Evening journal., 1910-04-01
1t Came Handy
BY ROCKFORD KING
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

The history of gold mining regions
repeats itself First we have the land
worth from nothing up to few dol
lars an acre. Then some one digs a
hole in the ground to put in a post.
scoops out a cellar for house, or some
thing like that. and finds in the dirt
/ taken out indications Of the precious
metal He doesn't say anything to
anybody. but goes off and gets it as
sayed. The report being favorable. he
let's II be known that he has gold on
his property. Those who strike indi
cations pre-empt claims and organ
ize companies with a few dollars cap.
ltal. most of which is spent for print
ing certificates Of stock Nvery foot
OF the ground in the vicini,.' is staked
out for mines. which cross and
recross one another at every conceiv-
able angle. There are thousands OF
these pieces of paper. nearly all worth
less
When the Clear Creek region Of
Colorado was in such a stage as this
a man whom ! shall call Peter Ander-
son. a young lawyer from the south,
settled in Denver and hung out his
shingle He had a very frugal, pa
tient wife. who was a real helpmate
to him She never permitted anything
to be wasted. no matter how little val
ne it possessed. and when her hus-
band rallied her on saving worthless
things she would say cheerily, at
may come in handy Just In the nick of
time"
The principal law practiced in Col
orado at that time was with the re-
volver; consequently Peter Anderson
found little practice in his profession
But money was easily borrowed, and
the Andersons managed TO keep body
and soul together by small loans. The
husband found It dull sitting in his
Office waiting for clients, so he spent
most of his time in a neighboring bill
lizard room playing pool He told his
wife that this was a good way to make
acquaintances and thus get business.
She said she thought he was right.
The members Of such communities
are inveteratc gamblers. Refresh
ments and the price of the game were
to be paid Cor by the loser. In addi-
tion to this. the players. all Of whom
we're possessed OF worthless mining
stocks. would put them up to be alb
sorbed by the winner. A number OF
these certificates came into Peter An
derson's possession, but none OF them
ever found their way back TO the per-
sons from whom he won them. Every
! H.. a.. 10 ole hta
wife would get up, search his pockets,
take out what mining shares she found
there and lock them up I'm an old trunk
she kept in the garrett She never
looked at the names of the companies
they represented or bothered her head
as to their value. Indeed, they were
worthless or they would not have come
so easily into her husbands possession.
Every night his pockets were searched
and emptied, but in the morning he
would not miss his loss. IF his wife
had taken a few coins he might have
noticed it. but mining stocks were
quite a different matter. When he
went round to the billiard room in the
evening he would think that he had
won some shares the night before, but,
finding none in his pocket. fancy he
had been mistaken. He was a very
good pool player and had no difficulty
in borrowing few shares to begin on.
Usually he would win, pay of the loan
and go ON playing on his own capital
IL he left the place with stocks in his
pocket, the next morning they would
be deposited. as usual, in Mrs. Ander-
, sons trunk.
But the pool players didn't bring
Anderson any law business, and the
wolf was continually snarling about
his door. However. the wolves in
J such communities are usually coyotes
o. comparatively harmless, for any mar
, will give or lend any other man If hC
, has anything he doesn't need at the
= moment. Nevertheless Anderson's con
, dition was not attractive, and excep
when he was playing pool he was verl
! dispirited.
One day there was a big strike up OF
Clear creek A mining company haC
opened a vein that paid many hun
: dreds Of dollars to the ton. Pete
n Anderson when he went home tina
night told his wife about the strike
) remarking, "Oh, how / wish l ha'
, some Of the stock of the company
'T think you have. dear" said Mrs
Anderson, and she went up to he
10 trunk and brought down an armful o
W mining share certificates. The tw
rs sorted them. tossing them when eS
4, amined on the floor In their eager hun
for the one they coveted. Present.
they came TO a ten share certhcat
y which alone would keep them 70
N awhile Then. fifty share turned NJ
is then another ten. then a hundred fiv
~ hundred-indeed all denominations.
% was a good while before they &c
r through the accumulated pile. Whe
D, they did they figured up shares in tn
:" lucky company sufficient to give thei
a fortune OF half a million dollars.
~ When the excitement OF the End ha
nj died down bit Anderson asked h
y wife where she had got all the certii
Gates Then she told him that st
ia had robbed him Of them. thinking tn,
some Of them might some day come
nd handy
he Anderson strolled downtown n