Litchfield enquirer., 1879-12-18

Gerald, who had been out to attend to one of his trains while his wife interpreted the mes sage, looked and wondered but said nothing, waiting quietly for the explanation which he knew a few minutes must bring. The mes- sage was headed From Edgar Crewdson to Edward B. Crewdson, Brookfeld, near Leas- wood Station, Midlapdshire, England" It had been sent by submarine cable to London in the first instance, and thence forwarded to Leaswood
 ''1t is from my uncle Edgar in America, D said Alice; fact which Gerald had guessed already. Then she rose suddenly from her seat, flung her arms round her husbands neck and burst into tears. 'sAt last, my love, at last P she murmured ''Surely the sunshine is coming at last"
 '''May read it ?" asked Gerald. ..,
 The answer, with her head still on hls shoul- der, was a pressure of her arms; so Gerald took up the paper, on which his wife's hand writing was still wet, and read as follows:
 Buy up all the Deep Lips you can lay hands on. Struck oil once more. This may be relied on. Private information. Wall street in the dark yet.
 Gerald was puzzled, and his face betrayed it.
 "You darling old ignoramus'' said his wife between laughing and crying
 ''I confess that can make neither head nor tail of it." he said. .@
 And yet it is very, very simple"
 'To clever little wives like you, perhaps, but not to stupid husbands like me. Pray, what may be the meaning of Deep Lips"
 'tDeep Lips is the name of a silver mine in Colorado, the shares in which can be bought or sold on the London Stock Exchange like any other scrip. These shares have been quot. ed at very low figure for the last two years, as it was believed that the mine was all but worked out The phrase Struck oil once niore can have but one meaning that the miners have unexpectedly come across fresh lode or vein of silver-doubtless very rich one, judging from my unole's emphatic request to papa to buy up, all the shares he can lay hands on. The words Wall street in the dark yet means that the news embodied in the tele- gram is not yet known to the buyers and sell CTS in New York. The moment it is known to them, score of telegrams will flash across the Atlantic to the same purport as this one. In case like this an hour will often make all the difference in the world; and if we are on. ly fortunate enough to be the first in the field, why then, think-But never mind just now what think. Every moment is precious, and I must telegraph Boucher slick away" .s
 Seizing pen, ink and paper, Alice dashed of the following message:
 "From Mrs. Gerald, Leaswood, to MT. Boucher, No. Il Runners Court Cornhill. Buy up in my name all the Deep Lip stock now in the market. Not moment must be lost! l will be with you at ten tomorrow morning.
 Mot another word till you have despatched my message, said Alice as she gave the paper into her husbands hands, Like the sensible 4man he was. Gerald simply nodded and left the room. Five minutes later he was back again.
 ''.Sent it ?" asked anxiously.
 sEvery word. And now, perhaps, you will explain still further p
 Willingly" -,-- !, "But first had better send the message to your father at Brookfeld."
 Alice looked at her watch 'lt is now one thirty" she said. ''It will take the man an hourto get to Brookfield, and another hour to return, by which time it will be thirty. Allowing another half-hour for telegram from papa to reach MT. Simmonds, his broker, that will bring the time to four o'clock-too late in the day for business on the Stock Ex- change. Yes, you may send the message; Boucher will have had far start If he does his duty, there will not be a Deep Lip share to be had for love or money by to-mor- row morning." 2; (Which means" said Gerald, ''that you are taking advantage of your knowledge of thein- formation conveyed in your uncle's telegram, to forestall your fathers action in the matter, and make the information worthless so far as he is concerned"
 ''That is precisely what am doing," said Alice with emphasis II was not my fathers secretary for so long time without learning something. He has refused to forgive me or to condone my marriage unless 1 can go to him with six thousand pounds. He does not ask me whether am happy. He has no curi- osity as to the kind of man l have made my husband. He simply says Bring me six thousand pounds, and all shall be forgiven" [" To meet his mercenary views, I must become mercenary myself. All is fair in love, war; and on the Stock Exchange The moment the information conveyed in this message reaches my father,t he will take advantage of it by tel egraphiug to his broker to buy up every Deep Lip share in the market. happen to see this message first, and take the first advantage of it that is all." ''I am afraid that you are making me con- federate in very nefarious scheme" said Ger aid, looking as if he hardly knew whether to laugh or be serious
 'In this case the end must justify the means. It is just the sort of ruse that papa himself would delight in-just the sort of ad- vantage that he would be the first to take"
 'Then you are buying for what is called a rise P said Gerald. 7'. .fa. ..s.
 "Preclsely so If the information conveyed by my uncle's telegram be correct-and he is too old a soldier in the field of speculation not to know what he is about-then will Deep Lips go up, up, up, as soon as the inte lligence becomes generally known, and your wife will have made a very lucky hit. Of course my object will be to sell out and realize as soon as the shares have reached what, in Boucher's opinion, seem something like their maximum value"
 "But suppose the~i attenuation conveyed in your uncles telegram prove to be incorrect, and the shares don't go up at all-what then ?''
 Why, even in that case, they cannot sink much lower than they are at present, and as a my loss will be proportionately trifing. But won't even think that loss is possible" ar fe "..
 ''Cau it be possible that it is my wife who is doing all this p s.-.s ...
 Your wife? Why not, dear? The whole affair is as simple as A e.
 But to think of your originating such a scheme! sa .
 "Now you know the reason why interced- ed with Sir Charles to have you appointed as at Leaswood."
 linen the scheme that you are carrying out 'o-day has been matching in you brain from ,he f1rst?"
 Certainly. It came to me like flash of inspiration on the very day that we received oapa's letter."
 "You are strange girl, and sometimes hink that it will take me my lifetime to read 7ou thoroughly"
 r .ftg HI CHAPTER W. 4-
 At five minutes past ten next morning, Mrs. Gerald, as she called herself, walked into the office of Mir. Boucher. 'Did you receive my elegram yesterday afternoon ?" were her first anxious words.
 < did. and acted on it immediately" Then IS he handed her a chair II hope you will pardon me for remarking that your choice of m investment is hardly one that would recom- nend itself to my experience" 1'-''
 T suppose not" said Alice quietly. 'But lad my reasons" s.I5 trr .y.s-s a. g .- #
 ''Oh, of course" rejoined Boucher. 'fYour ather is known as one of our boldest and most nccessful speculators and you, as his daugh- CT, would hardly be likely 10 make any very erious mistake. But stil"-----.s r4 I8a ai
 ''But still had you been going to lay out honey of your own, you would not have done