Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-14
SMILEY'S INVESTMENT.
And What He Made Ont or IT..

SMILEY'S INVESTMENT.
And What He Made Out Oft.
Mining stocks were bounding up by
double figures. "Sierra Nevada" rose as
rapidly as the mercury in thermometer
with small boy and a lighted match at
the oulb end, and kindred stock shared
the almost universal appreciation.
The daily papers teemed with tantaliz-
ing reports Of fabulous fortunes, made
in an hour Faro was double discounted.
The poor men of yesterday were using
gold toothpicks to-day, and millionaires
were growing as plentiful as Jumps of
veal IN restaurant chicken-salad. A
second Aladdin's lamp had been anearth-
ed. You could put your money down
on a small margin, and go quietly to bed
with the absolute-welI, almost absolute
certainty of very material increase in
value over night.
And the spirit moved Mr.. Smiley.
Now Smiley was naturally very con-
servative man. and it was pet theory
OF his, eloquently propounded on all pos
sible occasions; that no merchant had
any right to speculate, Or to divert any
part OF his capital from the Legitimate ex-
tension of his own business.
He Neutrality-suspicious. the aphorism.
The struggle between mans cupidity
and his philosophy is always uneven
fresh Impulses are always stronger than
old predjudices, and self persuasion con-
siderably easier than self-restra1nt. Mr..
Smiley succumbed to the general craze.
He had tves hundred dollars in bank,
which he could spare for time. True,
there was a note comiug due in about a
week, but he argued that he could easily
have that renewed for thirty days more
and then pay it out of the first dividend
True, also, there was bic job lot of do
mestics, to be had for cash at tremend-
uous sacrifice, which he had been bar
gaining for, and on which there was a
certainty of very handsome profit.
"a mere IS or 80 per CENT" said Smi-
ley; "what is that to man who holds an
independent fortune IN his grasp?'' Then,
smoothing his silk hat on the sleeve of
his coat, and drawing his pocket-comb
through his mustache he sauntered to
"the street."
Almost in front of the Exchange, he
ran plump into his particular friend
Sharpe.
Sharpe was broker, who held that
the manipulation Of stocks was a bust
ness that required to the very utmost de-
gree, clear, cool head, and that the close,
overheated atmosphere of an office was
calculated to befuddle, blunt the precep-
ton, and deadcn the active principles.
Therefore he transacted all his operations
of the pavement.
'Ah, Smiley, my boy, how dye do?
Fine day, ehl You're looking as large
as life. And Mrs. s.? Indeed? Chill
dren all we'll! That's good"
81 had five hundred that didn't par
ticularly need, so thought
"Oh, precisely! Come down to take a
flyer, eh2 Customers of mine making
fortunes every day. Well fix you.'
elf I could get couple of Sierra Ne
vadas,' Or"
"Nonsense, old fellow, Sierra IS play
ed out. There is no more money in
that. Opaque 8 the thing. I've got
every dollar I own invested in Opaque
It's bound ia rise. know the president
and the treasurer, Intimately. They say
so themselves. Buy 100 at 10. Put up
your 500 as margin, and any time within
sixty days you can have your shares by
paying the other 500, and have all the
advantages of the dividends and rise
meanwhile"
That took Smiiey-took him in. The
idea Of owning 100 shares Of stock! His
widest dreams had never compassed
more than half dozen.
He handed over his check and received
his contract on the spot. 1
Mrs. Smiley and the children could
not but notice that he was particularly
cheerful that evening, for he said never
a word when he found brass sleeve-but-
ton in the soup, but merely laid it by the
side of his plate, and fshed through
the liquid with his fork for the mate of
it.
Mrs. S., who is woman of keen per-
ception, made up her mind, as she after
wards confdentially acknowledged to
Smiley, that one of his friends must have
failed, and assigned to HIM. Nothing
short of that, she imagined, could &C.
count for such uncommon serenity.
Smiley did not pay much attention to
business the next day. He bought all
the morning papers, and waded through
the financial articles. s'Opaque" was
not quoted. $50 much the better" he
argued. ''That shows the stocks not for
sale in the open market. It's held by a
privileged Clique" and smilinga COM
placently, he clapped his open hand on
his leg, and lavished on it that peculiar
soft fondling indicative of complete self.
satisfaction. "Fine fellow, that Sharp.
Now that's what call true friendship"
A week passed by. His business quite
neglected-his note went to protest!
He had forgotten all about it.
A rude awakening from his day
dreams; he was completely dazed. In
twenty years of mercantile life, he had
always kept an unolemished name. His
engagements had always been promptly
met, and his paper had never been dis
hono1ed. If was fearful blow to him.
He sank into heap in his chair, his chin
dropped upon his breast. One arm hung
heavily down, the other restec on the
desk by his side; while the hand me-
chanically toyed with the unopened let
tiers that had come in the same mail with
the notice Of protest. He opened one and
glanced listlessly at it, then sat bolt up
right in his chair and ran his eager eyes