The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-04-03
"FEATHERs COMMON"


edge OF the conditions generally made
W their minds 70 buy. and when he de-
| clared himself a bear the 'Jrailers" could
not sell out fast enough.
| But with all his sharpness the "Old
Man went drong on the market once in
| a while, and IL happened through some
/ slip in his information or his judgment
! that he found himself loaded Up with
/ Feathers common" after the market. for
II had fiattened out and there was no good
| chance to sell. The stock had looked 70
him like a winner. but the fellows who
! had been booming it managed 10 get i
1 up 70 a good figure and get out. leaving
/ the odd Man high and dry with q big
! block of the shares.
He was little piqued over being done
{ by a parcel of infants hut he felt con-
( fident that something would turn up 10
/ enable him 10 unload at a profit.
! The opportunity came sooner than he
| expected. The very evening after he
/ found himself Tong several thousand
more shares Of Feathers common than
he cared 10 have anyone know he owned.
/ he went with his wife to a social function
/ at the house Of one of the leaders Of
society, well prepared 10 be bored for
/ three or four mortal hours.
| He found himself planted IL the dining
room, next 10 a gushing old dame.
! "Oh, Mr.. Ambrose she began, Il wish
you would tell me a stock to buy. so 1
can make some money"
Il wish 1 could, Mrs. Darlington" he
| replied, trying TO look amiable, but /
don't know a stock that would make YOU
any money
But everyone says you know just what
| stocks are going up and what ones are
going down" persisted Mrs. Darlington,
and I don't see why you can't help NE
to make some money. You could do it so
easily"
4 should Ike 10. certainly responded
! the odd Man" with a sigh. Nothing
would give me greater pleasure, but
III tell you a stock 10 buy" he re-
sumed in confidential undeTrone. but
I must request you not TO say a word
about it to a living soul"
"Oh, thank you so much" exclaimed
Mrs. Darlington, enthusiastically It's
awfully good of YOU.
Don't mention it," was the "Old
Mans" gentle protest. Il esteem it a
pleasure, assure you. Of course, I can't
guarantee, you understand, that you viii
make money, but if you viii buy hun
dred shares OF Feathers common l will
see that you don't lose anything. But
remember, Mrs. Darlington, not word
to anybody about it. Nuns the word
That's better than getting a good thing
into the newspa pers, he muttered 70 him
more people will know about It."
Feathers common was very active on
the Stock Exchange the next morning,
with better demand than there had
been for some time. Early in the morn
ing the street" had tip that it was due
for rise. and it was astonishing how
general this impression seemed 10 be.
II hear good things about Feathers
common some OF the brokers were say
ing to groups OF customers who stood
around the different offices watching the
quotations chalked up on the black
boards. Il happen TO know that big
people are buying it. and that the price is
going q good deal higher.
Everybody was talking about it, and
everybody seemed to want TO get In. The
session of the stock exchange was not
half an hour old before all the princi-
pal brokers' offices received messaS yes
from the floor that Feathers common
acts very well. Big demand. Looks
like Ambrose buying" Everywhere about
the street the tip was flying and Of
course it came to "Old Man" Ambrose.
along with the rest of the gossip about
the market.
Mrs. Darlington has certainly done
her work very WE'LL, he unused as he
read bulletin from the stock exchange.
so ii looks like Ambrose buying, does
it? Well, that's strange"
But it was not exactly strange. for
while the 'Old Man" had his regular bro
kers buying the stock In hundred-share
lots and making a lot of noise about il.
he had others quietly selling the stock
iE blocks Of 500 shares. or as much as
anybody would take. This was all done
very skillfully, of course, and By noon
the price was up 81 or s. share. Then
the demand seemed to have been salts
fled and the price began to sag.
How do we stand on Feathers COM
mon?' asked the odd Man OF his chief
assistant at ! o'clock.
we are still long about 5000 shares"
was the reply
what does Il stand US in?"
Averages about $40 share"
What's the stuff selling for now?"
Around As"
We'll, let EN- have what we have got
left this afternoon ordered the "Old
Man" Il don't like the Feather company
very well any more. I'm afraid it might
blow away"
And then he went 10 -iunch The order
to 'let EN- have what we have got left
was executed down 10 the last share of
stock. It had to be done in a hurry. and
it had very bad effect on the price
Ambrose has turned seller of Feathers
common was the message that went
from the stock exchange 70 the different
offices soon after the "Old Man had
started out for his midday meal and cigar
az a quiet club. Others began 10 sell at
once, and the result was a small-sized
panic around the post" where Feathers
stock was traded. The price dropped with
"A rush. At the close OF the market Il
had lost all II had gained and was AL
couple Of points below where IL had start
ed IN the morning. When the "Old Man
got back from his lunch the trouble wa
over, and his brokers had made their re-
ports.
Did you get rid Of that Feathers com
mon2 he asked as he walked into the
room where his assistant was going over
the reports OF the days trading.
Yes, sir. Got It all off' was the re-
ply.
What do YOU figure cut or the deaI?"
demanded the odd Man"
Altogether We had lsnro shares OF the
stock At an average OF 29iz. We sold Il
0ut at an average Of 40. That figures
S561so. less the brokerage"
The old Man" passed on 70 his pri-
Vate Office very well pleased with him-
self and was about 70 begin the peru
sal Of an afternoon paper account Of the
rise and fan in Feathers. when the office
bog poked his head II the door and an
nouDced,
Lady to see you. sir-Mrs. Babbing-
ten
show her in." commanded the "Cld
Man" with grin Of satisfaction.
Mrs Baabington entered lp a state %
excitement and apparent wrath.
y thought voa told me Feathers COM
mon Vas going uD. M- Ambrose. she
began dropping into cfaif-
Fl did, was the seutcltlnus replE.
'B1t you said II ] bought i.u shares
vou would - that / made so7,e money
vans ~-lIf4sr --rls
Intercepted fhe ~1Hd Man s4i1 taat
il sou bought 30 shares ! wou.d gear
arteo THAR sou would rct lose ary