The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-12-06

i9y, nlOSU' Oh tneIl
were losing ON interest account, closed mills
or stock on hand that COULD not find purchas-
-ers. To know this was uncomfortable; to
know that the remainder OF the Business
world knew it also wasworse; there is a sense
of humiliation in merely holding ones own
for .long period which is infinitely more
provoking and depressing to a business man
than nm absolute failure. or assignment
How, closely every one in Tramlays bust
sness circle watched the iron market! There
was not an industry lin the world in the
least degree dependent upon iron which
they did not also watch closely and
.deduce apparent probabilities which they
exchanged with one another. The pro-
sceedings of congress, the results OF cleo
tions, the political movements abroad that
tended to either peace or war, became inter-
,esting- solely through their possible influence
.uponthe iron trade. Again and again they
were sure that the active and upward move
mentwas begin atonce; the opening of a long
closed mill to execute a small order, even
longer interval than usual between the clos
ings Of mills, was enough to lift up their col
.lective hearts for awhile Then all would
,become faint hearted again when they real
Ned that they, like Hosea Biglow's chanti-
'cter, had been
Mistakin moonrise for the break o day.
But-suddenly, through causes that no one
had foreseen, or which all had discounted so
often that they had feared to consider them
again, iron began tGilook up; some small or
ders, Of long absent kind, began to creep
into the market prices improved little as
stock depleted, several mills made haste to
open, and prudent dealers, who had been
keeping down expenses for months and years,
II. Fell Nf hat hAx
expected to do in the line of private expendi
lures.
Good news flies fast; the upward tendency
of iron was soon talked of in New York's
thousands of down town offices, where to an
outside. observer, talk seems the principal in
,dustry. Men in other businesses that were
depressed began to consult iron men who had
,weathered the storms and endured the still
more destructive Gains of the long period of
depression. Bankers began to greet iron
men with more cordinlity than of late. An
.nouncements Of large orders for iron given
by certain railroads and accepted by certain
mills began to appear on the tapes OF the
thousands of stock indicators throughout the
city.
1t naturally followed that Mr. Marge, TO
whom the aforesaid ''tape" seemed the breath
of life. began to wonder whether in the Ian
,guage of Wall street, he had not ''privi-
ilege'' upon which he might "realize." If the
upward movement of iron was to continue
and become general, Tramlay would UNI
,doubtedly be among those who would benefit
byit. Would the result be immediate, or
would Tramlay first have;to go into liquida-
7&iou, after the manner of many merchants
who through IA long depression keep up an
appearance Of business which is destroyed by
fran
Marge had long before, for business purposes,
made some acquaintance in the bank with
which Tramlay did business, but he did not
dare to inquire too pointedly about his
friends balancs and discounts. Besides,
Marge had learned, through the published
schedules of liabilities of numerous insolvents,
that some business men have a way of bor-
rowing privately and largely from relatives
and friends.
He would risk nothing, at any rate, by O
gentle and graceful increase Of attention to
Lucia. He hattered himself that he was
quite competent to aroid direct proposal un-
til such time as might entirely suit him. AS
for Lucia, she was too fond of the pleasures
of the season just about to open to hold him
to account were he to offer her some of them.
The suggestion that his plans had merce-
nary aspect did not escape him, for even a
slave of the stock tape may have considera-
BILE conscience and self respect. Unexplained
to himself that he did not esteem Lucia solely
for her possible expectations; she was good,
pretty, vivacious, ornamental, quite intelli-
gent--for girl, and he had an honest ten
.derness for her as the daughter of a woman
he had really loved many years before, and
might have won had he not been too DELHI
crate But his income was not large enough
to support the establishment he would want
as a married man, so he would have to de-
pend to a certain extent upon his wife, or
upon her father.
1t was solely with this view, he explained
to himself, that he had made careful recon-
noissances in other directions; If some ladies
who would have been acceptable-Miss Agnes
Dinon. for ipstance-had not been able to
estimate him rightly as a matrimonial candi-
date, he was sure that they as well as he had
been losers through their lack of perception.
As matters now stood, Lucia was his only ap.
parent chance i'm the circle where he belonged
and preferred to remain. His purpose to adj
vance his suit was quickened, within very
few days, by the announcement on the tape
that q rolling mill in which he knew Tramlay
was largely interested had received a very
large order for railroad iron and would open
at once.
But indications that iron was looking I'D
were not restricted to the business portion of
the city. Tramlay, who, like many another
hard headed business man, lived solely for
his family. had delighted his wife aud daugh-
tiers by announcing that they might have
long run on the continent the next year. And
one morning at breakfast he exclaimed:
"Do any of you know where that young
Hayn Is stopping3 want him"
"Why, Edgar!" said Mrs Tramlay.
"What are you going to do to him, papa"
asked Margie, seeing that Lucia wanted to
know, but did not seem able to ask.
"Iwant another clerk, was the reply, "and
! believe Hayn is just my mnn. l can teach
him quickly all he needs to know, and want
some one who am sure hasn't speculation on
the brain, nor any other bad habits That
young Hayn commands respect-from me, at
any rate. used to find down in the country
that he, like his father, knew better than
what was going on in the world. I believe
he'll make a first rate business man; I'm will
ing to try him, Mt any rate"
Marge stole glance at Lucia; that young
lady was looking at chicken croquette as
intsntly as IL properly to manage such a
morsel with fork required alert watchful-