New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-05
" NEVER ~PECkERLATE."
ia Innocent Person Enlightened; on
"streef" MYSTERIES.

ia Innocent Person Enlightened; on
">treet" MYSTERIES.
He looked cid as ne leaned up against All
IRON raiiir 9 on the sunny side OF New street.
His / air and accidental looking beard were
grizzly, and he stopped percepubly. There
we're deep lines running adow and athwart
his face-etreet care Gnes--and deep down
IN these there was dark shadowor dirt.
Closer observation decided in favor of the
latter. The same process, too, convinced
one that he was rot so old as he seemed.
His hair had whiteueG, out not with years, y
AID It's STOPPING attitude was evidently the
result of an Labitnal effort to close the
awful equatorial gap between the southern
Houe of his vest and northern hemisphere
of his trousers Altogether he was an
autumnal looking person. Having ed him
leaning thus penslvely against the railing,
the writer made bold 10 address, and said:
Sir will you io;n ne n a."
Thank you, little gin and settler.
Don't mind il ] DO. Gin and settler for
me-
This reply enly served 10 convince the
writer that the man was unhappy, for he
Was observed that unhappy people always
drink gin in some form or other, Whisky
is the fluid aiment ol vigor, brandy the
sustenauee of urbroken success, rum the
euncomitant OF hardy anilnalism, and wine
the sparkling nutr!ment OF hope that
springs, etc, But when poor humanity
wants consolation it flies to gin, Gin re-
calls the iuniperj terried past; gin supports
the tottering steps OF age ana the broken
heart, till it has been properly set by the
great physician, Time must be carried ten
DERBY IN gin sling.
We sat down at a little table 10 Fred g."
There were gangs OF men constantly com
ins and going, gotbling drinks and gab5iug
slang. a very short man, whom his friends
called Kirk, asserted that ne was "ong,"
aud very tall person. with heavy mus
'sche flowing ainilessly ost from bis upper
t!p into the liInitless expanses OF his cheeks,
insisted that he was "short''-though he
certainly didn't look it. A rotund party
with black mustache was going about of
ierlng large sums Tor the privilege OF
'straddling" on the shore OF some lake-he
didn't seem to be particular as 70 what
lakeland remarked that ne had lust pae!
$50 to call on Russell Sage. which seemed
= good deal of money for SO small al amount
OF social distinction.
lie stirred some sugar in his gin and self
2er which made it bubble and sputter
:uriously. Then he drank it down, and
most OF it came out of his eyes, which he
wiped with red silk handkerchief. Then
a. looked across the table and said MOSTLY
theough his moustache: Young man, do
Ycu speckerlate!'
The writer replied that he was stranger
fortune, adding: Wont you try some
th-i"
THE Same Tor me- interrupted he, "a
little gin and settler, Fred-with sugar
with sugar, for me- and there was ring
of thirsty eagerness il his voice which was
thrilling
You don't speckerlate, ell ~ said he
We'll. never do it. Look at me | speck-
arlated. / know all about it. Got scooped
myself; operated on a margin bought
puts and calls,' 'straddles' and spreads;
got cleaned out and"
Here the writer interrupted TO assure the
speaker that he didn't understand a word
Of all this lingo, and asked him to explain
himself in comprehensive terms.
"All right" said he; "Ill tell yOu my
stery if you like and explain as go long.
All! we'll, oughter be my tuIn | guess,
ont-well, since you're SO pressing, will
Just take drop more gin and seltzer-with
sugar. You see, was brought up in the
country, out West, and during war times
made lots of money running a sawmill cut
in Oshkosh, Michigan. Saw-milling was
my joy and my pride, and 1t paid, too, you
bet, ! got TO be one of the best judges of
saw-logs in all that country. SO when / had
scraped together clean 100000 by hard
work l began to reckon that l was ont of
ny sphere. 1t occurred to me that my
scope wasn't big enough. | reckoned it ali
a5 anything else as 1 had had running a
sswmill should have made $475,9l7 37l2.
Well, then, you see l concluded 10 come on
here and double things up little in Wall
street. / turned all l had into cash
and landed here one fine day, bought
some good clothes, started bank ac-
count, took rooms at the Hoffman House
and came regularly down into 1.-The Street."
which you see means any one of the three
or thur streets where stockholders have
their offices and do business l soon made
the acquaintance of Little, .Bighead g. Co.,
who were then leading brokers and had the
reputation of being entirely reliable For
the first few days cOntented myself with
hanging about the office and and Watching
the ticker which is the telegraph instru-
ment, by meanes of which the various
transactions in the stock and gold boards
are recorded in each Office, being printed on
long paper tape. One day / said to Mr..
Bighead, in the most confidential way, be-
mind the door of the back office, Oh which
the word Private was painted in big let
tiers, that ! should like to buy few shares
of stock. He grssped me by the hand with
sort of convulsive throb, and Gays he:
iQuackenbush, Quackenbush, says he, Il
b'iieve you're q born winner; l do, so help
me- and he turned his eyeballs aloft in the
most piously pathetic manner. Now, Just
plank up your margin, and we'll execute
Jof oTueHs wtn INC sieatest P'ssioie
pleasure.'
a 'Marginr says 1; What's that Y
oh, only little formality,' ssic old |
Bghead. You see, people don't exactly buy |
stocks ont and ont-that would take too |
much money. For instance, New York |
Central IL selling at par tO-day-that is, the |
stock is worth 100 cents on the dollar. The |
shares are 800 each, 30 that to buy 100 |
shares (which is the smallest lot of stock |
generally dealt in) you would have to give |
your check for $4,000. Instead of doing |
amount, viz: $1,000, with US, and we give
,ur check for the stock, holding your $1,000
y "margin' in case the stock should de-
sline in price, or, to use the street phrase,
we ''carfy your stock on . margin" Should
DO price decline ten ''points"- that 10,
,utp and W should call on you for
. turther dspoeit, or else sell mt
~ LOO akaxoe e stock for your account,