Polly was beginning to be interested; she usually did find things interesting when she gave her mind to them.
“Well, what did they do?” asked Dan.
“They gave it up for a bad job, and tried to forget all the money they had put into it.”
“Then where did your money come from?”
“Out of the ‘Big Bonus Placer Gold Mine!’ We scoop it right out to-day.”
“I wish you’d go ahead!” said Dan, for the guest had paused, and was examining the Cicero.
“Well, hydraulic mining improves, like every thing else, and three years ago a 190 new company was formed. Luckily the old company had not gone into debt; perhaps they could not borrow money on their elephant. However that may be, they agreed to put half their stock back into the treasury, and it was sold at fifty cents a share, which gave us money to work with.”
“And it was a howling success!” cried Dan. “I remember; I’ve heard all about it.”
“Yes, we’ve paid out two dollars a share in dividends in the last six months, and the stock is held at fifteen or sixteen dollars a share to-day. The beauty of it is,” Mr. Horace Clapp added, glancing quietly from Dan to Polly, “I am convinced that you are both stockholders.”
“We?” they cried in a breath.