Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-01-18
Certainly, Mr.. Clark. What amount

anticipate.
"Why, what is it q
every much larger than you usually
have presented, presume.
This catches the ear of the President,
who recalls cold Nick's' letter of in
structions. Mr.. President, with bland
smile, remarks:
We shall be most happy to give You
the specie, whatever the amount, Mr..
Clark"
1t is Mr.. Clark's turn, now, to indulge
i'll soft inward smile. How little does
the President dream of the crushing
bundle of Savannah notes now impend-
ing over his doomed bank! With non
chalancc which only broker can put
on, Mr.. Clark finally replies to Mr. Presi-
dents inquiry:
cone hundred and seventy-three
thousand dollars"
Strange to Mr. Clark, the President
never WINGED With look of some sur
prise, he said:
That is a very extraordinary sum of
our notes for even a broker to have. How
came you i'll possession of such an
amount of Savannah notes, Mr.. CLARKE"
"I don't know that I need to make
any explanation, sir. All l ask is the
specie.
81 hope, Mr.. Clark, that this does not
cover any malicious attempt to inirre
our bank"
81 repeat, Mr.. President, / came for
the specie for these notes, and would be
obliged if you would let me have it.
"Oh, certainly. Cashierv'
The Cashier presents himself, pen on
ear.
"This gentleman says he has $173,O 900
of our notes, for which he wants the
specie. Please count his money and
give him the specie. | suppose, however,
you will prefer drafts for most of this,
Mr.. Clark? How will you have them
on New York or Philadelphia Or are
you wanting to place funds in New
Orleans %
81 want the specie"
every well. Drafts ON New York will
be specie to you, of course, What
amount of draft will you have, and how
much specie?"
81 want no drafts at all-only specie,
sir
"But SO much specie will cost you
very large sum for insurance and trans
portation.
"That is my lookout, sir"
"Oh, very well. L beg your pardon.
Give him the specie, Mr.. Cashier"
Smilingly the polite cashier receives
Mr.. Clark's pile of notes, counts them,
announces the amount correct, and,
returning to the back room, calls one or
two clerks to the vaults, and attacks the
specie kegs. And now they roll out
the memorandum clerk calling out in
clear voice, Five Thousand" =" ten
Thousand" "-'' fifteen Thousand" "twen-
ty-fve thousand yet steadily the
kegs rolled out, and the clerk called
aloud the accumulating specie.
At first, Mr.. Clark, broker from New
York, admired the cool and easy way in
which the President played his "bluff, !"
for in his heart, Mr.. Clark was sure it
was sheer bluff. There could not be
fifteen thousand dollars specie in that
bank, by an possibility. And so, when
the President, after his directions to the
cashier, commenced a social chat on gen
eral topics, Mr.. Clark responded. No
sign was made by either, which indicated
the real thoughts of each.
Clark was sure he had Mr. President
foul, and Mr. President knc,o Mr..
Clark was hopelessly his victim.
twenty-five thousand" called the
memorandum clerk.
Mr.. Clark talked-but he was greatly
surprised, inwardly.
Forty five thousand ~
Mr.. Clark's talk was not so easy He
was n little or, rather, a good deal
disturbed. Perhaps those kegs did not
hold specie. He didn't believe they did.
1t was ruse of some kind But there
was an astonishing air of matter-of-fact
business in the way those kegs rolled
ont, and in the ominous voice that an
nounccl, "Sixty-fve thousand" And
it was provoking 10 see the sweet Sc
renity which sat upon the face of the
chatty President. He paid no more Mt
tention to those kegs than if they had
been paving
Seventy-fve thousand p" eighty
thousand! "eighty-tive thousand!-
and the stream of crushing kegs was
still rolling ont. Clark, broker from
New York, could hold in no longer.
Those kegs might not contain specie,
but then they might-and he wanted to
break the bank-not specie And the
kegs looked and rolled and behaved Just
as though they were honest kegs.
"Ninety-five thousand!'' there is
another keg in sight and coming.
"Mr. President, CLARK broke in
upon that officials opinion of the proba-
BILE cotton crop" on the whole, don't
know but that 1 might as we'll take a
draft on New York"
The CLEAN in the Presidents eve told
R,.l.lu,. (tlo Il. tla4 L., ..-a..