paul Herrick slipped into
 chair on his left Over by the door Weleh,
 the lawyer sat at his roll-top desk, which
 was open, and watched Dane with appre-
 hensive eyes.
 "Gentlemen, the chair will ask the
 meeting to come to order.' Dane said
 His voice was grave, deliberate and un-
 emotional "The circumstances are such
 that the chair will dispense with the usual formalities. You are waiting for
 my report on the Valdez mine. Gentle men, there is no Valdez mine." The other four directors looked at him in stuperfied silence.
 ."The property that we had thought so promising proves now quite valueless. In all my mining experience have never known of a parallel case. We have un- covered as you know, a considerable
  which we have uncovered is absolutely all there is. Instead of striking vein, we have struck what seems to be merely an isolated deposit. The money we have spent on development work has been thrown away. It would hardly pay us to transport the ore we have blocked out to | a smelter-so remote as we are from a railroad. In short, our mine is worth literally nothing"
 But. Mir Dane," cried Paul Herrick rising and pointing to the chart of the mine that hung on the wall "how Is 1t possible? Here is the main lode He stepped up to the chart and with his finger tracked the markings. As he did so he talked rapidly, appealing, stating what they all had beleved-what was so at variance with Danes astounding news.
 Dane rose and stood behind him. "Yes, :" he said. "We thought so. But we were mistaken. l can only repeat that the case, so far as I know, is without a parallel" He went patiently into techni- cal explanation, describing the dwindling and failure of the ore. 'The superinten- dents report" he added, covering the 1 matter fully, is on the way. We made
 every possible exploraton-and the sup ! erntendent will give you all the details. i I hurried home to lay the matter be- 1 fore you.''
 1 "But-but you assured us, Dane" cried 1 Shinn with helpless pathos His face had 1 turned a dangerous purple, he stretched l a gentlemanly, little white hand along 1 the table with entreaty toward Dane. q assured you,'' the chairman an- l swered And I am chagrined-like the | lawyer who loses his case, or the doctor 1 who loses his patient. No more than other | men are mining engineers infallible" "Chagrinedl Good Godl" exclaimed Tweed, passionately. Then he stopped, 1 the great vein in his forehead was swol- l len, and in his flushed face all the lines of age and care seemed to have frightened. He bent himself forward, clutching his hands together between his knees. thrust l ing his sleeves up from his bony wrists. Welch, sitting at his desk, had penciled a line on a slip of paper, and now, while | the others waited in stricken silence, he l unobtrusively pressed bell. The door | opened and the office boy appeared 1 "Stopi' cried Dane in his big voice, | leaping up: the violence of sudden anger | swept over the gravity of his face He | sprang between Welch and the boy You | are not wanted, boy: that bell was mis- l take" he said, and the boy, open- -mouthed I and frightened, withdrew
 1 Dane looked down at the lawyer l The chair rules that no one in this l room shall hold communication with any 1 one outside till after this meeting is ad- 1 iourned," he stated emphatically. That
 note in your hand, MT. Welch, might be l an order to sell stock; l should advise you 1 to destroy it.
 You jump at conclusions.' reIHed the l lawyer flushing and pocketing the note. 1 "I wonder if one so shrewd has not al-
 ready profited by his advance informa- i tion?"
 1 Dane drew a packet of papers from his 1 pocket and tossed it on Welch's desk. Il l expected that question. You will find l those are the certificates of my 5000 shares I of Valdez stock"
 i We have no assurance that your broker
 may not call for them tomorrow" sneered i Welch.
 1 Dane laughed tolerantly. 'I will leave l them with you, my dear sir, for safe 1 keeping Come, gentlemen, come; we may | not trust one another-but we must make l up our minds not to betray one another. | Let us discuss the situation calmly | He returned to his place at the head of 1 the table. The two old men, Shinn and i Tweed, with anxious faces were figuring ] now on the backs of envelopes; across ] from them Paul Herrcx sat low in his I chair with his arms folded and his eyes
 starring gloomily at the table before I him.
 "The thing for us to consider" said Dane, lis what now to do. Is 1t your 1 pleasure, gentleben, that we should at l once publish the failure of the mine?'
 Tweed threw up both hands in a gesture of despair and imploring dissent. And the stock selling today at forty