Smyrna times., 1911-11-22

sell.
Then 1t Was represented to him that |
by certain simple business reforms he
might himself make his mine pay /
more largely. All the ore taken from /
it was carried down the hill on mules. |
Why not build little railroad for the |
purpose. which could be operated at |
much less expense2 ''But what would |
those do who now make their living |
by driving the mulesY asked Pedro. |
The simple business scheme is rer
fused. Wastefulness continues. The
owners employees draw immense sal
aries, and how much they steal be-
sides does not appear, except In the
opulent manner in which they live.
Will the mine always stand this
waste. this drain? Win there not
come a day when the vein will run
out? And then? Well. then the sill
yer king and those who are sucking
his wealth will collapse.
Among them all there is one who
fOresees such a result. Pedro's wife
had drudged as a peon until the mine
was opened. She remembered that
part IA uCI lllG anu Ltlu nO OCOAlG "
return to it. Why not from this river
of wealth on which they were floating
turn aside something to support them
in case the fountain should dry up?
And so she did Instead of putting
away a few copper coins at time as
her father-in-law had done with which
to buy his rock. she took $1,000 bills
and hid them. For years she stored
away these bills. No one knew that
they were being hidden, no one knew
their hiding place. The waste, the ex-
| travagance, the money sucking by en-
| plOyees, relations, dependents cOntin-
ued, but every now and again the for
mer peon woman hid away a thousand
| dollar bill.
True enough, what Sonora AlvaradO
fOresaw at last came about. The
earth taken out of the mine became
less rich. Instead Of producing $4,000
a day it produced but a few hundred
dollars to the ton. All 1t was worth
must be paid to those who carried it
from the mine into the valley and for
getting the silver out Of it. Pedro had
seen his fortune loom up almost in a
night; now he saw it sinking rapidly
away. Then to crown his loss water
appeared in his mine.
Water is the great danger, the great
trouble when it comes, in mining. Tun-
nels must be built, expensive pumps
must be put in. either one or both.
Pedro had but one business idea in
his head. That was to hold on to his
property. But now even that idea had
ceased to be practicable His mine
was no longer valuable unless worked
on business principles. and Pedro was
not a business man.
Since there had been nothing put
J away, so there was nothing when the
end came. The man who had given
away and wasted millions now found
J himself unable to give or waste any
longer. 1t was the old story of the
fairy who had raised palaces and 9th
} er luxuries for the pauper, by mutter-
ing another incarnation caused them
: to vanish.
Then Sonora Alvarado, who had
/ been tucking away thousand dollar
bills very conveniently, died In dis
: tributing her effects a maid who had
been a long while in her service was
asked if there was anything that had
2 belonged to her mistress she would
like to have She said there was an
old quilt the sonora had always used
which it would crafty her to possess.
t The beloved woman had slept under
D it for many years and would never let
$ it go out Of her own keeping. Surely
] this would be a treasured souvenir.
. But Pedro demonstrated against the
e faithful servitor having nothing but
l. an old quilt much worn and not over
e clean. He urged the maid to name
s something of greater value. She, how
r ever, clung to the quilt and would not
be comforted without this article Sc
+ intimately associated with her mis-
q tress.
i Now, Pedro was aware that his wife
e had not sympathlzed with him in his
l. extravaganza; indeed, she had repeat
a edly warned him that he would come
d to grief by IT.. Knowing this he won
s dered If the good woman had not put
/ something away for a rainy day. The
l. quilt caused him to suspect that some
t. thing might be hidden in II. Instead
Of giving it he began to rip it. Ou
b came a thousand dollar bill. Ripping
on he found another. and so. as Pedrr
n had grown fabulously rich overnight il
G. finding silver under a rock. he nov
b gained a fortune in an old quilt. HI
IS took out 800 thousand dollar bills
l. quite enough to soothe him for tn
n running out of his mine and to enabl
Is him to live handsomely for the rest o
le his days
le Pedro Alvarado yielding to the fneV
d. liable turned over his mine to Others
D. Some Americans are the new owner
lie and are working 1t on modern prime
lg pies. Meanwhile the owner lives o
Y, the income of the 800 'one-thodsanC
IN dollar bills that were successfully sa'