The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-07-03
A FURRY
IN WHEAT
By HENRY MUNSING.
tCopyright. 1908. by Daily Story Pub. COZ

ATHEN pretty Dorothy strang in
Wv duced her father to take her
to the metropolis she had no idea of
making great sensation in the busi-
ness world. Indeed, she had no idea
of making a sensation of any kind,
her main thought being to see all the
wonderful. sights of the great city,
go to as many theaters and operas
as she could induce papa" to take
her to, do as much shopping as he
would pay for and return home with
some new hats and gowns that
would paralyze the feminine portion
of the town with envy and the mas
culine with admiration.
If anybody had suggested that this
petite and vivacious damsel of Is
would break the most scientifically
conceived wheat corner ever planned
on the board, send the oldest and
wisest of the bulls and bears scurry-
ing for cover and make and unmake
scores of fortunes, the suggestion
would have been received with deri-
sion-and by nobody more skepti-
cally than the little lady herself.
But this is just what happened and
it happened despite the fact that
Miss Dorothy had no more idea re-
garding the wheat, market or what
transpired on the board of trade
than her pet canary and could no
more have grasped the idea signi-
icance of puts and calls than she
could have translated ancient Arabic.
Jerome Strang was a successful
merchant and shrewd business
man. With all his hard-headed busi-
ness sense he dearly loved specula
ton, and it was whispered among his
business associates that he frequent
ly took flyer in grains or stocks
generally won.
On the occasion of his visit to the
metropolis when Dorothy broke the
wheat corner, truth to tell he made
the trip almost solely for the pur-
pose of participating in that same
corner, although he gave it out most
solemnly in his family and to his
business associates that he was max
ing the trip to buy goods.
On the second day after their ar
rival he announced that a business
associate to whom he had mentioned
the fact that his daughter was with
him, had invited them to attend the
theater with him.
"Oh, how horrid," pouted Dorothy,
disturbed by visions of thin-lipped
old gentlemen with gray side-whis-
kers who talk perenially of busi-
ness conditions, the tariff and the
money market, or of fat-faced, bald
headed statesmen with huge mustaches
and much jewelry, who would tell
funny stories and patronize her.
''I think you will like him." replied
her father. Hes young and hand
some and very well-informed and
entertaining gentleman. AT any rate
it is exceedingly courteous in him to
invite US and we must show him that
we appreciate it."
Now. if Herbert Hollister had not
put himself out, much against his
inclination, to do courteous act to
a customer who had become a pow
erful factor in the great wheat deal
uc was oiu WIZ pa
ised to be a most valuable ally in the
future deals, he never would have
met Miss Dorothy, his wheat deal
would not have been smashed to
smithereens-and several other
things would not have happened
which did happen.
Hollister was one of the coming
men on the board. Indeed he had
already "come" and although we'll in
side the thirties had engineered some
very clever deals of a minor sort in
which he had trimmed up the oldest
and wisest of the traders and had
besides been a considerable factor in
some of the big deals of the past
few years. His quick eye, ready
judgment and lightning execution
had won the respect and admiration
of the street." and it was freely
predicted that he would become
multi-millionaire. Already he had ac-
uuired a very substantial fortune.
With great affairs in his head it is
small wonder that he groaned in
wardly at the prospect of an entire
evening with a provincial maiden,
probably of doubtful beauty and
charms and equipped beyond doubt
to converse only upon the most COM
monplace affairs. An evening alone
with the father would have promised