MARRIAGE BELLS.
A month more rolled by, and Jordan became himself again. Grace and Rose
worked together to make such a wedding for him and Margaret as should be
a joy in their memories as long as life should last.
The day before the wedding, so soon as breakfast was over, Sedgwick went
out, telling Grace to tell Jack that he wanted to meet him and Tom at the
"Wedge of Gold" office at 1 p.m.
Grace went to deliver the message, but learned from Rose that her husband
had gone an hour before, leaving word for Sedgwick and Jordan to meet
him at the same place at 12:30 p.m.
They all met there at about the appointed time.
A meeting of the directors of the "Wedge of Gold" Company was called to
order, and a motion made and carried that another dividend of two
shillings per share should be declared.
Then Sedgwick arose and said he had an important matter to lay before the
company. He had received an offer of £7 per share for the property, and
the proposition had been guaranteed by the Baring Brothers, and asked
Browning what he thought it best to do.
Browning thought it best to sell.
"Then," said Sedgwick, "there will be no more work for us except to
resign as officers of the company, our resignations to take place with
the transfer of the property."
"There is yet another matter," said Browning. "How is the division of the
proceeds to be made?"
"That all rests with you, Jack," said Sedgwick; "only I think you should
pay me back what I advanced to put the property on its feet, and you
should keep in mind that this was made a success by our friend Jordan."
"Not to any great extent," said Jordan. "I war merely a hired man working
for my board and clothes, and you forget thet because uv it I made a
fortune sich ez no gold could buy. Treat me, please, ez tho' I war
already wealthy, _exceedingly_ wealthy!"
"It is all due to you two," said Jack. "When the old men made good their
robbery, I was even. All the rest is yours."
And they wrangled over the matter for a full hour.
Then McGregor spoke. "Let me help you out, my friends. You are offered
£1,050,000. It is enough for you all. Divide it into three parts, and
settle that way."
Then came another wrangle, but it was settled on that basis, except that
each agreed that Captain McGregor should receive fair compensation for
bringing Jordan home, and they estimated that to be worth £100,000. That,
Jordan insisted should be paid out of his share, and it took an hour to
talk him out of it.
Then it required another half hour for the three to bulldoze McGregor
into accepting it. The convincing argument was made by Jordan, who said:
"Supposin' you hedn't a-come, whar would I a-bin now?"
McGregor went out, and then Browning said:
"I have a little matter to speak of. I sold my Venezuela mine yesterday
for £100,000," and so saying he took a memorandum from his pocket, opened
it, and tossed to Sedgwick and Jordan each a certificate for one-third of
the amount, saying: "I feared the way you were behaving you would spend
all your money, so I went to work to make you a little stake, as the boys
in Nevada say."
Another wrangle then ensued, both Sedgwick and Jordan declaring that they
had had nothing in the world to do with making the money; but Jack was
obstinate and carried his point.
McGregor returned, and all went to Sedgwick's to dinner. About the time
the coffee was brought, a messenger rang at the door and left a package
for Mr. Jordan. It was brought in, and then Jordan said:
"Friends, in Africa I found a prospector ez war broke. I give him a
little outfit ter go down on the Vaal. He came back after a while and
divied with me, 'nd I want ter divy with yo'."
So saying, he opened the package. Exclamations of surprise arose on all
sides. Before their eyes was a great heap of diamonds. "I war thinkin',"
said Jordan, "thet inasmuch ez thar war seven uv us, ther right thing ter
do would be ter make seven heaps of ther stones," and the only change
they could make in his plans was that the division should be made by one
who knew their value. He had secretly had them cut since coming to
London. They were really worth £10,000.
Next day the wedding of Jordan and Mrs. Hazleton was celebrated with all
the pomp which Grace and Rose could give it. It was followed by a great
feast, and numberless rare presents. Jordan never showed off so well. The
marriage exalted and transformed him.
After the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan left for
a month's visit to Scotland.