Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-12-31
ON A CAPITAL T.
OF TWO CENTS,
BY LOUISE g. CUMMINGS.

Sam Calkfns was strapped. There
was no doubt whatever about his
financial condition. 1t was 2 cents in
hand-literally in hand. for he was
looking at the copper coins lngubrious-
~. remembering at the same time that
there was not even Il crust of bread iii
the house for his wife and two little
children. He had taken a chair on the
porch of the Sandwich hotel because
chairs there We're free and he didn't
belong anywhere. Sam was miner
and had worked in many mines lie
had been caught in IL labor storm with
the result of loss of employment. His
savings were all gone there was no
prospect of work where he was. and
he had no means of taking himself
and his family anywhere else.
Two men We're sitting at the other
end of the porch talking together eX
citcdly. though in a low tone. Calkins
heard the word strike" and. sllppoS-
ing it referred to labor matters III
which he was interested. he pricked up
his ears and soon discovered that they
referred to a strike Of paying ore in
some mine the name of which they
did not mention. One of the men took
package from his pocket-the wrap
per was piece of newspaper-and.
unrolling it. showed his companion
specimens of ore. CaIkins caught the
words six hundred to the ton" This
told him that the specimens mention
ed aSSayed to produce this amount out
of a ton of ore. After passing the sam
Piles back and forth for awhile. they
We're rolled again in the bit Of news
paper. and the man who had produced
them put them again III his pocket.
Soon after both nen arose aud Went
away.
Calkins would have gone away. too.
If he had had any place to go but
he hadn't. Being restless, he got up
and walked over to the other end of
the porch In a chair in which one
of the men had been sitting he noticed
a little dark lump about the size of
hickory nut. Taking it up. he looked
at 1t scrutlnizingly.
III the Constant vein hadn't run
out" be- remarked to himself, "Pd
swear the chunk came out of it,
1t was brownish quartz and full
of gold. CaIkins had worked in the
Constant mine, which had proved in
constant. While. there. he had taken
out just such ore as this. Hut he had
seen the vein grow narrower and mar
rover till it was nothing more than
q crack. The NINE after a search for
a reopening of the vein. had been aban
donet1. and (aIkins had gone to work
elsewhere. Personally he believed
that If the vein we're followed deep
enough it might be found to reopen
But the stockholders were discouraged
and would not stand assessment. Sud
denly it occurred to Caikins that the
vein had been followed and paying ore
again struck Then came the quick
thought. Can l. with only cents ii,
the world. profit by what l suspect If
1t is true?'
He went into the hotel. where a
printed list Of quotations of mining
stocks was hanging on the wall. and
glanced at sales of Constant. There
were sales at 6 cents a share. The
stock had recently stood at cents
Then Calkins walked up the street to
the Office Of man of the name of
Fisher. whom be knew held some .,r
the shares.
I've got some Information" said the
miner. DO you want it or shall !
take 1t elsewherey
I'm your man."
"What'll you giveY'
''Ten per cent Of the profit"
make it 20 and I'll out with it."
AL right. 20 it is"
Calkins produced bis chunk Of ore
and told Fisher that 1t had come out
Of the Constant mine. Fisher asked
how he knew it. but Calktns declined
to satisfy him. he felt sure that If
his man knew he was guessing the
transaction would end then and there
Fisher had that morning sold part Of
his stock at 8 cents share. He sent
In an order to buy 1t back and 10000
shares more at the market price. He
got 1000 at 6. 1000 at e1s and the bal.
ance at figures eising by fractions till
the price paid was ~ cents. The
sales were larger than for many
months. but not considerable.
Calkins wished to ask Fisher for a
little money in advance to buy q sup
per for his family. but dared not lest
he should lead him to suspect that the
whole affair was simply game to
beat him out Of paltry sum. So great
was his suspense that he preferred to
keep away from home. He was hang.
ing between heaven and hell.
The next morning when be turned
out OF an clubhouse where be had
slept be spent his cents for paper
There IN big headlines he cav the an.
nouncement that the Constant vein
had been recovered richer and broader
than before. When the Mining Ex
change opened the stock went up to
IS share and stayed there. Before
| noon Fisher gave his informant q