The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-12-25
A Flesh and
Blood Fortune
b. DWIGHT NORWOOD

By DWIGHT NORWOOD
Edward Clavering inherited $lO'OoO
on the death of his father, and not be-
ing inclined to settle down to a num-
drum business life he looked about ann
for something more exciting. That
was a time when gold was discovered
in the Klondike, and he decided to 60
| out there, look about him and II ne
saw a chance for q fortune invest his
money.
The 6rst thing he came across to In
terest him was a girl in the house In
which he lodged. She was not the
daughter Of the proprietor, but an or
phan who was trying to keep soul and
body together as hired help. he noticed
her from her personal attractiveness, a
sadness that was on her young lace
and the fact that she was far more
refined and better educated than her
employers. He wondered that she did
not occupy a higher and more lucrative
position than servant In a boarding
house in q mining district But this
was explained by her having been left
unprotected and uncared for when she
| was but sixteen years of age. She was
| only eighteen when Ned first saw her.
her father, a well to do, merchant In
Pennsylvania, had been seized by the
gold fever and taken her and her moth
/ er to Alaska. Her mother had died on
the way out; her father had been re-
ieved Of his money by mining sharps
and had died from disease induced By
exposure In a vigorous climate.
This is a bare synopsis of the story
| Ned got from Alice Woodville and was
quite enough to excite his sympathy.
| Sympathy induces love, and he o
| found himself interested In the unfor-
tunate girl. But Ned was one Of those
| fellows who look upward instead of
downward in all that pertained to the
| life on the threshold Of which he
| stood. His family held their heads
high. being all persons of social prom
inence. The bare thought Of writing
his mother that he was about to mar.
~ a servant appalled, him. He there
fore refrained from making love to
| Alice Woodville. and in order to sepa-
rate himself from her went into an I'M
| occupied cabin. where he kept house as
a bachelor.
Wherever there is money for invest
ment, especially in new countries.
there are persons who are intent upon
getting it without a return. .Clavering
| had listened to Alice Woodville's story
as to how her father had bought a
worthless mine and resolved to profit
by the information. he would bold
on to his money till he had proved that
what he proposed to purchase was
what it purported to be-.
One day a woman came to him. who
said that she had understood that he
was looking for mining property. Her
husband had been prospecting for a
long while and had finally struck a
vein that would make him rich. He
owned. however, but fifty feet OF
ground, and it was essential that he
should buy a: least fifty feet more on
the west of his property. since the vein
widened in that direction. He dared
not reveal bis srcret because there
were so many rascals about that be
feared be would be beaten out Of his
find. She had. unknown to him. come
to Ned to beg him to help them out
and share their good fortune.
Ned spent some time. looking into
the matter, which seemed to promise
a large return. He finally agreed that
he would select from the mine himself
certain specimens of the earth. have 1t
analyzed and II it was as had been
represented he would buy the adjoin.
ing ground. put in what other money
was required and take a half interest
in the whole.
He selected an assayer whose repu-
tation for integrity was of the highest
and gave him the specimens Of dirt he
had taken from the mine. The report
was far beyond what had been claim
ed. Ned's sense of honor led him to
give the results Of the analyses to the
wife Of the owner. offering his con.
sent that she should use 1t elsewhere
to her and her husbands advantage.
After consulting With him she told Ned
that they would prefer to carry out
the arrangement with him. since he
had convinced them that they could
trust him. The papers were drawn up.
an option was secured on the adjotn-
ing property, and the transaction was
to be signed and sealed or the follow.
ing morning.
That night Ned went to sleep think
ing Of the fortune he was to TAKE back
with him when he returned south
ward. In the middle of the night he
was awakened by q rap on the cabin
door. Getting out of bed and putting
ON q fur overcoat.- for the night was
cold. he opened the door. There stood
u girl. whom he recognized BY her
voice as Alice WoodvilleL
Don't sign those papers," she said
harrtedly.
why not?"
THE mine has been sailed"
"How do you know7"-
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