The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-01-26

cepted Another Cigar.
| cepted another cigar out of nv pocket
case.
You'll be the one to be bored, 1t
was this way: A little over a year
ago l was on my way to Chicago with
u report that 1 had been making on
some properties in the Cripple Creek
district. In the Denver Omaha Pull
man / fell in with nice old gentle
man who had been buying himself a
gold brick in the shape of flooded
mine. The mine had at one time been
producer though not by any means
what you'd call bonanza After a
rather extended dividend-paying period
Il don't know just how long, though
| IL was some years-the luck changed,
ns sometimes happens. In sinking and
drifting the operators had uncovered
another vein which was exceedingly
rich. Don't let me talk your arm off"
go ahead" said 1. "NIy arms are
| insured"
"Well, at about the time that they
struck this new underlying vein, they
also struck water; SO much of It as to
iead them TO suspect that they had
tapped an underground lake. The old
| gentleman wasn't exactly woolly
>hcep--in the Wall Street sense OF the
term. He had owned stock in the mine
FOR long time, and it had been pay
ing him dividends, right along. So
naturally, after the new strike was an
nounced, he was perfectly willing to
/
veStment was, but he gave me to nm
uerSthnd that 1T was something like
half million. In less than month
after the deal was closed the mine was
drowned and went oft Of business"
"Sti', don't see your lost oppor-
tunity," I threw In.
I'm coming to that. AS 1t happens.
my speciality as an engineer Is the I'm.
watering of wet mines. The old gen.
tleman had maps and profiles with
him: the records Of q very careful and
excellent Typographical survey. I'm
reasoE',y certain that discoy cred n
way IN which that mine can be drained
at comparatively small expense.
Il toll Lin thought could do 1t;
Out didn't give my plan away. In
STEAD, l made him Il proposition; Of
Tered to undertake the drainage job
ut my own costs. If l should succeed
ne was to deed me fourth interest in
the property. If l didn't succeed, 1t
was to cost him nothing-sort of u
contingent fee, us lawyer would say"
laughed. you made an offer like
that to stranger? and on a mine that
you had never seen?"
He grinned goOd-naturedly and got
back at me- quick.
"All business is Il taking of chances
AS the matter stood at that stage of
the game, had everything to gain and
nothing to lose, ann the only chance
| was taking was in the bet on my own
| ability as an engineer. The old man
was a queer old codger in some r.
spects; as secretive and cautious as
an old fox. For example: he had care
! fully clipped the name OF the mine
from the blueprints and other papers.
and In oil 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 I'D
sort of option agreement with me.
1--WE found lawyer and had the
agreement drawn up in legal form
Ihe time limit was to be year, and
each of us was to put up thousand
dollars to make the agreement Lind
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 lib
erty to go ahead with my drainage
project, and the agreement bound the
owner to turn over q 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 Chicago syn
dicntc, and | expected to be out of the
, United States for at least six months.
ana maybe longer. As Ii turned out.
the South American job was a lot big
ger than | had anticipated, and for
that reason the time limit of year
expired week ago, on the day that I
landed in New York. Yesterday l
called upon the Omaha banker, and he
gave me the cheering information that
my old man was dead-had died just
few days earlier"
"Stiii, don't see how you have lost
out" l put In. -
( "Wait; here comes the funny part
OF IL. Mr.. Banker tells me solemnly
thyt 1 am remembered In my old gem.
eman's disppsitton o1rsAme casfs2cga-