The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-24
ON A CAPITAL
OF TWO CENTS.
~ LoulsE .. CUMMINGS.

by LOUISE 3. CUMMINGS.
copyright, 1905 BY American Press Asso-
ciation.1
Sam CallSins was strapped There
was no doubt whatever about his
financial condition. II was 2 cents in
hand literally in hand. for he was
looking at yhe copper coins lugubrious-
~, remembering at the same time that
there was not even crust Of bread In
the house for bis wife and two little
children. lie 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. He
had been caught in 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 were sitting at the other
end Of the porch talking together ex-
citedly. though In a low tone. Calkins
heard the word strike" and. suppos-
ing it referred TO labor matters in
which he was Interested. be pricked up
his ears and soon discovered that they
referred to 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 Il, showed his companion
specimens Of ore Calkins caught the
words six hundred to the tom" This
told him that the specimens mention
ed assayed to produce this amount out
OF a ton Of ore. After passing the sam
ples back and forth for awhile. they
Nere rolled again Ia the bit of news
paper, and the man who had produced
them put them again III his pocket.
Soon after both men arose and went
away.
Calkins would have gone away, too.
II he had had any place to go But
be hadn't. Being restless, he got up
and walked over to the other end OF
the porch III chair III which one
OF the men had been sitting he noticed
little dark lump about the size Of
hickory nut. Taking 1t up, be looked
ut 1t scrutinixingiy.
III the Constant vein hadn't run
OUT he remarked to himself. ed
swear the chunk came out OF it,
II was a brownish quartz and full
of gold. Calkins had worked in the
Constant mine. which had proved in
constant. While there he had taken
out just such ore as this. But he had
seen the vein grow narrower and mar
rover till 1t was nothing more than
8 crack The mine, after search for
a reopening OF the vein. had been ahan-
doned. and Calkins had gone to work
elsewhere Personally be believed
that If the vein were followed deep
enough II might be found TO reopen.
But the stockholders were discouraged
and would NOT stand assessment. sud
denly 1t occurred TO Calkins that the
vein had been followed and paying ore
again struck. Then came the quick
thought. "Can /. with only cents IN
the world. profit by what | suspect if
It Is trueY'
He went into the hotel where
printed list of quotations of mining
stocks was hanging on the wall, and
glanced at sales OF Constant. There
were sales at cents a share. The
stock had recently stood at cents.
Then Calxins walked up the street to
the Office OF man Of the name OF
Fisher. whom he knew held some of
the shares.
1--WE got some information" said the
miner. ''Do you want it or shall
take 1t elsewhereY
I'm your man"
.'What'il you giveY
..Ten per cent OF the profits
"Make 1t 20 and III out with It."
"All right. 70 it is"
Caikins produced his chunk Of ore
and told Fisher that II had come out
Of the Constant mine Fisher asked |
how he knew il, but Calkins declined |
10 satisfy him. He felt sure that Il
lis man knew he was guessing the