The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-07-30
jim KEENE's wAsHERwoMAN.

YIN AAs@1N1 . " hSAASAS " 0AsA@AANs
"The fact is" said Jim Keenc, the
great New York rival to Jay Gould, as
he relaxed his usual taciturnity under
the genial influence OF one OF Sam
Wards dinners, the other day; "ihc
fact is that no matter how clever and
thorough 4 mans system of stock opcr-
ating may be there is always occurring
some little unforeseen and apparently
insignificant circumstance that is forever
knocking the best laid plans into cock
cd hat"
"As how ?"
"Well, for instance, about year ago
was doing a good business in Lake
Shore, aud counted on making a big
clean up. l discovered, however, that
there was some hidden influence in the
market that was always against me. It
didn't exactly defeat my plans, but it
lcssened the profits. soon saw that
there was some operator who was kept
informed as to my movements in time
to make me pay for his knowledge"
"Brokergavc you away?" said several.
"Not at all. never gave an order
in advance, and besides, ! used rs now
half dozen brokers, and also gave
'cross and dummy orders in plenty
One day, while was standing at the
window Of my uptown place, cogitating
over the state of affairs, an elegant
private coupe drove past, and stopped
just around the corner from my door.
1t contained 4 chly-dresSed lady and a
jagged-looking girl. The latter got
out, rang my basement bell, and was
admitted. sent for my man servant.
and inquired who the girl nigh, be.
"She comes for the wash, SIR" he
said.
"Does she generally come in pri.
vote coupe ?" inquired.
"'Why no, sir, said my man, very
much surprised I; 'her mother, the wash
erwoman, is very poor. "
Just then my own carriage drove
around for me, and as it passed the
other | could see the lady eagerly sort
ing the soiled clothes in the coupe on
her lap. This excited my curiosity, so
| had my driver follow along behind.
Pretty soon the coupe stopped, and the
dirty little girl got out with the bundle
and went into a brownstonc front on
Twen:y-ninth street. The coupe then
kept straight on down to Wall street
and stopped in front Of brokers' Office,
where the lady alighted with my entire
lot Of soiled shirt cuffs in her hand"
"Shrt cuffs ?" cried the entire COM
pany.
Exactly; shirt cuffs. | saw through
it all in moment. You see amor
rather was-a great hand while at din
ner, or ut the theatre in the evening, TO
think over my plans for the next day,
and to make memoranda on my cuffs to
consult before starting down town in
the morning. My washerwoman had
found this out, and had been quietly
"coppcring' my game by means of my
cuffs for over year."
"Well, by Jove !" said Sam Ward,
pausing for single instant in the sacred
mystery of salad dressing.
"lt'sthe cold fact, continued Kccnc.
"In less than eight months she had
cleaned up over 5000, 900 and was wash
ing my clothes--at least the cuffs-in an
$50, 900 house. She had diamonds and
horses until you couldn't rest"
"iou didn't make any more cuff
mems. after that ?" laughed several.
"Well, not many, just few" said
the great operator, holding up his Bur
gundy to the light. al believe / kept
it up about 4 month longer, at the end
Of which time had raked in the wash
erwoman's bank account, and even had
mortgage on the brown stone house.
II was queer coincidence, wasn't it !?
But perhaps the information she found
on the cuffs after that wasn't as exact as
it had been, somehow, nor as reliable"
And the liking of the street" cmptied
his glass with an indescribablc wink
that made Beach, who was short OH
Harlem, shiver like cat who had jus,
swallowed live mouse. San EjdafiSd0
Post.