The Grangeville globe., 1921-03-17

IL
Isn't that sensible proposition
"Very-if / felt like leaving So
brante. But ! do not. II that mining
concession Is a potential winner, I'll
have to stick around and make a win
ner out Of 1t before l go away and
leave Bill In charge. Besides, I'm wor-
ried about Bill. He's full Of maIarial
fever, and last night got thinking
about him and decided to send him
back to the Colorado mountains for q
few months. ] want some regular doc
tors to work on Bill so he'll be fit when
he gets back on the job"
AS matter of fact, this idea of send
Ing Billy to the United States had but
that mOrent occurred to Jack Web
ster; he reflected now that this plan
was little short Of an inspiration. 1t
would give Billy and Dolores an op-
portunity to marry and have a honey
moon; 1t would leave him free of her
disturbing presence. and enable him to
leave SObrante when the Gearys should
return. He resolved to speak to Billy
about 1t.
COiotCS NOiNC OEOhC uROn Cuu-
ming reflections. But Billy tells me
you already have a fortune sufficient
for the needs of caliph without
court. Why risk your precious life to
acquire more? Money isn't everything
In life."
"No. but the game is"
"What game? MinIng?"
"The game Of life."
"But this Is the game of DEATH"
(which makes life all the sweeter
II ] can beat the game. Perhaps | can
better illustrate my point of view with
a story. Some years ago l was sent
to Arizona to examine mining prop
erty and report upon 1t; II ! advised
its purchase. my principals were pre-
pared to buy at my valuation. Well.
when | arrived. | found a miserable
shanty close to shaft and dump, and
In the shanty I found a weather-beat-
ep couple. The woman was probably
forty but looked fifty. The man had
never been anything but a hard-rock
miner-$4 a day had been the limit of
bis earnings In any one day until he
stumbled on some float, traced 1t up,
and located the claims | 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
nsI IS EtxvArn ~ ~.
ledge, 1t wasn't worth any more than
the country rock to them unless they
could sell 1t, because the man had
neither the money nor the ability to
develop II himself. He even lacked
the ability to sell it. because II re-
quires real ability to unload any kind
of mine for $1,OO00O0, and real
nerve on the part Of the man who
buys. l examined the mine, decided
it was cheap at $1,0OO,OOO, and so re-
posted to my principals. They wired
me to close. and so I took 6O-day
option In order to verify the title.
swell, time passed, and one bright
day l rode up to that shanty with a
deed and certified check for $1,000
WV IN MY lUNhCls WHCiCupOu uio-
covered the woman had had q change
of heart and bucked over the traces.
No, stree! She would not sign thet
there deed-and inasmuch as the claim
was community property, her sigma
ture was vitally necessary She asked
me so many questions, however, as to
the size of the stamp mill we would
install ond hnxy tnin
be employed on the job. that finally l
saw the light and tried a shot in the
dark. "My dear Mrs. Skaggs," l said.
"if you'll sign this deed and save us
all lot of litigation over this option
you and your husband have given me,
I'll do something handsome. / will
on my word of honor-Tll give you the
exclusive boarding house privilege at
this mine."
"And what did she say, Caliphr'
"She said: Give me the pen, Mr..
Webster, and please excuse my hand
writing; Pm that nervous In business
matters"
Dolores silvery laughter rippIed
through the room. "But | don't see
the point" she protested.
1--WE will come to II 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"
"All right Listen to this In 1907,
at the height of the boom times in
Goldfield, New, was worth 81 100000.
On the first day of October / could
have cashed in my mining stocks for
81, 900. 0.00O-and l had lot of cash in
bank, too. But I'd always worked so
hard and been poor so long that my
wealth didn't mean anything to me.
wanted the exclusive privilege of
more slavery and so staked copper
prospect. which later ! discovered TO
consist of uncounted acres of country
rock and about $25 worth of copper
stain. In order to save 500 did my
own assessment work. drove a pick