St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-09-15
cRAzED ~ HIS LUCK.
4 Drop h Seocks That Msdo Slxty-Throa
1ho1aooa DollaRs aDA . Lunatic.
II wa3 n hrDker'a office

-
Tho1aood Dollars aaA . Lunatic.
It was brokers' Office.
The droning announcements Of the
young man with the chalk; interval.
filled with conversation that soon -
sumed anything but . business charac
ter. Would you believe it? The broke,
and his customers were involved in Z
labyrinthian argument relative to the
nature of the deity, and this was sue
ceeded by abstruse speculations ON thu
probable consequence of an irresistible
force coming in contact with an i'm
movable mass
It's . fascinating tOpic-at least we
found it so-and cheerfully recon-
mend it for trial when conversation flags
around the cracker box in the corner
grocery or when you can't get fourth
hand for whist in the club. The dis.
cussion was switched back to the mar
ket by an occurrence that partook Of
the tragic, m episode that left a ghast
ly impression ON me. if not on all.
The door opened, and in walked q
man who was laughing and fairly
glowing with merriment. His laugh
ter was infectious, but l was the only
man who smiled. The others turned
unessily in their chairs, and stared out
of the windows and began to read the
newspapers.
Good morning, ha! ha. Charley, ha
he!" giggled the newcomer; chow. huh
huh! huh! how's Z. p, ha! ha! thil
morning? ha! ha!'' and he went on in Z
mild paroxysm of cachinnation.
Hes struck it lucky" thought
and, rs I remarked before, could moi
help smiling and feeling glad with
him. Not so the broker. With trou
bled look he took the joyous man BY
the hand, spoke to him in . low tone
and led him out, the latter continuing
TO bubble and sputter like an over
wrought tea-kettle. Presently thu
broker re-entered, shook his head, anl
sighed.
THAT poor chap gives me the shiv
ers, ;" he said; II wish he would keel
out of here" Then he went ON to ex
plain to me what was familia,
to all his regular visitors .'Tha,
man" :" he said, was . speculator. HI
had never made much in any deal and
was generally ON the losing side. A
few years ago he came in just before
the opening and put up one thousand
dollars, all he had, to sell u. p. II
stood st one twenty-four. He left the
room with . kind of desperate air
saying if U. p. rose point and wiped
him out he should never speculate
again, for the thousand was the last he
had. Well, sir, on that day U. p. wen,
down in the most sensational way Oh
record; not an eighth at q time. or by
jumps of . point, but by ten points Al
lick, and when it stopped it was dowz
to sixty. Every point meant one thou
sand dollars for that man.
Toward the close of business he cam<
in. He hadn't been watching the mar
ket during the day, and he couldn't nm
derstand it when he looked 1t the
board. We had to get around and ex
plain things to him rs II he were Z
child. When l finally gave him = checl
.foG sixty-three thousand dollars he be
!g3n to laugh. He laughed when he de.
'fUsitcd the check 1T his hank, and h<
'HaAnst stopped laughing yet"
It was comforting to know that THU
Rneortunate, turned crazy by good luck
.aetted enough by his prosperous ven
ture to keep him and his family in good
circumstances during his life.-Chicagc
Pines.