The Washington herald., 1921-12-11

which he was leaving would De
fooled for a little while, Harrigan
tucked his certificate of 500 shares
of the stock of the Blue Moonshine Gold
Mining Company, Of Rawhide, Nevada, in
the back Of one Of the drawers Of the dresser
where it might seem to have been forgotten.
The certificate was printed in bright green
and attached to it was a large gilt seal To
one unsophisticated it might easily seem TO
be worth real money. But it was merely
one Of the multitude of its kind that had
been used to separate unwise persons from
their money before the United States Post
Office Department had brought severe de-
preston upon the wildcat mining share
business.
1t bad cost Harrigan ten hard earned
dollars He had been informed that the
shares Of the Blue Moonshine Gold Mining
Company ought to be soon worth a dollar
each, because the company's mine was right
near other mines which were making their
owner. rch.
Some time afterward, when he had made
inquiry a to the whereabouts Of the COM
pany and its mine, be learned that the
former had existed only long enough to sell
shares, and that the latter had no sxistenc.
WITH Harrigan this story has nothing
further to do. He went his way. Cas-
sidy was the next occupant Of the room
He found the certificate where Harlan
had put It. Believing 1t of value and being
honest, he made inquiry about the former
occupant. Mrs. O'Brien, the landlady. cou,d
not tel him where he had gone. Neither
could any one else.
After time, Cassidy took the certtSeat.
To stockholders Office and asked what n
vas worth. smiling clerk told him. So
he tore It into small pieces, which b. de-
posted in the first receptacle for such thIn,,
to which he came.
But the scrap of paper had set him tb,,t.
Ing Of all that he had ever read ,bop, u.
gold mines Of the West Though tb.r,
wasn't any Blue Moonshine rnins H..
were others, with real gold in them tb,t
he knew. Why wasn't it possibl. ~, hir.
to 90 to the country where they were ,nd
become prospector and find a nin., II.
had read that prospector. looked for MINI,
and sometimes found them.
CASSIDY had often experienced tn. not nm.
common desire to be rich. He had .xn.r,-
eneed 1t more strongly since the de,r..,
girl in all the world had given him 49,
promise. He could not bear TO think ~ r..
as condemned to the drudgery Of a ,b,nn,,.
clerks wife. And he could not see va :.
the top Of things. He had ob..rv.d ~.
clerks mostly remained clerks. Tn. feIIo-.
that worked their way up were most, :,
books.
His thought drifted to Tom O,RourS.
who had gone to a place called Tonon,b
in Nevada, some years ago, had No,
turned and therefore was preuu.hlx ..;rr
there. He and Tom had been friends. brt
they mad not written to each other 1t was
too much Of a task to write letters ..n.-
eially as there was nothing in particular To
write.
But now Cassidy decided that h. vouId
write. He would ask Tom what chanc.
there was to acquire gold mine, Just a
little one, from which one might extract
enough wealth to be comfortably fixed. So
he wrote:
Friend Tom-Is there any chance for
fellow TO get a gold mine where you are?
Just little one. you know, with a few
pockets in it. That's what you call where
lht gnu - 1911 I IT, pOCkeISs Or is IL
veins: I've got little money saved up,
but it's slow work, saving, and 1 want to
get enough money to get married. soon
thought maybe there's a chance to find
one of those little mines out there in the
mountains. or maybe / could buy little
interest in one. or something. Write me
what chance there is and whether it's any
use for me to come out there. Is the
country awful wild? Do the men all 90
armed and is there much shooting? Had
IL
write me to come? Please write soon.
Your Friend
Having deposited his letter in the box
at the corner, addressed to Thomas
O'Rsurk., Esq, Tonopah, New, he went
back TO his room and sat down to smoke
and dream Of the fortune that some rocky
mountain side in the Far West might be
holding in store for him. Then he went
to bed and did not dream at all, quite con-
trary to the rule made by story writers
for persons having something very much on
their minds.
S0THATS sure some letter"
l. Can 1 get gold mine, just a little
enc, you know?"
And is the country awful wild?'''
81 guess he got his ideas of the West
from the movies"
O'Rourke, sitting in his cabin at Gold
Brick, to which camp Cassidy's letter had
been forwarded, since he was no longer
among the denizens of Tonopah, had read
the missive to his partners, Jack Brett and
Lou Rawlins, with whom he was working
vein that they had found which gave
them a living and promised to provide a
stake for prospecting for something better.
Say suggested Brett, why not get
him to come out here? OF course, we could
get him a mine. Amt the mountains full
Of 'em, II you only know where they are?