The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-11-07
A STORY OF THE BoNANzAs.

Row Jack LoanedtJim Five Dollars TO Buy
One Hundred Shares OF Sierra Nevada,
and What Came oft.
The San Francisco Stock Report says :
Here is bright little oasis in the
desert of selfshness that stretches its
dreary waste over about everything in
these days. 1t gives us pleasure to al
lude to it, it is so bright and fresh and
original. In certain big wholesale
house down in Front street there is a
young man employed, who, by dint of
hard work and rather frugal habits, has
managed to save up sorno $500 from his
meager salary. An acquaintance of his
"a man in mining circles-said to him
one day, about three months ago,
"Jim, if you want to make something
scrape some money together and buy a
hundred shares of Sierra Nevada; it will
go up, maybe, one of these days, and
you can get something pretty nice out
OF it." The young man smiled at first
he had had points before but the more
he thought of it the more he was taken
with the idea. He knew his informant
was in position to know something
about Sierra Nevada and get early in.
formation, and as he had never before
advised him to buy stocks it impressed
him more and more strongly that there
was something in it. But he only had
5000, and his informant told him to buy
a hundred shares. The stock was then
pegging along at about 81 a share. To
get hundred shares he must have 5000
more. He brooded over the subject a
few days, nd then his friend asked,
Have you got that stock yet?" " mo"
Better get it," said the friend, "you
haven't much time" The young man
went and put up his watch and got an
other $100. Then he sold some other
trinket and raised another $50. Some
thing else went and he had just 1895 all
told. He watched the stock list, but
Sierra Nevada hung at 81 with tantaliz-
ing persistency. Finally he said to a
fellow-clerk, "Here, Jack, lend me IS
for couple of weeks; I'm short. I"
Jack went down into his pocket and
handed him SIS, and then the coveted
$400 was intact. The day he gave the
order to buy Sierra sold at $5, but the
broker told him "All right I'll buy it
on the $400 margin and carry it for you. "
The stock was bought. aud in two days
was selling at $3.50. Then it went to
$40 and $12, and finally the whole street
knew of the new bonanza. At about
$12 and SIS the young men was crazy to
sell, but the original informant would
not let him, or rather begged him to
hold on. There is no use celebrating
the story, the point is not in the rise or
in what he made of it. Sufficient to say
that he finally got 1920 for the stock,
and walked off with check for over
$4,000. He put it in bank, and the
next day walked down to the store
where the young man is employed who
loaned him the S.. "Jack. he said,
"do you know owe you $5 ?" Jack
looked puzzled for a moment. eyes,
by Jove, 1 believe you do Cad, I'd
have forgotten all about il if you hadn't
spoken" "Well," said the lucky one,
GIVE come down to pay it and apologize
for not doing it before. I've been sort
of hard pressed of late. But here it is
with many thanks" Aud handing the
young man an envelope he hurried from
the store. Jack was busy at the time,
and, supposing five-do]lar gold note to
be in the envelope, crammed it into his
vest pocket and went on with his work.
He never thought of it again until that
HIBHt, ulsropluB IOr Dcu, Il corner or the
envelope peeping from his tcket at
tracted his attention. 1t occurred to
him what it was and he opened it, when
to his utter amazement he found check
for 50, 500 with this little note pinned to
it:
"DEAR JACK: return you $5 with
interest to date. Your readiness to
oblige me aided me in buying 100 shares
of Sierra Nevada at $5, and have Just
sold it for 1920. The inclosed is the
evidence of my gratitude. Take it and
be happy. Sincerely, - -"
This is a pleasant little incident, and
it has the merit of being true. The
young gentleman is well.known in social
circles, and his modesty is the only rea-
son why we withhold his name.