“Why, ye-s. Yes, of course. But we’ll have to wait so long. Six months before the first interest falls due.”

“Yes—maybe longer.”

“Longer, Aleck? Why? Don’t they pay half-yearly?”

“That kind of an investment—yes; but I sha’n’t invest in that way.”

“What way then?”

“For big returns.”

“Big. That’s good. Go on, Aleck. What is it?”

“Coal. The new mines. Cannel. I mean to put in ten thousand. Ground floor. When we organize, we’ll get three shares for one.”

“By George, but it sounds good, Aleck! Then the shares will be worth—how much? And when?”

“About a year. They’ll pay ten per cent. halfyearly, and be worth thirty thousand. I know all about it; the advertisement is in the Cincinnati paper here.”

“Land, thirty thousand for ten—in a year! Let’s jam in the whole capital and pull out ninety! I’ll write and subscribe right now—to-morrow it may be too late.”

He was flying to the writing-desk, but Aleck stopped him and put him back in his chair. She said:

“Don’t lose your head so. We mustn’t subscribe till we’ve got the money; don’t you know that?”

Sally’s excitement went down a degree or two, but he was not wholly appeased.

“Why, Aleck, we’ll have it, you know—and so soon, too. He’s probably out of his troubles before this, it’s a hundred to nothing he’s selecting his brimstone-shovel this very minute. Now, I think—”

Aleck shuddered, and said:

“How can you, Sally! Don’t talk in that way, it is perfectly scandalous.”

“Oh well, make it a halo, if you like, I don’t care for his outfit, I was only just talking. Can’t you let a person talk?”

“But why should you want to talk in that dreadful way? How would you like to have people talk so about you, and you not cold yet?”

“Not likely to be, for one while, I reckon, if my last act was giving away money for the sake of doing somebody a harm with it. But never mind about Tilbury, Aleck, let’s talk about something worldly. It does seem to me that that mine is the place for the whole thirty. What’s the objection?”

“All the eggs in one basket—that’s the objection.”

“All right, if you say so. What about the other twenty? What do you mean to do with that?”

“There is no hurry; I am going to look around before I do anything with it.”

“All right, if your mind’s made up,” sighed Sally. He was deep in thought awhile, then he said: