The Argosy, October 1906 — page 75: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

One fas was re Certainly this was not the trash he had imagined it to be. Within the hour he was gallop- - ing toward the town as fast as his little - Mexican mare could carry him, with a double-ended sack full ‘ of Peabody’ S _samples slung over his saddle. It was the eighth of June when Den- ton received the report of the assay. It was the thirteenth of June > when he pushed his way past the “ buttons ” in the New York office of the Aztec Gold Extraction Company of Mexico and breathlessly confronted John Sharkey. “ Great news, old chap!” cried Shar- key before his excited partner could ut- ter a word. “ He’s landed! is clinched, and the money’s in the bank. Old Peabody has relieved us of 50,000 shares at thirty cents!” “Relieved us!” shouted Denton, throwing his suit-case into a corner and advancing to the desk before which the exuberant financier was seated. , “ Re- lieved us! John Sharkey, you're | a fool —a sucker and a fool! Our Aztec mine is worth half a million dollars if. it’s worth a cent.” Sharkey leaned back in his chair and grinned sympathetically. “Tut, tut, my boy,” soothingly. thing to quiet your «nerves. _ IT have a sovereign remedy in the closet here.” “Half a million dollars, I tell you!” roared Denton, thumping on the desk with his fist. “‘ Look here, you bloom- ing idiot—here’s the assay’ of four sam- ples actually taken out of the Aztec by Peabody. Look at them—they average seventy dollars. And you’ve gone and sold out half of it for thirty cents a share! Didn’t you get my wire?” ‘Certainly. You told me not to sell to Peabody at any price until you had seen me. I thought it was part of the game to draw him on. I showed it to him this morning, and it proved to be the finishing stroke. _ transaction at once. meant it.” _ Sharkey looked the picture of dismay. .When the whole story was unfolded to he answered ] didn’t dream you him he well-nigh collapsed; but he was — the first to suggest the possibility of re- covering somethin ng from the wreck. 22 SS is probably still in town, A GILT- EDGED INVESTMENT. -he “said. St. Regis. z what he’ll take for that stock. | Maybe — he'll be glad to close out for a bonus The deal ‘ Better take a little some-. _after We closed the — Let’s run over there and see of a thousand or two.” It seemed to be a forlorn hope, but it was worth trying. As it turned out, Peabody was there, and received the crestfallen promoters in his rooms. Cautiously Sharkey, who did the talk- ing, sounded him. MHe listened atten- tively, but when it came to the point he = He's been stopping at the’ flatly refused to name a price at which — he would sell. Sharkey thereupon of- fered him ‘sixteen thousand dollars for the shares for which he had paid fifteen — thousand dollars. At this Peabody de- cisively. shook his head. By successive raises of $1,000 the bid was advanced to twenty thousand dollars, -and still he Te- mained unmoved. _ “Tt looks as if you fellows had-made a bad bargain, ’ he replied. “ No, I think I’ll hold on. I went into this matter as an investment, not as a_ speculation. There’s no use talking. The more anx- ious you are to buy back my interest the more confident I am that I have a good thing. for all this chattering. Make your final - offer, and I’ll give you the final answer.” With Peabody’s permission, the Aztec Gold Extraction Company of Mexico re- tired to the adjoining room for consulta- tion, and decided to put the figure at $25,000. If this failed, they would give I’m going back to Providence - this afternoon, and I must ask you to excuse me, as I can hardly spare the time SAGs AY, Yh ei Wate dat, ACV URAL SE Ce, t, AS RIDES on ‘ASS % Aiea hecbses t ‘ TA id OPO A RE Ot } Fay fe i BAe ys 4) L _~. a him time to think it over at home, and ~ approach him later. They returned and stated the new proposition. Somewhat to their surprise, long deliberation Peabody ac- cepted, stipulating only that. the price should be paid over in cash. Together the three went to the bank, where the money was drawn and the bargain con- cluded. Peabody had cleaned up ten thousand dollars on the stock he had held for only a few hours, but the enterprising mining experts considered that they had after all paid but a comparatively small penalty for a colossal blunder. Some three weeks later, when Denton -Wwas preparing to return to Mexico for — _the purpose of arranging for the devel-_ (E@) Anyicel exexe) ‘S