FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93  
94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   >>   >|  
the more I had." "How was that?" "I don't know how it was, sir; but such was the fact. But I will tell you what I do know." "Yes, tell me, Hartman." "You may remember, Mr. Lyle, that when I told you I was going back to California I explained to you that I knew a place where I felt sure money was to be made." "Yes, I remember." "Well, sir, the place was a gully at the foot of a certain spur of the mountains, called the Red Cleft. Now, at that time I knew very little of geology. I know more now. Also, I had had but little experience in mining; and, moreover, whenever I mentioned Red Ridge I was simply laughed at by my mates. I was laughed out of giving the place a fair trial. But even after I left the Gold State the idea of the treasure hidden in the gully at the foot of Red Ridge haunted me day and night, something always prompting me to go back there and dig. Sir, it was intuition--inward teaching. When I went back to California I made for Red Ridge. Sir, when I first went to Red Ridge I dug there eight weeks without finding gold. That was the time my mates laughed at me. When I next went back--the time I now speak of--I worked four hours and then struck--struck one of the best paying mines in the Gold State. It is worked by a company now, but I have half of all the shares." "You have been wonderfully blessed and prospered, Hartman." "Yes," said the traveler, reverently bowing his head; "for their sakes, I have." "And for your own, I trust, Hartman." "Mr. Lyle--" "Well, Hartman." "May I ask you a favor?" "Certainly you may." "You addressed all your letters to me under the name of Joseph Brent." "Yes, certainly--at your request." "Continue, then, to call me Joseph Brent. That name is mine by act of legislature." "Indeed!" "Yes, and I have a still better claim. It was the name of my grandfather--my mother's father. It was also the name of his eldest son, my uncle, who died recently a bachelor, in the State of Missouri, and left me his farm there, on condition that I should take his name. I was more anxious to have his name than his estate. So I applied to the legislature, and the name that I had borrowed so long became my own of right." "So I am to introduce you to my young friends as Mr. Joseph Brent?" "Yes, if you please. Let the name of poor Victor Hartman sink quietly into the grave. And do not let them know that I was Victor Hartman, or that Joseph Brent was ever thei
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93  
94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Hartman

 

Joseph

 

laughed

 
Victor
 

worked

 

legislature

 

remember

 
California
 

struck

 

grandfather


letters

 

Indeed

 
Certainly
 

Continue

 

mother

 
addressed
 

request

 

friends

 

introduce

 

quietly


recently
 

bachelor

 
father
 

eldest

 

Missouri

 

estate

 

applied

 

borrowed

 
anxious
 

condition


experience
 

mining

 

geology

 

called

 
giving
 

mentioned

 

simply

 

mountains

 
explained
 

treasure


paying

 

company

 

traveler

 

reverently

 
prospered
 

blessed

 

shares

 

wonderfully

 
finding
 

prompting