Part 17 (1/2)
”What they call hydraulic mining,” Dan put in.
”Yes, that's it. Big ditches to be dug, and all that sort of thing.
Well, this 'Big Bonus Mine' was discovered twenty years ago. A company was started and the stock was put on the market at a dollar a share.
The management made a mess of it, as a management usually does, and it fizzled out. It was believed that the thing was chock-full of gold, but they couldn't get it out.”
Polly was beginning to be interested; she usually did find things interesting when she gave her mind to them.
”Well, what did they do?” asked Dan.
”They gave it up for a bad job, and tried to forget all the money they had put into it.”
”Then where did your money come from?”
”Out of the 'Big Bonus Placer Gold Mine!' We scoop it right out to-day.”
”I wish you'd go ahead!” said Dan, for the guest had paused, and was examining the _Cicero_.
”Well, hydraulic mining improves, like every thing else, and three years ago a new company was formed. Luckily the old company had not gone into debt; perhaps they could not borrow money on their elephant.
However that may be, they agreed to put half their stock back into the treasury, and it was sold at fifty cents a share, which gave us money to work with.”
”And it was a howling success!” cried Dan. ”I remember; I've heard all about it.”
”Yes, we've paid out two dollars a share in dividends in the last six months, and the stock is held at fifteen or sixteen dollars a share to-day. The beauty of it is,” Mr. Horace Clapp added, glancing quietly from Dan to Polly, ”I am convinced that you are both stockholders.”
”We?” they cried in a breath.
”Yes! For Jones tells me that your father was a doctor; that his name was Daniel Reddiman Fitch, and that he once lived in Bington, Ohio.”
”Yes,” said Polly; ”that was when he was first married; before old Doctor Royce died, and left an opening in Fieldham, so that Father came back home again.”
”The name of such a stockholder stands on our books, but we haven't heretofore been able to trace him.”
”That's why old Jones pumped me so,” Dan remarked, giving his mind first to the more familiar aspects of the case.
”What a pity he never knew!” said Polly, with glistening eyes. ”He was always so poor.”
”Your father's original holdings were five thousand shares, so that you are the possessors of twenty-five hundred shares. If you sell it pretty soon, as I think you may as well do, you will have something over forty thousand dollars to invest; for there is, in addition to the stock, five thousand dollars in back dividends due you.”
Dan and Polly looked at each other almost aghast; but that was only for a moment.
”Why, Dan, you can have a saddle-horse of your own!” cried Polly.
”And so can you!”
”And we can--O Mr. Clapp, how rude we are!”
Mr. Clapp looked as if it were a kind of rudeness that he was enjoying very much. As he rose to go, he said: