Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-24
BILL.
The Story of a Successful Failure.
BY EDMUND DAY.
BY EDMUND DAY.

| he wanted a girl. You see, there were
two boys in the family already, noisy,
boisterous boys, as full of animal spirits
as boys can be, SO the arrival Of the lit
tie, kicking. red bundle of nerves was not
celebrated with as much eclat as that of
a girl would have been.
They called him William. Later he
was called VIII, and, by the different
eyolutions which boys name goes
| through. he soon became just plain Bill,
and as Bill he trotted on toward man
hood. through college and out into the
world, full fledged lawyer-William
| Howard Timberlakc to his clients 0hey
were very few, but plain Bill to his
friends (they were many.
William Howard Timberlake, being
duly admitted to, the bar, hung out a
large gilt sign and waited for clients.
Clients are a very mean lot of people to
catch.
Bill-we will call him Bill for the pur-
pose of brevity-Bill never even caught
| a client, so after awhile he was voted a
failure by his paternal parent and, in
fact, by all who knew him except one.
That one was Minnie Lowell. To Min
| nie's eyes Bill was Il success, and, con-
scious of this fact, Bill didn't care what
the rest thought. Bills brothers were
successes. The eldest worked up from a
bank teller to a president of a banking
| concern, and he helped the next eldest
brother to climb up to a very consequent
| tial position on Change. Bill, being a
| failure and not competent for any posi-
| ton inshis brothers eyes, was allowed
| to hustle for himself.
Suddenly Dame Fortune, just for Il
mere whim, knocked at Bills door. Bill
never even got up to open the said door,
so Fortune pushed it open and sat down
on Bills old sofa.
Dame Fortune has many DISCUSSES.
This time she assumed that of very
wrinkled and peculiar old man, a SAT-
from colored, dyspeptic looking individu-
al and a man who had evidently resided
in the tropics.
''Young man," said the old gentleman,
1--WE been watchin yer tryin ter git up
in the world fur some time, an I've come
ter the conclusion that yer need pushiR,
same as a boat does when she gifts stuck
ON the ways. Been ter see yer father
about yer and likewise yer brothers, an,
from what they say, yer can't be much
account" Bill allowed that he wasn't
and thanked the old gentleman for being
that much interested in him.
Then the old man unfolded plan. He
/ wanted the controlling interest in Il GER
tain railroad of which he was a stock
holder. The stock of this railroad, by
the way. is generally quoted at the top of
the list, and many people were interested
in keeping it there. The old man wanted
it to come to Il certain figure, and he fix
ed up plan which, with Bills help, he
meant to work in order to bring the stock
TO that point. where he could gather it all
in.
A few weeks later Bill confded to his
father that he thought he would try his
luck as a stock broker, and, despite the
paternal protest, Bill became a member
of the New York Stock Exchange, and
his sign as a lawyer disappeared. from
the Temple Court building. Then Bill,
who was unknown, of course, to the boys
ON Change (boys is title given to hoary
headed spectators on the floor of that
mart, began to sell certain stock-sold
it to all who were willing to take it-and
the stock market wavered, huctuated
and closed very weak. This was nearly
six months after Bill had come on
Change.
Wild rumors of every kind, circulated
by the bears, soon made the market an
extremely uncertain one, and. point by
point. it dropped until people who were
short scrambled for cover. Bills father
and his two brothers came TO him one
night and asked him what on earth he
was doing and for whom he was doing il,
but they did not find out, and they were
very angry. for they all had some inter
est in the market, and Bills actions were ;
not in accord with that interest
Presently panic came along, and ev-
erything dropped-dropped like bucket
into n well, with splash and a rattle OF
the chain.
The elder brothers bank was affected
and stopped payment. The next brother
was caught ''long" on a certain railroad
stock and was compelled to unload at
ruinous prices. Bill gathered in all he !
wanted of that stock-bought it out
tight-and when things cleared up again
Bills client OWNED the controlling inter
est in the big railroad, and Bill was
millionaire. The rest of the family were :
'busted"-completely "busted." /
Then it was that they realized Bill !
was worth something. after all.
The little old man grinned until the ,
wrinkles were almost all stretched out |
of his yellow skin. Then he settled up
with his banker and went away.
Minnie Lowell changed her name to
Mrs. William Howard Timberlake, and
the City of Paris carried the newly |
mated couple to Europe.
A year later they returned.
Bills family was glad to see him |
very glad-aud he helped patch up its /
broken fortunes and gave if new
start. One night Bill gave a reception.
and an unlimited guest arrived in the
shape Of the little old man who had dis
appeared from sight just after the big |
transaction which had given him the /
railroad and made Bill a millionaire.
Minnie introduced him as her uncle. |
and then the whole story came out.
Minnie. realizing that Bill would never
ask her 10 AIRY him until he was rich ,
enough TO take care of her properly, just
wrote letter 10 her dear old uncle, who !
was in India at the time hunting up lit
tie idols to add TO his collection of curios.
The uncle responded. He was trustee !
for Minne's furtune-quite a Considera !
Bile fortune il was. too-and as he was
rot,I "A p,illinunir,s in Rradstrast's and