News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-06-23

He had always cautioned me against
getting married, and pointed to him.
self with pride as one who had next
to nothing to do with women all his
life; but before | went to bed | had
made up my mind to run down to
Ethan on the morrow and see him.
wrote a note to the office saying
t | felt rather indispOsed that evening
(Which was quite true) and should
probably not be in the city in the
morning.
Next morning after restless night,
the chance of my uncle acceding to
my request seemed smaller than ever,
but there was no other hope, and 1
must face him and make the best of
it. At breakfast took up the paper
as was my wont, and glanced down
the money articles. Suddenly an
idea flashed across my mind Being
on the stock exchange | knew that
fortunes were made and lost every
month; why shouldn't l try and
make So, 900 by specializing in some
stock? The more l thought of il the
better | liked it.
OF course | knew it was risky; |
could not do it in my own name with
out it coming to the knowledge of
my firm, and they wouldn't tolerate
that sort of thing for moment, and
whatever plan | adopted l knew if
things didn't go as Iwished, | should
be ruined. But life without Nellie
wasn't worth living, and | must have
her at any COST
The first thing to decide was the
best stock in which to speculate.
The markets were quietiust now, with
the exception of the South African
mining market, in which there had
been lately quite boom.
One company in particular had
caused a great sensation. This was
the Great Cumberland Diamond
mines, whose ten-pound shares were
quoted at twenty-five pounds. The
company was supposed to have a
most valuable property in South Af-
rlca, and although only started six |
months previouly had paid dividend |
OF 20 per cent, and the future divi-
dends were expected to be as high as
30 or 40 per cent. That they had
paid the 20 per cent. dividend was
quite true, as l had received that on
the few shares l held myself; but
whether it was paid out of the profits
or otherwise | did not know.
What L did know was that if any
adverse reports of the mines came
over, the price of the shares would
drop quicker than it had
risen. [ therefore determined to con-
fine my operations to the Great Cum
berland. OF course it would be sheer
speculation, and there are people
who say that it is no better than
robbery, and although [ can't say |
quite agree with them, don't in any
degree uphold the practice. 1t is one
of the greatest evils of the age, but |
in my case l felt the end would justi-
fy the means. But how was l, alone |
and unaided, to affect the market.
What | wanted was some startling |
information, damaging to the pros |
poets of the mine, to be cOmmunicat-
ed to the London financial papers.
ANY one who knows anything about |
the stock exchange business knows
that in some stocks the most trivial
telegram will Immediately cause a
rise or fall of several points. [ had
fixed upon the Great Cumberland
company because | knew that their
shares were held principally by deal
ers and spectators and not by out
side public. My conscience thus was
easier.
After breakfast | settled to go off
at once to Ethan and see my uncle,
and if, as | expected, he would not
give me the money, would write to
my friend, George Wymark, OF Cape
Town, tell him how | was situated
and ask for his help. | knew that
George would do anything in his
power to help me. We had been
school-fellows together and always
firm friends, and a year previously
he had gone to South Africa, partly
on account of his health and partly
to make his fortune-ifhe could. We
had no secrets and had sworn ohelp
each other whenever the help was
asked for, even at our own personal
inconvenience and loss.
Iwent down to my uncle's place,
put the whole matter before him and
asked him to lend me the So, 900. As
/ expected, he was very angry at first
and tried to persuade me to let the
whole affair drop. He said if l did
not get the money Mr.. Seymour
would withhold his consent. This
wouldn't be my fault, and | could
thus withdraw honorably. OF course,
l scornfully rejected such advice.
"Well Harold" he said, 81 am
very much grieved to think that al
ter all my advice you have made a
fool of yourself at twenty-siX years
of age. But it shall make no differ
ence in the future, my boy. l shall
leave you all my money. But at |
present, even if l would, l couldn't |
realize So 900 without loss, as all my |
capital is locked up in various specu-
lative undertakings, and L must say |
| that for your own sake L am glad |
that you can't get the money"
thanked him for his kindness and
went back to town.
That evening / wrote a long letter
to George Whymark and told him
everything and asked him for his
help. | told him | wanted a telegram
dispatched to some leading paper in
London, saying that things were de-
cidedly wrong with the Great Cum
berland Diamond mines, or some
thing to that effect. This seemed
very simple, but | didn't disguise from
George that it wasn't altogether in
accordance with the law, although l
believe things like it are done very
often in the world of speculation. L
told George that l left the matter in
his hands, but asked him for the sake
of our great friendship to help me if
he conscientiously could.
1t would take three weeks for the
letter to reach George. 1t was now
the 2nd OF the month, and the last
settling. day was on the 30th. so if
George did as | asked him as soon as
he got my letter it would leave about
five days for the operations, | lived
in a state of feverish excitement for
the next fortnight or SO. | knew that
if George was unable to help me, or if
the market did not go as | wished,
should be ruined for life, and have to
relinuuish all hope for Nellie. had
not seen her since the interview with
her father, but received a note from
her three days after, saying she was
that day starting for Scotland and
would be away about six weeks. She
told me to cheer up as she knew all
would come out right in the end. L
wished could have felt as sanguine.
On the morning of the 18th the
senior partner of my firm came to me