The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-29
81 E~ASTROLOGER'S DUPE

trembling, sat a little while ago in the
back office of a Wall-strcct stock broker.
Her gaze was fixed on a wide blackboard,
where chalk figures showed the drift of
stock market quotations.; there was no
lustre in her eye; her whole aspect was
thato f one dumbfoundcd, brokcnhcarted.
She had q sad story to tell were there
only spirit enough left to her for a recit-
al. A year ago she came to this same
brokerage office. Her purse was fat with
bank bills and she gave an order for the
purchase Of 500 shares of a stock which
had been active Il long time. The broker
advised her against the purchase, and
told her plainly that he had what he be-
licved excellent reasons for expecting a
HWY decline in the particular stock she
had selected to buy. But she persisted
in her determir alton, declaring that she
had information which could not be
wrong that the stock was bound to go
up a good deal very soon. She had her
way, despite the counscls that plainly
predicted the loss of her money. She
left SIS, 900 in cash as a 10 per cent. mar
gin to protect her interest and went her
way with a calm confidence shown on
her countenancc. 81 shall make a good
deal of money!" she said as she left, ''for
the information 1 have comes from the
very highest authority" The stock per-
perversely declined forthwith, and eaca
day saw some fraction clipped off of the
preceding days quotation. Within a
month the original SIS, 900 margin had
dwindled down to 81, 600, and the broker
was obliged to call for another deposit
from his customer to protect her interest.
she came down town with the same self
satisfied smile, and with the same express
sions of confidence produced her rounded
purse again. Four thousand dollars she
left in the brokers' hands this time.
'The advance, 1 am told. has been una
voida5ly delayed a little while" she said.
with a tone full of assurance and faith,
''but it is bound to come soon now, and
/ feel as sure that my money IS safe as if
I had it all in bank awaiting my orders"
This was in response to further grave pre-
dictions from the broker, who, by much
argument tried to convince her that she
was being misled. Another short period
elapsed; and another enforced call was
made upon the sunny faced old lady.
Just Il bare suspicion of disquict was be-
ginning to show itself, but there was no
breakdown in her action. Out came
more money. And so a little later did
more still follow. Then not long ago
she came yet again; now she brought her
bank book. She showed t. the broker
that a year ago it credited her with de-
posts of $1S, 600, of which but So, 500
remained; and that So, 5O0-cvery penny
OF it, every penny she possessed in the
world-she handed over. She was not
yet utterly downcast. s'But yesterday"
she averred. 81 had my information re-
peatcd again and the rise which I've
waited for so long is to come now right
away" Down went the market, lower
and lower dropped the price of the'ex-
pcctant woman's 500 shares of stock, till
hat day a little while ago when for the
last time she came into Wall-strect again,
dropped into an armchair before the QUO
tation board and gazed long and ~listless-
~, as one in a deep dream, confronting
the white figures that glarcd out at her
there like the eyes of so many demons.
All of her $1S, 900 was gone; she had
only poverty left. But she was brave
still, and when her broker approached
her she rose with the grace of a woman
young and queenly and thanked him for
all his courtesies and the good advice he
had wasted on her.
SNOW, Madam, will you do me tao
great favor of telling me from what
source you received the false information
on which you relied so implicitly and
risked so much moneyW This was the
brokers' question.
upon an astrologer. This was her
amazing answer, and she named a man
whose ''card" is Haunted publicly in the
metropolis. There was stupefed broker,
a broker who got mad. He didn't say
"HFoolln but he looked it. The old lady