ran over to oblige me. We were old friends; at one time we worked on the
same shift in the mine."

The old man was satisfied. Moreover, he saw his opportunity.

"What a wonderful business that mining is," he said. "Stetson, the broker
over the way, is promoting a mining enterprise in South Africa. According
to the showing, it is an immense property. Here is the prospectus of the
company. Put it in your pocket, and at your leisure run over it."

Jack carelessly put the pamphlet in his pocket. That evening he was with
Rose and remained pretty late. When he sought his room he could not
sleep, so he ran over the statement. It was a captivating showing. The
mine was called the "Wedge of Gold." It was located in the Transvaal. The
main ledge was fully sixteen feet wide, with an easy average value of six
pounds per ton in free gold, besides deposits and spurs that went much
higher. The vein was exposed for several hundred feet, and opened by a
shaft 300 feet deep, with long drifts on each of the levels. The country
was healthy, supplies cheap, plenty of good wood and water, and the only
thing needed was a mill for reducing the ore. The incorporation called
for 150,000 shares of stock of the par value of one pound per share, and
the pamphlet explained that 50,000 shares were set aside to be sold to
raise means for a working capital, to build the mill, etc.

Browning read the paper over twice, then tumbled into bed, and his dreams
were all mixed up; part of the time he was counting gold bars, part of
the time it seemed to him that Rose was near him, but when he spoke to
her, every time she vanished away. Between the visions he made the worst
kind of a night of it, and next morning told Jim that he was more beat
out than ever he was when he came off shift on the Comstock.