Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-07-21
CHAPTER XVI.

| Cameron, whose mind was singular.
| ly prosaic had of late been reading in :
| to his speculations a certain poe+ic
| quality, though he did not SUSPECT #
| He had never been a farmer and had
| only the most superficial knowledge of
| farming. Yet he had studied all sun,
mer long the growth of the corn in his
| own fields at The Beeches. He had
! reckoned the rainfall of the region and
compared it with the figures given in
books of statistics for other years. He
covered hundreds of sheets of papar
during the long summer days with
! computations, and played with them as
a boy with the knack of rhymfng PLAYS
at tagging rhymes. He cherished first
| the idea that the year would be mark
ed by excessive rainfaIls which would
be detrimental to the corn crop. and
when the government bulletins failed
to bear him out in this he assured him
self that the year would be marked by
late frOsts that would destroy the crop
over a wide area. He proved to mis-
own satisfaction, by means of the ia
bles he had compiled, that dollar corn
was inevitable.
This idea took a strong hold upon his
imagination. 1t was fascinating. the
thought of playing a great game IN
which the sun and winds and clouds
of heaven were such potent factors.
There was a keen satisfaction in tlr,,
fact that he could study the whole
matter from the secure vanta ge ground
of his own office, and that when he
went home at night there it was across
the road from his own gate, under his
eye, the beloved corn, tall and rustlinr.
beautiful and calm, but waiting for the
hand of the destroyer. Even this. his
own, should perish, and yet he was
accommodating scraps of paper that
called for thousands of bushels of corn
at a time when it would grieve many
short-sighted men sorely to deliver it
to him.
An enormous conceit was bred in
him and he fed it upon his dreams
dreams of power. The Chicago broker
sent him representations and forecasts
which the old man threw away in dis
gust. They were fools, all of them. He
asked no mans suggestions; they were
afraid of him, he assured himself, when
the reports were contrary to his own
ideas; and when they conceded with
his own notions he fattered himself
that they proved his own wisdom. He
AAiebNAC soOON MS maj Ills dS laSL dS call
ed on, but continued to buy October
corn basing his purchases on a short
crop. Always it was corn, corn. corni
He waited patiently for Balcomb to
report, for if he could get fifty thou
sand dollars more to put into corn his
triumph would be all the greater He
waited feverishly for the hour which
the promoter had set and when Bal
rnr11h he i
ceal his Impotence. He had Just
learned by consulting the files of old
newspapers at the public library that
there was certain periodicity in the
fall of frosts. There seemed to him
every reason for thinking that early
frosts were to be expected and he was
anxious to increase his investment in
october contracts. 1t was the, great
est opportunity of a lifetime; to lose
it was to miss chance that a wise
Providence would hardly again put in
to his hands.
There was CLEAN of excitement in
the old mans eyes which Balcomb did
not fail to note. He found a pleasure
in playing with Ezra Cameron, the
hard old reprobate who had always ex-
acted the last ounce of flesh He quot
ed again from Doctor Bridges, fmput-
~ng to that gentleman sentiments that
were original in Balcomb's fertile brain,
though none the less noble for being
purely fictitious. Balcomb enjoyed his
own skill at lying, and it was a high
testimony to the promoters powers
that Ezra Cameron believed a good
deal that Balcomb told him.
We'll. SIR" said Balcomb, presently.
after he had given a resume of one Of
Doctor Bridges Easter sermons. I've
oeen thinking over your proposition
about the lots, and I'm sorry"
Inc old mans face fell and Balcomb
| inwardly- rejoiced that his victim was
so easily played upon
sorry" Balcomb continued. that
can't do anything in the matter"
he paused and made a feint of drop
ping his hat to continue the suspense
as long as. possible.
along the lines YOU indicated
the other day"
On, yes, to be suret remember
that it was rather large proposition"
said cameron, recovering himself and
smiling in tolerance of Balcom1's fail
ure
Yes: the sale of those lots means
time and work, and, as I understood
you, you wished to avoid both. Well
don't blame you. I feel myself that
l should prefer to have some other fell
low tackle the job. These mechanics
can't pay more than hundred or SO