Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1917-03-02
A FARSEEINCI
WOMAN
BY ESTHER vANDEvEER

repeats itself. First we have tho land
worth from nothing up to q few dol.
lars an acre. Then some one digs
hole In tho ground to put In q post,
scoops out cellar for a house. or
something like that, and finds In the
dirt taken out indications OF the pre-.
cious metal. lie doesn't say anything
TO anybody, but goes on and gets II
assayed. The report being favorable.
he let's II be known that he has gold on
his property Those who strike indica.
tlons pre-empt claims and organize
companies with few dollars capital.
most OF which is spent for printing
certificates Of stock. Every foot Of the
ground In the vicinity II staked out for
mines, which cross and recross one an
ohcr nt every conceivable angle. There
are thousands Of the certificates. near
ly all worthless
When tho Clear Creek region OF Colo.
RADIO was IN such stage as this man
whom ] shall call Peter Anderson, a
young lawyer from the south. settled
In Denver and hung out his sbingle
lie had very frugal patient wife
who was rcnl helpmate to him. She
never permitted anything to be vast
ri, no matter how little value II pos
sessed. and when her husband rallied
her on saving worthless things she
would say cheerIly. ut may come Ia
handy Just In the nick OF time"
The principal law practiced IN Col
orado at that time was with the re
volver; consequently Peter Anderson
found little practice 10 his profession
But money was easily borrowed. and
the Andersons managed to keep body
and soul together by small loans. The
husband found II dull sitting In his
Office waiting for clients. W he spent
most OF his time Ia n Deighborlng bill
Hard room playing pool He told his
wife that this was good way 10 make
acquaintances and tins get business
She said she thought he was right.
The members ~ such communities
are invc,erntc gamblers Refresh
mcnts and the price OF the game were
to be paid for by The loser IN addi
tion TO this. the players. all Of whom
were possessed Of worthless mining
stocks. would puI them up 10 be Ab
sorbed by the winner, \ number OF
these certificates came into Peter An
dcrsons possession. but uone OF them
ever found their way back to the per
sons from whom he won them Every
night after he had gone TO sleep his
wife would get up. search his pockets.
take out what mining shares she found
there and lock them up In an old trunk
she kept IN the garrct. She never
looked at the names OF the companies
they represented or bothered her head
as 10 their valie Indeed. they were
worthless or they would not have come
so easily into her husbands possession
Every night his pockets were searched
and emptied, hui Ia the morning he
would not miss his loss II his wife
had taken II few coins he might have
noticed IL, but mining stocks were
quite n different matter When he
went round to the billiard room In the
evening he would think that he had
Won some shares the night before. but,
Iinding none In his pocket, fancy he
had been mistaken lie was very
good pool player aud had no difficulty
IN borrowing few shares to begin on
Usually he would win. pay or the loan
and 20 on playing on his own capital
u he left the place with stocks Ia his
pocket the next morning they would
lie deposited. AS usual. In Mrs Andcr
sons trunk
Hut the pool players didn't bring An.
dcrson any law business. and the wolf
was continually snarllng about his
door. However, the wolves In such
communities are usually coyotes, com.
paratlvely harmless. for any man will
give or lend any other man II he has
anything he doesn't need ut the mo,
ment. Nevertheless Anderson's condi.
tion was not attractive, and except
when he was playing pool he was very
dispirited.
One day there was u big strike up
on Clear creek. A mining company had
opened a vein that paid many hun.
dreds OF dollars to the ton, Peter An,
derson when he went home that night
told his wife about tho strike. remark.
Ing, "Oh. how wish | had some OF
the stock OF the companyr'
II think you have, dear" said Mrs.
Anderson, and she went up to her
trunk and brought down an armful OF
mining share certificates The two
sorted them, tossing them when exam.
lned on the door In their eager hunt
for the one they coveted Presently
they came to a ten share certificate
which alone would keep them for
awhile. Then a flfty share turned up.
then another ten, then a hundred, dve
hundred--indeed, all denominations. II
was a good while before they got
through the accumulated pile, When
they did they figured up shares in the
lucky company sufficient to give them
n fortune Of half a million dollars.
When the excitement Of the lind had
died down a bit Anderson asked his
wife where she had got all the certih.
Gates Then she told him that she