Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-09-13
A Wall Street Tumble.

Among the thousand of outsiders who
dabbled in Wall street ten years ago
was one-I don't want to give his real
name, but we will call Finn Richards.
He operated through our house. that is,
the house in which l was employed as
book-keeper, and, as he soon became q
daily visitor, got to know him so we'll
that we often had a familiar chat. ]
sometimes met him in tn, evening be-
sides, and our acquaintance ripened into
intimacy. At first his luck in the street
was pretty good. and one day, when he
had made a thousand or so in an hour,
he asked me to dine with him that even
ing at DelmOnico's. Most of our talk
was about the street, and when a bottle
of wine had made it pretty free, I vent
ured to suggest that, as he had done
pretty we'll, he should begin to think
about getting out.
''Well," he said, Il have thought
about it, but don't see my way just
yet. 1 must have $4,000 year for
my family, and how else can get it?'
1 asked him if his family was large,
and he said it consisted of his wife, two
daughters and son.
'.And you need $4,000 year to live
on; isn't that pretty high?"
"Well," he said, "high or low, ]
can't get on with less The girls are
always asking for money. In summer
they must 60 to the watering places
with their mother, and in the winter
there is ball or a party every week. II
costs a great deal of money, and the
p,onoxy ,,,nof bo hoI -, -
"May ask how much money YOU
have as capital-that is, money you can
really call your own?''
"Well, altogether, suppose I could
rake up $4,000. Now, what want to
know is how could use that so as to
make $4,000 o year. 1 don't really
fancy the Wall street business, but what
am to do? must have $4,000 year,
and, though have looked around
good deal, l can not find any other
business that will produce it.
"Why not reduce your expenses:
You say you can't do with less than
$4,000? l think you are mistaken.
Many families live on less than $4,000,
and some on $4,000. Does your family
know just how much money you have?"
81 have tried over and over to make
them understand, but it is no use.
When they want anything there is no
peace till they get it, and when say
can not afford it they tell me they know
l have plenty of money. l really can't
make them understand or believe that
nv means are limited, and the amount
of the matter is l must have $4,000 a
year."
/ lost sight of Richards soon after
by going to another house where l had
a better offer. but heard from time to
time that his luck was not 80 good. 1t
must have been five years before l met
him again. He looked like another
man; his face was careworn and his
clothing barely escaped shabbiness.
After few words l asked him if he
was still in the street.
"No," he said, "that's all over"
"Well, l hope you came out all
right?''
"All right?" Yes, if you call com.
ing out without dollar all right"
1 was sorry, of course, to hear of his
ill-luck, and asked him if he had gone
into any bushes. No, he said, it was
not easy for man with nothing to go
into business; but his friends were try.
ing to do something for him, and there
was some hope that they would s,,c-
coed. They were trying to get him a
place in the custom-house. l asked
him what the salary was, and he said
he understood it was $500, with
chance of something better after
r. 30
remind him of what he had said five
years ago about not being able to live
on less than $4,000, but while we were
lunching together he gave me to under
stand that he was living, with his wife
and daughters. in a small house on the
outskirts of Brooklyn, and that the son
had obtained clerkship at fifteen dol
lars week, which was the chief sup
port of the family.--M. y Cor. Detroit
Free Press.