The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-10-23
MY FIRST SPECULATION.


MY FIRST SPECULATION.
One morning, in what year it does
not matter. l received the following
communication from my friend T.:
"Dcar Mr.. ST. have something most i'm
portant To communicate to you. Can you com,
round I" me Immediately? Yours, always
faithfully, T."
I. was a character in his way. H,
was one of those men whose modest,
or shyness stands in their way of adj.
vancement in life. Well read, and with
large experience of life from travel
and mixing in all kinds of society both
in Europe and America, he was passed
easily by others of very much less pre-
tensions to merit, and was looked upon
rather rs a social failure. He was SEN
sitive even to fault. and it was through
some mistaken idea Of duty-at least Sc
his friends said-that he had quarreled
with his own family, who were well to
do. and lived entirely by his own exer.
tons. He had been all sorts of things
and had tried all sorts of things, and
was, at the time of which am writing,
temporary clerk in an Office in the
city. and which appointment had been
partly the means Of getting him. had
not seen him for some little time. so
that his communication somewhat sur
priSed me. went round to his office,
when he asked me to step down stairs
to a dark room underground, where he
said we could talk undisturbcd. He
apologized for giving me the trouble to
come round to him; ''.but as I'm not on
the regular staff here" he said, 81
could not presume to ask for leave of
absence in the middle of the day." He
then shut the door in mysterious man.
ner, and produced from his pocket a
MS. which he held before me- "I've
got something here to show you," he
said. l knew that he dabbled little in
literature, and had occasionally pub
lished some verses of his own cOmposi-
ton; and us looked ut the closely
written pages, l began to fear that he
had asked nue. round to give my opinion
on some sublime poem. Though had
befriended him slightly on one or two
occasions, did not look for this return
of gratitude. and am afraid l gasped
out. = hope haven't to read itr'
mo, l don't want you to read it." 1
breathed again. but I want to tell
YOU what it is: 1want to put you up to
a good thing"
Again visions of Il work of which |
was expected to take dozen copies or
SO came before me.
"Well, what is it?'' l said. "The
magnum opus come out at last?''
You flattcr me-" he said; but I'll
tell you shortly what it is. You know
| was once in the employ of the Great
Buffalo Railway Company, and did duty
with them both in America and in this
country for some time. l told you be-
fore how badly they treated me; how,
when they got all the information and
work they could out of me, they gave
me notice to 60, on the plea that their
establishment must be reduced to less
en- the expenses. They turned me off,
but retained a junior, because he hap
pened to be friend of the chairman of
the company. can put up with a good
deal. but can't stand that; you know
as well as do that the affair is a gigan-
tic swindle, and must collapse sooner or
later know more about them than
most people give me credit for, and l
have written this pamphlet giving full
history of the company and the present
state af their finances. When it comes
out. know it will have a very damag-
ing effect; the shares are certain to run
down. and if you sell before the news is
made public, l can guarantee you GER
tain gain. You have always been very
kind to me, and l wish to make YOU some
return for it. am going to have the
pamphlet privately printed and circu-
lated. | am backed up by well-known
man in the city, SO that | am guaran-
teed my expenses. 1t will cost us moth
ing at all, and give us certain har-
vest"
The idea was a novel and tempting
one to me. Visions of potentially
of growing rich beyond the dreams of
avarice," such as DR.. johnson saw in
the brewery of Mr.. Thrale, floated be-
fore my eyes. But had never had any
dealings with the Stock Exchange, and
l knew no broker who would operate
for me. The tempter before me got
over that difficulty by suggesting that
he could introduce me to his stock
broker when the time came.
"YOu needn't be in a hurry,'' he
said. "Thc pamphlet has to be print
ed first, and then sent round to the CITY
editors of the papers. Then will be the
time for us to SELL"
Perhaps divining the doubt that was
in my mind, he added, "You needn't
be under any apprehension it is a
dead certainty that the shares will run
down as soon as my revelations see the
light. In the meantime, not a word to
anybody"
So we parted for the present. In
about fortnight's time T. sent me a
proof of the pamphlet. It was very
ably written, and was certainly very
damaging, if everything was true that
was stated in it. My spirits revived,
and 1 almost begun to share the enthu-
siasm of my friend, though couldn't
quite get over the feeling that was as
sisting at small Gunpowder Plot
which was to blow the Great Buffaloes
to atoms. But having no Lord Mont
eagle among the shareholders, kept
my own counsel. The next day +.
called upon me, and said that all the
city editors of the papers had received
the pamphlet, and would most likely
notice it the following day, and that
now was the time to give our directions
to the brokers. went round with him
to Messrs. Script & Bond, stock brokers.
feeling. however, very much as if 1 was
going to my execution. Both the part
ners were out, and I felt as if l had
been reprieved but an officious boy in
the Office volunteered to 60 round to
the Stock Exchange to fetch one or
both OF them. Mr.. Script presently APP
peared. He was a bland-lookinr man.
and was evidently well known to T.
found out afterward that T. was in the
habit Of doing small speculations with
him. I was formally introduced. and
my business made known to him. He
appeared pleased, and, in bland man.
ner, said he should be very hannv IN