Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-11-13
The Melting Mareln.


The Melting Marein.
Z aWhat is a margin p
Ah, John Henry, lay down that pa
per in which you have been consult
ing the financial column, and come
sit by me and lool up into the near
eye of your old bald-headed friend,
guide and advice-iispenser, whilst he
pours into your wealth of ear a few
remarks upon the subject before the
convention.
You are young and innocent, john
Henry, and the habits of the feeting
margin which the broker taketh with
q glad smile are yet mystery to your
budding mind. A margin, in finan-
cial parlance, is tie money you put up
with the broker when you make a
deal in stocks, grain, pork, lard or
oil, and which melteth away like unto
your hard-earned weeks wages at
the merry, merry church fair. Moth
ing under the sun, John Henry,
meIteth away with such suddenness
and extreme impetuosity as the mar
gin you handeth TO the broker when
ga. .l.veth "long' or selleth ''short. y
To-day it is to - credit, and to-
morrow it is not.
Beware of the brokers' back room,
my son. Look not upon the s'ticker"
when it ticks. Don't ever think you
"know it all. /" Verify, there is
much woe and a large assortment Of
red-eyed remorse for the man who
thinks he knows it ALL"
You can look over the stock quota
tions most any day, John Henry, and
see how you could have made great
deal of money before the water got
hot by .ying five hundred shares of
the P. @. & W., and selling it at pres
ent quotations; but, my son, you
didn't buy it. And if you were to
buy some P. Q. & W. now, ten to
one it would go down, down till your
margin wouldn't be as big as a fye-
cent cut of pie at railroad restau-
rant; and if you didn't put up more
the broker would sell out your P. @.
& w. and 1t would go up. It is the
way those things work, John Henry.
Daily not with stocks and futures,
gentle youth. Do not think you are
cut out for great stem-winding stock
operator because you have guessed
how the market was going once or
twice. Do not decide to make for
tune between late breakfast and an
early dinner. Such resolution often
leads to ruin, or to Canada. Don't
invest your money in margins. A
margin is the little joker, my son.
Snow you see it, and now you don't
see it, 1t is in your hand to-day,
and tomorrow it is elsewhere. The
elsewhereness of the money you put
up with the broker as q margin when
you make a deal is one of its striking
peculiarities. After it leaves your
hand its habit of beng elsewhere
grows upon it, John Henry.
/ Did you ever try to hold live
hornet by the hind-leg, my boy? No;
Well, if you should try to hold a live
hornet by the hind-leg it would kicl
and get away sort of sudden
wouldn't it? Yes? Very well. DOM
try to double your money by specu'
lating in stocks on margin until yor
can hold live hornet by the hind.
leg without dropping it IN a hurried
and undignlfied way.
| II you have more money than yot
want, John Henry, buy fast horse
CT start daily paper, or lend it tt
me. You will find a large-sized
long-felt want right here in the neal
, pocket of your old bald-headee
friend, guide and advice-dispenser
} If you lend it to me you will proba
bly, never see it again, but the new
that you have lost it will be broker
to you gradually and gently, ant
thus you will be saved the surpris
and shock that come to those VIII
put their money in margins. 81
I once knew a man who had pu
), his money up in margins to be so SUI
, prised by telegram from his broke
= informing him of its extreme whence
9 ness, that his mouth few open so wild
r as to cause the back of his head to hi
:, him severe blow betw cen the shoul
:, ders. Sudden shocks like that ar
), believed by our best medical author
tiles to be very deranging to the sy'
!, tenn, and consequently somewhat dal
gerous.
~ There are many ways in which 20
can lose money just as readily as b
4 buying stocks on a margin, Job
= Henry; but there is no other way
= which you can have it tear itse
- away from you with such excitin
= impetuosity and surprising eelat.
!. ScorT WAY.
l. e.