The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-08-21
"E.collcn, e...- said 1 .,., ,s..s

HN
ahashcd, notwithstanding the tore II
naughty Indifference | took, l bessa
to fool worry young before this ma
chinclikc impcrsonation of tho mar
ket.
Bockstcin relieved tho embarrsss
mcnt OF the situation by coming In out
of breath, with a brave protcnsc of
having been merely consulting a Gus.
toner In the next room.
You haf exclaimed to Misdcr Epp.
uer"" he inquired, Den all Is done.
Here Is a card To der Board Room. II
orders you haf to gif, Eppner viii dakc
dem on der floor. zhust gif him dor
check for margin. and all Is veil"
At the end of this haranguo | found
myself outside the Office. with Book.
stems back %waddling toward the
private Don where the partners were
to have their last consultation before
going to the Board.
My check had been honored. then.
and Bockstein had assured himself Of
my solvency. In the rebound from
anxiety, | swclled with the pride OF a
capitalist-on Doddridge Knapp's
money.
In the Board Room of the big Eek.
change the uproar had given me a
suggestion that the business OF buy
ing and selling stocks was carried on
in a somewhat less conventional man.
ner than the trade in groceries. But
it had not quite prepared me for the
scene in the Exchange.
After a little | was able to discover
that the shouts and yells and ream
the shaking of fists, and the waving
of arms were merely a more or less
energetic method Of bidding for
stocks; that the ringing of gongs and
the below of the big man who smiled
on the b~ear-garden from the high
desk were merely the audible signs
that another stock was being called;
and that the brazen.voiced reading OF
a roll was merely the official an.
nouncement of the record of bargain
and sale that had been going on be.
fore me.
1t was my good fortune to make out
so much before the purchase of the
stocks on my order list was com.
pleted. The crisis was at hand in
which | must have my wits about me
and be ready to act for myself.
Eppner rushed up and reported the
bargains made, handing me a slip with
the figures he had paid for the stocks.
ANY more orders?" he gasped. He
was trembling with excitement n
suppressed eagerness for the fray.
Yes" | shouted above the roar
about me. 81 want to buy Omega"
He gave a look that might have
been a warning, if could have read
it: but 1t was gone with a shrug as
though he would say, We'll, it's no
business of mine"
How much?" he asked. watt"
He started away at a scream from
the front, but returned in a moment.
He had bought or sold something, but
| had not the least idea what it was,
or which he had done.
ITS coming!" he yelled in my ear.
The gong rang. There was a con-
fused cry from the man at the big
desk. And ~pandemonium let loose.
Omega opens at sixty-ive," shouted
Eppner.
Bid sixty" I shouted in reply, "but
get all you can, even If you have to
pay sixty-five."
Eppner gave a below, and skated
into a group of fat men, g~esticulatins
violently. The roar increased. II such
a thing were possible.
In a minute Eppner vas back, pers-
piring. and l fancied a trile worried.
They're dropping. it on me-" he
gasped in my ear. Five hundred at
siXty.two and one thousand at sixty.
Small lots coming fast and big ones
on the way"
Coed. Bid ffty-fve, and then fifty,
but get them"
With a roar he rushed into the
midst of a whirling throng. l saw
twenty brokers about him, shouting
and threatening. One in his eagerness
jumped upon the shoulders of a fat
man in front of him, and shook a
paper under his nose.
o | could make out nothing OF what
e was going On. except that the excite
e ment was tremendous.
Twice Eppner reported to me-. The
stock was being hammered dowr
down stroke by stroke. There wa:
a rush to sell. Fifty-flve-ffty-thret
5 fifty, came the price-then by leaps
s to forty-ive and forty. 1t was a panic
At last the gong sounded, and thu
G scene was over.
Eppner reported at the end OF thu
call. He had bought for me twelve
g thousand five hundred shares, owe,
ten thousand of them below fifty. Thu
It total was frightful. There was hal
a million dollars to pay when the TIM
IT for settlement came. 1t was folly t.
suppose that my credit at the Nevad'
was OF this size. But / put a bold fac
on it, gave a check for the figure tina
Eppner named, and rose.
a. ANY more orders?" he asked.
r. Not till afternoon"
AS | passed into the street | was as