Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-12-01

easier succeed in reducing my chest |
measure" But we worked away at
it, and perhaps my readers may dis
cover even in this narrative, though
1t is necessarily egotistic, evidence OF
at least an honest effort not to be
BADLY boastful. Monsoon would have
liked TO make OF me a self-deprecating
sort of person-such as he himself,
with the result that the other fellow
always got the prize and he got left.
But | would have none of 1t.
All this time / was giving myself
or thought | was giving myself
chiefly TO my business, as usual.
know now that the new interest had
in fact crowded the things down town
far into the background. had impaired
my judgment, had suspended my com
mon sense but ! had no inkling OF
this then. The most important mat
| ter that was occupying me down town
was pushing textile up toward par
Langdon's doubts, little though they
influenced me. still made enough of an
| impression to cause me to test the
market. l sold for him at ninety. as
he had directed; ] sold in quantity
every day. But no matter how much
| unloaded, the price showed no ten.
dency TO break
This" said | to myself, rs test-
monial to the skill with which | pre-
pared for my bull campaign" And
that seemed to me-all unsuspicious
as then was-a sufficient explanation
of the steadiness of the stock which
had worked to establish In the public
confidence.
felt that, If my matrimonial plans
should turn out as l confidently ex-
pected ! should need a much larger
fortune than | had-for | was deter
mined that my wife should have an
establishment second to none. Ac-
cordingly, l enlarged my original
plan. | had intended to keep close to
Langdon in that plunge; l believed /
controlled the market, but l hadn't
been in Wall street twenty years with.
out learning that the worst thunder
bolts fall from cloudless skies. With
out being in the least suspicious of
Langdon, and simply acting on the
general principle that surprise and
treachery are part of the code of high
finance, had prepared to guard, first.
, against being taken in the rear by a
secret change of plan on Langdon' S
part, and second against being In
volved and overwhelmed by a sudden
secret attack on him from some asso
ciate of his who might think he had
1nfA IN
ing.
The market is especially dangerous
toward Christmas and in the spring
toward Christmas the big fellows oft
en- juggle the stocks to get the money
for their big Christmas gifts anc
aims; toward spring the motive is, o.
course, the extra summer expenses o.
| their families and the commencement
gifts to colleges. 1t was now late II
the spring.
say, had intended to be cautious
I abandoned caution and rushed II
boldly, feeling that the market was
in general, safe and that textile wa
under my control-and that was ON
of the kings Of high finance, with m.
lucky star In the zenith. l decided L
continue my bull campaign on my owl
account for two weAks after l had IN
loaded for Langdon. to continue 1t VI
til the stock was at par. l had n
difficulty in pushing it to ninety-sever
and ] was not alarmed when l foun
myself loaded up with 1T, quoted a
ninety-eight for the preferred an
thirty for the common. assume
that I was practically its only SUI
porter and that it would slowly settl
back as | slowly withdrew my SUI
port.
To my surprise, the stock did nc
yield Immediately under my EFFORTS I
depress it. sold more heavily; tel
tile continued to show tendency I
rise. sold still more heavily;
broke point or two, then steadie
and rose again. Instead OF sendln
out along my secret lines for insid
information, as ! should have don'
and would have done had l not bee
In a state OF hypnotized Judgment
went to Langdon! | who had bee
Z studying those scoundrels for twent.
odd years, and dealing directly wit
and for them for ten years!
IN He wasn't at his office; they tol
ut me there that they didn't kno
at whether he was at his town house
at at his place in the country-"pro
a ably in the country" said his dow
70, town secretary, with elaborate car
ck lessness. He wouldn't be likely
stay away from the office or not
st send for me, il he were in town. wou
he?"
1t takes an uncommon good liar
lie to me when I'm on the alert. As
was determined to see Langdon. l Wa
i'm so far on the alert And / felt II
ch fellow was lying. That's reasonable
nd said /. Call me mp, II you hear fro
ed him. I want to see him-importan
oil but not immediate" And | went ava
lie. having left the impression that
ty would make no further effort.
al went up to his house. You, I
as doubt, have often seen and often
ne mired it's beautiful facade. so simp