The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-11-13

didn't say anything to Jacobs in return
but, by Wlille's sage advice, contented
himself with merely Withholding all
orders from that .oleaglnous parsonage
until Mr.. Jacobs was moved to remon-
strate And Sally, who had learned a
great deal in q week under Wlllie'a
tuition, answered curly: Business is
very bad. The firm is doing hardly
anything"
angrily, that he was doing a great
deal Of business for Tracy & Middle
ton. want you to see that l get my
share or I'll speak to Middleton and
find out what the trouble is"
"Is that SOP" said Sally calmly. "You
might also tell Mr.. Middleton that you
offered me So week to give you the
bulk of our business"
One OF the most stringent laws Of the
stock exchange treats of splitting
commissions. Any member who, in or
der to increase his business, charges an
outsider or another member less than
exactly the prescribed amount for buy
ing or selling stocks is liable to severe
penalties. The offer Of a two dollar
broker to give a telephone boy 80 cents
for each order of 100 shares secured
was obviously a violation of the rule.
Jacobs came down to business at
once. "I'll make 1t 49," he said concil-
iatingly.
"Jim Burr, who had the position be-
fore me-" expostulated Sally indignant
ly. told me he had received $25 a
week from Mr.. Grant, with an extra
$40 thrown in from time to time when
Mr.. Grant made some lucky turn, to
say nothing of what the other men did
for him"
Three months before he could not
have made this speech had his life de-
pended on it, The rapid development
of his character was due exclusively
to the forcing" power of the atmos-
pherel which surrounded him.
"You must be crazy" said Jacobs
angrily. "Why, never got much more
than a thousand shares week from
Tracy & Middleton and usually less.
Say. you ought to be on the floor. You
are wasting your talent in the tele-
phone business, you are. Let's swap
places, you and !"
According to our books" said Sally
TO the lrate broker, having been duly
coached by Mr.. william Simpson, 1.-THE
last week you did business for us you
did $500 shares and received $76.'
THAT was an exceptional week. I'll
make it So" said Jacobs.
twenty-five wnlspered sally DC
terminedly.
Lets split the difference" murmur-
ed Jacobs wrathfully. I'll give you
S15 a week. but you must see that l
get at least $500 shares a week"
"All right. I'll do the best l can for
you, Mr.. Jacobs
And he did, for the other brokers
gave him only twenty-five cents, or at
the most fifty cents per hundred
shares. In the course of a month or
two Sally was in possession of an in
come of $40 a week. And he was
only eighteen.
Time passed. AS it had happened
with his predecessor, so did 1t happen
now with Sally. He began by specu-
lating. wildly at first, more carefully
later on. He met with sundry re-
verses, but he also made some very
lucky turns indeed, and he was ahead
of the game" by a very fair amount
certainly a sum far greater than any
plodGing clerk could save in five years,
greater than many an industrious me-
chanic saves in his entire life. From
the bucket shops he went to the Con-
solidated Exchange. Then he asked
Jacobs and the other two-dOllar brok-
ers to let him deal in a small way
with them, which they did out Of per
sonal liking for him, until he had
three separate accounts and could
Swing a line" Of several hundred
shares. He became neither more nor
less than 5000 other human beings
in Wall street-moved by the same Inn
pulses, actuated by the same feelings,
experiencing the same emotions, hav-
ing the same thoughts and the same
views Of what they are pleased to
call their business"
At last the blow fell which Sally
had so long dreaded-he was PRO
NOTED" to a clerkshlp In Tracy &
Middleton's Office The firm meant to
reward him for his devotion to his
work, for his brightness and quick
ness. From SIS a week they raised
his salary to $25. which they consid-
cred quite generous, especially in view
of his youth, and that he had started
three years before with So. He was
only twenty now. But Sally, knowing
1t meant the abandonment of his lu-
crative perquisites as telephone hoy"
bemoaned his undeserved fate.
He took the money he had made to
Mr.. Tracy and told him an Interesting
story of a rich aunt and a legacy and
asked him to let him open an account
in the office. Tracy congratulated his
young clerk, took the $4,000, and there
after Sally was both an employee and
customer of Tracy & Middleton.
Addicted to sharp practices as Mr..
Tracy was and loving commissions as