“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.”