The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-04-14

about the master, miss"
THANK you, Harms. You're very
kind"
A foreboding OF disaster brought
Roberta flying into the living room.
Crooked Bill sat huddled in reading
chair, his face in his hands, his at
titude reminiscent of profound despair.
"Uncle Bill What's happened?"
Crooked Bits old hands merely
clasped his features tighter. He
wagged his head and moaned.
I'm through. My brokers sold me
out this afternoon. Oh. Bobby, Bobby,
what a massacrel l stayed as long
as l dared, but when the last jump
came realized that only crazy man
would continue in this crazy market.
| declined to invest another dollar
for the reason that ! didn't have ii.
| told my brokers I'd gon the limit
and to sell me out. I'm all washed
up"
"Must we leave Hillcrest?" Roberta
queried in strangled voice.
1--WE must" Crooked Bill replied
heroically. 81 have enough to pay of
the servants and maintain US in re-
spectability at some modest hotel until
we can look around and see what the
future holds for us, but after that"
After that I'll take care of you,
dear Uncle Bill" Robertas voice was
tender, the touch of her lovely cheek
to Crooked Bills wrinkled jowls was
very soothing to that wretched wreck
of financier. "Sheep are up and SO
is wool, Uncle Bill. Don Prudencio
AlvisO writes me that Uncle Toms
thousand as they stand, and he has
over hundred thousand pounds of
wool in transit to a wool house in Bos-
ton. And good wool is quoted in to-
days paper at thirty cents pound.
Uncle Tom has a ranch of sorts also.
it and says it is not of ready sale, but
we can live there and carry on in the
sheep business"
''You have no conception of what
you are proposing to me-" Crooked Bill
groaned. "Sheep are terrible"
'Well, you've always taken care of
me, haven't you, darling? What a
poor sport I'd be to desert you when
you're down and out. No, no, dear.
Wen battle along together to the last
sheep"
Uncle Bill Latham sighed and gazed
drearily out the window. eff you'd
only fixed it up to marry Glenn
Hackett-"
eff we didn't have these sheep and
the wool I'd marry him and risk learn
ing to love him, just to keep you from
worrying about me-" Roberta assured
him heroically. But of course, thanks
to that odious Jim Higgins. find my
self in rather an independent posi-
ton. We will sell off all the sheep
and wool and live comfortably and
economically on the income from that
until"
"Hackett Is coming for dinner" he
interrupted. "Be nice to him. He's
my attorney, of course, and I'll have
to tell him what's happened to me.
Promise me, Bobby, that if he renews
his suit you'll accord him kindly and
respectful consideration"
In her great distress at the catas-
trophe which had overtaken her guar
dian Roberta was in a mood to prom
Use anything-and did. Crooked Bill
appeared to rally Immediately.
Roberta was dressing when she
heard Glenn Hackett's car rolling up
the driveway. She looked out her
window and called, Hello, old Stick
in-the-mud! How are you?"
He favored her with not very en-
thusiastic wave of his hand.
"StiI holding his little grudge," Ro-
berta thought. swell, / don't blame
him. Nevertheless I loathe sulky
men,"
Crooked Bill received his guest at
the door and at once conducted him
to the library.
"Pve got to talk fast, my boy" he
I'm supposed to have gone bust in the
market-Hillcrest has been gobbled
up by my bankers to meet my notes,
I'm down to a couple of thousand dol
lars. In word, hi pops generally"
Glenn Hackett stared at the old gen.
tleman owlishly. Crooked Bill con-
tinued:
81 hope l do not have to assure you,
Glenn. that in so far as Bobby is con-
cerned I'm for you all the way"
Thank you very much" Hackett re-
piled. 81 have suspected as much for
quite while"
THAT girl is too dog-gone high and
mighty to suit me-" Crooked Bill con-
tinued, slipping his drink with medita-
tive pleasure, $50 I've cooked up a
scheme to bring her fluttering to the
ground. Roberta's the light of my eye
and the apple of my heart, but never
theless, as reasoning human being,
I've got to admit she has her draw.
backs. She's got to be yanked out of
the clouds of romance to earthly prac-
ticalities and in my feeble way I'm
attempting to do it. All of her life
I've been busy spelling Roberta by
granting every wish she expressed and
heap she never thought of express
ing. That's bad business. Now, then,
here's my plan. | came staggering In,
play-acting all over the place. and
moaned aloud that | was out of the
market, that my brokers had sold me
out because ] didn't dare stay with the
game any longer. Well, as matter
of fact am out of the market. My
brokers did sell me OUTPUT on the
right side of the ledger, and as a
result I've cleaned up about ten mil