Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1908-05-23
The Roupell Mystery

lie with confidence
Let me see," said the banker, running
his eyes rapidly over a list which he
held in his hand. I'VE have Liquelet
Bousent. of Bousent the elder Paltois-
he Is good and Max Raumont says he Is
with us IN case we get to an issue. The
remainder Of the board must be given to
the dock people. They will, of course
expect some representation"
Ito be sure" acquiesced Chabot, but
we must contrive to have with us only
those who are open to arguments"
Yes, that is it, my friend; open to
arguments echoed the vicomte.
"Of your usually persuasive kind" add
ed Chabot Every man has his price, to
be sure, nowadays"
And always did have. In these times,
commercial enterprises, my dear fellow,
assume proportions of which our ances-
tors never dreamed They were just as
dishonest then, If you call manipulation
dishonesty, which | candidly confess l
don't-but their ideas were smaller.
Hence the difference. Besides he added,
laying his hand impressively upon the
others sleeve, this thing must 20
through. | think you, above all others,
are aware of the necessity. The fact is,
my dear Chabot, there have been many
heavy pulls on the Mutual Credit bank
lately. One cannot offer eight per cent on
| special deposits and always be sure OF
making more by using the depssitors
money. Then there was the dividend On
the Ardennes Charcoal and Peat Com
pany. You know It was never earned !;
but we decided that 1t would be best to
pay one"
well. the consequence was you placed
the bonds at par, didn't your"
| AT par to the public, of course, but
| Herr Goldstein's commission took the gilt
off the gingerbread. However, he took
them all at eighty-fve. l could not have
placed them to such good advantage"
THE interest comes due on the six
tenth. l suppose it is useless to cross
that bridge until we come to it."
Before the sixteenth this dock com
pany will be foated. The banks profit
on that will more than meet the interest
of the Charcoal and Peat Company
bonds"
And If it isn't hoated?" hazarded
Chabot
IF II isn't noated the inevitable crash
will begin, or 1t can be averted in an
other way, my dear Chabot, about which
cannot talk at present. But we will not
anticipate evil. Come, you must accom-
pany me TO the Bourss this morning.
have a heavy deal pending, and shall need
your assistance"
As the Vicomte de Yaliar and Jules
Chabot left the Office of the Mutual
Credit and Trust Company a small-sized
man issued from cafe on the opposite
side of the street and walked In an ap-
parently careless and preoccupied manner
in the same direction. He followed them
until they turned into a brokers' Office
Presently they came forth again, and in
company with third person continued te
walk In the direction Of the Bourse
This third person was Herr Max Gold
stein, one of the shrewdest dealers In Sc
curities in the whole of Paris. He was
the broker to whom the vicomte had en-
trusted the sale of the first mortgage
bonds of the Ardennes Charcoal and Peat
Company. He was a heavy. thickset fel
low, with little, cunning eyes, which haC
been set together as closely as nature
would allow had not an enormous nos,
grown between them, he would perhap,
have had only one large eye in the center
He had habit of cooking up his head
when in conversation, and Of listening
with his mouth wide open. He had com
menced life in Berlin as bootblack will
n secondhand outfit. At the conclusion
of the first days work he had accumu
lated enough to buy the best outfit in tn,
city. In week he had concluded thai
open air work was not to his liking anC
| IL &c Al.
basement, whore he thrived apace.
Then the brilliant idea struck him o.
buying and selling theater tickets at cut
rates. From this he gravitated into lot
teries; from lotteries into small curb
stone speculations Hardly able to writ,
his own name, the trading instinct was =,
strongly developed in him that in ter
years he had accumulated a very consid
cradle fortune.
Why Herr Gsldstein had not continued
his uninterrupted career of prosperity II
Berlin was mystery to his friends il
Paris. AS he seemed to have plenty o.
money, however, none Of Them had ovel
dreamed Of inquiring why he preferred
the French to the German capital as
base for his financial operations. After
ali, was it any of their business?
Herr Goldstein was about forty-fv,
years of age. but looked considerable,
older. Constant fighting with all sort,
and conditions Of men had left deep fur
rows across his forehead. Ladies sale
that without doubt he was very UMPIRE
possessing man. He seemed to have som,
extraordinary influence with the vicomte
and people were lost In conjecture as t,
what that could be.
The small followed de Valiar, NJ. Cha
bot and Herr Goldstein to the very en-
trance of the Bourse- Unable to obtaii
admission to the floor, he had recourse t
the gallery. 1t was nearly empty. Al
old lady and young couple from tn
country, evidently on their honeymoon
trip, were its sole occupants. He sat il
the gallery for upward of an hour. hi
gaze constantly on the foor OF the ex
change, where the vicomte, the broke
4 = IL. r..