Fair play., 1908-01-04
. &g
Copyright. 1907, Doubleday. Page a Coz
CHAPTER V.-continued.
Author Of
"Frenzied Finance"

Whether it was that for the
| first time in all his wonderful
career he realized that the System"
was TO meet its Nemesis, or
what the cause, none could tell,
perhaps not even Barry Conant him.
| self, but some emotion caused his
| olive face for an instant to turn pale,
and give his voice a tell-tale culver.
Once more pealed forth "25 for 5000"
| That Bob saw the pallor, that he
caught the culver, was evident to ALL
| for the instant his sold rang out, he
| followed 1t with 5000 at "a, 23, o.
| 20" Neither Barry Conant nor any
of his lieutenants got in a take IT."
although whether they wanted to or
not was an open question until Bob
allowed his voice to dwell just like a
pendulum swing of time on the 90
| 1t was as If he were tantalizing them
into sticking by their guns. BY the
| time he paused, Barry Conant's nerve
was back for his piercing Take it"
had linked to it 900 for any part Of
100000" The bid was yet on his lips
when Bobs deep voice rang out
Sold" ANY part of $4,000 at 10, 1S,
Is. TO-" He'll was now loose. Back
and forth, up against the rail, around
the room and back and around again,
the crowd surged for Is of the widest
craziest minutes in the history of the
New York stock exchange. history
replete with records of wild and crazy
scenes.
At last from sheer exhaustion there
came ten minutes lull, which was
used in comparing trades At the be-
ginning of the respite Sugar was sell
ing at 1856, for in that quarter hour of
madness it had broken from 210 to
1855, but when the ten minutes had
elapsed, the stock had worked back
to 1877. Barry Conant had again taken
the center of the crowd, after hastily
scanning the brief notes handed him
by messenger-boys and giving orders
to his lieutenants. He had evidently
received reenforcements in the form
of renewed orders from his principals.
Many of the faces that fringed the
inner circle of that crowd were fright
full to look upon, some white as
though just lifted from hospital pill
lows, others red to the verge of apo
plexy-all strained as though await
ing the coming of the jury with a
life or death verdict. They all knew
that Bob had sold more than a hun.
dred thousand shares of Sugar upon
which the profits must be more than
S4,000,000. Would he resume selling,
or was he through? Was it short
stock, which must be bought back, or
long stock; and if long, whose stock?
Were the insiders selling out on one
another, or were they all selling to-
gether and under cover of Barry Con.
ants movements Were Camemeyer
and STANDARD Cil' emptying their
bag preparatory TO the slaughter of
the Washington contingent? All these
questions We're rushing through the
heads of that crowd of brokers like
steam through a boiler, now hot, now
cold, but always at high pressure, for
upon the correctness of the answer de-
pended the fortune OF many who
breathlessly awaited the renewal or
the suspension of the contest. Even
Barry Conauts usually impassive face
wore a tinEe of anxiety.
Indeed, Bob was the only one In
the center of that throng that showed
no sign of what was going on behind
IT, The same cynical smile that had
been there since the opening still
played around the corners of his
mouth ds he squared himself in
front of his opponent. All knew now
that he was not through. Barry Con
ant had evidently decided to force the
fighting although more cautiously
than before. 81 for a thousand"
One of his lieutenants bid 67 for 500,
another 67 for 500, and as Bob had
not yet shown his intention of meet
Ing their bids, 67 for different amounts
was heard all over the house. Bob
might have been tossing metal coin
10 decide the advisability of buying
back what he had sold; he might have
been adding up the bids as they were
made. He said nothing for fraction
of minute, which to those tortured |
men must have seemed like an age. |
Then with wave of his hand, as
though delivering benedlction, he |
swept the circle with a cold-blooded: |
Sold the lots. 5000 In all"
"Sixty-seven for n thousand |
Barry Conant's bid, Sold" "67 for |
5,0oD." Sold" "66 for a thousand" |
Sold" The drop from 5000 TO 1000 |
and dollar share in Barry Conant's
bids was the mortally wounded. but |
still game generals Sound the Re- |
70 QUO q, g.. ca 60 Go The din WA