The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-01

Il d
| tried to sell your bonds. But as you
| are not going to do so you need not
worry. Don't be concerned about the
matter. beg you. Never mind If the
| price goes off a point or two. You are
amply protected. Even if there should
be panic I'll see that you are not sold
out, no matter how low the price goes.
| You are not to worry about it, in fact.
you are not to think about it at all.
"Oh, thanks, ever so much Mr.. Col
we'll. l didn sleep a wink last night.
| But ] knew"
A clerk came in with some stock GER
| tificates and stopped short He wanted
| Mr.. Colwell's signature in hurry, and
at the same time dared not interrupt.
Mrs. Hunt thereupon rose and said:
well, won't take up any more of your
| time Good morning, Mr.. Colwel. Thanks
| ever so much"
| Don't mention it, Mrs. Hunt. Good
| morning.
| Little by little the bonds continued to
decline The syndicate in charge was
not ready to move them. But Mrs.
| Hunts unnamed friend-her Cousin
| Emilv's husband-did not know all the
| narticulars of that deal. He knew the
| street in the abstract, and had accord
lv IMPLANTED the seed of insomnia in her
| making soul. Then, as he saw values
| decline he did his best to make the
| seed grow, fertilizing a naturally rich
| soil with ominous hints and head shak-
ings and with phrases that made her
| firmly believe he was gradually and con-
( siderately preparing her for the worst.
| On the third day of her agony Mrs.
| Hunt walked into Colwells office. Her
face was pale and she looked distressed.
| Mr. Colwen sighed involuntafily-a
| scarcely perceptible and not very impo-
lite sigh-and said Good morning,
| Mrs Hunt
She nodded gravely and, with little
gasn, said TREMENDOUSLY: 1.-The bonds!
IT, in all the papers. l thought the
Herald might be mistaken, so / bought
the Tribune and the Times and the Sun.
But no. 1t was the same in all. 1t was" "
she added, tragcally, 1881"
"Yes?" he said, smilngly.
He aroused her suspicious. BY him. of
all men, should her insomnia be deemed
no laughing matter.
Doesn't that mean a loss of $3,OOO?'
There was -it-if-you-d infiec-
| ton in her voice.
|
sell your bonds at SO, but at 40, or
whereabouts"
| But if l did want to sell the bonds
now, wouldn't 1 loose $4,000" she
queried challengingly "Of course, l
| would Mr. Colwell. Even l can tell that p"
"You certainly would, Mrs. Hunt;
81 knew I was right" with irrepressi-
BILE triumph
But you are not going to sell the
| bonds"
"Of course, I don't want to, because l
can't afford to lose any money, much less
| So 000 But / don't see how l can help
losing it. l was warned from the first, "
she said as if that made it worse. Il
certainly had no business to risk my all"
Mr.. Colwen was moved.
You can have your money back, Mrs.
Hunt, if you wish it, he told her, quite
unprofessionally. You seem to worry
about It SO much"
ooh, I am not worrying exactly only
do wish 1 hadn't bought mean the
money was so safe in the Trolleyman's
Trust Company. But, of course, if you
want me to leave it here" she said, very
slowly to give him every opportunity to
| contradict her, "of course, I'll do just as
you say
"My dear Mrs. Hunt" Colwell said
very politely, my ony desire is to
| please you and to help you. When you
! buy bonds you must prepare to be pa
ticnt 1t may take months before you
will be able to sell yours at profit, and
| l don't know how low the price will go
in the meantime. Nobody can tell you
that because nobody knows But it need
make no difference to you whether the
bonds go to 80 or even to SIS, which is
unlikely"
why, how can you say So Mr.. Col
we'll? If the bonds go to 80 I'll lose So,
ON0-my friend said it was 81 900 for every
number down, And at IS that would
be-" And she gazed at him, awstrick-
it would make no differenceL MIR Col
well?"
Mr.. ColwelI fiercely hated the I'M
named friend, who had told her so lit
tie and yet so much. But he said to
| her, mildly: 81 thought that L had eX-
planned all that to you. 1t might hurt
weak speculator, but it won't affect you
| in the slightest, since, having an ample
' margin, you would not be forced to SELL
| You would simply hold on until the
price rose again. Let me illustrate. Sup
posing your house cost $4,000 and -"
Harry paid $4,000 she said, correct
| ingly On second thought she Smiled, in
order to let him see that she knew her
! Interpolation was irrelevant.
VERY We'll" he said, good humoredly,
| wen say $4,000, which was also the
price of every other house in that block
! And suppose that for any reason what
ever nobody could be found to pay more
! than $25, 900 for one of the houses, and
three or four of your neighbors sold
| theirs at that price. But you wouldn't,
because you knew that in the fall when
everybody came back to town, you would
find plenty of people who'd give you $780,
900 for your house; you wouldn't sell it
| for $25, 900, and you wouldn't worry
Would you, now?" he finished cheer
fully.
mo" she said slowly. 81 wouldn't
worry. But" hesitatingly, II wish l had
the money instead of the bonds
haven't slept a wink for three night
! thinking about this"