Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-12-17
WOMANs WINNINGS
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WOMANS WINNINGS
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'ner Cloud.
fPhladelphia Call
Among the many queer charao-
ters who haunt the street" the most
interesting parsonage I ever saw was .
woman. You know there are num-
Der of women stock Spectators, and
some Of them are gifted with that ge-
MUS for speculation which few men
possess. In the start they are gener-
ally more successful than men yet
they are less conservative, and success
is too often apt to lead them into reck-
less speculation. Well, this interest
ing character about whom am going
to tell you was woman of about 40
years of age, whose hair was prema-
turely gray from the hard struggles of
early life. She gained q livelihood
working in the capacity of a servant in
big charitable institution, but saved
from her scant earnings about 800,
which was the capital with which she APP
peared among the bulls and bears in
the speculative arena. She was an in
defatigable reader, and had read q
great deal about the wonderful posi-
bilities of stock speculation, yet she
had no practical knowledge of the deep
game. but like nearly all beginners, she
was successful at the start. She eau
tiously invested her mite in rattle
traps, which is the term employed by
the street" to designate low-priced
stocks which are supposed to have no
value whatever.
Every Thursday afternoon she ap-
peared in the "street" with one of her
friends and made close inquiry regard
ing her little investments. Gradually
they increased in value until boom in
some worthless stock which she had
procured carried it up so that she was
enabled to sell out and realize enough
for margin to buy 100 shares of spec
ulative stock. She won again. Then
she was seized with the maddest spec
ulative mania. She invested and re-
invested. Luck was with her. It was
but short time until she had accumu-
lated about $4,000. Then she was the
most unhappy person ever saw. vi
sions of immense wealth rose up before
her eyes, but she yearned not for the COM
forts and luxuries which riches would
procure, but for the opportunity to buy
immense blocks of stocks. OF course,
the crash with her was but question of
time.
Instead of pursuing. .hSx original pol
icy of investing at times when success
seemed assured, she bought every day.
taking as much stock as her broker
would carry on her money, until the
other day, when she was caught heav-
lily long of stocks in the break, and her
little fortune, which she had so care
fully laid the foundation for, was COM
pletely wiped out in less than day.
You should have seen that woman as
she saw in the figures Oh the tape her
money melt away. She was the pic
ture of despair; but it was not the loss
of the money alone that disturbed her.
She had no extravagant habits of living
which must be curtailed. During oil
the time Of her success she probably
never increased her cost of living one
dollar. It was the realization that her
speculative amusement was for the time
being at least ut an end that agitated
her. No longer could she enjoy the
exquisite feeling which makes gam
bling SO fascinating to ninety-nine peo-
pie out of hundred who drift down
into the street. These ninety-nine lose
their money. The remaining one wins.
How he makes it I will tell you some
time again. I have said so much to-day
already that I must deter describing
the one man out of hundred.