Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-07-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
Over the Ticker.
IOriginal1

nothing. A long time l wOrshiped her.
Then when the great Wall street boom
came on l invested 4 few thousand
dollars and gained a fortune. / was
worth 100000 This result was not
fully attained till the summer of 1902.
Hearing that Marguerite was at the
seashore, / went there. l pretended 10
be much surprised to meet her, bat
this was all assumed. l had gone
there to WOO and win her if l could.
l didn't have much trouble inducing
her to accept my attentions-indeed,
she would decline to make engage
ments with very rich men TO be with
me, though she knew nothing about
my circumstances. September came
on. and many people left the coast.
Enough remained to keep up the daily
attendance on the beach and at the
hops. One morning Marguerite and l
We're sitting on the shining sands look
ing at the bathers. l had got pretty
near to proposal the night before and
was just about to close the matter up
so far as my part was concerned when
l heard CHEEKY voice behind me. and
Billy Allen clHpped hand on my
shoulder. l Intrigued him to Mar
guerite, and we all three chatted to-
gether Billy said there was furry
in Wall street and suggested that we
go to the hotel and look at the ticker.
Marguerite said she would like to go.
too, so we rose, sauntered together
up the beach and were soon bending
over the tape. / explained matters to
Marguerite.
Those letters VI. o. p" said, 'stand
is Il great favorite at present and is
usually referred to as Mop"
"a good name for poodle" inter
posed Marguerite.
Now, holder" l said. "of 100
shares of Mop makes or loses 800 for
every point IT goes up or down. On
1000 shares the change is 81. 900, on
10000 shares $4,000, and so on. Sup
posing we have, say, 10000 shares let
us see what one makes or loses as the
quotations vary"
held the tape and read the quota
lions OH the stock.
"a quarter, a half, three-quarters
rise. We're ahead $4,000. Back
she goes a quarter. a half, seven
eighths, one point. We've lost our
$4,000 and $1,000 besides. Still she
goes down. \ half, three-quarterS. a
point. a point and quarter, Il half,
three-qunrters. Great heavens, IS she
never going to stop? Two points.
half, three-quarters. three points. We've
made big loss. We're out 100000"
1T quite takes my breath away"
said Marguerite. with a gasp.
"Oh, You would soon get used to it."
l replied.
1 am not much of an admirer of my
self and didn't think l was doing any
thing remarkable, but Billy, who knew
1 was long of exactly 10000 shares
of Mop" looked ut me in amazement.
There was some reaction (Which. as l
explained, regained some of our hypo-
thetical losses. and then down went
the quotations, so that when we left
the ticker l was out $4,000. Mar
guerite went upstairs for short nap
before lunch. and Billy and l went out
on to the piazza to talk 1t over. 1 made
up my mind that l would take advan-
tage of the first reaction and sell out
The next morning l met Marguerite
on the piazza. l excused myself for
not having seen her in the evening by
saying l had Billy on my hands and
proposed that before we went to the
beach we should take Il look at the
ticker. We did so, and / saw that sew
eral stocks Of which l had a few thou
sand shares each followed "MOp's" ex-
ample and Slid down to Il point that
left me barely $4,000 If all my shares
were sold at the prices quoted. l re
solved to save that bagatelIe for flu
ture operations and, excusing myself
from Marguerite for a few minutes,
went TO the telegraph office and sent a
message to my broker to sell all l had
lat the market" Then 1 rejoined Mar
guerite and we went 10 the beach.
That evening while we We're sitting
together on the piazza looking at the
ocean slowly tapping the shore as Il
lion may lick his chops after devouring
somebody I said to my companion:
Marguerite. you are the only woman
ever saw whom I wanted TO marry.
and 1 resolved three years ago that if
ever made enough money to take
proper care of you I would ask you to
be my wife. Yesterday morning when
Billy Allen came up / was worth 5000
600 and was on the eve of putting the
question to you. We went to the ticker
and saw 10000 pass away in less than
half an hour. The rest, except $4,000
which | have saved from the wreck.
went yesterday afternoon and today.
/ tell you this because it is due to you
and myself that you should know why.
after all l have said TO you. do not
complete what have begun
She sat looking at me with eyes
opening wider and wider till had fin
ished.
'DO you mean to tell ME that that
supposititious case was your own?"
II do"
Then all 1 have to say is that I'd
rather marry a man with such splen-
did nerve than one with a million
With a simultaneous impulse we
opened our arms and clasped each 9th
eY in a tight embrace.