The Argosy — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

Five Thousand a Year. 239 ‘“¢Well—slower than we should like to see them,” hesitated Mr. Little. “The fact is, there has been more trouble getting these mines in work- ang order than any of us anticipated. Things looked so promising at first.” ‘*Do you mean to say they don’t look promising now?” wrathfully demanded Mr. Grainger. He had been the sweetest-tempered man in the world, but these disappointments fretted him. ‘They are as promising as ever,” replied Little. ‘‘ But the difficulty is to realize the promises. We are at a standstill for want of money.” ‘Not a complete standstill ?” ‘*T am sorry to say we are.” “Child must advance it.” “Child won’t. I have just been to him, and he flew in a regular passion. Says he washes his hands of the lot, and wished the mines had been in a certain hot place before he had ever heard of them. But I caught a whisper, down at Trebeddon, that Child had been burning his fingers with some other aperelsnis, and had not the money to advance. I firmly believe itis so.’ “Colonel Hartlebury?” _ ‘He is cleaned out. Down to his half-pay.” Adam sat and drummed on the table. ‘‘ How much is wanted now?” he asked. ‘‘ Abaut two thousand pounds, we compute . ‘Why it was two thousand pounds three months ago, and you have had double that since !” came the interruption. “It was that influx of water that played the deuce with us. But we now believe, and with reason, that two thousand would bring the ore anto the market. Of course, every step has advanced us nearer to fe.” ‘““What is to be done?”’ “Can you give us a little more help, Grainger ? ” , ‘You may as well ask this table for help as me. Those bills you got me to sign and raise money upon, will soon be due, and I don’t possess a brass farthing towards meeting them. Itis a good thing Mrs Grainger knows nothing about the bills: they would worry her mind night and day.” : “We are all in the same predicament,” cried Little. ‘“‘No you are not,” was the quick response of Mr. Grainger. “You have none of you put bills out.” “Tf we don’t get the ore into the market speedily, it will play Old Gooseberry with us all.” “We must get it in, Little.” “‘T know we must. But I don’t see how it’s to be done, unless money can be found. ‘There’s not five hundred pounds among us, that’s available.” ‘“‘ Have you seen Green?” 5 Pe COnniclooolkks (SO) am