Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-01

anything more subtly pleasing to her
dignity and her vanity.
"of course he said. ''it needn't be
a very large sum- Still it ought to be
ence to you"
spoke rather timtdly.
Il think perhaps-if we did it,
could manage a hundred thousand
pounds" she said Would that be
too little. do you Think"
The large mouth twitched and them
sus5led pleasantly.
That's too much" he said, shaking
his head. You mustn't put all your
eggs in one basket. A hundred thou
sand dollars would be quite enough
as your share Of the capital, with OPP
ton to buy stock of me at par, up to
q million. or so, II it's a success.
Really? Would that be enough!
And, please, what is stock in such
case?"
Stock" said the financiel. "is lit
tie plant which, when well watered,
will grow like the mustard seed, till
all the birds of Wall street make their
nests in its branches. And II you don't
water it too much, It'll be all right. In
our case, the stock is going to be
that share of the business which most
people sell to raise money, and which
we mean to keep for ourselves. / al
ways do 1t that way, when circum-
| stances allow. I once bought all the
! stock of railroad for nothing, for
instance, and sold all the bonds, and
| let 1t go bankrupt Then / bought
the road one day, and found all the
stock was in my own pocket. That's
only a little illustration. But I guess
you can leave the financial side in my
hands. You won't lose by 1t, I'm pref
| ty sure"
II fancy mott" Margaret's eyes
clasped tightly on her knee, and she
was leaning forward a little. BE
Sides" she went on, st would not be
the money that I should care about!
I can earn more money than l want,
and / have a little fortune Of my own
the hundred thousand l offered you
oh. no! 1t would be the splendid
power to have the most beautiful
music in the world given as it could
be given nowhere else! The Joy OF
singing myself-the parts 1 can sing
in the most perfect surroundings
An orchestra picked from the whole
world of orchestras, the greatest liv-
ing leaders. the most farltless chorus
And the scenery, and the costumes
everything as everything could be, II
1t were really, really the best that
can be had! Do you believe II is pos.
sible to have all that?"
''Oh. yes. and with your name to It
too. Well have everything on earth
that money can buy to make a perfect
opera. and I'll guarantee it'll pay after
the first two seasons. That is. If you'll
work at It as hard as I will. But
you've got to work, Miss Dome. you've
got to work, or it's no use thinking OF
it That's my opinion"
I'll work like Trojan!" cried Mar
garet enthusiastically
She had enough experience in her.
self, and enough knowledge of the
conditions to believe that her OWL
hard work, combined with Van Torp's
unlimited capital, could and certainly
would produce such an opera house
and bring to 1t such artists as had
never been seen and heard. except
perhaps in Bayreuth. during its first
great days, now long past
Then, too. he had put the matter
before her so skillfully that she could
look upon It honestly as a business
partnership, IN which her voice, her
judgment, and her experience would
bear no contemplate proportion to his
money. and in which she herself was
to invest money of her own, thereby
sharing the risk according to her for
tune as well as giving the greater part
of the labor. She felt for some weak
place in the scheme. cropping as IL she
we're dazzled. but she could find none
81 don't think I shall need time tc
think this over" she said. controlling
her voice better, now that she haC
made up her mind. "As I understand
II, I am to put in what I can in the
way of ready money. and am to give
my time in all ways, as you need 1t
|