The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-11-16
A SPECULATION.

Il tell you, sir, | will not give nv
sanction unless by the 1st of next month
you can show me a balance at your
bankers of CO, 900 or securities in your
own name to that value"
But, Mr.. Seymour, where do you
think l am to get 1000 from in less
than a month? Nellie and | are both
young and can afford to wait for better
times. ] am confidential clerk TO one of
the best firms of stockholders, and have
every reason to believe / shall one day
become a partner. My salary from
them is f25O, and my old uncle allows
me e1O0 year and looks upon me as his
heir. What more can you want?'
1T is of no use prolonging the dis
cussion, Mr.. BARLEY. 1t is for your own
sakes do this. When my daughter mar
ries | shall settle 1000 upon her, and
| think her husband ought to have at
least $4,000. If, as 1 said before, you
have that sum by the 1st of April next,
i will sanction your engagement. If
not, l shall use every means in my power
to bring about her marriage with Cap
tain Tredegar, and in the meantime
shall send her off to my sister In Scot
land out of your way"
With these words he touched the bell,
thus intimating that the interview was
at an end.
Mr.. Seymour was chief partner in the
firm of Seymour, Giveless q Co., stock
brokers, and was reported to be worth
million, but there were city men who
whispered that he was in rather a sbakl q
state just row owing to heavy "rccula-
lions ON his own account, and that he
would probably be in want of few
thousands before the next settling day.
When l left Mr.. Saymour's Office in
Victoria street / wandered about for
two hours, hardly knowing where 1 was
going. l was unable to concentrate my
thoughts upon anything definite. All l
could think about was $4,000. Every
thing around me seemed to say the same
thing. The very sound of the wheels of
the omnibuses and cabs seemed to sug-
gest, ''e5 900, or Nellie is lost" | felt
that [ must have the money if l commit
ted crime to obtain it.
At last l called cab and drove to my
chambers. When l was seated in an
easy chair by the side of bright fire,
with my pipe in full swing, l tried to
think the matter over calmly. The only
hope | could think of was my Uncle
John, but it was like depending on a
broken reed, indeed. He had always
cautioned me against getting married at
all, and pointed to himself with pride as
one who had had next to nothing to dc
with women all his life; but before
went to bed ] had made up my mind tC
run down to Ethan on the morrow and
see him.
wrote q note to the Office saying that
l felt rather indisposed that evening
(which was quite true) and should prob
ably not be in the city IN the morning.
Next morning, after a restless night
the chance of my uncle acceding to my
request seemed smaller than ever, bu
there was no other hope, and must face
him and make the best of it. AT break
fast I took up the paper as was IN.
wont, and glanced down the money art1
Gle. Suddenly an idea flashed across m.
mind. Being on the Stock exchange
knew that fortunes were made and los
every month; why shouldn't l try ant
make $4,000 by specializing in som
stock? The more / thought of it the bet
teri liked it.
OF course l knew it was risky;
couldn't do it in my own name withou
II coming to the knowledge of my firm
and they wouldn't tolerate that sort
thing for n moment, and whatever pla
I adopted knew if things didn't go as
wished | should be ruined. But ht
without Nellie wasn't worth living, an
Unjust have her at any cost.
The first thing to decide was the bes
stock in which to speculate. The MAJ
kets were very quiet just now, with tn
exception of the South African Mimi
market, in which there had been latei
quite ''boom.'
One company IN particular had cause
n great sensation. This was the Gres
Cumberland Diamond mines, whose te
pound shares were quoted at twenty-tI
pounds The company was supposed
have a most valuable property in sout
Africa, and although only started 81
months previously had already paid;
dividend of 20 per cent, and the futu1
dividends were expected to be as high;
so OF 80 per cent? That they had pa
the 90 per cent. dividend was quite tru
as had received that on the few shar
I held myself; but whether it was pa
ont of the profits Or otherwise I did n
know.
What | did know was that If any a
verse report of the mine came oyer Il
price of the shares would inevitab
drop quicker than it had risen. l Their
fore determined to confne my Oper
tons to Great Cumberland. OF cour
it would be sheer speculation, and the
are people who say this is no better tn:
robbery, and although can't say qu
agree with them, l don't in any degr
uphold the practice. 1t is one of t
greatest evils of the age, butin my ca
felt the end would Justify the NEAR
But how was l, alone and unaided,
affect the market?
What I wanted was some startling i
formation, damaging to the prospects
+he mine, to be communicated to Il
London financial papers. Any one wi
knows anything about Stock exchans
business knows that in some stocks Il
most trivial telegram viii immediate
c5use a rise or fall of several points.
had fixed upon the great Cumberlal
company because 1 knew the shares we
held principally by dealers and spec
- o,1 not nv the Outside Dubli