Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-09-04
CHAPTER iIl.-Continued.

While every other man in the crowd
was at a high tension of excitement,
Barry Conant was as calm as though
standing in the center of a ten-acre
daisy field cutting of the helpless flow-
ers' heads with every swing of hia
arm. Switching stock gamblers into
eternity had grown to be a pastime to
Barry Conant. Here was Bob thunder
ing with terrific emphasis "7S for g.
00O,'' "77 for 5,000," '75 for 5,0OO," '74
for 5000" "73 for 5000" "72 for 5,000,"
seemingly expecting through sheer
power OF voice to crush his opponent
into silence. But with the regularity
of a trip-hammer Barry Conant's right
hand, raised in unhurried gesture, and
his clear calm "Sold" met Bob's every
retreat1ng bid. It was battle royal
king on one side, Richelieu on the
other. Though there was frantic buy
ing and selling all around these two
generals, the trading was gagged by
the trend of their battle All knew
that If Bob should be beaten down by
this concentrated modern finance
devil, panic would ensue and Sugar
would go none could say how low.
But If Bob should play him to a stand
still by exhausting his selling power,
Sugar would quickly soar to even
higher figures than before. 1t was
known that Barry Conants usual order
from his clients, the System" mas
tiers, for such an occasion as the pres
ent was Break the price at any cost"
On the other hand, every one knew
that Randolph & Randolph we're usual
ly behind Bob's big operations; this
was evidently one of his biggest, and
every man there knew that Randolph
& Randolph were seldom backed down
by any force.
AS Bob made his bid "72 for 5,000,"
and got it, saw quick flash of pain
shoot across his face, and realized that
it probably meant he was nearing the
end Of my last order. l sized it up
that there was deviltry of more than
usual significance behind this selling
movement; that Barry Conant must
have unlimited orders to sell and
smash. My final order of $4,000
brought our total up to 100000 shares,
large amount for even Randolph &
Randolph to buy of a stock selling at
nearly 5000 share. 1 then and there
decided that whatever happened I
would go no further. Just then Bob's
Wild eye caught mine, and there was
in it piteous appeal, such an appeal
as one sees in the eye of the wounded
doe when she gives up her attempt to
swim to shore and waits the coming
of the pursuing hunters canoe. I sad
ly signaled that I was through. AS
Bob caught the sign. he threw his
head back and beloved deep, hoarse
40 for 10000" l knew then that he
had already bought 10000, and that
this was the last ditch stand Barry
Conant must have caught the mean
ing, too. Instantly, like a revolver re-
port, came his Sold" Then the COM
pact, miniature mass of human
springs and wires, which had until
now been held in perfect control, sud-
denly burst from it's clamps and Barry
Conant was the iend his Wall street
reputation pictured him. His five feet
five inches seemed to loom to the
height of giant. His arms, with
their fate-pointing fingers, rose and
fell with bewildering rapidity as his
piercing voice rang outs 900 at SO,
68, IS" 10000 at &c." "25, 5000 at co."
Pandemonium reigned. Every man in
the crowd seemed to have the capital
stock of the Sugar trust to sell, and
NJ
bent on selling as low as possible in
stead of for as much as they could get.
These were the shorts who had been
punished the day before by Bob's up-
lift.
Poor Bob, he was forgotten! An in
slant after he made his last effort he
was the dead cock in the pit Frenzied
gamblers of the stock exchange have
no more use for the dead cocks than
have Mexicans for the real birds when
they get the fatal gaff. The day after
the contest, or even that same night at
Delmonico's and the clubs, these men
would moan for poor Bob; Barry Con-
ants moan would be the loudest of
them all, and, what is more, it would
be sincere. But on battle day away
to the dump with the fallen bird, the
bird that could not win! saw ldok
of deep, terrible agony spread over
Bob's face; and then in a fash he was
the Bob BROMLEY who I always boast
ed had the courage and the brain to
do the right thing in all circumstances.
To the establishment of every man in
the crowd he let loose one wild yell,
cross between the war-whoop of an
Indian and the bay of deep-lunged
hound regaining lost scent. Then he
began to throw over Sugar stock,
right and left, in big and little
amounts. He slaughtered the price,
underwriting Barry Conant's every of.
fer and filling every bid. For 20 min
utes he was a mailman, then he
stopped. Sugar was falling rapidly to
the price it finally reached, 80, and
the panic was in full swing, but panics
seemed now to have no interest for
Bob. He pushed his way through the
crowd and, Joining me, said: Jim,
forgive me. have dragged you into
an enormous loss, have ruined Beulah
y Sands, her father and myself. I think
at the last moment did the only
thing possible. I threw over the $780,
600 shares and so cut of some of our
loss. Let us 60 to the ONCE and see
where we stand" He was strangely,
unnaturally calm after that heart-crush-
ing, nerve-tearing day. I tried to tell
him how / admired his cool nerve and