River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-11-18

watching, waiting the turn OF fortunes
wheel
She did not betray me. My stock be-
gan to move upward from the first. 1t
was not so dull now. How interesting
it all wasl | called the click Of the
ticker" the pulse and heartbeat of
the nation. If the land was healthy
and prosperous, the pulse beat high
and buoyant. If the land was threat
ened with death, short crops, or mis-
fortune Of any kind, the pulse was low,
feverish, and dull. 1t was like poem,
had now an interest in the prosper
ity of the land beyond n sentiment. /
was part owner in the 100000 miles
of railways in America From that
day forth studied the geography ofmy
country as never before. My httle up
town room in the fourth story was
lined with maps of American railways.
In less than week | could quote the
opening or closing prices Of half the
stocks on the list
How patiently held on to the tape
along with the other timiI and hopeful
little lambs! We would exchange
| opinions encourage each other, and
lay great plans for the future. We be-
came very confidential, our little knot
around that ticker" and when one of
our set lost money he had our honest
sympathy. They were pleasant days,
these first, for stocks went up steadily,
and it seemed at last when and whore
had least expected it, | was to make
| fortune without either care or toll. |
am perfectly certain that in those few
! weeks | grew to be better man.
At last | closed out | had in my
| hand moro than $4,000 | had not in
vested so many hundreds. What scribe
had ever been so fortunate! Stocks
| still advanced. 1t seemed as if they
would never stop going up.
| | sat down and tried for days 10 de-
eide what to do. CoOlly, deliberately
and after as much mature thought as
am capable of, went back to Wall
/ street with my money. had no use
for $4,000. | had great use for S50,-
! 900. / hug myself in satisfaction now
to remember that | thought not SO
much of myself as of my friends at
this time. | could get on with that
sum well. But away out on the great,
gold shore of the vast west sea | want
ed to build a home-a city. ! would
| gather about me dear spirits Of old.
In some sweet spot where there were
woods and cool waters, a warm sun
and prolific soil, we would meet and
build clty--a city Of refuge--where
every Bohemian might come and have
a home, rest, peace, plenty, so long as
he or she should live or care to stay
| even drew up plan of my city. and
framed few brief laws for its govern
ment. named it Utopia.
On returning to Wall street | chose
three different brokers-one "hull
house, one "bear house and enc a
conservative F." house. BY this |
hoped to get all sorts of opinions.
got them.
With my bears | sold St Paul
short. There was talk of rust, grass
hoppers, rains, floods. St. Paul would
tumble to the center 1t had already
advanced from IS to GO | sold at 90,
20 and H.
With the "bulls / bought Pacific
Mail. No danger of grasshoppers ON
Pacific Mail No drouth, no floods or
rust. Pacific Mail had fallen from 62,
and would surely go back up to 50. |
bought Pacific Mail and sat down to
wait for it to go up and St. Paul to go
| down.
Things began to move my way. |
began to work vigorously on the plans
for my city. | had arranged to bring
my dear old parents away from the
far west wilds of Oregon, where they
had dwelt for quarter of II century
They had never seen the great city.
Now they should see it, hear tie
mighty preachers and sail on the At.
lantic.
How life widened out. had an in
terest now in every ship that sailed.
The flow of money to or from the land
was to me of vital concern. All com
merce was as rich With interest to me
now as the poetry of Homer. AT 10
o'clock, sharp, | found myself holding
on to the tape, waiting to see if had
grown richer or poorer through the
night. AL day, till the hammer fell,
TODD with my finger on the pulse of
commerce.
How did | come out? Oh Well,
was short of st. Paul and long Of Pa
cifc Mail l expected Pacific Mail to
go up and St. Paul to go down They
did and | had $21 900. But that vas
not enough to build city with / held
on.
One day it was rumored that the
rust was not so bad in st. Paul after
ALL 1t began to start up! Pacific
Mail began TO shoot down. 1t was sad
the Chinese had stalted an opposition.
| tell you it takes big man to sit on
two benches at time. Ten to one he
will spill himself between the two Just
as sure as he attempts it,
/ sold some St. Paul. and bought /
more Pacific Mail; but all to no par
pose. They kept right on. Then |
got out of Pacific Mail al the lowest |
figure it touched, and bought Wabash |
! began to founder, and got frightened. |
| sold and bought, and bought and |
sold. | frequently saw in the papers !
that | was getting rich in Wall street, /
and kept on working like a beaver. I
The end was only question of time.
One day my broker took me by the |
sleeve and led me like lamb, az ! WIS,
aside Ny fun was over. And Utopis
is indeed Utopia.
No one with so little money ever en-
tered Wall street under better advaa-
tages. All men were klnd ana SOOd. J
think no man ever attempted TO mis-
lead me- But it is simply impossible
to make money there, and keep it. Let
me mention here that during my Fix
months there paid my brokers in COM
missions 81 ,425. These commissions
alone will devour any possible profits.
OF course, it is not a pleasant thing
to admit ones self beaten. But if this
brief history of my venture in this dan
gerous land will diminish at all that
tired and anxious army Of tape-hOldeTs
who waste their shekels, their days,
and their strength in vain waiting, why,
! willingly bear reproach.
And, after all, / lost but little, having
but little to lose. And ! learned ro
much, having so much to learn.
The Cars Bad Brother
Whitehall review.