DAME FORTUNE TAKES VANCE THORNTON UNDER HER WING.
“Well, Thornton, I trust that you and I will be good friends,” said Mr. Bradhurst, as he motioned Vance to a seat by the window after they had entered one of the best suites of rooms in the house.
“I hope so, sir,” replied the boy in a cheery tone, which indicated that he saw no reason, at least on his part, why they should not.
“It isn’t every one that I take a fancy to,” said the broad-shouldered man; “but I am bound to say that, even apart from the natural friendliness I feel toward one to whom I am so largely indebted as yourself, I have taken a liking to you on general principles.”
“You are very kind to say so,” returned Vance; “I can say the same thing as regards yourself.”
“Then we appear to be mutually pleased,” said Bradhurst with a breezy laugh. “The fact of the matter is, young man, I have lived for the last eight years in a sort of rough-and-ready community, where a man’s character comes to the surface without much effort on his part to hold it down. We soon learn to size up those with whom we are thrown into contact, and sift the honest fellow from the worthless scamp.”
“You have lived in the mining districts, I suppose?”
“You’ve hit it right at the first guess, though I hardly suppose I resemble a cowboy.”
“No,” said Vance; “still, you could easily be taken for a prosperous ranch owner, or something of that sort.”
“That’s right enough, too. I don’t look much as though I was afflicted with consumption, do I?” asked Bradhurst, with a smile.
“Why, no,” replied the boy in a tone of surprise.
“Well, eight years ago, a few years after I graduated from Yale College and was beginning the life of a business man in New York, my friends came to the conclusion that I was marked for an early grave. I had the disease, all right, so the doctors I consulted said, and was treated for it; but I went from bad to worse, until it seemed only a question of time when I was expected to step out. As a last resort I was advised to give up everything and go to Colorado. Well, I went.”
“And coming West cured you?”
“I don’t fancy so; it was the new life I lived. I kept away from large towns and went into the wilderness. I lived out in the open air. I bought a horse and rode about a great deal. After awhile I found my strength returning and my chest expanding, and in two years I could afford to laugh at doctors.”
“And you never had a return of the old symptoms?”
“Never. I think it is perfectly safe for me to return to civilization again.”
“It must give you a great deal of satisfaction to know that you have cheated the undertaker out of a job,” said Vance with a laugh.
“I leave you to judge of that. But while it was solely for the purpose of recruiting my health I came West, I have also accomplished another satisfactory result.”
“And what is that?”
“I have made a fortune—and a mighty big one at that.”
“In eight years?”
“In six years. If you have fortune on your side a good deal of money can be picked up in the wild and woolly districts, as they are sometimes called.”
“I have often heard so,” admitted Vance interestedly.
“I was always interested in metallurgy, and studied the subject pretty exhaustively before I had any idea of putting my knowledge to practical use. While wandering about at my own sweet will I used to do a little prospecting for the fun of the thing, but I can’t say that I met with any success. My luck began when I took up my habitation in the Dead Man’s Creek mining district, Colorado. By that time I had grown tired of doing nothing. I was induced to buy an interest in a claim that at first looked to be a good thing, but soon petered out. Still, my mining information encouraged me to believe there was a future in it. I bought my partners out for a trivial sum, and from that moment superintended the working of the mine myself. One day we struck a fine pay streak, and when the news circulated I was beset with offers from promoters who came there to examine into it. I refused to sell, but was finally persuaded to form a company, and dispose of a few shares at a high figure. That was four years ago. The mine turned out to be a real bonanza, and my profits from the ore taken out up to a month ago have been over $2,000,000.”
“Gee!” exclaimed Vance, opening his eyes; “you don’t say!”
“I continued to hold ninety per cent of the stock, and this I disposed of a little over a week ago for the par value of $100 a share to a clique of wealthy men. I realized $9,000,000.”
“Nine millions!” gasped Vance, who was astonished at the sum, although he was accustomed to move in a business atmosphere where transactions involving millions were a common occurrence.
“Exactly—nine millions,” nodded Bradhurst, enjoying his young acquaintance’s amazement. “So you see you saved the life of a man actually worth $11,000,000 in cash and securities. If my head had been smashed by that truck those millions would have had no further interest for me. While every man’s life is presumed to be his most precious possession, mine has more than a usual value.”
“I should think it had,” said the boy, regarding his new friend with a fresh interest.
“Under these circumstances, Thornton, you will understand that if I presented you with a couple of millions in consideration of what you have done for me I shouldn’t be doing any too much to express my gratitude, and I should still have more money on my hands than I could ever reasonably hope to spend.”
“I hope you don’t think of doing such a foolish thing as that,” said Vance, not a little disturbed at the mere idea of being presented with such an enormous sum.
Perhaps the average person would have entertained different views on the subject, but then Vance Thornton was young, and had imbibed the idea that a man ought to earn in a legitimate way all that he acquires.
He had full confidence in his own powers to accumulate a million or two within the next few years, as soon as he got well in harness.
Perhaps he was right.
Many a young man has been ruined, not only financially, but morally, by getting next to a fortune without the necessity of earning it.
Mr. Bradhurst possibly neglected to think of that side of the question, for he said, with a smile:
“Why not?”
“Because I wouldn’t accept what I haven’t earned,” replied the boy stoutly.
The western man regarded him with an amused smile.
All the same, he began to look upon the lad with a new and increased respect.
“Well,” he said in an altered tone, “we’ll defer the discussion of such a thing to another time. As a matter of fact, my life, which you have presented to me, I may say, is worth more than two millions. In fact, it is quite beyond any financial value. Will you permit me to bestow on you in return for it a lifelong friendship?”
There was no doubting the feeling which actuated those words.
“I shall be only too glad to accept that,” replied Vance, his strong, young face lighting up with pleasure.
“It’s a bargain,” said Bradhurst, extending his hand. “Shake on it.”
Vance grasped his big brown hand, and with that handclasp the glittering goddess of fortune hovered for an instant over the boy’s head and touched him with the point of one of her golden wings.
“I hope I haven’t talked you to death, Thornton,” said the man from the golden West, rising and slapping the lad familiarly on the back; “but as it is lunch hour, I think we may as well go down to the dining-room and have a bite.”
“I second the motion,” laughed Vance, getting on his feet.
“The motion having been duly made and seconded, I declare it carried, and this meeting stands adjourned pro tempore.”