Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-05-06
A SPECULATION.

81 tell you. sir, will not give my
sanction unless BY the ist of next month
Won can show mo u balance at your
ianher's Of c5.OO0 or securities IN your
own nnme to that value"
"But. Mr.. Seymour where do you
think am to get 5000 from in less
tb,na month"; Nellie and | are both
younr and can afford to wait for better
lime lam confidential clerk TO one %
,be best firms Of s'ocsbroEcrs, and have
oyery reason TO believe shall one day
h.come partner. Ny salary from
iSm 10 raj6, aud my old uncle allows
me 800 o year and looks upon mo as his
heir. What moro can you WANT
eft Is Of no use prolonging the dis
cussion, MIR. Barley. IL Is for your own
,akes do this. when my daughter mar
iios shall .oitlo 10000 upon her, and
| think her husband ought TO have at
least 5000. IL, as | sud before, you
have that sum by the ist Of April uoSt,
will sanction yoar engagement II
not. ] shall use every means in my power
to bring about her marriage with Cap
tain Tredsgar. and In the meantime
shall sand'hcr OF TO my sister Ia Scot
land ont Of your way
with these words he touched the boil,
thus intimating that the interview was
pt an end.
Mr.. saymour was chief pcr,ner In tho
firm of Seymour. Giyclcas q, Co.. stock
br1kcra and was reported TO DO worth u
million, but there were city men who
whispered that he was IN rather u shaky
state just now owing 10 heavy spccula-
tons on his own account. aud that he
would probably be In want Of few
thousands before the next settling day.
when LEFT Mr.. Saym1ur's Office in
Victoria street ! wandered about Tor
two hourt. hardly knowing where | was
going. was unable 10 concentrate my
thoughts upon anything definite. All |
could think about was 5000. Every
thing around me seemed TO say the same
thing. Tic very sound Of tho wheels Of
tho Omnibnses and cabs seemed 20 aug
gcat, "ej, 900, or Nellie is lost" | felt
that must have the money II / commit
ted crime 10 obtain u.
AT last called a cab and drove 10 my
chambers. When / was seated In an
easy chair by the side Of u bright fire,
with my pipo in full swing. | tried 10
think the matter over calmly. Tho only
hope could think Of wps my Uncle
John, but e was like depending on n
broken reed, indeed. llo had always
cautioned mo against getting married at
all, and pointed 90 himself with pride IA
one who had had noAt 10 nothing 10 do
with women all his lifc but before l
went u bed Ind made up my mind to
run down TO Elthnm Oh the morrow and
rec him.
wrote n note 20 the Office saying that
! folt rather indisposcd that evening
(Which was quito trucl aud should prob
ably not 10 Ia tho city IN tho morning.
Next morning, after a restless night,
the chance of my uncle acceding TO my
request seemed emallcr tlan over, but
there was no other hope, and must face
him and mako the best OF IL, AZ break.
fast | took up the paper as was my
wont, and glanced down the money arti'
Gle. Suddenly nm idea flashed across my
mind. Being on the Stock exchange
knew that fortunes weru made and lost
every month; why shouldn't | try and
make $4,000 by Specializing In some
stock, The more | thought OF II the bet.
ter liked Il.
OF course I know II was risky;
couldn't do II In my own name without
II coming to tho knowledge OF my firm
and they wouldn't tolerate that sort OF
thing for moment, md whatever plaI
adopted knew II things didn't 20 as
wished | should be ruined. But III,
without Nellie wasn't worth living, and
must have her at any cost.
The first thing to decide was the best
stock in which 10 speculate. The mar
kcts were very quiot just now, with th'
exception Of the South African Mining
market, in which there had been lately
quite boom
Ono company in particular had causet
great sensation. This was tho Grca
Cumberland Diamond mines, whose tel
pound shares were quoted at tNcnty-tiv,
pounds. The company was supposed I,
have most valuable property In soutl
Africa. and although only started SD
months previously had already paid {
dividend Of 20 por cent, and the futurl
dividends were expected to ba as high q!
Cor G5 por cent. That they had pal,
the go per cont. dividend was quite true
IA had received that on the few share
held mysolfi but whether It was paiI
out Of tho profits or otherwise did no
know.
What | did know was that II amy nd
verse report OF tho mino came over IN,
price VI tho shares would ineNtabl!
drop quicker than IL had risen. | there
foro determined 90 coniino my opera
tions to Great Cumberland. OF cours
It would be sheer speculation, and Their
are people who say this Is no better thai
robbery, and although can't say quit
agree with them don't Ia any dcgre
uphold tho practice. Il N one Of tn
greatest evils Of the age, but In my cas
l felt tho end would iustify tho means
But how was 1, alone and unaidel, +
agect tho market
What | wanted was Fomo startling In
formation, damaging TO the prospotta o
the mine, 10 DO communicated TO tn
London financial papers, Any ono VIII
knows anything about Stock oxohang
business knows that In some stocks th
most trivial telegram win immediatel
cause a rise or fall OF several points.
had fixed upon the great Cnmborlan
company because knew thesharoi woI
N~!a principally by dealers and speeI