The Washburn leader., 1916-11-17
AFsh Story
b. ALAN HINsDAlE

In 1865 Bob Atherton, soldier in
the civil war, was discharged from the
service and set about trying to make a
living for which three years Of soldier
ing had not prepared him. Yet one
kind Of preparation he had gained from
his campaigning. He was not afraid
; to strike out in any path. Many Of the
boys Of 1861 to 1865, finding it difficult
after the war to settle down to hum
drum life, sought untried fields. Bob
Atherton was one Of these. He went
4, to Australia to begin life in what was
then a new country. '4
Bob wouldn't have gone had he not
believed there was no chance for him
at home, for he had sweetheart whom
1t pained him to leave. But Elsie Rath-
bone promised to wait till he had made
enough to send for her, when she
would go to him. This comforted him.
Australia was then, as it is now,
wool growing country, and Bob on
reaching Melbourne, where men were
wanted, found a position in the count
ing room Of wool broker. He learned
lot about the business, but somehow
he did not find promotion rapid. Per-
haps soldering had taken out Of him
that contentment necessary to one
working in a treadmill. At any rate,
, he was not interested in his business,
and it is probable that he was not as
up and doing as his employers expect
ed him to be.
He went on 20 a sheep ranch, where
he found more congenial occupation
riding about in the open air herding
sheep. But here, too, he was paid 80
much money for SO much work. and
T, since the work was not skilled he fail
ed to gather in more funds than he
needed for his personal wants. Besides
one who had spent much Of his time
in the army playing poker with the
! dollar bill greenbacks Of the period was
not likely to look after the pence.
Atherton drifted from one thing to
another for FIVE years. He kept up a
correspondence with Elsie for four Of
them, then, considering the status un-
Just to her, ceased to write. He grad
ually ran down till he was shabby
: enough to be mistaken for a larrikin,
which means the descendant Of a
Botany bay convict. From this condi-
ton he drifted to the coast, where he
tried to pick up a scant, living as
fisherman.
One day Bob caught a big fish and in
endeavOring to extricate his hook saw
something that looked like paper in
the gullet. Curious to know what it
, was, he cut the fish open and found
that it had swallowed a newspaper.
The journal had been inclosed in a
wrapper, and it is not impossible that
the fish had mistaken it for another
: fish. Bob unfolded it very carefully.
The outside had been saturated, but
the inner sheets were comparatively
dry. It proved to be London paper
of then recent date. On one Of the
pages Bob saw a notice that the EN-
peror Napoleon III. had left Paris to
place himself at the head Of the
French army to fight the Prussians.
That meant that war had been de-
clared between France and Prussia.
news that had not yet reached Mel
bourne, for that was before cable
had been laid between Europe and
Australia. Another item that Bob no.
ticed was quotation for wool. The
price in the English market was very
much higher than in Australia.
That set Bob to thinking. If he had
the money he could buy wool for one
price, and as soon as a ship came in
bringing the news Of the war and re-
cent quotations he might sell it for
profit. But he hadn't sixpence to his
name. He sat on the sand thinking
how he could utilize his information.
He was sufficiently familiar With the
wool business to know the names of
the principal dealers, all Of whom had
bought through the commission firm
by whom he had been employed. Sc
lecting several firms to whom he was
known, he sent an order from each
to his former employers to buy large
quantity Of wool for each one Of them,
then went to the firms whose names
he had used and told them what he
had done, Offering to produce proof
that the price would rise on condition
his order be confirmed and that he be
paid quarter Of the profits arising
from the deal. Nearly all acquiesced
in writing.
The contracts had not been signed
long when ship came in bringing
news that war had been declared
between France and Prussia. with
new quotation for wool. The firms in
whose names Bob had given his orders
made enormous profits. Bob's aggre-
gate proceeds were as large as any.
one Of the buyers.
As soon as the money was paid over
to him Bob took the next ship for
America, hoping that he would find his
sweetheart unmarried. He not only
found her spinster, but hoping. that
she might again hear from him. When
he told her that he had made q fortune