The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-20
MISCELLANY.


the Stock Exchange talked about max. |
ing money. The experience of one is
worth repeating.
1.-THE people OF this EARTH" he said,
"are still divided in their opinions |
about what constitutes legitimate bust
ness or trade. You hear q good deal
of man earning his bread by the
sweat of his brow. And when some
body repeats that rundown saw you
think, unless you have knocked about
everywhere, in all kinds of weather, OF
saving wood, or harvesting, or log
rolling in lumber camp, although log
rolling in q political convention or in
the lobby Of Legislature will bring
out the beads on the man who follows
either.
"There Is nothing that will keep a
man awake at night like scheming.
Maybe you think that scheming is not
legitimate work. l had scheme
which was legitimate, and the bottom
fell out of it just as thought the pro-
iect rooted in. l was on the road to
be the Joe Letter of the time, when
Joe was on top, mean. was at the
head of big transportation business.
l had contracts with some of the big
gest shippers in the country. One Of
these was a man to whom confidence
man would offer gold brick hands
down, but Lord, what mistake.
When anybody undertook to play that
old man for an easy mark he was throw
ing away time. He lived in Arkansas
when l knew him. / shipped many
cars of cattle for him, sold for him, and
never had penny's difference with
him in the settlement.
zone evening he walked into my Of
flee unannounced. had not supposed
he ever went 500 miles from home.
But he came in nearly 1000 miles from
home, and was as cool as fan. l re-
member well the conversation, for he
was the last man in the world l would
suspect of scheming. He was whit
Ting. never saw him when he
wasn't.
"'What's wheat worth?' he asked,
as deliberately as he would ask the
time of day.
"'What grader 1 asked.
"'No. red on Inspection
81 looked over the reports, for | was
not in the wheat pit then, and found
that the grade of which he inquired
was worth eighty cents.
"'Going up any?'
"Of course l did not venture to pre-
dict until after inquiry. He asked me
to find out the probabilities and let
him know on mentioned date at a
third-rate downtown hotel. l reckon
it cost him $3.50 day to stay there,
everything included. The day L called
he was eating dinner that 1 would
not have offered to yellow dog. !
gave him the result of my investiga.
ton, if there is any such thing as q
man investigating the price of wheat
three or four months ahead. Some
men claim to have that down fine, but
never did.
"He questioned me as if he had been
a LAWYER. The result of that meeting
was date to meet him in his house in
Arkansas within three weeks. was
met at the station by his boy, who had
picked me out by his fathers descrip
ton, and he drove me to the farm
house, fifteen miles distant. 1t was
late in the night when 1 arrived. He
led me into the spare room, lighted 6
candle, and made it fast in the old way
in it's tallow.
"Do you know No. red when yor
see it?" he asked, renewing the con
versation we had in New York alb
ruptly.
III acknowledged that / was not al
expert, but that I had acted as inspec
tor. Then he opened a small bag o.
the cereal and asked me what though
of it. 1 did not pass judgment on i
until daylight, when told him it wal
No. 2 red.
"'Bet your salvation in heaven it is?
he asked. That was favorite bluff
with him. 1 said 1 would. He whit
tied for few minutes, and then said:
"'Well, you wouldn't get in. Tain
No. 2 red. It's nightly like it, though
Know them chaps in Chicago"
"sI did know several of them
The trick 10 to get it past 'em. &c
it inspected as No. 2 red and you're
worte $50, 900 more than you are now
What will you haul it to Chicago for?
"'How much is there?' asked.
"'As much as you want to carry
I've got the option on that grade o
wheat in three states, maybe four
I've been buying hogs and cattle as {
| DllQu. we Chu ull tuo oiCNneOio Al
Chicago with this grade before they
ever know the difference, if they eve
do, which 1 doubt.
"The scheme required good dea
of work. Much depended upon my get
ting cars at certain time and on my
making certain rate. To make $3.50,
900, that was what the old man want
ed, gross, within q specified time, ant
get that wheat inspected, required thu
splitting of many hairs. He took m,
into his confidence very fully, as h'
had to do. We visited some of the biz
wheat belts in the states he had named
and was convinced that the old mar
knew No. 2 red better than did. HI
was law and gospel to the farmers.
81 left him to do my part of thu
scheming. 1 never worked as l did II
arranging for rates. Grain shipper
will understand how grain of a certain
grade goes in certain cars and tina
much depends on the car when i
comes to inspecting the grain. That's
what l have been told. To procure
the number of cars necessary and the
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