Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-10-11


down plank roads. Think what that
will mean! And there's no limit to
what we can do in real estate. Just
knock down few Of these hills to the
north
He stopped, for was laughing.
"Why not drain the bay?" | sug-
gested. "There's a-plenty of land down
there"
"Well," said Talbot In a calmer man
ner, I'VE won't quite do that, but We'll
put some of those sand hills into the
edge of the bay. You wait and see
If you want to make money you just
buy some Of those water front lots
You'll wake up some morning to find
you're q mile inland"
l laughed again. but just the other
day, In this year 1890, l rode in
street car where fifty years ago great
ships had lain at anchor.
We discovered Johnny and Yank and
pounded each others backs and had
drinks and generally worked off our
high spirits. Then we adjourned to
corner, lit cigars. a tremendous luxury
for us miners. and plunged into recital
Talbot listened to us attentively. his
eyes bright with interest, occasionally
breaking in on the narrator to ask one
Of the others to supplement some too
modestly worded statement
well" he sighed when we had fin.
ished, you boys have certainly had a
time! What an experience! You'll
never forget it, He brooded awhile,
II suppose the world will never see its
like again. 1t was the chance Of a
lifetime. I'd like-no, wouldn't! I've
lived too. Well, now for the partner
ship. AS understand it, for the Hang
mans Gulch end Of it We have, all
told, about $5,OO0-at any rate. that
was the amount Mcclellan sent down
to me-
"That's it," said l.
"And the Porcupine Flat venture was
bad loss:'
'aThe robbers cleaned us out there
except for what we sent you agreed
regretfully.
'Since which time Yank has been
out of it completely"
Haven't made cent since" &C
knowledged Yank cheerfully. land |
owe somethink to Frank here for my
keep. Thought l had about $500. but
| guess l amt"
AT Italian Bar" went on Talbot.
how much did you make?"
Doesn't matter what l made" In
terposed Johnny, "for. as Frank told
you, it's all at the bottom of the Sacra-
mento river"
II did pretty well" said /. land
pulled out ZIG ounces
"About $1,000" computed Talbot.
You're the plutocrat, all right. Well,
I've done pretty well with this end Of
the partnership too. 1 think-but
guess we'd better take fresh day to
it. 1t must be ungodly late. Good
Lord. yes Three o'clock"
Nobody would have thought so. The
place seemed nearly as full as ever.
We accompanied Talbot to his hotel,
where he managed, after some diff
Guilty, to procure us a cot apiece.
Our sleep was short, and in spite OF
our youth and the vitality We had
stored in the healthy life of the hills
we felt dragged out and tired. Five
hours sleep in two days is not enough.
| was up a few minutes before tie
rest, and | sat in front of the hotel
basking in the sun like lizard.
Talbot appeared last fresh and smil-
ing. Breakfast finished, he took US all
with him to the new brick building.
After some business we adjourned
once more to the. Arcade. There Tai
bot made his report ..... ........
/ wish 7 could remember it and re.
peat it to you verbatim. 1t was worth
it. But I cannot, and the most | can
do is to try to convey to you the sense
of that scene-we three tanned. wealth
err beaten outlanders listening open
mouthel to the keen, competent, self
assured magician who before cur eyes
spun his glittering fabric. Talbot
| Ward had seized upon the varied pos
sibilities of the new city. The earn.
! ings on his first scheme-the ship store
! houses and the rental Of the brick
| building on Montgomery street, you
| will emember-amounted net the first
month. | believe, to some $4,000. With
his share of this money he had laid
narrow margins on a dozen options
Day by day, week by week. his op-
erations extended. Hewas in wharves.
sand lots. shore lots. Tightening, plank
roads, a new hotel. Day after day,
week after week. he had turned these
things over, and at each turn money
hal dropped out. Sometimes the play
thing proved empty, and then Talbot
had promptly thrown it away, appar-
emily without afterthought or regret.
AS fast as he acquired dollar he in
vested it In new chance, until his in
terests extended from the Preside to
the water front Of the inner bay. These
interests were strange odds and ends.
He and a man with his own given
name, Talbot H. Green, had title In
much of what Is now Harbor View
that is to say, they would have clear
title as soon as they had paid heavy
mortgages. His shares in the CONNER
cial wharf lay in the safes Of bank
ing house, and the dollars he had
raised on them were valiantly doing