Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-11-22

to my wire OfQeE- 10eTe WIS no let-
ter accompanying it. but pinned to 1t
was a bit of paper on which was writ
ten. profit on 1000 shares Of Acme
mining stock" Emma and / had
watched the rise in the price Of the
stock and knew that if our mysterious
friend had really bought the shares for
US we would have the profit sent us.
but my wife insisted that there would
be some reason why we wouldn't get
It. When It came we were almost as
surprised as If we had known nothing
about the matter. We were certainly
delighted.
And now we began to be consumed
by gnawing curiosity as to who was
our unknown friend. We spent all our
leisure time trying to think OF some
one who for some reason had thus ia
vored US, going over every relative and
every friend both of hers and mine.
recalled a number of persons to whom
I had loaned or given small sums OF
money, but not one Of them had ever
prospered. and certainly none Of them
was named LaugfOrd.
received my $1,000 at a time when,
owing to a financial panic. there were
many bargains to be picked up in div
idend paying stocks. / invested the
amount and within ten months had
doubled my capital-that is, I owned
$4,000 of securities paying me a good
interest About a year after my first
ACQUISITION Mr.. Langford telegraphed
me one morning to buy some shares OF
the Sarah Ann company, located in the
vicinity Of the Acme mine. I put my
1000 into the venture. In short
time news came that an extension OF,
the valuable vein in the Acme mine
had been struck in the Sarah Ann.
bought the shares Of the latter at Z
cents and sold them for 81,
I had now an income sufficient to
support my family very comfortably
without earning a cent by my own
labor. I determined to go to Colorado
and find out who this man was who
had placed a fortune in my hand. ]
wrote him that proposed to put some
one in the Office to attend to the bust
ness during my absence and would be
with him in a couple Of weeks.
1 received a reply to this letter not-
flying me that he would be in New
York before long and If / wished to
see him 1 could then have an oppor-
tunity, but that it would avail me
! nothing, since I would not see one
who was at all familiar to me. AS for
! the thanks I had sent him, he had
much more reason to thank me than
/ had to thank him.
/ After the receipt Of this information
/ Emma and I again racked our brains
/ to remember some one who was thus
/ indebted to me, but met with no bet
| ter success than before. Langford con-
4 tinued to post me as TO what mining
shares to buy or to sell, but never did
so except on accurate information of
/ the mines.
a time came when my investments
gave me oil the income ] required, and
/ I resolved to investigate my benefac-
tor Without notifying him OF my dn-
tention. I went TO Colorado, and one
morning appeared in his Office, which
meanwhile had been removed TO Colo
RADIO Springs. A man over fifty years
of age was pointed out to ne by the
clerks as Langford. I advanced to
make myself known. He rose, pressed
my hand and said to me:
"Dine with me this evening at my
! house. Meanwhile say nothing to any
one here about our connection"
He bowed me out, and to kill time 1
went about indirectly pumping people
about my benefactor. No one knew
anything Of his antecedents before he
came to Colorado in a very forlorn
condition and went about with pick
like any other prospector.. In time he
found hole which promised well and
sold it for enough to set him up COM
fortably as a mine seeker. Other mines
| fell into his hands. the Acme from his
| having grubstaked its finder. Since he
acquired the controlling interest in that
mine he had made money rapidly.
When l met Mr.. Langford at his
house 1 saw not only by his manner
and mode of living, but by his family,
that he was a man sprung from the
lowlv walks of life. After dinner he
took me into n private room. We liz
cigars. and he said:
do Won remember one morning,
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