The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-09-17

Iingonfthe big oidssthat0 5 per cent OF
AN mines are fiyvers anyhow. They.
incorporate. take up all the stock
themselves and start digging at tile.
same time they start selling shares.
They get out as big a mountain Of ore
as possible, so that they can point to
an immense output, never stopping to
find out whether there's enough iron
in the ore to pay for the reduction.
When the stocks all sold they love
on and dig another hole in the ground
and send tlIcir saucy brother Ralph
out east to lift the pocket change OF
green goods and gold brick men aud
wise ginks who used to be in the same
business. III the meantime. If q man
comes into their camp who was ever
in another one Of theirs, they slug his
head OF to keep him from making
foolish remarks II ever l get within
| gunshot OF any mine they've started
and l find it out before they do I'm
going to lose fifteen pounds OF embon-
point in the first fifteen miles"
Fancy and effective" approved
Biackie, "but what would they do If
they struck n real mine?"
'"IlIat's where the brains filter
through" replied Wallingford soberly.
''Thcy organize two companies, a mine
company and an operating company.
The operating company Is to furnish
all the expense of mining. The first {
per cent of profits, If there are any,
goes to the mine company-that's the
one you bought stock in, you gink!-
the second Z per cent goes to the op-
Grating company; profits above that
arc divided equally between the two
companies, but you can gamble upon
It there never would be above II per
| cent, IL they cleaned up n million a
minute, because the balance would be
eaten up In fancy salaries. They sold
me some OF the stock in the operating
company. / control 400 shares out Of
1000. L found out something they
/ didn't know. l had quiet assays made
by three different chemists, and the
field is rich. It's worth millions, l
think. l thought I vas in good with
my own stock until I saw a clause in
the contract between the two com
panies that set me guessing. The Kim
belly Operating company can sublet its
contract at any price 1t chooses to
whomsOever it chooses. Tomorrow Is
u stockholders meeting. Any time be-
tween now and that meeting they
might have received n wire from the
smelling company telling them how
| good a thing they had. In that case
their first action in that meeting, with
| their sol shares, would have been to
| sublet the contract to themselves at
$1,000 a year: so I arranged for them
to be out of town."
sit was the best arranged exit l ever
saw" admitted Blackie. THE Hippo
| dromc could do 1t no better. But what
can you do in that meeting? If they
have one half the stock they'll have
| over half the profits even If they never
come back. They can send a messen-
ger boy for the money"
"Thcy'll get $501 every Fourth of
July" stated Wallingford savagely,
"for in the meeting tomorrow I intend
to sublet that contract at $1,000 a year
to ]. Rufus Wa1Iingford & Co., the
company consisting OF all the stock
holders who are present. I'm glad
| you're here. Blackie. I shall need you
for one Of the officers. I'll give you a
| couple Of shares of stock tonight,
and"-