t know anything about gold mines," said Mr.
Medderbrook cheerfully. "The reason I--the reason the miners gave it
that name is because this mine lies right between two of the best
gold-mines in Minnesota. One of them is the Utterly Good Gold-Mine,
and the other is the Far-From-Hopeless. So when I--so when the miners
named this mine they took part of the names of the two others and
called this one the Utterly Hopeless. That's the way I--the way it is
always done."

"It's very cleverly bright," said Mr. Gubb.

"It's an old trick--I should say an old and approved method," said
Mr. Medderbrook. "So what I'm going to do, Mr. Gubb, is to let you in
on the ground floor on this mine. It's a chance I wouldn't offer to
everybody. This mine hasn't paid out all its money in dividends. I
tell you as an actual fact, Mr. Gubb, that so far it hasn't paid out a
cent in dividends, not even to the preferred stock. No, sir! And it
ain't one of these mines that has been mined until all the gold is
mined out of it. No, sir! Not an ounce of gold has ever been taken out
of the Utterly Hopeless Mine. Not an ounce."

"It is all there yet!" exclaimed Mr. Gubb.

"All there ever was," said Mr. Medderbrook. "Yes, sir! If you want me
to I'll give you a written guarantee that the Utterly Hopeless Mine
has never paid a cent in dividends and that not an ounce of gold has
ever been taken out of the mine. That shows you I'm square about this.
So what I'm going to do," he said impressively, "is to turn over to
you a block of twenty-five thousand dollars' worth of Utterly Hopeless
Gold-Mine stock and apply the ten thousand dollars I owe you as part
of the purchase price. All you need to do then is to pay me the other
fifteen thousand dollars as rapidly as you can."

"That's very kindly generous of you," said Mr. Gubb gratefully.

"And that isn't all," said Mr. Medderbrook. "I own every single share
of the stock of that mine, Mr. Gubb, and as soon as you get the
fifteen thousand dollars paid up I'll advance the price of that stock
one hundred per cent! Yes, sir, I'll double the price of the stock,
and what you own will be worth fifty thousand dollars!"

There were tears in Philo Gubb's eyes as he grasped Mr. Medderbrook's
hand.

"And all I ask," said Mr. Medderbrook, "is that you hustle up and pay
that fifteen thousand dollars as quick as you can. So that," he added,
"you'll be worth fifty thousand dollars all the sooner."

Upon reaching Riverbank