The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-11-30

ing him dividends. right along. So
naturally. after the new strike was an
nounced. he was perfectly willing 10
own more / don't know what his In
yestment was. but he gave me to IN
derstand that il was something like
half a million In less than month
after the deal was closed the mine was
drowned and went ont OF business
-'Still. / don't see your lost oppor.
tunity.- / threw in
I'm coming TO that. As it happens
my speciality as an engineer is the un
watering Of wet mines The old gen
tIeman had maps and profiles with
him; the records of very careful and
excellent Typographical survey. I'm
reasonably certain that I discovered q
way in which that mine can be drained
at comparatively small expense.
81 told him thought could do It:
but | didn't give my plan s~ay. In
stead, I made him a proposition; Of
fered to undertake the drainage job
at my own costs II / should succeed.
he was to deed me fourth interest in
the property. If / didn't succeed. II
was to cost him nothing-sorI of
contingent fee. as lawyer would say.
/ laughed You made an offer like
that to stranger7 and on a mine that
you had never seem
He grinned good-naturedly and got
back at me. quick.
/ "All business is taking Of chances
As the matter stood at that stage of
the game, / had everything to gain and
noilling TO lose. aud the only chance |
was taking was in the bet on my own
ability as an engineer. The old Nun
was a queer old eedger in some re-
spects; as secretive and cautious as
an old fox. For example: he had care
/ fully clipped the name of the mine
| from the blue-prints and other papers.
and in all our talk he never once let
/ that name slip. and never even men
| toned the name of the district in
| which the mine was located. But In
spite of all this caution he drew up a
sort of option agreement with me.
I'VE found lawyer and had the
agreement drawn up in legal form.
The time limit was to be q Year, and
each of IFS was to put up q thousand
| dollars to make the agreement bind
] ing. If either OF us should wish TO
withdraw within that time he was at
liberty to do so by forfeiting his ante
of thousand dollars to the other. If
neither of US withdrew by or before
the end of the year. / was to be at Ito
erty to go ahead with NIX drainage
project, ana the agreement bound the
owner to turn over one-fOurth inter
est In the property to me upon the
completion of the job and the unwater.
ing Of the mine.
"At the moment / was under engage
ment to go to Peru for a Chicago syn
dictate. and l expected to be out Of tbs
United States for at least six months
and maybe longer. As il turned out
the South American job was q lot hig
ger than / had anticipated. and fol
that reason the time limit of q YEA
expired o week ago, ON the day that
landed in New York. Yesterday
called upon the Omaha banker. and n
gave me the cheering information tina
my old man was dead-had died jus
} few days earlier"
"Stin, don't see how you have los
OUT put in.
: wait; here comes the funny par
> of 1t. Mr.. Banker tells me sOlemni
that I am remembered In my old ger
] tleman's disposition of some cash legs
cIes made just before his death IA
! I'm to have the thousand dollars While
he put up as a forfeit. took the priz
dawn and spent some Of It within tn
: next few minutes wiring the old man
home lawyer, whose paIle and addres
the banker had givSn me. briefe
/ the situation for the lawyer, said We
ready to fulfill my part Of the COZ
. tract, and asked him 10 wire me ii
name and location of the mine. You
. never guess in q thousand years II
kind Of an answer col"
/ shook my head,
..Nqi prOhahly not. What was lit"
cit was bolt from the blue. q
right Mr.. Home Lawyer wired tn
his client had never owned share
mining stock in his life, that there wi
nothing in his papers or records bea
Ing upon the NuhIcGt VI my tChNSi a.
and that | must be either drunk
crazy. OF course, he didn't put 1t iu
that way In his reply, but that is VIII
he meant"
"How do you sort 1t OutG" | Inquire
1.-The lawyers telegram put it
that mr. cautious. secretive old gent
man never told anybody at home abo
Mis- mining investments; kept them
a separate pocket. so to speak, Gu
! possibly he didn't have any other I
ceptipg Ehe one I've been telling Y
about, and the one he sregarded as
| dead cock In the pit. That would
= plain the situation nicely, don't J
= thinka"
Y The story had left me bit fogf
as 10 the present state and stands
Of the thing. and said so
"Well. it stacks up about this wa
said Rrown-beard. ''There IS a ?
fectIy good mine somewhere west
M us that is worth anywhere from
" quarter to half million, and at
present moment il is kicking arOl
! without an owner. So far as can !
I'm the only man on top OF earth v
has claim on any part of II. An
Ae- have no more Idea than the man in
moon where IT is mt. No; I'm afr
-. my handsome fortune is lost dog