The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-03
A Lesson In Vacations.


when I take vacation nowadays I
take it," remarked a prominent New
Yorker. as he refectively let the tape
run through his fingers and into the ticker
basket. says the New York Tribune. ~
don't read the newspapers, hold my
self completely aloof from the world and
take particular care to know nothing
about what is going on. I keep out Of
the reach of the telegraph, too, and let
no demands of a business sort call me
back to the city before the time 1 set
when I went away. Coming back once.
right in the middle of my planned vaca-
ton. cost me nearly 100000.
This is the story of 1t. An old chum
and myself had mapped out a ten days
fishing trip up north, and made up our
minds to leave civilization completely be-
hind. As we sailed up the Hudson on the
night boat felt peculiarly contented, for
| had picked up a little bargain on the
street that afternoon-a block of stock
that cost me 49, and that 1 was certain
would advance sufficiently to give me
on my return a profit of $500, or even a
triile more. The stock was already at
rock bottom, and felt no anxiety about
it.
I'VE found an excellent place to put
up-a little inn far in the backwoods
where the cooking was capital and with
in easy walking distance of the best fish
ing in the district. The fish bit splendidiy
and for three days all went well. Then
my friend had a touch of some aiiment
or other, and nothing would do but he
must go into the county town. dozen
miles away, and get some medicine Rath-
er than be left alone, volunteered to
accompany him. After the solitude of
the woods the life of the town was pleas
ant, and when we had bought the medi-
cine and paid for it we decided to take a
look into some of the other shops. We
argued that we needed some writing pa
per- anyway
1T was late in the afternoon when we
strolled into the one stationery and book
store the town possessed. By some evil
luck there lay displayed on the counter
a pile of New York newspapers. We had
forsworn the world, but the temptation
was too strong for me. l picked up one of
them. 1t was that days paper, and
through force of habit 1 turned to the
Wall street page at once. BY all the gods,
what was it 1 saw there! The stock had
bought had closed the following afternoon
10 points above my purchasing price, Civ
ing me a clean profit of over 5000. The
market was excited, the paper said; ev-
erybody had been jumping for it, and
there were indications that the top had
Deen reached ana that heaVy reaction
would set in within a day or so.
Il never thought of telegraphing; it
seemed to me that the only thing to do
was to get to New York and pocket my
profit at once l turned to my friend.
Bob l said, I've got to take the even
ing train down. l can't go back to the
inn with you. And l showed him the pa
per. His eyes grey as big as saucers, and
he answered back that rather than stay
by himself he would travel to the city
with me. So we sent a boy back with the
wagon, hastily scribbling q note to the
landlord 10 send on our straps, and that
we would remit him the amount of his bill.
'At the hour of the opening of the stock
exchange the next morning 1 found the
it had been. eNvertheless l readily sold
at so even, and pocketed very close to 50, 900.
Neither of us-my friend or mysef-had
the slightest fishing interest left and we
called off the rest of the trip.
Fortunate to come out with such a
handsome profit, you say? Not at all, but
unfortunate! The very next days those
shares commenced rising. The combine
that was manipulating them got their
full grip, and the stock never broke until
six days later 1t touched something like
273. 1t went up by leaps and bounds,
reaching it's highest point on the very day
l was to come home. If had never looked
at newspaper while was away l should
have been very nearly 100000 to the good
clean cash profits"