Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1909-02-10

oSiih(o uotu pIlNdCy anu
Individuality. A few weeks, however.
taught me that my fears we're ground
less. II Clarke employed his wonder
Nal powers in my case. 1t was only In
anticipating my wants.
Shortly after the time OF which
speak, we had a caller in Henry Boil
ton Of the firm Of Bolton & Com
pany. Clark was his host and he in
dicated That we were ready to hear
his story.
WELL" began Bolton, as you per-
haps know, am the senior member of
the stock brokerage firm OF Bolton &
Co. Possibly you do not know the po-
sition my firm holds In the financial
world. for our work is confidential in
the extreme. To the world at large we
are members Of the principal ex-
changes both here and in the east
doing a general stock brokerage bust
ness with branch house In New
York and private telegraph service.
Naturally we receive a large daily
mall from our house in New York,
which, as you doubtless know, is in
charge OF James III. Hazen, my SON.
m-law. The mail Invariably includes
daily report of the business done by
the New York house. 1 give this mail
my personal attention.
"It was about six months ago that
first noticed something peculiar in
this department OF our business. One
day, in going through the New York
mall, i observed an error In the spell
Ing OF some common word I'm the daily
report. 1T rather grated on me and
took my pen and corrected IT, AS
turned the sheet over upon the bIotter
my eye wan attracted by sentence
lightly written in pencil on the back.
The hand was the merest childish
scrawl and the substance 30 utter
ly foolish that paid no attention to IL.
I thought 1t likely that one of the chill.
dren OF the clerk, whose duty It was
to write up the report, had been in
the office scribbling on the blanks.
Here is the report"
Mr.. Bolton took document from an
Imposing pocketbook and laid IL upon
the table. We read upon 1t the follow
Ing sentences:
Il see two black cats on the back
yard fence"
When this daily report came we
were just opening negotiations for It's
purchase with every prospect of sue
cess. The day after the receipt of the
report / met the owners. and their
terms nearly knocked me into a heap.
Nothing less than the presidency of
he trust. majority of tho board of
directors, and 81 per cent. of the
stock! IL you know anything about
business you know that these terms
were impossible. No amount of per-
suasion would shake them or disclose
their reasons, and the upshot was that
we gave up the project, the house of
Bolton IL Co. lost more money than
care TO think about, and my credit
with Forgan & Co. was seriously dam
aged.
"A few weeks afterward we essayed
the launching of the souvenir postal
card trust. 1t may surprise you when
1 tell you that the business done In
souvenir postal cards in this country
runs far up into the millions annually.
1 had watched the progress of the fad
and thought / saw a chance for q
pretty speculation. We had bought
up a few small houses as a basis. but
the business was practically controlled
0y the big printing firm OF HoIlawell
q Eubank. whose stock passes on the
curb. The stock had been lowering
around par. and had given my
brokers orders to buy the minute II
dropped below 80. We had picked IN
but small block Of shares at that
inquire, when one morning. IN looking
over The mail, I saw another notation
on the back Of the daily report. Here
Il is"
We looked at the paper which he
held out and read in the same child.
ish hand:
Two boys on the grass playing
mumbledypes."
What happened?" querled Clarke
Enough" answered Bolton. "Tbe
next Cay II. & y. Jumped to 10 under
feverish buying. The next to 115. the
merit to 1854, the next to $50. In a
weeb hitherto neglected stock could
not be had at ZOO The souvenir postaI
card trust was stlll-born. Our money
loss was not great but our Iosa IN
prestige was considerable.
Here is one OF the originals and
you may see for yourself" said Dol.
ton, again drawing hts ponderous
wallet.
Tobias Ripple. our confidential man.
has held bis present position for SO