Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-09-01
Jim Keens's Wssherwoman.

The fact is" said Jim Keene, the great
New York rival Of Jay Gould, as be relaxed
his usual tacturnity under the genial in
fuence Of one of Sam Wards dinners the
other day. The fact is that no matter how
clever and thorough mans system of stock
operating may be, there is always occurring
some little unforeseen and apparently insig-
niicsnt circumstance that is forever knock
ing the best laid plans into q cooked hat"
AS how ?"
well, ioi instance about year ago |
was doing good deal in Lake Shore, and
counted on making good clean up. dis
covered, however, that there was some hid
den influence in the market that was al
ways against me. 1t didn't exactly defeat
my plans, but it lessened the profit. soon
saw that there Was some operator who was
kept informed as to my movements in time
to make me pay for his knowledge."
BROKER gave you away said several.
Not at ALL never gave an order in
adv ance, and, besides, used. as nov, half
dozen brokers, and all gave cross and
dummy orders in plenty. One day, while
was standing by the window Of my up
town place, eogitatIng over this state of af-
fairs. all elegant prlyste coupe past, and
| stopped just around the corner from my
door. II contained richly dressed lady
and ragged looking girl. The latter got
out, rang my basement bell and was sd-
mitted. | sent for my man servant, and in
quired who the girl might be-"
"She come for the wash sir, he said.
docs she generally come in coupe ?"
inquired
'Why, no SIR" said my man very much
surprised her mother the ~asherwoman is
very poor
Just then my own carriage drove round
for me. and 1t passed the other | could
see .he lady eagerly sorting the soIled clothes
IN thr coupe on her lap. This excited my
curiosity. so had my driver follow along
behind. Pretty soon the coupe stopped. and
the dirty little glrl got out with the bundle
and went into a brusustone front on Twen-
y ninth street. The coupe then kept
straight on down to Wall street and stop
ped in front of a brokers office where the
lady alighred with my entire lot of soiled
shirt cuffs IN her hand.
shirt cuffs ?" cried the entire company.
Exactly, shirt cuffs. | saw through it all
in a moment. You see, | amor rather
was-a great hand at dinner, or at the thea
! tire in the evening, to think over my plans
for the next day, and to make memoran-
dums on my cuffs To consult before starting
! down town in the morning. My washwom-
all had found this out, and had been quietly
'coppering' my game BY means Of my cuffs
| for over Il year"
We'll, by love :" said Sam Ward, paus-
/ ing little instant in the sacred mystery Of
salad dressing.
It's the cold fact" continued Keene
| In less than eight months she had cleaned
/ up over S6O. .O,O and was washing nv ciot he.
/ at least my cuffs in an SS0,O0 house
| She had diamonds and horses until you
couldn't rest"
You didn't make any more cuff mus
after that ?" laughed several.
well. not many-Just few, said the
great operator. holding his Burgundy up to
the hight. Il believe kept it up about
month longer at the end Of which time
/ had rAkc, IN the washer woman's bank ac-
count and even had a mortgage on the
/ brow n>tpne house. II wa. quite coinci-
denc,, wasn't it' But perhaps the infor
nation she found the cuffs after that
WASH a, exact as il had been somehow, nor
as reliable.
/ And the king Of the street" emptied his
glass with an lndescrbable wink that made
\ Beach. who was short on Harlem, shiver
I like u cat Who had swallowed a live mouse