ve investments on Mars and Venus.

"By the end of the twenty-eighth century, or the year 2807 A.D., the
moon had been completely hacked away and sent piecemeal into space, the
job having required 86 years. I give, herewith, the result of John
Jones's Dollar, both at the date when the moon was completely removed
and also at the close of the 900th year after its deposit:

2807 886 years $219,000,000,000
2821 900 years $332,000,000,000

"The meaning of those figures, gentlemen, as stated in simple language,
was that the John Jones Dollar now comprised practically all the wealth
on Earth, Mars, and Venus--with the exception of one university site on
each planet, which was, of course, school property.

"And now I will ask you to advance with me to the year 2906 A.D. In this
year the directors of the John Jones fund awoke to the fact that they
were in a dreadful predicament. According to the agreement under which
John Jones deposited his Dollar away back in the year 1921, interest was
to be compounded annually at three percent. In the year 2900 A.D., the
thirty-ninth generation of John Jones was alive, being represented by a
gentleman named J664M42721Male, who was thirty years of age and engaged
to be married to a young lady named T246M42652Female.

"Doubtless, you will ask, what was the predicament in which the
directors found themselves. Simply this:

"A careful appraisement of the wealth on Neptune, Uranus, Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, and likewise Earth, together with an
accurate calculation of the remaining heat in the Sun and an
appraisement of that heat at a very decent valuation per calorie,
demonstrated that the total wealth of the Solar System amounted to
$6,309,525,241,362.15.

"But unfortunately, a simple computation showed that if Mr.
J664M42721Male married Miss T246M42652Female, and was blessed by a child
by the year 2921, which year marked the thousandth year since the
deposit of the John Jones Dollar, then in that year there would be due
the child, the following amount:

2921 1,000 years $6,310,000,000,000

"It simply showed beyond all possibility of argument, that by 2921 A.D.,
we would be $474,758,637.85 shy--that we would be unable to meet the
debt to John Jones the fortieth.

"I tell you, gentlemen, the Board of Directors was frantic. Such wild
suggestions were put forth as the sending of an expeditionary force to
the nearest star in order to capture some o