Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-01-06
OVER THE TICKER
fOriginal.l

Then when the great Wall street boom
came on l invested few thousand
dollars and gained fortune. l was
worth 100000. This result was not
fully attained till the summer Of 1902.
Hearing that Marguerite was at the
seashore, l went there, l pretended to
be much surprised to meet her, but
this was all assumed. l had gone
there to WOO and win her If / 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 sltting on the shining sands look
ing at the bathers. | 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 a CHEEKY voice behind me, and
Billy Allen clapped hand on my
shoulder. l introduced him to Mar
guerite, and we all three chatted to-
gether Billy said there was a 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 sauntcred together
up the beach and were soon bending
over the tape. l explained matters to
Marguerite.
"Those letters NJ. o. p" said, "stand
for Missouri Pacific common stock. 1t
Is great favorite at present and is
usually referred to as Mop"
"a good name for poodle" inter
posed Marguerite.
'Now, a holder" l said "of 100
shares OF Mop makes or loses $100 for
every point it goes up or down. On
1000 shares the change is $1,000, 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
tions on the stock.
"A quarter, half, three-quarters
rise. We're ahead $4,000. Back
she goes quarter, n half, seven
cighths, one point. We've lost our
$4,000 and $4,000 besides. Still she
goes down. A half, three quarters, a
point, point and quarter, a half
three-quarters. Great heavens, is she
never going to stop? Two points,
half, three quarters, three points. We've
M ~
1T quite takes my breath away"
said Marguerite, with a gasp.
"Oh, you would soon get used to it"
I replied.
am not much of an admirer of my
self and didn't think l was doing any
thing remarkable, but Billy, who knew
l was "long' of exactly 10000 shares
Of Mop" looked at me in amazement
There was some reaction (Which, as !
explained, regained some of our hypo-
thetical losses), and then down went
the quotations, so that when we left
the ticker | 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. l made
up my mind that l would take advan-
tage of the first reaction and sell out.
The next morning / met Marguerite
on the piazza. ! excused myself for
not having seen her in the evening by
saying l bad Billy on my hands and
proposed that before we went to the
beach we should take look at the
ticker. We did so, and ! saw that sew
eral stocks of which | had a few thou.
sand shares each followed "Mops" ex-
ample and slid down to a point that
left me barely $4,000 if all my shares
We're sold at the prices quoted. | re
solved to save that bagatelle for flu
ture operations and, eXcusing myself
from Marguerite for a few minutes,
went to the telegraph Office and sent n
message to my broker to sell all had
"at the market" Then | rejoined Mar
guerite and we went 10 the beach,
That evening while we were sitting
together on the piazza looking at the
ocean slowly tapping the shore as a
lion may lick his chops after devouring
somebody | said to my companion:
Marguerite, you are the only woman
l ever saw whom | wanted to marry,
and l resolved three years ago that if
l ever made enough money to take
proper care of you l would ask you to
be my wife. Yesterday morning when
Billy Allen came up | was worth $780,
600 and was on the eve of putting the
question to you. We went to the ticker
and saw 100000 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 | 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 ownp
Il do"
"Then all l have to say is that I'd
rather marry man with such splen-
did nerve than one with a million"
With a simultaneous impulse we
opened our arms and clasped each 9TH
or in n tight embrace.
My fiancee would not hear of my
leaving Wall street She said that Il
man with such nerve is especially fit
ted for speculator and | must seek
my fortune where | lost 1t. | went
''short'' and in less than three months
regained my 100000. Where | shall
land eventually | don't know. We
must all take our chances in this
world and my chances seem to be In
the stock market
F. A. MITCHELL