Part 1 (2/2)
”'Nothing risked, nothing gained,'” quoted Wade. ”What say, Raed? Why not buy gold?”
”Better put it into bonds,” said Kit; ”safer, a good deal.”
”Don't know about that,” remarked Wade. ”Your abolition government may turn a somersault some fine morning.”
”Well, it won't strike on its head if it does,--like a certain government we've all heard of,” retorted Kit.
”Call the president and secretary to order, somebody!” cried Raed.
”Now about buying gold,” he continued. ”There's nothing to be made in gold just now, especially with fifteen thousand dollars: if we had a million, it might be worth talking of. I really don't just know where to put our little fifteen thousand dollars to make it pull the hardest. Suppose we run down and have a talk with our legal friend, Mr. H----” (the same who had advised us relative to the ”lode”).
”All right.”
We went down. Our gentleman had just come in. Raed stated our case.
H---- heard it.
”So you want to speculate a little,” said he pleasantly. ”Good boys.
That's right. Won't work yourselves; won't even let your money work honestly: want to set it to cheating somebody. Well, you must remember that the biter sometimes gets bitten.”
”Oh! we don't want anything hazardous,” explained Raed.
”Yes, I see,” remarked Mr. H----; ”something not too sharp, sort of over and above board, and tolerably safe.”
”That's about our style,” remarked Wade.
”Well, I'm doing a little something by way of Back-Bay land speculation. That would be near home for you; and you can go in your whole pile, or only a thousand, just as you choose.”
”Back-bay land,” said Kit. ”Where is this Back-bay land?”
”Well, there you've got me,” replied Mr. H----, laughing. ”It would be rather hard telling where the _land_ is. In fact, the _land_ is most all _water_. The land part has yet to be made. There's room to make it, however. I mean out in the Back Bay, north-west of the city here, along the Charles River. City is growing rapidly out that way.
We have got up a sort of company of share-owners of the s.p.a.ce out on the tidal marsh. These shares can be bought and sold. As I said, the city is growing in that direction. There's a steady rise in value per square foot. Value may double in a year. Put in ten thousand now, and it may be worth twenty by next year at this time.”
”But is there really any bottom to it?” asked Wade.
”Oh, yes! geologists think there's bottom out there somewhere. But we shareholders don't trouble ourselves about the bottom.”
”I mean bottom to the _company_,” interrupted Raed.
”Yes, yes. Well, that's another matter. But then you will be dealt honestly with, if that's what you mean by _bottom_. Of course, you must take the risk with the rest of us. You put in ten thousand: and, if you want me to do so, I will be on the lookout for your interests; tell you when to sell, you know; and, in case there should be like to come a crash, I'll tip you a wink when to stand from under.”
”Then you advise us to invest in this?” queried Raed.
”Well, I should say that it was as well as you can do.”
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