The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-05-09
STRONG AND STEADY
by n0RATl0 ALeER. JR.


"Good-evening. Conrad" said the doc
tor. II am rather a late visitor. was
not sure but you might be In bed. Have
you heard from home lately, Conrad?"
asked the doctor.
Eyes, sir, l received lette. . few
days since"
Did your father speak of being I'M
Welt"
mo, SIR" said Walter, taking instant
alarm. "Have-have you heard any
thingY"
Yes, my boy: and that is my reason
for calling upon you at this unusual hour.
received this telegram twenty minutes
since"
Walter took the telegram, with trem-
bling fingers, and read the following mes
sage:
''Dr. Porter-Please send Walter Con-
rad home by the first train. His father
is very sick. NANCY FORBES"
do you think there is any danger,
DR.. Porter?" asked Walter, with a pale
face.
Il cannot tell, my boy: this telegram
furnishes all the information l possess.
Who is Nancy ForbesY
"She is the housekeeper. can't real
lie that father is SO sick. He did not say
anything about it when he wrote"
Let us hope it is only brief sick
ness. I think you had better go home by
the first train tomorrow morning."
The principal shook hands with Walter
and withdrew. When his tall form had
vanished, Walter sat down and tried to
realize the fact of his fathers sickness
but this he found difficult. 1t was a long
time before he got to sleep, but at, length
he did sleep, waking in time only for a
hasty preparation for the homeward jour
ney.
He was SO occupied with thoughts of
his father that it was not till he was well
on the way home that it occurred to him
that this was his fifteenth birthday, to
which he had been looking forward for
some time.
The seat In front of Walter was for
some time vacant; but at the Woodville
station two gentlemen got In and entered
upon an animated conversation. Walter
did not at first pay any attention to it.
He was looking out of the window list
lessly, unable to fix his mind upon any
thing except his fathers sickness. But
at length his attention was caught by
some remarks made by one of the gentle
men in front, and from this point he list
enc dlanguidly.
II suspected him to be a swindler when
he first came to me-" said the gentleman
sitting next the window. HE hadn't an
honest look, and ] was determined not
to have anything to do with his scheme.
Mining companies are risky things al
ways. once got taken in to the tune
of five thousand dollars, but it taught me
a lesson. So was not particularly i'm
pressed with the brilliant prospectus of
the Great Metropolitan Mining Company,
in spite of it's high-sounding name, and
its promised dividend OF thirty per cent.
Depend upon it, James Wall and his con-
federates will pocket all the dividends
that are made"
VERY likely you are right. But it may
be that Wall really believed there was a
good chance of making money"
''Of course he did, but he was deter
mined to make the money for himself,
and not for the stockholders"
II might have been tempted to invest,
but all my money was locked up at the
time, and could not have-done SO with
out borrowing the money, and that was
resolved not to do"
1T was fortunate for you that you
didn't, for the bubble has already burst.
There will be many losers. By the way,
1 hear that Mr.. Conrad of WilIoughby
Ice II, int <oA Ia Sc ovsnh
but for all that he may have gone in be-
yond his means"
II am sorry for him, but that was reck-
less"
Eyes, he was completely taken in by
Wall. He's smooth fellow"
When the gentlemen left the cars Wal
ter saw one Of them had left morning
paper lying In the seat. He picked it up
and examined the columns until his eyes
fell upon the following paragraph:
THE failure Of the Great Metropolitan
Mining Company proves to be a disas-
trous one. The assets will not be sufi-
cient to pay more than FIVE per cent of
the amount of the sums invested by the
stockholders, possibly not that. There
must have been gross Encouragement
somewhere, or such a result could hardly
have been reached. We understand that
the affairs Of the company are In the
hands Of assignees who are empowered to
wind them up. The stockholders in this
vicinity will await the result with anx-
ietye
'That looks rather discouraging, to be
sure, !" thought Walter. II suppose father
will lose a good deal. But I'll tell him,
he needn't worry about me. shan't mind
being poor, even II It comes to that. As
long as he II left to me- won't com
plain"
The time passed until the. cars stopped
a. Wilioughby station. Walter jumped
over fence and took his way across the
fields to his fathers house. By the road
it would have been mile, but it wao
scarcely more than half mile by the foot
path.
He went up the pathway to the front
door and rang the bell. The door was
opened by Nancy Forbes, the housekeeper,
whose name was appended to the tele-
gram.
$50 It's You, Master Walter" she said.
81 am glad you are home, but it's sad