Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1921-02-04
CHAPTER xI-continusd.

y
for the needs of o callph without
court. Why risk your precious life to
acquire more7 Money isn't everything
In life"
"No. but the game Is"
'What gamer Mining9"
'SThe game Of life."
"But this is the game OF death"
(which makes life all the sweeter
IL can beat the game. Perhaps | can
better illustrate my point Of view with
story. Some years ago was sent
TO Arizona to examine a mining prop
erty and report upon It; IL advised
its purchase, my principals we're pre-
pared to buy at my valuation. Well,
when arrived, found a miserable
shanty close to shaft and dump. and
In the shanty found a weather-beat-
en- couple. The woman was probably
forty but looked fifty. The man had
never been anything but hard-rock
miner-$4 day had been the limit of
his earnings In any one day until ne
stumbled on some float, traced 1t up,
and located the claims was there to
examine and try to buy.
'.Hls 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, II wasn't worth any more than
the country rock to them unless they
could sell II, because the man had
neither the money nor the ability to
develop It himself. He even lacked
the ability to sell It, because it re-
quires real ability to unload any kind
Of mine for $1,0O0O00, and real
narve on the part OF the man who
bays. / examined the mine, decided
1t was cheap at $1,OOO.O0O, and 80 re-
ported to my principals. They wired
me to close, and so / took a 60-day
option in order to verify the title.
"Well, time passed, and one bright
day rode up to that shanty with a
deed and certified check for $1,000
600 in my pocket, whereupon I dis
covered the woman had had change
OF heart and bucked over the traces.
No, street She would not sign tibet
there deed-and inasmueh 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
saw the light and tried a shot In the
dark. my dear Mrs. Skaggs," said
alf you'll sign this deed and save US
all lot Of litigation over this option
you and your husband have given me
TIL do something handsome. / will
on my word Of honor-I'll give you the
exclusive boarding house privilege al
this mine."
"And what did she say, CaliphT
"she said: Give me the pen, Mr.
Webster. and please excuse my hand
writing; I'm that nervous = business
matters"
Dolores silvery laughter ripplet
through the room. "But dealt SCI
the point" she protested.
eve viii come to 1t presently.
was merely explaining one persons
point of view. You would not, o.
course, expect me to have the sans
point OF view as Mrs. Skaggs of Ar
zona."
''CertainIy not"
"All right Listen to this In 1907
at the height OF the boom times II
GOldfeld. New, was worth $1.O0O.O00
On the first day OF October I coul,
have cashed In my mining stocks fe
$1,000 0OO--and had a lot of cash ii
bank, too. But I'd always worked 8
hard and been poor so long that N,
wealth didn't mean anything TO me
/ wanted the exclusive privilege 0
more slavery. and so | staked cope
prospect, which later discovered t
consist of uncounted acres Of countr
rock and about $50 worth Of cope
stain. In order to save 500 did m
own assessment work. drove a pic
into my foot, developed blood poison
went to the hospital, and was nice an
helpless when the panic came alon
the middle of the month. The ban
went bust, and my ready cash wen
with It: / couldn't give my minin
stocks away. Everybody knew wa
q pauper-everybody but the docto
He persisted in regarding me as a mi
lionaire and sent me bin for $1,000
slow perfectly outrageousi VIII,
Caiiph. would have let him sue me
II would have, too--but didn't.
induced him to settle for $4,000
shares of stock In my copper prospec
The par value was 81 share, and
was going TO sell a block at 10 cent
bnf in view Of his high profession,
standing / let him have II for a nick
3 a share. imagine he still has It.
bought back later all the other stoc
sold, because the property We
Y worthless. and In order to be spo
offered him $500 for his, block. b,
he thought was trying to swind
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