Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-08-03

StllRer ana We're as intimate as two
children could De. Then her sister mar
ried Mr.. Duvemay. who had a colonial
appointment. and Elsie went with them
abroad, and we dropped completely out
OF touch with one another. Strange.
isn't II, that | shOHld hear of her again
the same day that brings news OF poor
Mr. Gamblers death ?"
IT'S a small world this" said Fair
fax sententiously, ard condolences are
the connonest things i'm it. / sup
pose in a novel the pair of them ought
TO have come together and forgiven the
past and married and settled down in
a villa residence, with ivy and clematis
attachment, and lived happily ever af-
t~rward. Unfortunately real life is
baldcr and Tar less romantic"
''You seen out of spirits" said his
Rancee, linking her fingers over his
errl
Z suppose | am TO begin with this
Port Edes business isn't calculated to
e'livcn ono and then on the top of that
I've had another taste OF your blessed
/ guarltan'S business methods which
! nave nearly sickencd me out OF the Of
/ flee altogether You know about this
Brrhers Steamship company which he
is trying to float? Well we had
! preliminary meeting today-Quite 900
! people, and all, comparatively speaking
poor They were for the most part
the gang he breaches to on Sunday,
/ with q sprinkling OF shippers out OF
work and other seafaring folk who had
saved a trfe Of money
Shelf commenced the business with
prayer, which is right enough at it's
! proper time, but struck me as being
! particularly out Of place there The
/ audience however, Eroaned approval
! and their confidence IN the man seemed
! 70 be strengthened. He followed this
d NtfF 1l4~4= s-l.
! ht5 20 be made out Of the modern sea
/ carrying trade and enlarged upon the
! nOtortous fact that the losses OF the
! business largely arose from the lack
| OF Interest on the part OF shipmasters
and the officers. This last he said.
| would be entirely removed I'm the
! Brothers Steamship company. because
! by the article of association no man
would hold responsible position on
| any one OF their vessels who was not
| an actual shareholder Of the company
! And then he pointed out that there was
/ an per cent dividend guaranteed on
/ preference stock and a certain Is per
! cent. or rs per cent. on the ordinary
/ and wound UP with another dose of
! cant The company, he said. would
| not be alone content with earning in
come for its bondholders II would
/ have as its equal object the spreading
| O1 the gospel and @ civilization of
/ England 70 the uttermost parts OF the
globe.
"Th.n the meeting cheered and
amended and wrote out an application
FOR 10000 8 shares then and there in
the room ON forms which were handed
round, and when il dispersed Mr.
Theodore Shelf and l drove back TO the
! offices
Look here, | said to him. you've
put me down on the directorate OF this
thing, with salary of $1,000 a year.
want to resign
What on earth for?
oh, shall we say | haven't suffi-
ci"nt money loose to take up enough
shares?
But he said quickly. YOU needn't
take up any You can draw your first
qusrecr's salary and pay that back to
the conpenys bankers on your first
call. That win qualify you.
no | said, Tn not going to do
that Pm going to be mixed up with
this new company in no degree what
ever. Flatly, ] don't believe i'm the
thing one bit It's a notorious fact that
fre'ghts are so low just now that thou
sands Of IONS of shipping are laid up
because ii can't be run at a profit and
II yuu put more IN commission freiehts
will tumble down still lower.
" You speak from your ignorance, he
said. should remind you that |
am by far an older man and have "A
much deeper experience The business
Of Marnaduke Rivers q Shelf is a last
ing monument Of what my humble
talents can accomplish and you will
some day see for yourself the newer
company on an equal footing Did you
not notice what enthusiastic confidence
in its prosperity those humble friends
of mine showed this aftcrnoon?'
"A fat lot they know about the ship
ping business said i. In the mood
you worked them up 20 they'd have
believed in an Advertising stockbroker's
circular II only there were "a text at the
head OF yhe page.
shelf pulled the cheek string. ana
his brcugham stopped against the curb
mr. Fairfax he said your attitude
pains me. Let us part here for the
tune, and let as both pray that when
raNt we meet you may be in q more
Christian mind Wbercupon out / step-
ped and came along here to Park lane.
Amy, dear ! don't like the look OF
things az ali. The other business-the
Oceanic Steam TRANSPORTATION com
LHny as II is called officially-is by no /
means in a healthy condition and re-
Wondering that IL seems TO me that
st1rtinS this new company is something
very uc1r,y approaching a swindle 1 |
believe that Theodore Shelf. knowing |
that he is In low water, is getting des-
pcratc"
4 don't know about the last re-
piled the girl thoughtfuly; but, as for
being IN low water, there / think YOU |
arc wrong. Every week here |
they seem to spend more money /
than they did the week before. I
Mrs. Shelf was at a picture sale yes |
ttrdGy and bought two old masters at /
1000 s'iircas apiece. and it isn't likely |
she'd throw away that sum on what Is |
a oily on IVt4la-
less money were pretty plentiful with |
II can't go on at this pace" said |
Fairfax j know what the limits of |
the business are, and l am certain IL |
can't stand the drain which all this |
gorgeo'fsress must entail. Last year |
the PROFITS We're almost nil and vet did /
Mrs Shelf retrench at all? Not a bit. /
she goes IN for more and more display I
every week she lives. This pace must I
bring abo1lt a wreck and If the Oceanic I
steam transportation company goes /
down it is an absolute certainty that
this n'w Brothers company win be
swamped with IT,"
And thenT
More than 5000 poor people. for the
most part old viii fnd that the savings
OF lifetime have vanished into moth
lngness before their eyes. IL IS an awful |
thing even TO think such a suspicion
dB"lItSt u fr1iL Dut tne lded rs growing
ufon me, and Theodore Shelf saw what
] thought when he showed me out of
hts brougham this afternoon
Then WHAT asked the girl in a
horrifled WHISPER, will you do?"
Nothing. What can | do? To
breathe word of il aloud would be
a libel, and If | did not get sent to Jail
they wo%iid pack me off TO Hanwen as
a malicious mailman. Shelfs name is
as eood as banknote in the city this
day, and for everybodys sake | trust
have wIvnged him foully, and that IL
may aFNays continue so. But Amy
dear, / have a heavy foreboding on me
Jhot in less than half years time
there will be mob of wretched people
shooting themselves or going to the
wOrkhouSe because he has ruined them,
and thf~ haven't the pluck or the thews
eft TO commence life afresh."
CHAPTER XIV