Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-07-19
TRAPPED AND TRIMMED

"' uoH l. nose that don a,
give us false notion of our resisting
power, and so make us easy victims
OF the others. | thought knew nv.
sell pretty thoroughly. and | believed
there was nothing that could tempt
me 10 neglect my business. With this
oeluslon of my strength firmly in
mind, when Anita became tempta-
tlon to neglect business. said to my
sell: To go up town during business
hours for long lunches, to spend the
mornings selecting flowers and pres.
ents for her-these things look like
neglect OF business, and would be so
IN some men. But | couldn't neglect
business. do them because my at
fairs are so well ordered that a few
hours of absence now and then make
no difference-probably send me back
Sresher and clearer"
When | left the office al halfpa
twelve on that fateful Wednesday in
June, my business was never in better
shape. Textile common had dropped
a point and quarter in two days
evidently II was at last on its way
slowly down toward where | could
free myself and take profits. AS for
the coal enterprise nothing could pos
sibly happen to disturb it: | was all
ready for the first of July announce
ment and boom Never did | have a
lighter heart than when joined Anita
and her friends at Sherry's. 1t seemed
to me her friendliness was less per
functory, less a matter of appearances.
And the sun was bright. the air deli
cious, my health perfect. 1t took all
the strength of all the straps Monson
had put on my natural spirits to keep
me from being eXuberant.
| had finally intended to be back at
my office half an hour before the ex-
change closed-this in addition to the
obvious precaution of leaving orders
that they were to telephone me If any
thing should occur about which they
had the least doubt But so comfort
able did my vanity make me that
forgot to look at my watch until
quarter to three. | had a momentary
qualm. then, reassured, / asked Anita
to take walk with me- Before we
set out telephoned my right-hand
man and partner, Ball. As | had
thought everything was quiet; the
exchange was closing with textile slug.
gish and down a quarter Anita and
took car to the park.
We walked for an hour, talking with
less constraint and more friendliness
than ever before. and when left her
7 for the first time, felt that l had
left a good impression.
When | entered my offices, !, from
force of habit, mechanically went d.
rect to the ticker-and dropped all In
an instant from the pinnacle OF
heaven into boiling inferno. For the
ticker was just spelling out these
words: "Mowbray Langdon, president
Of the Textile association, sailed nn,
expectedly on the Kaiser Wilhelm al
noon A per cent raise of the dtvi-
dand rate Of textile common. from
the present per cent to b mas pesii
determined upon
And had staked up to, perhaps De
yond my limit of safety that teN'iie
would fall =
nall vas watching narrowly Tor
.ome sign that the news was as bad
&c he feared But it cost me no eHofl
- Eaen ny face expressionless: ! was
,ike a man who has been killed BY
nebtning and lies dead with the look
~ his face that he had just before
the bolt struck him.
aWhv didn't YOU tell me this, saia
= nan when ! had YOU on the
'nhone? My tone was quiet enough
b,t the very question ought to nave
sbown him that my brain was IKE
schooner in a cyclone
a1yo heard 1t Just after you rane
~ vas his reply. We've been Try
,a a., ~ gel YOU ever since. I've gone
~. after textile stock Very
go viIl sell. or even lend, and thes
..,,-+be best price was ten points
AIa,.a to.day's closing. A strong tips
III that textiles are to be rocketed.
Ton noints up already-on the mere
r,Ypaorf Already tSH UoiANN'~ - -.
agary share was short and shofl
,ere than two hundred thousand.
sa1t the claws of the fiend Ruin sinh
, ,et, the flesh Of my shoulders. Bal
lbs know how I'm fixed" I remem
p Sos thought. and he mustn't know
III a cigar with steady hand AM
ua,ted for Joe's next words.
u vent to see Jenkins at once %
1t IN Jenkins was then first vice
W. of the textile trust He
pn cnt IN because the news got out
a. rangdon and he were the onl!
ssss Tbo knew. so he supposed-sayi
one announcement wasn't TO hayf
.ns n,ade for a month--not TIL Lane
pe s -e,nrned. He has had to connrn
uoa .,o,gh That was the only way Z
~ NJ crowd from suspicion OF ID
trse s,n 10 u rig the market"
a a. YOU seen the afternoon pa
=" Ia asked. AS he held II out I
per NV eve caught big textile head
me, hen flashed to some others
hnes, .si.s about my going 70 MARI