if
SSI
$1.00 a Year, In Advance.
"FOR G0! FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH."
Single Copy, 5 Cents.
VOL. XIV.
PLYMOUTH, N; C, FRIDAY. I ECEMBER 4, 1903.
NO. 37.
THE GRUBSTAKE MINE
RISONER gives his name
as Jones," said the officer,
chuckling:. "He's ironed
hand and foot, for fear of
accidents; but mind, if he
goes f0l. you yell, and I'll
v P ,
let you out."
,.. So the policeman threw open the
jgrated door.
"Prisoner, here's yer lawyer; and I
warn you if you smash him up you
won't get another."
The door swung to behind me, but
so dark was the cell that at first I
could see nothing of "Mr. Jones."
febly. One never knows what may
happen' in the Bitter Root City Jail.
"I ain't going to hurt you," growled
the prisoner. "Sit down; make your
self at home."
The voice Avas manfr, resonant; the
' man was a young athlete; I could just
see that his boots were the dainty,
high-heeled Wellingtons of a cowboy;
while the rest of his dress a som
brero, shirt, overalls, a broad web
belt, and silk handkerchief round the
neck bore out the character. The
man's presence already brought up
some faint memory; indeed I felt that
I knew him, but not under the sur
name of Jones. Surely this sunburnt
young froutiersman was some old
1'rJeml.
"I can't offer you any refreshments,
Mr. Lawyer," said the boy, drowsily.
Vriie accommodations, in fact, are
fjTlim very slim. "Why," he woke up,
"what the deuce are you staring at?"
"Jack Brancepeth," I ventured,
"don't you know me?"
"What? Williams, major? Hurrah!
Shake, you duffer!"
It Avas not easy to shake hands, for
my- old schoolfellow was shackled
spread-eagle fashion to the bed.
"Yes," he laughed, "they've got rce
roped for branding, and then they'll
Y clip my ears and coral me all to my-
self, lest I corrupt the good manners
of the other victims."
"Well," said I, frankly, "it jolly well
serves you right. A fool who amuses
himself shooting the stockbrokers cn
'Change ought to be "
"Smacked," said Jack. "I knocked
out three deputy marshals, damaged
one sheriff, bored a few holes through
things generally. I wish I could chew
up some more police by way of dessert.
I feel as happy as a chip."
"Look here, we're civilized people in
"Hitter Root City; we're not used to
eow-punehers."
"We!!, you don't amount to shucks,
ns you say. Look here, I want you to
let down the bars of this corral I've
been lonesome."
"How can I get you out? Don't you
see these stockbrokers are not used to
being shot at?"
,."Ye.s." he, groaned, "that's what's
the matter. I've offended' their little
local prejudices. But that's all right!"
"All right 'for State Trison," I ex
plained. He only chuckled.
'.'Well, I did ruffle 'era up some. But,
as I say, that's all right. I'll tell you
Hie straight yarn then you can turn it
into the right kind of lies, and have
them sworn to. See?"
"Co on." said I.
"Well, to begin with. I got me a tract
of meadow land up Wild Creek, back
of Branchville, Idaho do you know
1he place? No? Well,' I stocked the
ranch out of what. I'd saved, with a
j-'.korthorn bull by Climax, together
wHh thirty-nine head of scrub cattle,
and a band of ponies. Since then,
whenever I've happened upon mav
ericks unbvanded cattle, you know
a ve adopted the poor orphans, clapped
on my little Q that's my brand and
turned 'em into the pasture. There's
been some satisfaction in annexing old
Silas Ilewson's calves, but even then
it ain't over and above square dealing,
besides which it's slow work building
up wealth out of strays. So I suppose
a hundred head all told would make up
the sum of what I had last fall, though
since then Fve been laying by my
thirty dollars a. month cow-punching
for the 'Square Triangle outfit, down
Boise way, which money I've put into
jpiprovemcnts on my Wild Creek
ranch."
' ' "You seem to have been on the
make?"
"Yes." Jack heaved a great sigh.
"'But it came deuced tough. Why, I've
sworn off poker, quit getting 'drunk,
even tried to worry along without cuss-
"But why all this virtue?"
"Why, don't you see, you Ioou you
pilgrim? I'm in love!"
"Oh!"
"It was all for Kitty's sake."
"Who's Kitty?"
"She's my.girl. Say, do you know
old man Ilewson down to Idaho
Flats?"
"What, the capitalist who floated
the Grubstake mine?"
"The same. A right smart hole in
the ground is the Grubstake. Why. I
guess the old man must be worth his
cool five millions now. Any way, he's
got six head of young fillies, that there
ain't the like of west of the Bitter Root
Mountains, calkers, and away up at
that."
"Blooded?"
"I should smile.' Out of the very
best Virginian. There's Kittle, Saph,
Matred, Nehusta, Zebudah and Mehit
able, all raised on the ranch, all tended
the same school at Wild Creek."
"School!" I howled; "do you mean
the man's daughters?"
"Well, rather! You see a man needs
lots of wealth to pretend to any of
these girls, for Silas is like them Old
Testament chiefs who'd se lords and
dukes sniffing around the lodge, and
let the dogs at 'em .because they aint
kings. She's too good, any way, for a
common scrub cowboy like me. Oh,
man, but you should see her sit a buck
ing horse! She's like the west wind
riding a cloud, with the bright hair fly
ing around her head and her eyes like
stars. The broncho tears up the
ground, but she laughs as she drives
home the spur, and there's no fear in
her. I've fought two men for fooling
around her, already one with rifles on
horseback; he's in the hospital; the
other, shooting at sight with guns, but
I hunted him out of the country."
Jack Brancepeth always was hand
some, but now as he laughed in
triumph I felt that Miss Kitty had no
need to rue her choice, for this gallant,
simple, boyish lover had the face of a
Galahad.
"Yes, that's why I've been trying to
keep straight. Why, I'd bo a mangy
hermit if I could make myself good
enough for her. Bur, as she said, the
old man would never let me have her
unless I'd lots of wealth. I tried hard
enough, but then we'd been engaged
more or less for two whole years with
out ir.y making my pile."
"But," said I, "this doesn't seem to
have much bearing cn the present
trouble?" ,
"It hasn't, eh? Well, you reach your
hand into the left pocket of my belt,
and you'll find her letters. There,
that's right; now read the one on top."
.So I found myself glancing over the
first of a batch of letters in a fine
round school girl hand like a stringful
of knots. The letter, rerd: .
"Dear Jack If you went me don't be
a fool. Here's Pa favoring Daddy
Longlegs, who wants me awfu! bad.
He's given Daddy Longlegs a straight
tip how to make his fortune. Pa told
him that they've just found a tremen
dous lot of ore in the Grubstake mine,
but the principal oAvners are lying Ioav,
and saying bad things about the mine
until they can rope in all the stock.
Avhatever that means. Any way,
they've broken down the pumps on pur
pose to let the works get flooded, so as
to hide Avhat they've found. Daddy
Longlegs has sense enough to speculate
in Grubstakes; you haven't.
"KITTY."
"Yes," continued Jack. "Kitty's pret
ty straight goods, and when she says a
thing she means it. If Daddy Long
legs had a thousand dollars, I was
Avorth two thousand; at least that's
what I realized in hard cash by selling
my ranch to a tenderfoot. So I rode
down here to Bitter Root City, went to
Kitty's uncle, Hi Ilewson, the stock
broker, planked down my roll of bills,
and said: 'Buy Grubstakes.' "
" 'You hadn't ought to buy outright,'
says HeAvson; 'you should margin.'
". 'What's that?' said I.
" 'It means,' said he, 'that you plank
down your money; I run the show; if
the stock goes up, I sell out when you
think you're pretty Avell fixed for life;
if the stock goes dOAvn two thousand
dollars' worth, you lose all you have
got.' ,
" 'I'll gamble,' said I, Svith all I can
hold doAvn by sitting straddle.'
brokers guying Hi Ilewson in the Min-
ing Exchange, and afterward I heard
them talking among themselves in the
Coffee Palace.
" 'What,' says one smart Aleck, 'you
think Hi HeAvson's Avorking for Silas,
eh! You must think Silas P. Ilewson's
gone loco! The old man confessed only
last week to a friend of mine that the
mine's played out. Why, the Avorks
are chock ablock with Avater, and no
tunneling facilities to drain it; the
pumps have broken down and of real
pay ore there isn't a dollar in sight.
" 'A level head has old man Silas,'
says another; 'as to Hi Ilewson, he's
roped in a sucker who thinks he can
gamble some fool of a cowboy, he
says.'
" 'There Avas another sucker last
week,' says smart Aleck; 'Daddy Long
legs they call him planked down a
thousand dollars on a falling market,
he, hel Well, he's busted now; mar
gin all run out'
"At that they all drank a toast, 'Long
live the suckers;' but well I laughed.
"Now read the second letter," said
Jack.
"You're a daisy," I r?ad. "Daddy
Longlegs has come back dead broke;
and his language is just disgraceful.
Hold on, keep, right hold, Jack, for pa
says he'll mm be letting the cat out
of the bag, ro if the stock goes down
any more you must keep a good heart
and hold on. KITTY."
"That's all right," said Jack, "but
by the time I got the letter on Monday
morning my margin was running out,
too. Says Hi, 'It's all your own fault;
you never took the trouble to ask my
advice, or you wouldn't have bought
until to-day;' but that was poor conso
lation, for I AA-as like to bo az big a fool
as Daddy Longlegs. Whe i the Ex
change closed on Monday the Grub
stake was quoted at forty-three, and
if it went a point lower my tro thou
sand dollars AA'ould be lost. Read the
third letter."
"Hold on to the s'.ock," I read. "You
needn't haA-e been jealous of Daddy.
He ain't in it, noA-er was, for I love
you, old boy. On Wednesday morning
the news Avill be in all the papers that
the Grubstake was flooded on purpose
to keep the secret of r. great bonanza;
your stock will be worth a fortune.
Hold on for my sake, darling. Hold on
for all you're worth. KITTY."
"At that I plucked up courage," said
Jack., cheerfully, "sold my horse, sad
dle, rifle, coat, 'shaps,' lariat, spurs,
watch, everything; end planked down
the cash with Hi HeAvson. ' I could
hold on now, he told me. till the stock
dropped to forty and a half; but if it
went below that I was lost.
"On Tuesday I went to the Mining
Exchange Building with :ry heart in
oy mouth. Tho ctcck opened at forty
three, then a littb AA'as sold at forty
two, and r.t neon it stood at forty -one
and a half. Scared almost crazy, I
grabbed hold of a reporter, stood the
drinks, and loaded him up with news.
I told him to say in hie paper that the
Ilewson outfit Avacs bearing doAvn the
market, that Silas had flooded the mine
to hide his bonanza until the moment
came to shout. But the reporter made
out that the next edition came out at
four o'clock, and the Exchange closed
at half-past three.
"'Get out the posters early, I told
him, 'bribe the printers, Avork the ropes
somehoAA-, and if I AA'in my game, 1
Avon't forget you.'
"The reporter Avinked, and started to
write out his ucavs; but Avhen the mar
ket opened again in the afternoon,
there seemed to be no hope left, for
the stock was at forty-one and a quar
ter, with only three-quarters of a point
between me and perdition.
"From where I stood in the public
gallery, I saAv the brokers Avhispering,
for a rumor had got Avind from the
printers that made them crazy. Some
of them Avero offering forty-three,
forty-four, even up to fifty for Grub
stake stock; but there Avasn't a dollar
for sale. 'TAvas old Hewson's broker
that started the counter rumor making
out that the newspaper yarn wr.s Eome
fool's canard or else a tale gotten up
so the holders could sell out in a hurry.
I was paralyzed Avhen the bidding
stopped short; I didn't know one more
move that -could saAre the game; I was
ready to kill myself.
"Hi HeAvson scut up a clerk to say he
hated to see me ruined I'd better sell.
It Avas decent of him, but I' told the
clerk to go to blazes and further, be
fore I'd throw up ny hand like a
white-livered coward.
"At three o'clock came a telegram
from Kitty that said:
" 'Be brave. Pa has bought all the
stock he wants, and wired his broker
to quit "bearing." '
"Oh, man, but she was worth fighting
for. She's au angel out of heaven, and
I'd rather have died than broken faith
Avith her.
"The clock was going so sIoav that it
seemed to have stopped. Five past
three, ten past, quarter-past three; the
stock at forty-one! TAventy past three,
twenty-three past! I was saying my
prayei-3 with my reA'olver ready in my
hand for death if I lost in the game.
There was a commotion down in the
hall a rumor Avas spreading through
the croAvd, till it rippled up into the
gallery, and I heard the news the
Grubstake syndicate bankrupt!
"I kneAv it could only be a lie gotten
up by old Ilewson's broker. I knew
that in another moment the newspaper
posters Avould be fastened up at the
door. I knew that if the market held
still another three minutes I'd saved
my game.
"The fool at the blackboard was
marking the closing prices on Tigers,
Poorman, Coeur d'Alene, Eagle of Mur
derer's Bar, Grubstake. He'd wiped
out the old figures to write down Grub
stake at the price of a bankrupt mine;
the brokers were yelling like demons;
the place shook with the uproar; the
clock ticked at tAventy-ninc past; the
fool was AA-riting the figures that meant
ruin despair death !
"Raising my gun, I fired right at his
fingers, missed, fired again, but the
fool was gone. I fired again and again,
then once again, and flung my revolver
at the blackboard across an empty
hall. Yes, I'd stampeded the brokers,
I'd stampeded the whole confounded
outfit the ruck of them Avas screeching
with panic against the doors and I
stood alone in the gallery. The game
was won!
"What matter if I did get excited?
What matter if I did knock a few dep
uty marshals out of the gallery? WThat
matter if I did damage a city official
or a dozen or scores?
"The news is out; I've won me a
wife and a fortune; I'm boss of the
range; and Kitty shall live like a queen
because I love her because I've loved
her like a man and she's nine!"
Waveiley Magazine. kU ,
Corporation Banks.
The largest banks in New York are,
for all practical purposes, corporation
banks. Some of them frankly state
that they do not care for small cus-'
tomers. by which is meant depositors
whose accounts average from one to
twenty thousand dollars; and all of
them cultivate principally the business
of the larger corporations and of out-
of-town banks. These features of their
policy entail certain important results.
It is a well knoAvn fact that deposits
of a small or moderate size are mora
stable than "millionaire" accounts,
which are likely to be drawn down
very rapidly when money is high. Only
a short time ago one of the big banks
Avas notified, an hour before closing for
the day, that a check for $5,000,000 had
been drawn against a large account.
With "a little skirmishing," so a re
liable financial paper states, "the situa
tion was met in a few minutes;' but
the incident illustrates the conditions
under which the operations of such
institutions must be conducted, lne
same tendencies exist also in the case
of the deposits by country banks.' At
the approach of anything resembling
panic these are withdrawn with
great rapidity; so that they have been
justly called the "explosive element
of our banking system. It is evident.
therefore, that more than ordinary con-
serA-atism will be required if the
larsrest banks are to exercise a steady
ing influence in times of actual or im
pending danger. Atlantic Monthly.
The Blblo Brick.
E. G. Acheson, of Niagara Falls,
while he was searching for the best
clay to make crucibles, read the state
ments in the fifth chapter of Exodus
about the use of straw and stubble in
the manufacture of ancient Egyptian
bricks. He procured some straw, had
it boiled and mixed the dark red liquid
thus obtained with clay. He found
that the plasticity was greatly in
creased. Investigation showed that the
tannin was the active agent, and
when he treated over clay with a solu
tion of tannin in water he obtained
surprising results. The strength and
plasticity of the clay are increased and
the tendency to shrink and Avarp is
creatlv reduced. In this process sun
drying is far superior to burning, and
in ten days the clay is better tempered
than in months or even years by the
old process.
The, peat bogs of Ireland could give
an annual output of 100,000 electric
horse poAver for the next 1250 years.
In Southern India the schoolmasters
have forty-tAvo different kinds of pun
ishment for naughty boys.
S1CNS OF RAIN.
Twill surely rain
If the soot falls, the squirrels sleep.
The spiders from their cobwebs creep,
Loud quack the ducks, the peacocks cry,
The distant hills look clear and nigh,
And restless are the snorting swine, f
While busy flies disturb the kine.
Puss on the hearth, Avith velvet paws.
Sits wiping off her Avhiskered jaws;
The dog, quite altered in his taste,
Quits mutton bones on grass to feast;
From all these signs I see with sorrow
Our work must be put off to-morrow.
"Scribbles, the poet, now hS twice
the number Of readers he had before."
"So? Whom did he marry?" Life.
To bet on the market
He thought it a joke. ' ' J
He went to a broker t
And now he is broke.
Washington Star.
Nell "Yes, we're engaged, but I took:
my time about accepting him." Belle
"Indeed? WTaited till he actually
proposed, did you?" Philadelphia Led
ger. She "I am afraid I cannot marry;
you, dearest." His Lordship "Oh;
why not?" She "Papa would neve,
forgive me for being so extravagant."
-Life.
Foozle "Do you think it wron to
play golf on Sunday?" Niblick "I
think it wrong to play such a game as
you do on any day of the week." Bos
ton Transcript.
Myer "Did you ever see a man-eating
shark?" Gyer "No, but I once
saw a man eating catfish." Myer "In
deed! Where?" Gyer "In a restau
raut." Chicago News.
Lives of all great men remind us
We could make our lives sublime.
If we only had the money,
Brains enough, and lots of time.
Indianapolis News.
She "I'll never forget my feelings
when you asked me to marry you."
He "Why, was it such a hard thing
to answer?" She "No, but you Avere
such a soft thing to answer." Phila
delphia Press.
"Your husband," said Mrs. Oldcastle,
"seems to be so altruistic." "Yes, I
know it. But Josiah always was a
great hand to overeat, and I think that
must be Avhat gives it to him." Chi
cago Record-Herald.
Returned Traveler "I wonder what
ever became of Bryton. I used to have
a great admiration for that man. He
was such a finished scholar." Native
"He is now, anyway. He Avent into
politics." Chicago Tribune.
"Language was given for the conceal
ment of thought," quoted the wily cit
izen. "That is perfectly correct," an
swered Senator Sorghum; "if every
man voted the way he talks we'd have
all kinds of ref arm in no time." Wash
ington Star.
Fidgett "Do you ever take any no
tice of anonymous communications?"
Midgett "No; not unless the writers'
names are signed to them." Fidgett
"Yes, I suppose that does make a dif
ference; I never thought of that."
Boston Transcript.
"What do j'ou thitifc' of our author
friend's success?" "It's the irony of
fate. After he has gone on record to
the effect that the public is totally
lacking in artistic discrimination an&
Avants nothing but trash, he gets out a
book that makes a universal hit."
Washington Star.
"Some men are so fortunate in se
curing good wives," remarked the man
Avho wanted to be sympathetic. "Yes,"
replied Ilenpeck. "Now, my Avife is
just like sunshine about the house."
"Indeed! Well er really, I'm sur
prised " "Yes. She's never there
at all at night. Woman's right meet
ings and all that, you knOAV." Phila
delphia Press.
Tlie Hard-Working: iltmian Ileart.
Some one with an aptitude for statis
tics has been doing a little calculating;
on the subject of the human heart and
its activities. The normal heart, it ap
pears, beats abont seventy-five times
in a minute; so that an hour's record
would be something like 4320 beats
Supposing that a man lived to be fifty,
his heart would have beaten 1,S02,1GO
000 times. If a son of this man, more
robust than his father, should fill out
the Scriptural allotment of threescore
years and ten, his heart beats would
number 2,019,024,000. It is easy to un
derstand, after such a computation,
why this hard Avorking servant of the
human bodies so frequently Avears ouK
Harper's Weekly.
Great Britain spends 5112.500,000 a
year on the support of the poor. This
does not include private charities.