The Adair County news., 1921-12-20
SSSSSS~SSNSSSS
Copyright BY Charles scrfbners Sons

.-sE24Sl1, 1 made him a proposition; of
SE734EoS 10 undertake the drainage job
aaz-ssFF own costs. If / should succeed.
Co., HaasGs 10 deed me fourth interest in
,zIszz IsSroDerty If | didn't succeed, il
7rzEz, 20 cost him nOthing-sOrt of
s-zsmGBgent fee, as lawyer would say"
laughed. You made an offer like
GEzE 10 g stranger? and on a mine that
,Essg &151 never SEEM"
- zgrinned good-naturedly and got
F70s-ss- AZ me, quick.
~ business is a taking of chances.
\ 4 soc matter stood at that stage of
= .5sE :zsame. / had everything to gain and
Eg-esElAIng To lose. and the only chance |
'asSGs taking was in the bet on my own
- ssLE1E7 as an engineer. The old man
~taGsz a queer old cOdger in some re-
=-,rs.-,tS: as SeCretive and cautious as
=syzz'sId fox. For example: he had care
= szig'- clipped the name of the mine
= -~ES the blue-printS- and other papers,
ar n all our talk he never once let
= ~ name slip. and never even men,
- sssRsSt sE}3e name of the district in
=. sE5..C the mine was located. But in
y u ali AlllN. Ndullbll llC VIZ" up u
- aesszr-ar option agreement with me.
" found Il lawyer and had the
- -=z-enent drawn up in legal form.
y IN. time limit was to be a year, and
,.I~4cs- ~nf us was to put up thousand
81 AslAaTS so make the agreement bind
-EsS ~ either of us should wish to
- s:SsaTaw within that time, he was at
zzszzs-z2- 70 do SO by FORGETTING his ante
sss5=sG .TnOIsaHd dollars TO the other. If
s-.ssssZuRr on us Withdrew by or before
vzss-. .r03~af thp year, | was TO he at lib
ZIP 70 go ahead with my drainage
.rFzTT z>lrc-. and the agreement bound the
.-yaaser- "a turn over one-fOurth inter
~ n the property to me upon the
,syEEsGsssiep OF the job and the unwater-
zz<SSss3 me mine.
- the moment / was under engage
--z1s4zsE ego 10 Peru for a Chicago syn
-ffGsas<zsy and expected to be out of the
z szkAsA1 States for at least six months,
ira rEsybe longer. AS it turned out,
-&sss csslufh American sob was lot big
azeE- s9zz1 [ had anticipated, and for
,ezEszsx -season the time limit of a year
e.sIrSsSES a week ago, on the day that l
s.Es1EEx dn New York. Yesterday
a>zzk1z. upon the Omaha banker. and he
szSz1s@ ze the cheering information that
-Hs7 es45 man was dead-had died just
- sssE days earlier"
Sska, don't see how you have lost
cJszsE-~ Z put in.
Wait; here comes the funny part
az IT gRr. Banker tells me SOIemnly
ssiExzE zm remembered in my old gen.
fsIsEEExg's disposition of some cash Legal
.E-f+.z:: v=ssade just before his death, and
T'fsz va have the thousand dollars which
-5Iss=1EsEf up as forfeit. took the prize
sg1asEzE and spent some of 1t within the
MIX 4eg minutes wiring the old mans
zls4zAZa sawyer, whose name and address
-gki. 1nsnker had given me- / briefed
-1zsa sstnStiOn for the lawyer, said was
=F-usEEs 70 fulfill my part of the con-
s-E=zza Seaad asked him to wire me the
zsssszssaqgIld location of the mine. You'd
ge~ eT guess in a thousand years the
.Si-aJ .yf an answer | got"
E~sROok my head.
@Sso probably not What was it?"
II was a bolt from the blue, all
II ST MIR Home Lawyer wired that
y1Iszs, xHnnt had never owned a share of
-yiEzgsg stock in his life, that there was
:1scEszsaag in his papers or records bear,
,nz rupon the subject of my telegram
Ezzs taatTI. must be either drunk or
-sZBy Of course, he didn't put 1t just
-zEzzlS way in his reply, but that is what
gEETneant.''
11How do you sort ii Out?" / inquired
-srIfIe lawyers telegram? l put it uI
-s.l4ar my cautious, SeCretive old gentle
-1zdr,.neger told anybody at home about
Eass. whining Investments kept them in
~ separate pocketsso to speak. Quite
..eRzssIcly he didn't have any other ex
.sgEvfing the one I've been telling vol
;}ats1Rl- and the one he regarded as &
F1zfEztn cock in the pit. That would eX
slain the situation nicely, don't vet
zs=nIEkS''
TIE story had left me a bit fOggeC
ssx Ga the present state and standin!
eGG Rae. thing. and / said so.
~Wen, 1T stacks up about this way,
SAID Brown-beard. There is a per
EsS5fE good mine somewhere west q
AZ that is worth anywhere from
Hs6dAkNE- 40 d llull LIllllOll, anu Ut III
Eyz0esent moment it is kicking aroun'
s,zxTESsEt an owner. So far as can see
Ravs the only man on top of earth VIII
saxs 4 claim on any part of it. And
Etzve no more idea than the man in tn
= zsoa where it is at No; I'm afrai
rzSxy handsome fortune is a lost dog s
1 Txr=zs I'm concerned" ~
Wis mention q lost dog hit m
AaEzntYin the center of the solar plexu
-ssEan Idaughed like fool.
What struck your funny-boneT b
. ssE1naRded, sort of obviously, fancie,
~.Eothing," 1 gurgled; ''nothir
-szzrfh .mentiOning-Only Tn huntir
--Txr a lost dog, too
Esrt didn't tell him any more. Aft
ywtad, smoked a while longer, ar
gBspzn-beard had apologized for ma
anx me listen to his rather longish ia
nj woe. we took the porter's hint tn