The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-26
THE DAILY STAR
MY FIRST SPECULATION.

One morning, in what year it does not
matter, | received the following COM
muuication from my friend T.:
"DEAR Mr.. 81 have something most
important to communicate to you. Can
you come round to me Immediately?
Yours always faithfully, T."
L. was a character In his way. he
was one of those men whose modesty or
shyness stands in their way of advance
ment in life. Well read, and with a
large experience of life from travel and
mixing in all kinds of society, both in
Europe and America, he was passed cas-
lily by others of very much less preten-
tions to merit, and was looked upon
rather as a social failure. He was sensi-
tive even to fault, and it was through
some mistaken idea of duty-at least so
his friends said-that he had quarrelled
with his own family, who were well-to-
do, and lived entirely by his own exer-
tions. He had been all sorts of things
and had tried all sorts Of things, and
was, at the time of which l am writing,
temporary clerk in an office in the
city, and which appointment l had
been partly the means of getting him.
| had not seen him for some little
time, so that his communication some
what surprised me. | went round to his
office, when he asked me to step down
stairs to dark room underground, where
he said we could talk undisturbed. He
apoogized 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 manner,
and produced from his pocket MS.
which he held before me. "Pve got
something here to show you," he said.
l knew that he dabbed little in liter
ature, and had occasionally published
some verses of his own composition; and
as l looked at the closely written pages !
began to fear that he had asked me 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 | gasped out, 81 hope ]
haven't to read it"
"No, don't want you to read it."
oreathed again. "But want to tell you
what it is. | want to put you up to a
good thing"
Again visions of work of which
was expected to take dozen copies or SO
came before me.
"Well, what is itw said. "The mag
num opus come out at last?"
"You fatter me-" he said; "but I'll
tell you shortly what it is. You know |
was once in the employment 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 go, on the plea that their estab-
lishment must be reduced to lessen the
expenses. They turned me of, but
retained junior, because he happened to
be friend of the Chairman of the Com
pany. can put up with good deal,
but can't stand that; you know as well
as l do that the affair is gigantic swim
die, and must collapse sooner or later. /
know more about them than most people
give me credit for, and have written
this pamphlet giving full history of the
company and the present state of theil
finances. When it comes out, / know il
will have a very damaging effect; the
shares are certain to run down, and if yo,
sell before the news is made public, car
guarantee you certain gain. You have
always been very kind to me, and l wisl
to make you some return for it. | an
going to have the pamphlet privately
printed and circulated. am backed by
well-known man in the city, so that
am guaranteed my expenses. 1t vii
cost us nothing at all, and give us Ger
tain harvest" g.. .
The idea wasa novel and tempting ONT
to me. Visions of potentially O
growing rich beyond the dreams of avar
ice" such as DR.. johnson saw in tn,
brewery of MIR. Thrale, foated before m,
eyes. But l had never had any dealing
with the Stock Exchange, and | knew
no broker who would operate for me
The tempter before me got over that diff
fculty by suggesting tina. he could in
troduce me to his stock-broker when th
time came.
"You needn't be in hurry" he said
"The pamphlet has to be printed first
and then sent round to the city editors
of the papers. Then will be the time fo
us to sell" .-
Perhaps divining the doubt that wa
in my mind, he added, "You needn't b.
under any apprehension; it is adead Ger
tainty that the shares will run down a
soon as my revelations see the light. Ii
the meantime not word to anybody"
So we parted for the present In abou
afortnight's time T. sent me proof of tn
pamphlet. Itwas very ably written, an,
was certainly very damaging, if every
thing was true that was stated in it. M,
spirits revived, and / almost began Il
share the enthusiasm of my friend
though couldn't quite get over the feel
ing that | was assisting at small Gun
powder Plot which was to blow tn
Great Buffaloes to atoms. But hayin
no Lord Monteagle among the share
I.1I