Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-05
CHAPTER XIX.

CHAPTER XIX.
Four weeks passed and heavy were
the days with anxiety, for l had receiv-
ed no word from Guinea. l thought OF
a hundred causes that must have kept
ner from writing, but, worst of all,
feared that she had written and that
the letter had gone astray.
One afternoon, having thrown my
book aside, weary of causes, reasonings
and developments of law, l sat on a
rock near the spring, musing, wonder
ing, when suddenly l sprang to my
Ieet, with Guinea in my mind, with
Guinea before me, l thought. But this
was only for an instant. A young deer
came down the path, gracefully leap
ing, and my mind flew back to the tim.
when l had first seen her running down
that shining strip of hardbeat earth
Yes, it was a deer, and it ran down
the brook, and presently l heard the
hounds yelping in the woods. l re-
turned to my room and again strove
TO study, but the logical phrasing was
harsh to me. and l threw down the
book. l would fish in the pools that
Jay along the stream toward the MILL
The ground in the yard and about the
barn was so dry that l could find no
angle worms, and l decided to dig In
the damp moss land near the spring
The hoe struck hard substance and
out came something bright. I stopped
to examine it, and at first 1 thought
that t was silver, but it was
MOTT was mica. l scraped off the
moss and the thin strata Of earth, and
there l found a great bed of the ore
dug deeper and it came up in chunks
and it was fine and flawless. My read
ing taught me that it was valuable
and I was rejoiced to find that it was
on my own land. l got out as much
as could carry-indeed, filled a trunk
with ii, and then carefully replaced the
moss, smoothed it down and made il
looked as if it had not been displaced
My blood tingled with excitement and
/
seen me. I took the trunk to my room
and split off thin sheets Of the mica,
and the more I looked at it the more
1 was thrilled at the prospect that now
touch And l was not long in resolv-
ing upon course to pursue. / remem-
bered that into our neighborhood had
come from Nashville, Tenn, a large
stove with mica in the doors, and
thought il would be wise to take my
trunk to that city and by exhibiting its
contents induce some one to buy the
mine. l hastened to town, after hiding
the trunk, and told Conkwright and
Alf that unexpected business called me
away for a few days, and then / re-
turned home and hired q man to drive
me to the railway station. I was afraid
to trust the trunk out of my sight, but
had to let the baggage man take It,
but charged him to be particular with
it, telling him that it was full Of iron
ore. He gave it a jerk and declared that
it must be full of lead. When 1 had
come into that community l fancied
that the train was on wings, but now
II appeared to be crawling. Night came
and was afraid that robbers might as
sail the train and expose my secret; but
at last / reached Nashville, and then
came a worry. How was l to find the
man who had made the stove? l took
my trunk to a hotel, wrapped chunk
of the mica in a handkerchief and set
out to look for a stove dealer. l soon
found a hardware establishment, and In
| walked with the hardened air Of bus
mess. and asked for the proprietor. A
and | asked him what mica was worth
He looked at me sharply and answered
that he was not thoroughly Informed
as to the state of the market, but that
he thought it was worth all the way
from five to twenty-five dollars a pound
But mica of the first quality is
scarce" said he, and then he asked il
I wanted to buy mica.
good quality?"
l unwrapped the handkerchief and
his eyes stuck out in astonishment
where did you get it?" he asked.
"Off my land in North Carolina"
Have you very much of it?" he
asked, scaling off thin sheets with his
knife
Tons Of it."
You don't say so. Then you've got
fortune. We are not very large man.
ufacturers and don't use a great deal
How much did you bring with you?"
unly trunk full"
| Well l guess we can take that
much. Bring it around"
| did so, and l could scarcely believe
that l had correctly caught his words
when he offered me five hundred dol
| lars, though now l know that he PAID
me much less than it was worth. He
talked a long time with his partner
and then came back TO me with the
money, asked my name and a number
Of other questions. Young man." saiG
he, IF we had the ready means we
would buy that mine, but we haven't
Now, tell you what you do: Take 9
sample-this piece-and go at once tc
Chicago. l know of some capitalists
there who are making large invest
ments in the south, and l have no doubt
that they will be pleased to make yor
an offer for your property. Here, II
write their names on a card. To tel
you the truth, we are to some extent
| interested with them. Now, don't show
| this sample to anyone else. but sc
straight to Clarm & Cling, Rookery
building, Chicago. Anybody can tel
you where it is. Here's the card. Wei
telegraph them that you are coming
so you are somewhat in honor bound
you understand, not to go elsewhere
we have in some degree sealed the
transaction with a part purchase, you
see"