The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1921-05-06

in the shanty | found Il weather-bcat-
en- couple. The woman was probably
forty but looked fifty. The man had
never been anything but Il hard-rock
miner-S4 day had been the limit of
his earnings In any one day until he
stumbled on some float, traced it up,
and located the claims l was there to
examine and try to buy.
His wife had been miners daugh-
ter, knowing nothing but drudgery and
poverty and continuing that existence
after marriage. For 20 years she had
been darning her husbands socks,
washing his clothes, and cooking his
meals. Even after they uncovered the
ledge, it wasn't worth any more than
the country rock to them unless they
neither the money nor the ability to
develop 1t himself. He even lacked
the ability to sell 1t. because 1t re-
quires real ability to unload any kind
Of a mine for S1,OO0,0OO, and real
nerve on the part Of the man who
buys. l examined the mine, decided
1t was cheap at $1,OOOOOO, and so re-
ported to my principals. They wired
me to close, and so l took a 6O-day
option in order to verify the title.
"Well, time passed, and one bright
day l rode up to that shanty with a
deed and a certified check for $1,000
600 in my pocket; whereupon dis
covered the woman had had a change
of heart and bucked over the traces.
No, stree! She would not sign tibet
there deed-and inasmuch as the claim
was community property, her sigma
ture was vitality necessary. She asked
me so many questions, however, as to
the size of the stamp mill we would
install and how many miners would
be employed on the job, that finally l
saw the light and tried a shot in the
dark. "AIy dear Mrs. Skaggs," | said,
''if you'll sign this deed and save us
all a lot of litigation over this option
you and your husband have given me,
I'll do something handsome. l will
on my word of honor-I'll give you the
exclusive boarding house privilege at
this mine"
And what did she say, Caliph?"
"She said: Give me the pen, Mr..
Webster, and please excuse my hand
writing; I'm that nervous in business
matters.'"
Dolores silvery laughter rippled
through the room. "But l don't see
the point" she protested.
1--WE will come to it presently.
was merely explaining one PERSONS
point of view. You would not, of
course, expect me to have the same
point of view as Mrs. Skaggs of Ari-
zona."
certainly not"
Gall right! Listen to this In 1907,
at the height of the boom times in
GOldfield, Nev was worth $1,OOO,OOO
On the first day of October l could
have cashed in my mining stocks for
$1,000, OOO-and I had lot Of cash In
bank, too. But I'd always worked sc
hard and been poor so long that my
wealth didn't mean anything to me
I wanted the exclusive privilege Of
more slavery, and so l staked copper
prospect, which later I discovered tt
consist Of uncOunted acres Of country
rock and about $25 worth of copper
stain. In order to save 500 I did my
own assessment work, drove picl
into my foot, developed blood poison
went to the hospital, and was nice ant
helpless when the panic came along
the middle Of the month. The banF
went bust, and my ready cash went
with it: couldn't give my mining
stocks away. Everybody knew I was
pauper-everybody but the doctor
He persisted in regarding me as mil
| liOnaire and sent me bill for $1,000
"How perfectly outrageousl Why
Caliph, l would have let him sue me.
II would have, too-but I didn't.
induced him to settle for $1OOOOt
shares Of stock in my copper prospect
The par value was 81 a share, and
was going to sell a block at 10 cents
but in view Of his high professional
/ standing let him have it for a nicke
a share. I imagine he still has 1t.
| bought back later all the other STOCK
! I sold, because the property was
worthless, and in order to be sport
I offered him $500 for his block, but
he thought I was trying to swindlt
him and asked $1,000"
ooh, Caliph!"
"Wonderful game isn't it-thi'
| game of life. So sweet when fel
lows taking chances! Now that an
fairly prosperous again, the only thing
in life that really matters is the un
certainty as to whether, when FINAL!
I do leave Sobrante, I shall ride t.
the steamship landing In hack or {
hearse."
But you could go in hack thi.
| morning and avoid that uncertainty.
1.-THE millionaire drudge l told vol
of could have gone to live in a prett!
villa on the Riviera, but she chose {
miners boarding house."
| "rhen why" she nerSiSted "did Vol