Snap: A legend of the Lone MountainPhillipps-Wolley, Clive
General
Snap: A legend of the Lone Mountain
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Fiction; English fiction -- 19th century; Mountaineering -- Fiction
This November morning was just two years from the day when he and
Towzer had stood watching the Eastern train disappear along the line,
carrying Frank and the old German's papers with it. In Berlin Frank
had found that the professor's name was as well known as the
Kaiser's; more, that his name was known as well in London or Paris as
in Berlin. Von Bulberg, the professor's friend, had received Frank
with open arms, had gathered the scientists of the great city
together to fête him and listen to his story, had helped him to find
an honest and expert lawyer, and, between them, they had taken out
the patents and executed every wish expressed in that last will and
testament.
As for the 'few little houses at Potsdam,' the worthy aeronaut
evidently set small store by the ordinary things of this earth. When
a young man he had come into a very considerable property, of which
he had spent very little, and ever since his inventions had been
adding one small fortune to another, all of which had been invested
in house property at Potsdam. The result was that when Frank's
lawyer laid the accounts before him he found that an income of nearly
10,000_l._ a year would fall to the share of himself and his friends,
as representing 'the few little houses at Potsdam.'
As the professor had no kith or kin, the boys had no scruple in
taking the good things Providence had sent them, but I fancy that a
very considerable portion of their share of the royalties on the
professor's two patents finds its way to such institutions as Dr.
Barnardo's Home for Boys and the like.
With their portion of the money Frank and Towzer had bought back the
old home, investing all they had to spare in Snap's ranche, for
neither persuasion nor anything else could tear him away from Dick
and the Bull Pine Range, upon which these two partners had now got
together as fine a herd as you will see in the North-west. After
much correspondence and two years of waiting his old friends had at
last induced him to come home for a winter's hunting.
Out West, Dick was in command, and under him was as smart a lot of
riders as even he could desire. The cattle did well on the Bull Pine
Range, being well sheltered among the bluffs round the Lone Mountain,
so that during the winter there was no reason why 'the boss' should
not come over to the old country for a spin with the hounds if he
could afford it. And Snap could afford that, and a good deal more.
Ten per cent. for your money would be marvellously good interest in
any business in England; with luck, Dick and Snap did not think much
of twice that at Bull Pine.
'So, Snap, I see your professor's patent is to be adopted by the
Army,' remarked the Admiral.
'Yes, Lord W. has approved it, and what he approves is bound to "go"
nowadays,' replied Snap. 'I should think they would be very useful
for reconnoitring an enemy's position, for surveying the country
generally, and taking messages from point to point.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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