University of Virginia Library

VII.

To Taylor's they started, and over a dozen
Of delicate dishes, and Mumm's Verzenay,
Our seedy friend opened his project to cozen
That donkey, the public, and this was the way:—
In the State of Rhode Island—great place, and all that,
Lay the treasure which soon could be brought into light;
'Twas a seven-foot seam, fully black as your hat,
Of a beautiful, easily-mined anthracite.
The coal was good, and none could doubt it,
The owner himself knew nothing about it;
In fact, had no notion at all how grand
Was the mine of wealth that lay in his land;
So, keeping quiet, and making no rout,
Sharp would be able to buy him out.
Van Brunck could furnish the cash to buy it,
And Sharp, the company organize;
By the operation, if managed in quiet,
A nice little penny they'd both realize.
“No cash,” quoth Sharp, “from you to me;
But an owner of stock I'd like to be;
So out of the shares that you will hold,
A thousand is what I want, all told—
You'll never miss it, so much you'll make.
Nor is it too much for me to take.
To guard your interests, it is clear,
That secretary and engineer
I ought to be, at three thousand a year—
For brains like mine, that's not too dear,
If the company thrive, as thrive it must,
Or set me down as a nincom,
I can manage to keep up my head from the dust,
With my dividends fat, for my income.
The seam is so thick, and the coal is so fine,
There never was known such a wealthy mine;
We have only together in earnest to join,
And a mint of money we'll certainly coin.”
With that, he made him a calculation,
That, in the thousand acres of ground,
By most reliable multiplication,
Three hundred millions of tons were found;
The value of which, at four dollars per ton—
Well—no matter—'twas plain unto every one.