sunshine sketches of a little town-第7部分

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could　suit　it　to　his　man　every　time。　He　had　a　kind　of　divination
about　it。　There　was　a　certain　kind　of　man　that　Jeff　would　size　up
sideways　as　he　stropped　the　razor；　and　in　whose　ear　he　would　whisper：
〃I　see　where　Saint　Louis　has　took　four　straight　games　off
Chicago；〃and　so　hold　him　fascinated　to　the　end。

In　the　same　way　he　would　say　to　Mr。　Smith：　〃I　see　where　it　says　that
this　'Flying　Squirl'　run　a　dead　heat　for　the　King's　Plate。〃

To　a　humble　intellect　like　mine　he　would　explain　in　full　the
relations　of　the　Keesar　to　the　German　Rich　Dog。

But　first　and　foremost；　Jeff's　specialty　in　the　way　of　conversation
was　finance　and　the　money　market；　the　huge　fortunes　that　a　man　with
the　right　kind　of　head　could　make。

I've　known　Jefferson　to　pause　in　his　shaving　with　the　razor　suspended
in　the　air　as　long　as　five　minutes　while　he　described；　with　his　eye
half　closed；　exactly　the　kind　of　a　head　a　man　needed　in　order　to　make
a　〃haul〃　or　a　〃clean　up。〃　It　was　evidently　simply　a　matter　of　the
head；　and　as　far　as　one　could　judge；　Jeff's　own　was　the　very　type
required。　I　don't　know　just　at　what　time　or　how　Jefferson　first
began　his　speculative　enterprises。　It　was　probably　in　him　from　the
start。　There　is　no　doubt　that　the　very　idea　of　such　things　as
Traction　Stock　and　Amalgamated　Asbestos　went　to　his　head：　and
whenever　he　spoke　of　Mr。　Carnegie　and　Mr。　Rockefeller；　the　yearning
tone　of　his　voice　made　it　as　soft　as　lathered　soap。

I　suppose　the　most　rudimentary　form　of　his　speculation　was　the　hens。
That　was　years　ago。　He　kept　them　out　at　the　back　of　his　house；which
itself　stood　up　a　grass　plot　behind　and　beyond　the　barber　shop；and
in　the　old　days　Jeff　would　say；　with　a　certain　note　of　pride　in　his
voice；　that　The　Woman　had　sold　as　many　as　two　dozen　eggs　in　a　day　to
the　summer　visitors。

But　what　with　reading　about　Amalgamated　Asbestos　and　Consolidated
Copper　and　all　that；　the　hens　began　to　seem　pretty　small　business；
and；　in　any　case；　the　idea　of　two　dozen　eggs　at　a　cent　apiece　almost
makes　one　blush。　I　suppose　a　good　many　of　us　have　felt　just　as　Jeff
did　about　our　poor　little　earnings。　Anyway；　I　remember　Jeff　telling
me　one　day　that　he　could　take　the　whole　lot　of　the　hens　and　sell　them
off　and　crack　the　money　into　Chicago　wheat　on　margin　and　turn　it　over
in　twenty…four　hours。　He　did　it　too。　Only　somehow　when　it　was　turned
over　it　came　upside　down　on　top　of　the　hens。

After　that　the　hen　house　stood　empty　and　The　Woman　had　to　throw　away
chicken　feed　every　day；　at　a　dead　loss　of　perhaps　a　shave　and　a　half。
But　it　made　no　difference　to　Jeff；　for　his　mind　had　floated　away
already　on　the　possibilities　of　what　he　called　〃displacement〃　mining
on　the　Yukon。

So　you　can　understand　that　when　the　mining　boom　struck　Mariposa；
Jefferson　Thorpe　was　in　it　right　from　the　very　start。　Why；　no　wonder；
it　seemed　like　the　finger　of　Providence。　Here　was　this　great　silver
country　spread　out　to　north　of　us；　where　people　had　thought　there　was
only　a　wilderness。　And　right　at　our　very　doors！　You　could　see；　as　I
saw；　the　night　express　going　north　every　evening；　for　all　one　knew
Rockefeller　or　Carnegie　or　anyone　might　be　on　it！　Here　was　the
wealth　of　Calcutta；　as　the　Mariposa　Newspacket　put　it；　poured　out　at
our　very　feet。

So　no　wonder　the　town　went　wild！　All　day　in　the　street　you　could　hear
men　talking　of　veins；　and　smelters　and　dips　and　deposits　and
faults；the　town　hummed　with　it　like　a　geology　class　on　examination
day。　And　there　were　men　about　the　hotels　with　mining　outfits　and
theodolites　and　dunnage　bags；　and　at　Smith's　bar　they　would　hand
chunks　of　rock　up　and　down；　some　of　which　would　run　as　high　as　ten
drinks　to　the　pound。

The　fever　just　caught　the　town　and　ran　through　it！　Within　a　fortnight
they　put　a　partition　down　Robertson's　Coal　and　Wood　Office　and　opened
the　Mariposa　Mining　Exchange；　and　just　about　every　man　on　the　Main
Street　started　buying　scrip。　Then　presently　young　Fizzlechip；　who　had
been　teller　in　Mullins's　Bank　and　that　everybody　had　thought　a
worthless　jackass　before；　came　back　from　the　Cobalt　country　with　a
fortune；　and　loafed　round　in　the　Mariposa　House　in　English　khaki　and
a　horizontal　hat；　drunk　all　the　time；　and　everybody　holding　him　up　as
an　example　of　what　it　was　possible　to　do　if　you　tried。

They　all　went　in。　Jim　Eliot　mortgaged　the　inside　of　the　drug　store
and　jammed　it　into　Twin　Tamagami。　Pete　Glover　at　the　hardware　store
bought　Nippewa　stock　at　thirteen　cents　and　sold　it　to　his　brother　at
seventeen　and　bought　it　back　in　less　than　a　week　at　nineteen。　They
didn't　care！　They　took　a　chance。　Judge　Pepperleigh　put　the　rest　of
his　wife's　money　into　Temiskaming　Common；　and　Lawyer　Macartney　got
the　fever；　too；　and　put　every　cent　that　his　sister　possessed　into
Tulip　Preferred。

And　even　when　young　Fizzlechip　shot　himself　in　the　back　room　of　the
Mariposa　House；　Mr。　Gingham　buried　him　in　a　casket　with　silver
handles　and　it　was　felt　that　there　was　a　Monte　Carlo　touch　about　the
whole　thing。

They　all　went　inor　all　except　Mr。　Smith。　You　see；　Mr。　Smith　had
come　down　from　there；　and　he　knew　all　about　rocks　and　mining　and
canoes　and　the　north　country。　He　knew　what　it　was　to　eat　flour…baked
dampers　under　the　lee　side　of　a　canoe　propped　among　the　underbrush；
and　to　drink　the　last　drop　of　whiskey　within　fifty　miles。　Mr。　Smith
had　mighty　little　use　for　the　north。　But　what　he　did　do；　was　to　buy
up　enough　early　potatoes　to　send　fifteen　carload　lots　into　Cobalt　at
a　profit　of　five　dollars　a　bag。

Mr。　Smith；　I　say；　hung　back。　But　Jeff　Thorpe　was　in　the　mining　boom
right　from　the　start。　He　bought　in　on　the　Nippewa　mine　even　before
the　interim　prospectus　was　out。　He　took　a　〃block〃　of　100　shares　of
Abbitibbi　Development　at　fourteen　cents；　and　he　and　Johnson；　the
livery　stablekeeper　next　door；　formed　a　syndicate　and　got　a　thousand
shares　of　Metagami　Lake　at　3　1/4　cents　and　then　〃unloaded〃　them　on
one　of　the　sausage　men　at　Netley's　butcher　shop　at　a　clear　cent　per
cent　advance。

Jeff　would　open　the　little　drawer　below　the　mirror　in　the　barber　shop
and　show　you　all　kinds　and　sorts　of　Cobalt　country　mining
certificates；blue　ones；　pink　ones；　green　ones；　with　outlandish　and
fascinating　names　on　them　that　ran　clear　from　the　Mattawa　to　the
Hudson　Bay。

And　right　from　the　start　he　was　confident　of　winning。　〃There　ain't
no　difficulty　to　it；〃　he　said；　〃there's　lots　of　silver　up　there　in
that　country　and　if　you　buy　some　here　and　some　there　you　can't　fail
to　come　out　somewhere。　I　don't　say；〃　he　used　to　continue；　with　the
scissors　open　and　ready　to　cut；　〃that　some　of　the　greenhorns　won't
get　bit。　But　if　a　feller　knows　the　country　and　keeps　his　head　level；
he　can't　lose。〃

Jefferson　had　looked　at　so　many　prospectuses　and　so　many　pictures　of
mines　and　pine　trees　and　smelters；　that　I　think　he'd　forgotten　that
he'd　never　been　in　the　country。　Anyway；　what's　two　hundred　miles！

To　an　onlooker　it　certainly　didn't　seem　so　simple。　I　never　knew　the
meanness；　the　trickery；　of　the　mining　business；　the　sheer　obstinate
determination　of　the　bigger　capitalists　not　to　make　money　when　they
might；　till　I　heard　the　accounts　of　Jeff's　different　mines。　Take　the
case　of　Corona　Jewel。　There　was　a　good　mine；　simply　going　to　ruin　for
lack　of　common　sense。

〃She　ain't　been　developed；〃　Jeff　would　say。　〃There's　silver　enough　in
her　so　you　could　dig　it　out　with　a　shovel。　She's　full　of　it。　But　they
won't　get　at　her　and　work　her。〃

Then　he'd　take　a　look　at　the　pink　and　blue　certificates　of　the　Corona
Jewel　and　slam　the　drawer　on　them　in　disgust。　Worse　than　that　was
the　Silent　Pine；a　clear　case　of　stupid　incompetence！　Utter　lack　of
engineering　skill　was　all　that　was　keeping　the　Silent　Pine　from
making　a　fortune　for　its　holders。

〃The　only　trouble　with　that　mine；〃　said　Jeff；　〃is　they　won't　go　deep
enough。　They　followed　the　vein　down　to　where　it　kind　o'　thinned　out
and　then　they　quit。　If　they'd　just　go　right　into　her　good；　they'd　get
it　again。　She's　down　there　all　right。〃

But　perhaps　the　meanest　case　of　all　was　the　Northern　Star。　That
always　seemed　to　me；　every　time　I　heard　of　it；　a　straight　case　for
the　criminal　law。　The　thing　was　so　evidently　a　conspiracy。

〃I　bought　her；〃　said　Jeff；　〃at　thirty…two；　and　she　stayed　right　there
tight；　like　she　was　stuck。　Then　a　bunch　of　these　fellers　in　the　city
started　to　drive　her　down　and　they　got　her　pushed　down　to
twenty…four；　and　I　held　on　to　her　and　they　shoved　her　down　to
twenty…one。　This　morning　they've　got　her　down　to　sixteen；　but　I　don't
mean　to　let　go。　No；　sir。〃

In　another　fortnight　they　shoved　her；　the　same　unscrupulous　crowd；
down　to　nine　cents；　and　Jefferson　still　held　on。　〃They're　working
her　down；〃　he　admitted；　〃but　I'm　holding　her。〃

No　conflict　between　vice　and　virtue　was　ever　grimmer。

〃She's　at　six；〃　said　Jeff；　〃but　I've　got　her。　They　can't　squeeze　me。〃

A　few　days　after　that；　the　same　criminal　gang　had　her　down　further
than　ever。

〃They've　got　her　down　to　three　cents；〃　said　Jeff；　〃but　I'm　with　her。
Yes；　sir；　they　think　they　can　shove　her　clean　off　the　market；　but
they　can't　do　it。　I've　boughten　in　Johnson's　shares；　and　the　whole　of
Netley's；　and　I'll　stay　with　her　till　she　breaks。〃

So　they　shoved　and　pushed　and　clawed　her　downthat　unseen　nefarious
crowd　in　the　cityand　Jeff　held　on　to　her　and　they　writhed　and
twisted　at　his　grip；　and　then

And　thenwell；　that's　just　the　queer　thing　about　the　mining
business。　Why；　sudden　as　a　flash　of　lightning；　it　seemed；　the　news
came　over　the　wire　to　the　Mariposa　Newspacket；　that　they　had　struck　a
vein　of　silver　in　the　Northern　Star　as　thick　as　a　sidewalk；　and　that
the　stock　had　jumped　to　seventeen　dollars　a　share；　and　even　at　that
you　couldn't　get　it！　And　Jeff　stood　there　flushed　and　half…staggered
against　the　mirror　of　the　little　shop；　with　a　bunch　of　mining　scrip
in　his　hand　that　was　worth　forty　thousand　dollars！

Excitement！　It　was　all　over　the　town　in　a　minutes。　They　ran　off　a
news　extra　at　the　Mariposa　Newspacket；　and　in　less　than　no　time　there
wasn't　standing　room　in　the　barber　shop；　and　over　in　Smith's　Hotel
they　had　three　extra　barkeepers　working　on　the　lager　beer　pumps。

They　were　selling　mining　shares　on　the　Main　Street　in　Mariposa　that