The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-04-20

of them openly declare they
do it in the hope of lettering
their fortunes Others who
seem to be independently
wealthy say they do it to give excite
ment to life that has lost its zest, and
| they do not care-not they-whether
they win or lose. 1t is to be observed,
however, that those danes who gamble
in stocks for the fun of the thing are
about the glummest of all when they
lose in ten minutes several thousand
dollars.
Not far from the social center of
certain great city a man known as one
! of the most influential and reliable
bankers and brokers in the States has
an Office, said to be opened originally
for the accommodation of lady GUS
toners. But the other half was also
admitted to its privileges. and now. as
usual where the sexes are associated in
any enterprise, men mostly monopolize
the proceedings. Still there drop in
and out quietly and whisper their orders
to buy or sell enough women to give the
shop an air feminine. The clerk who
telegraphs orders from this up town
place to the main Office is also woman
"a young woman with the nose of a
Napoleon of finance The influential
banker and broker from his headquar-
tiers inside the aura of the great cen
trail Stock Exchange sometimes tele-
phones to his lady customers his opin-
ion on the prospects of given stocks.
which the business manager announces
to the ladies like this:
Mr.. Marginstock thinks Crossbones
common will drop" Then the ladies
nudge one another and whisper audi
bly,:
ssT0o,,s4 11o,, 1,a17ax,o q rr,or7 Of ~ Mr.
Marginstock's always wrong in his
guesses."
Not knowing. you would imagine
these women stock spectators to be of
those who smoke cigarettes and wear
powder and peroxide hair and are up to
more mistaken. Many of them are
middle aged or elderly women dressed
in black. of staid appearance and man
ners-like those at a woman's club bust
ness meeting when the members are not
on dress parade or like officers of a Ia
dies missionary society. Fully half Of
them wear mourning expressing various
grades of grief. One handsome specu-
lator of so is draped in a pail of black
A lady whispers to q friend:
THAT woman has lost her husband
and all her children. She says she does
not care for anything any more. She
has loads of money and comes here to
ing"
She's lucky to have loads of mon
ey." replied the friend. s'She ought to
be thankful enough for that to keep
her from f-etting- She would be If
she'd ever had to work for her living
mild eyed. refined looking, grand
motherly woman of 20 quietly watches
the readings clicked off by the ticker.
THAT one,'' whispers the lady who
knows, has lost s21. 900 in stocks, and
she's trying to get it back again.
Great ghostiei Think of having
$21, 900 to Iosel'' exclaimed the one whis-
pered to-
A very pretty woman with gray hair
and eyes that now and then blaze with an
electric blue steps close to the girl teleg-
rapher with the nose of a Napoleon of
finance and gives an order.
That one continues the whisperer,
ssfs very reticent She sits looking down
with her hand over her eyes, as though
she were drawing on some inner source
Of knowledge. Then presently she goes
and buys or sells. and she is generally
successful.
The woman of mystery had the air of
position was or had been first class,
was trying on the quiet to put herself
in funds through speculation in stocks
A newcomer tall, in deep mourning, en-
tered. THAT one is very wealthy con-
tinued the whisperer- She came in last
fall with a young brother, one of the
smart Alec kind who thought he knew it
all. You buy on a Margin he told her.
She said. I don't know what margins