The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-09-21

self, he naturally and very scnsibly i'm.
ngined that he could indict 10 greater
wrong upon another than by making
him bankrupt.
Now Tom was not spendthrift. nor
a gambler but then he was the morcst
child i'll business matters. and had no
idea about money transactions beyond
drawing his dividends every six months.
aud contriving to make his income Just
meet his expenditure. Tom had often
wished that his income was larger. for
he had long been ambitious of owning a
yacht. but was unable to indulge in that
costly enjoyment so, when his young
friend. Pete Van Slicer, of the firm of
Van Sliccr. Son & Co., the great stock
brokers, of Wall-strcet, one day said to
him. as if by accident, Tom, how would
you like to enter into II little specula-
ton, by which you might make u hun.
dred thousand dollars or so ?n Tom
opened his eyes. and eagerly replied he
would like nothing better
Pete then care'essly remarked. that
Bob So-and-so had made nearly double
that sum few days before, by corner
in Harlem, and that lc could put Tom
in the way of making at least that a
mount by pcculation III Pottawattamy
Coal Stock. Tom, not being familiar
with stock operations, asked how it could
be done whercupon Pete explained to
him that certain parties having sold
long in the stock were going to get up a
corpcr, which would compel the shorts
to buy in, and that the stock would then
begin to rise. and there was no knowing
where it would stop What Pete pro-
posed that Tom should do was, to buy
in while it was down. and when the rise
should reach its height to sell out, and
pocket the profits.
Can | rely on the rise taking place p
asked Tom, who had not Il very clear
notion of the nature of the transaction.
Trust to me- replied Pete, with a
knowing wink. which seemed to Tom 50
full of sagacity, that he concluded to
trust to him, and accordingly gave an
order to the firm Of Van Slccr. Son 4
Co., to purchase, for his account. about
ten times as many shares of the Potta.
wattamy Coal Stock us lie had the
means to pay for, Pete undertaking to
carry the stock as he called it, for tLii.
ty days: in which time the rise was sure
to occur
Having made this little business ar.
rangcmcnt with his Wall-strcet friend
Tom jumped into one of the Dry Dock
stages. to 90 up to the ship-yards and
make inquiries about the cost Of a yacht
and that night he dreamed of winning
the Queens cup at the Cowcs regatta
and of lying at anchor in the harbor OF
Newport, and other pleasant things con
nccted with the manly sport of yachting.
Tom did not know that his friend
Pete Van Sliccr. was paying attention
to Fanny Ormolu and, even if he had
he could never have imagined that old
Ormolu was making use of the young
stocllbrolicr to ruin his friend. But
such was the fact.
The next day Elegant Tom Dillal
created a good deal of surprise among
the motley throng of Jews and lame
ducks" that hover round the doors ot
the Stock Board in the third story ot
the Merchants Exchange and when a
playful Hebrew knocked Toms hat ovei
his eyes. as he stood anxiously waiting
to hear what Pottawattamy sold at, h,
was so cngrosscd in his new speculation
that he never thought of resenting tn,
affront. Pottawattamy went up on,
per cent. that day, but the next it wen
down ten. and the next ten more. and
Tom received brief note from Nar
Slicer, Son & Co., informing him thai
he was their debtor for losses on Potta
wattamy Coal Stock, in sum that con
siderably exceeded his entire fortune.
y man who has never felt the actua
cautcry of poverty, cannot have very
clear idea of what that really means
and Tom did not, therefore, feel half sc
badly as he ought to have done, when
he had to confess to himself that he wa,
a bankrupt
There is nothing to be gained by 90
ing into the distressing particulars o.
Toms settlement with his brokers. and
therefore | will merely remark, that o.
the very day upon which all his availa
bic property passed out of his own hand,
into those Of Van Sliccr, Son & Co., tho
junior member of that eminent f;m wa.
united in the holy bonds of matrmony
as the papers say, to Fanny Ormolu, OH
ly daughter and SO forth, of jefferson
Ormolu, Esq, our onterprising and cs
teemcd fellow citizen, of the emincn
firm Of Ormoll, Bronze & Co.