Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 209 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

oo The dispatch was very brief, but there was enough in it to make her open her eyes and turn pale. * Mercy on us!” she exclaimed, ‘“ Thisisa blow. If there was any stock that I believed to be sure to rise, it was New Ophir; but here I am called upon for twenty per cent. more mar- gin. Think of it! Twenty per cent!” ‘*That means a heavy fall, 1 suppose.” ‘‘ A terrible tumble. What a gap it will tear in my new bank account!” ‘‘Ah, my dear, this is a risky business that you are engaged in,” ‘It is always risky, auntie, when the little fish swim where the big fish can swallow then. But what can be the meaning of this? Buck Farley was backing New Ophir, and he is a man of millions. Hand me the evening paper, please.” She glanced hurriedly at the commercial column, and laid down the paper with a sigh. “Itis even so.” she snid. ‘* New Ophir has tumbled to 85. This looks like a panic. I must go out at oncs, auntie dear, and try to learn what is the matter.” She hastened to a mining stock broker of her acquaintance, and the news she gathered deep- ened the gloom that had begun to settle about her. A pepark had been spread in San Francisco to the effect that the New Ophir mine was a proved failure; that the lead which had been supposed to be a “fissure vein” had turned out to be merely a “‘pocket;” and that the pay ore was already quite exhausted. Owing to this report, and to the sale of Jarge blocks of shares in the San Francisco market, the stock had ‘*taken a tumble,” and there was no telling how low it would drop. When Rosisa carse down town the next morning, she soon learned that a panic had struck her favorite stock and shattered it. The damaging report from San Francisco had not been officially denied, and its truth could no longer be doubted. The stock opened at 50, and large amounts were thrown at once on the market, forcing it down to 30. It was stated and generally believed that Buck Farley was a large seller. New Ophir fell to 20, and then to 15, at which figure it closed, and was shaky at that, Rosina carried a woeful countenance home, and burst into tearsas soon as she entered her room. It seamed to ber that ber career asa business woman had ended in the most utter failure, and the crash was so sudden that it came near breaking her heart. Mrs, Outram in vain endeavored to cheer her. ‘Tt is all over, auntie,” she said. ‘‘I am ruined, you are ruined, we are ruined. We shall be forced to conjugate the verb to ruin in all its moods and tenses,” “Ts ib really so bad as that, my dear?’ . “T do not see howit could be worse, New Ophir is down to fifteen, without the slightest pros ect of improvement, and I am pledged to uy heaps of it at 115, a clear loss of a dollar on every dollar of stock, as far as heard from. My contract matures in a few days, and it will cost mo all my cash to settle.” “But you have other property, Rose.” “Morse stock, which may go the same way. If (should be forced to realize, I could not ap sibly secure enough to pay what I borrowed of Hornby, that good, kind man.” ‘You might fail, Rose,” ted Mrs. Ou- tram, with the air of a woman of wisdom. ‘* Men are all the time doing that sert of thing, and they seem to be none the worse for it,” ‘If I should fail to meet my contract, auntie, that would be ruin for me, whatever it might be fora man. It is ruin in any event, in what- ever light we look at it—nothing but ruin. Oh, what scoundrels meu are! I may be a fool, but Iam not blind, Ican see clearly through the game. It has been nothing but a gigantic swindliug operation on the part of Buck Varley. the Bonanza Prince, as they call him. There is nothing princely in such schemes, but the mag- nitude of their meanness, He has engineered New Ophir up, and bas engineered it down, and I will guarantee that ke has come out of the collapse with fu:l pockets. Nothing will be said of him, because he is a rich man; but I wish I hed the rewarding of bim!” You are excited, Rose, and perhaps you may be unjust toa man of whose acts and mo- tives you know so little. Let me make you a nicd warm posset, and then we will sit down and try to talk of this matter calmly.” When Rosina ‘isited her broker’s office the next mourning, she took her seat at the “ ticker” and ran over the tape, but saw no record of New Ophir. “Tt is no use, Miss Rosina,” said Mr, Hoxie. “I suppose you are watching the New Ophir flurry; but it is at an end new. That stock is not worth a cont in the market, and I doubt if you will ever see it quoted again. It is flatter than anv flounder. The bottom has fallen out of it completely.” “And it has carried me down into the depths,” she sadly replied. “TI never knew of a worsesmesh. But we are all liable to such calamities. Here is a letter for you Miss Rosina, that a messenger left here this moruing.” a A - Rosina opened the letter. As she read it, her face under ber vail assumed expressions of sur- prise and bewilderment, and then of sudden ) y. After some further conversation with the broker, she rose to take her leave. **[ thank you for this letter, Mr. Hoxie,” she said, ‘It has given me a pleasant surprise, was going to ask you to sell some Nevada Silver stock for me, but believe I will defer it,” ‘You had better hold on to that stock, young lady. Everything is in its favor just now.” When Rosina entered ber room at the hotel that afternoon, and laid aside her hat and vail, there was such a serene joy in her countenance as made Mrs. Outram stare. “What has happened now, Rose?” asked the old lady. ‘' You look as if you might have found a gold mine, or something better.” “This is a world of chanze, dear auntie, and it, is sometimes hard to decide whether our blessings are not calamities, and our calamities blessings. I have brought you the biggest kind of news.” * How big, my love?’ * Bigger than the new Beppe here, bigger than Stewart's store—as big as Mount Shasta. I have found out something more abvut the New Ophir failure—for it is a dead failure, auntie, flat and complete. The blow has not struck down many people, as the stock was in a few hands. Besides myself and Buck Farley and the San Francisco folks, whoever they are there was but one heavy holder, and he own more than half the stock. Now, who do you sappoe that man is?” ‘How can I guess, my dear?’ ** [tis Pedro Rosalba!” ** Pedro Rosalba?” ‘The very same, and the smash has flattened him completely. Just think of it! The owner of more than half the stock of New Ophir, and every dollar of it a dead loss to him! I wish I could see him and congratulate him.” “Is your joy over the calamity of another so great that you can forget your own misfor- tune?” **T can rejoice at his calamity with my whole beart. It is a judgment, auntie, and we may give thanks for judgments. And I am not so unfortunate, after all. Read this letter, which I got at Mr. Hoxie’s office to-day.” ** Please read it to me, Rose.” “Tt is from Buck Farley, the Bonanza Prince,” “The man you were abusing so terribly last evening?” ‘Yes, auntie: but I am not abusing him now. Listen to what he says: “* My pear Mise Rosmna:— “*T must throw myself upon your mercy, and at the same time give you a little of my confidence, trusting that you will treat this communication as entirely confidential. * *T learn that you have been badly bit in the New Ophir disaster, and possibly you may blame me for your losses. “* The failure of the New O mine is total, and the loss necessarily falls on the stockholders. Cir- com me to unload, and thus help to break the market; but Ido not consider myself a loser. **T inel heck to rder f F which, I helene. will Cover Four Welatinaste yestment, You must accept it, as l assure you that it is Juscly your one on “* Yours v respectfully. ag ‘Buck Farugy.’ ** And here is the check!” exclaimed Rosina, flourishing that valuable bit of paper before the face of her friend. “Mercy on us! Are you sure it is real? Will you accept it, Rose?” ‘‘Of course I will. I do not understand all that he says; but I am convinced that he has been playing a game, and that I was not the one he wanted to beat. When he tells me that this sum is justly my duo, I am bound to believe him. CHAPTER XI. 5 “Wak TO THE kyivE!” THERA was high revelry at the Ros:lba ranch. Pedro Rosalba, the mauager, if uot the owner of that extensive estate, had given a grand en- tertainment in bonor of the great event of his life—his acquisition of a controlling interest in the New Ophir miue. This had been the prime object of his ambi- tion. To attain it, besides investing all his available cash in the stock of the mine, he had sold all the cattle on the ranch except such as were needed for rene pu aud hi borrowed money at # high rate of interest. Indeed, he had stri et himself of all his pos. seasions—or big ’s possessions—in the way of personal property. is guests—rancbmen, cattle re ge: be gears and speculators—had eaten and drank of his good cheer, had congratulated bim on his good management and good fortune, and bad gone away wondering if it was ible that the Mexican had made a foo! of himself. Some of them were privately of the opinion that if the mine was so very valuable a piece of property as he believad it to be, the Bonanza Prinee and bis wary old parteer would not peed allowed the control of it toslip out of their ands ee Oe ee : - a Buck Farley, the Bonanza Prince. ES LP SS bet ; g No doubts or misgivings troubled Pedro Ro- salba as he sat with his wife among the ruins of the feast. : They were both a little mellow with wine, in high good bumor with themselves, and extrava- gantly pleased with their position and prospects, “It is a great thing,” he said, not by any means for the firsttime, ‘It is actually im- mense. I have wrested thecontrol of that mine from those sharp Yankees, and it was as grand a stroke of business as has been done in these parts for a long time.” ‘*But you donot own the entire property,” Senora Rosalba, ey own the controlling interest, and the man who has that in these stock companies has everything. The minority has no rights, and it will not be long before I eucher the other suckers out of theirshares, I was here before this mining business began, and I bave kept my eyes open while it was growing up.” ** It bas cost us a vast amount of money.” ** Yes, it has been a squeeze, but Ihave pulled through. That last block of stuck | bought at high figures; but I was obhged to have it, and now I am as good as proprietor of the New Ophir mine. shall work it for all it is worth, a and we will soon see who is a bonanza ng. ‘* Are you sure it is so very valuable, Pedro? Some mines turn out badly.” “There is a mint of money in this one, cara mia. Do you suppose that those men, Farle and Warne, would have taken hold of itif it had not been a bonanza? Everything they touch turns to gold, Theore that has been taken out already is immense'y rich, and the vein has hardly been opened,” ** How did they happen to let so much of the stock get out of their bands?’ asked Senora Rosalba. ‘‘[ was too sharp for them, my Lucetta. They thought they could speculate with the stock and still hold it; but I picked it up and kept it. Our fortune is made, mi alma.” — ‘Then we can drop this lonesome ranch and the nasty cattle.” * Yes, we can drop them all.” ‘* And Rose will be welcome to the land, if she ever comes to claim it.” ‘** | suppose so—if she ever comes back.” Leon, who had grown to be a yOUns man entered with a telegram which a rider had brought from Death Gulch station. **Tell him to wait,” said Rosalba, “‘ until I see what isin it.” ~ As he read the message his face turned pur- ple, and then ashy pale. Drops of perspiration stood on bis brow, and his countenance express- ed intense surprise and terror, ‘‘ What is the matter, Pedro?’ asked his af- frighted wife. ‘ What is that message?” ‘It is from my brokerin San Francisco, He tells me that there are bad rumors sfloat about New Ophir; that stock is bring sold at a low figure, and that Farley is unloading. Ae asks me if he shall sell. Sell? Of course he should not sell. The market is breaking, he says; but I see through the game. It isa Yankee trick, an attempt ata sharp swindle, Farley and Warne see that they bave bren outwitted, and want to t back their stock. They have paid my broker do this, hoping to frighten me into selling. But I have the old Castilian blood in my veins, and am not so easily scared. I will answer this at once, and will order bim not to sacrifice my stock under any cireumstances.” Although Rosalba spoke so confidently, and sent off such a bold dispatch, he psseed a sle ap- less night. The bare possibility of such utter ruin as the San Francisco telegram suggested excited him almost beyond endurance, In the morning he was astir at an early hour, and rode to Death Gulch, where he sent dis- patches southward and eastward, The answers which he received in the course of the day told him that the ease was far worse than his wildest fears could have painted it. There was no longer any market for the shares of New Opbir, and the stock which he had acquired at such a cost was as worthless as 80 much waste panes He was dazed and bewildered, He could not believe the facte that stared bim in the face. It was impossible for him to realize the sudden / and utter ruin that had overtaken him. It was the stories of fairy gold, gathered at night, which had turned to withered leaves when the morning came. His fortune had van- ished, and nothing was left him but a pile of yalueless lithographs, Yesterday be bad considered himself a bonanza 5 to-day he was a pauper. e had never entered the office of the Death Gulch mine, Ag he was engaged in the task of ‘* beating” Mesers. Farley and Warren, he had refrained from visiting them, lest their sharp Yankee wits should spy out his game. Now he determined that he would call on them and demand an explanation of the col- a of New Ophir, if there hed really been a co pse. ¢ He was politely received at the stout stone office, and was informed that botb of the ao ners were absent, Mr. Farley was at the Kast, and it was not known when he would return, MICOOO! KS ,e@ (E() (C f