The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-09-01

"NOt very often, iCPAcu hopkins,
"only after curried lobster or crab, or
something of that sort. l am a very
sound sleeper.
Then. YOU see. if you can't dream
without the assistance OF indigestible
food, YOU can't imagine, and /. with
every wish TO encourage Ineipient talent,
should advise you not TO adopt the pro-
fession of an artist y
..Wen. WE'LL said Hopkins, ..let us
say no more about it, and he sighed
again.
But we were not inclined to let him
of so easily, and went on in the same
vein till we were weary, and tossed him
and his aspirations about between us
like ball. We treated him very badly.
and he must have been the best-tem-
pered or the thickest-skinned of men to
have stood it without showing anger.
Tired at last of batting our impertur-
able friend. we turned to other topics.
seen Jones' new picture?n asked
Frank.
Yes. Don't care much for it, |
replied; "men shouldn't try to paint old
subjects unless they can treat them in a
new manner"
"Well, it must be hard to strike out a
new line with Hamlet and the ghost |
never tried to paint ghost so l don I
know what should make of it"
IL shall wait till see one, and then
offer it handsome terms for few sit
tings. / think there is something to be
done with ghosts, but they must be of
an original kind, not conventional. like
Jones'.
Hang it, no. They are always the
same; thinly painted, with something
placed conveniently h.SSIoIes.ts hem to show
their transparency. rWouldn' care To
paint ghost of that sort. people only
laugh at them; but | should like to put
that creepy sensation on canvas that
feeling that something uncanny is
about"
''Weli. when some one does see a
ghost we may getthe correct thing; not
till then.
Ghosts amt visible said Hopkins
solemnly; but, for all that, there are
ghosts
A remark like this from Hopkins was
an event not lightly TO be passed by so
we cried in a breath:
'What do YOU know about ghostsa
Ever troubled with them?n
He took his pipe from his1ips and said
quietly:
If YOU young fellows won't laugh
too much. don't mind telling you"
We promised the gravity of Scion,
and Frank winked ut me in SO barefaced
a manner that anybody but our unOb-
servant friend would have seen it and
mt once declined speaking. However,
no mischief was done. for in deep accents
he began:
You remember -
. Stop Bit" | said; . [ can tell from
the way the story opens it is going To be
something awful. Let Us I'LL the glasses
first We did 50. Now fire away
Did fellow, and don't, please embellish
your truthful tale with too many flowers
of fancy"
Hopkins paused little.
.sLook here, he said, "you won
mention this TO anybody. rs should not
like the people on the Stock Exchange
to hear of it. They chat So
We vowed that wild horses should not
rend the terrible revelation from our
bosomS.
Hopkins began again:
"You remember my late partner, poor
old Bobbett?n
Never even heard OF him. inter
rupted Blair.
. All, to be sure. Before your time.
Well, oar firm was indeed, is now
Bobbett, Hopkins IL Company.
" What bIsinesse' ! asked. with the
air of n cross-eNamining counsel.
Stock Jobbers; Oilice. Capel Court, -
said Hopkins, with return to his usual
brevity.
.. Exeuse my iDtarrunf,n Il, x-o,,r inter
esting tale, said Frank, - but what is 4
stock job5er? Something cminently re
spectacle, honest and lucrative, | have
no doubt But what Is it?
Hopkins summed up his profession
briefly thus:
You want to sell stock another man
wants to buy stock 90 to broker
he goes to n broker-both brokers 90
to jobber, or dealer, which sounds
nicer-yolr broker sells him the stock,
jobber's business in nutshell
. But as | am ignorant of all transac-
tons in stock, fail to see the pull of it.
- Well, your broker sells it TO me for
say, one hundred and twenty; the other
mans broker buys it of me for, say, one
hundred and twenty-one and that 5 the
way we make our living.
THAT is n nice business" said Blair,
in tones of admiration; $50 easy, just
the thing to suit you. should think"
''Don' listen to him, - | cried; ''go on
with your tale
Hopkins, not the least discomposed by
the interruptions, proceeded:
'.Old Bobbett was my partner, and a
capital partner he was-sharp as needle
and bold as a lion, and always fair in
his dealings between partner and part
ner. The only fault had to find with
him was that he was little too fond OF
specializing on his own account. L like
best to let people speculate through me.
1t pays best in the long run. and you
sleep much sounder when a rising or
falling market don't make a difference
OF q thousand or so to YOU. But Bob
bett couldn't keep out of it. The ex-
element was everything to him, and |
must say he was very clever, seldom
making bad mistake. He gave all his
time to IT and had the most marvellous
way OF picking up Information before
other people. | never knew where he
got his tips, but when he strolled into
the Office of morning and said: Bet
ter sell or buy North British Brighton
As or what else it mical,t he. | knew he
had heard something, and there would
be n move one way or another in the
stocks he named 1 tell you, / used to
get very frightened at first, especially
when he did make losses; but at each
year S end found the balance the right
side, so at last | came to trust Bobbett
implicitly-let him do just as he liked:
and if he had told me Consuls We're going
to drop to eighty l think should have
believed him. Poor old Bobbettr'
Hopkins paused here; it might have
been from the emotion caused hy the
recollection of tender commercial pass
ages between himself and the lamented
Bobbett; but if so his face said nothing.
Frank drew the back of his hand
across his eyes and murmured:
'sThis is all very interesting-very
pathetic, but where's the promised
ghost?''
Our stolid friend took no notice, but
went on like one commencing fresh
of novel.
!. fr.ll