Mexico Missouri message., 1906-11-01


here sure. where everybody's tfysn' e.
got the best Of you You see, out there
everybody tries to make the best o. II
1 told that to one Of them sinarties
last night But you'n pull them in
their place all right You know both
ends OF the game and the middle. We
certainly got a right to be proud Of
you, son. Dan1 ]. liked big PROPOSE
lions himself-but, we'll, I'd Just like
to have him see the nerve you've
showed, that's all"
Uncle Peters professions q conf
dence were unfaiiing, and Percival
took new hope and faith in his judg-
ment from them daily.
Nevertheless, as the weeks passed,
and the mysterious insiders succeeded
in their design OF keeping Ahe stock
from rising, he came to feel touch
Of anxiety. More, indeed, than he was
able to communicate to Uncle Peter,
without confessing outright that he
had lost faith in himself. That he
was unable to do, even II It were true,
which he doubted. The Bines fortune
was now hanging, as to all but some
of the western properties, on the turn
ing of the three stocks. Yet the old
mans confidence in the young mans
acumen was invulnerable. No shaft
that Percival was able to fashion had
point enough to pierce It. And he
was 10Th to batter 1t down, for he still
had the gamblers faith In his luck.
You got your fathers head in bust
ness matters" was Uncle Peters In
variable response to any suggestion of
failure. 81 know that much-spite Of
what all these gosslps say-and that's
all want to know. And of course
you can't ever be no shepler less you
take your share of chances. Only don't
ask my advice. You're master of the
game, and we're all layin' right smack
down on your genius fur it."
Whereupon the young man, with
confidence in himself newly inflated,
would hurry of to the stock tickers.
He had ceased to buy the stocks out
right, and for several weeks had
bought only on margins.
There was one rule In poker your
pa had" said Uncle Peter. "If hand
is worth calling on, it's worth raising
on. He Jest never would call If he
didn't think a hand was worth raising,
he'd bunch it in with the discards, and
wait fur another deal. don't know
much about the game, but he said It
was a sound rule, and II It is sound
in poker, why it's got to be sound in
this game. That's all 1 can tell you.
You know what you hold, and II faint
hand to lay down, it must be hand
to raise on. OF course, II you'd been
brash and ignorant in your first cal
culations-if you'd made a fool of
yourself at the start-but shucks!
you're the son of Daniel J. Bines, amt
your"
The rule and the clever provocation
had their effect.
"I'll raise as long as l have a chip
left, Uncle Peter. Why, only to-day
had a tip that came straight from
Snepler, though he never dreamed 1t
would reach me. That Pacific Cable
bill is going to be rushed through at
this session OF congress, sure, and that
means enough increased demand to
send Consolidated back where 1t was.
And then, when 1t comes out that
they've got those Rio Tinto mines by
the throat, well, this anvil chorus will
have to stop, and those Federal Oil
sharks and Shepler will be wondering
how had the face to stay in"
The published rumors regarding Con-
solidated began to conflict very sharp
| ly. Percival heard them all hungrily
dlsregarding those that did not con-
firm his own opinions. He called them
irresponsible newspaper gossip, or be-
lieved them to be inspired by the
cliqueefor its own ends. =
He studied the history Of copper
until he knew all its ups and downs
since the great electrical development
began in 1887. When Fouts, the bro
ker he traded most heavily with, sug-
gested that the Consolidated company
was skating on thin ice, that it might,
indeed, be going through the same ex-
perience that shattered the famous
pSSASNoh wi hCA q hOACh gOeltb BGlOIGt
Percival pointed out unerringly the
vital differences in the circumstances.
The Consolidated had reduced the pro-
duction of its controlled mines, and
the price was bound to be maintained.
When his adviser suggested that the
companies not in the combine might
cut the price, he brought up the very
lively rumors of "gentlemen's agree
ment" with the "non-eomS!ne" pro-
ducers.
"Of course, there's Calumet and
Hecla. know that couldn't be gunned
into the combination. They could pay
dividends with copper at ten cents
pound But the other independents
know which side of their stock is
spread with dividends, all right"
When 1t was further suggested that
thn Dto Wfnf0 vafnoo s-olI