The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-08-11
Jim Keene's Washerwoman.

| "The fact Isl" said Jim Keene, the great
New York rival of Jay Gould, as he relaxed
his usual taciturnity under the genial intlu-
ences OF one OF Sam Wards dinners the other
day "the fact is, that no matter how clever
and thorough mans system of stock operat-
ing may be, there is always occurring some
little unforeseen and apparently insignificant
circumstances that is forever knocking tile best
laid plansfinto a cooked hat ,"
| LAS how ?"
we ell, Tor instance, about a year ago | was
doing good deal in Lake Shore, and counted
on making big clean up. / discovered, how
ever, thai there was some hidden influence in
the market that was always against me- 1t
didn't exactly defeat my plans, but it lessened
the profits. l 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.
( mot at all. | never gave an order in adj
vance, and, besides, fused as 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 this state OF affairs, an
elegant private coupe drove past, and stopped
just around the corner from my door, 1t con-
tanned a richly dressed lady and a ragged look
ing girl. The latter got out; rang my base
L
man 'servant, and inquired who the girl might
be-" ..... ..-.n
''She comes for the wash, sir" he said.
"'Does she generally come III the coupe?" |
inquired
why, no, sir said my man, very much
surprised; her mother, the washerwoman is
very poor" 400 e
just then my own carriage drove round for
me, and as it passed the other | could see the
lady eagerly sorting the soiled clothes in the
coupe on her lap. This excited my curiosity. |
SO had the driver follow on behind. Pretty
soon the coupe stopped, and the dirty little girl
got out with the bundle and went into brown |
stone front on Twenty ninth street. The coupe |
then kept straight on down to Wall street and |
stopped in front OF a brokers' office, where the |
lady allghted with my e..tlre lot of soiled shirt
cuffs in her hand. ft1E 4i.
Shirt cuffs 2" cried the entire company
Exactly; shirt cuffs | saw through it all
IN moment. You see, amor rather was
q great hand while at dinner, or at the theatre
In the evening, to think over my plans for the
next day, and to make memorandum on my
cuffs to consult before starting down town in
The morning. My washerwoman had found
his out, and had been quietly 'coppering'
ny game by means of my cuffs for over
year"
"Well, by Jove!" said Sam Ward, pausing
or single instant IN the sacred mystery OF
had dressing.
ats the cold fact" continued Keene In less
han eight months she had cleaned up over
100000 and was washing my clothes-at
east my cutfs-in an $4,000 house. She
lad diamonds and horses until you couldn't |
est. ..
"You didn't make any more cuff mems, after t
hat ?" laughed several t
well, not many-just few" said the great /
perator, holding the Burgundy to the light 1
believe kept it up about a month longer, $
t the end OF which time / had raked in the |
bank account, and even had c
Mortgage on the brown stone house 1t was e
queer coincidence, wasn't it. But perhaps $
he information she found on the cuffs after /
hat wasn't as exact as it had been, somehow, f
or as reliable" y
And the king of the Street. emptied his c
lass with an Understandable wink that made d
leach, who was short on Harlem, shiver like a $
at who had just swallowed a live mouse.