Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-03-09
..... A Wise
 Investment
By SARAH ESTELLE BALCOM
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union. )

ElOQrnfullv.
 Every cent of it, and past recovery. You have simply been swindled out right" advised Lawyer Griscom. Hugh Roberts ran his fingers nerv- OusIy through his sparse white hair and look, of despair came into his faded eyes. "It's the end. then" he said deso- lately. ''It's twice and out. First I advanced that young fellow Warren Lee my five hundred dollars savings on the patent that disappeared with him. Then along came this oil prop osition. It looked reasonable; one hundred acres cut up into small lots. You paid fifty dollars a lot and I bought forty of them. You see, the company was to bore for oil. If one of my lots happened to be the place where they struck oil I was to get ninety per cent of the entire produc- tion. Think of it rich for life, and l could have built the dream of my life, nice bungalow on the old homestead. But that's all past now. I must think of Esther and 1 want you to sell the little place."
 "Oh, don't do that, Roberts," remon- strated the lawyer.
 "Yes, it's got to be-" insisted the other firmly. q owe it to Esther my little niece and faithful housekeeper. have planned to leave her we'll pro- vided for. Now all can do for her is to turn what little have left into cash, and arrange to have my stepsister take care of her for the money. She must not know l am going away. want to slip out of her life quietly"
 But how are you going to live. your- self?" inquired the lawyer solicitously.
 q have arranged all that" tersely replied Roberts, and that settled it.
 There was no redress as to the in- vestment of Roberts in the oil specu- lation. The company had bored ten wells, just as they said they would, but no oil. ' I
 One morning all Glenvilfe knew that Hugh Roberts had disappeared. Els ther, who loved him dearly, was broken hearted when, gently as he could, Mir. Griscom told her the depressing facts of the case. There was another grief, nursed in secret by the fair young girl.
 Roberts had referred to a first in- vestment about q year previous. War ren Lee had incidentally met Mir. Rob erts, enthusiastic over his invention, which required five hundred dollars to complete. He pledged his honor that Io <r;xy Dol lol terest if he would advance the amount. <
 ''When come back it will be to make you rich," he had answered the old man.
 And when that lucky day comes," he had whispered to Esther q am go- ing to ask you to become my wife," Therefore, no marvel that Esther tried to cherish hope amid all her troubles for, although they received no word from the young inventor, memory of his earnest, honest face bade her re- tain her faith in him. She took up her home with q new relative and patiently awaited the awards of fate. " II
 Roberts had gone straight to the site i, of the great oil field that had no oil i He had claimed possession of his forty oil lots, which no one disputed, for the land was absolutely valueless. Rob- erts built q little shack, he purchased | a cow with broken leg and nursed ! it back to health. He planted some vegetables and sold milk to a cross- roads tavern two miles away, eking out wretched living and peeresl at by those who passed his "farm." He was persistent, gloomy, reticent, and barely spoke to anyone, leading the life of q hermit, hoping the end would come soon. ..
 A year passed by and Roberts re- garded with suspicion distrust and re- sentiment hanger-on of the tavern named Dick Essen. He and chum tried to get into the confidence of Rob- erts as to who he was and where he came from, and seemed nightly in7 terested in prying into his affairs \
 He's our man," spoke Essen to his comrade one day, after Roberts had. ordered them from the house. -.i
 That's Sure-we've got to act"
 "Yes, and by force. See here, we,re' sure of that thousand dollars. Itts worth risking little time and money,
 Now. this had happened: Essen had come across an advertisement. It off fered one thousand dollars for infor;9 nation that would disclose the where, abouts of Hugh Roberts. It described him accurately Apply to Sainuel GriScOm, Glenyille."
 The next evening Essen and his con frere entered the little shack, bounced upon Roberts, bound him, drugged him, md placed him in a closed-in automo- bile. Then there was a twelve-hours' swift dash across country. As first dim consciousness returned to Roberts, he was amazed to find himself at Glen vile, in the office of Lawyer Griscom.
 You are welcome visitors" he caught the brisk tones of the latter and l will pay you the thousand dol lars gladly"
 What does this mean?" murpured the dumfounded Roberts.