The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-12-28
BY s. E. fiser.

BY praeticing self denial for sew.
eral years he managed 10 save UP
$500. While doing this he became a
student of finance Every morning
he would read the financial quota.
lions, The long lines of initials and
the columns Of figures that at first
were meaningless soon became as an
open book to him, He could re-
member what G. j. and F closed al
a week ago last Tuesday, and If R.,
A and w went up point he knew
Just how much more 1t would have to
advance before reaching the mark
which some wise men had set for 1t,
Now. this man, whose name, by
the way. was Watkins. had a sort of
al head for figures, and one evening
after he. had been thinking for
long time about Miriam Ives--a neat
figure she was he did some figur-
ing on r., H. and b. common,
Surprising" he said to himself,
that | bought about $500 worth of
it at is and sold it at 80 That
would increase my working capital
I'd 5000. Then on the next slump L
could invest my $500 and sell out
FOR $1,000,
1t was a simple proposition. All
he had to do was to be little pa
tient. After the third turnover he
would have S2,4o0; the fourth
would see him $4, 500 to the good,
Before he got up to the fifteenth
wear Of his career as a buyer and
seller of f.. l.. and B. common his
head began to be dizzy, and, putting
ais pencil In his pocket, he went out
10 ask Miriam II she would be his
wife.
He kissed her few times and
old her candidly what was going to
happen.
Archibald, she whispered, Il
ion't care for all these terrible
'iches Wealth is an awful respon
;ibility Let's keep your $500 and
/ furnish q nice fiat with it,
But he convinced her before he
eft that 1t would be almost criminal
4 he neglected to take advantage of
he opportunity which was opening
before him and he continued to
watch the financial page.
On the 18th of July F., l.. and B.
common was quoted at A. Then
! A. Watson transferred $500 of his
money from the savings department
I IF the bank and opened up q check
ne account against it. AT the same
| lime he gave certain broker an
| open order to buy twenty shares OF
r., L. and b, common at is. A
week later he had dizzy spell when
| 10 saw the stock quoted at the figure
! ne had named. Later in the day he
vas Informed by Bloodgood, Ketch-
Z, I'm & Co, that they had bought for
ais account twenty shares of F., L.
ind B. common.
A week later r.. l.. and B, com
non was quoted at II. and there
we're rumors of reorganization
! which might result in the wiping
plt Of the common stock altogether.
Archibald Watkins began to have
linking spells, and he fell into the
labit OF breaking engagements with
diriam Two or three times he de-
ided to sell out and save what he
'ould of his hard-earned money, but
he put it off from day to day, hop
ne there might be reaction, BY
he middle OF August the stock was
pIoted at 6 ", and the young man
Who had figured out profits of about
100000 for himself in fifteen
ears was convinced that the broker
Who had referred to F., i. and b.
common as "a nice old lady" had
,een mistaken
He quarreled with Miriam because
he thought he was foolish for not
| aving what little he could from the
| wreck
Think how much more sensible
would have been she answered,
If you had taken my advice and kept
he money to furnish the fiat"
That made him angry, 1t was the
1ind Of talk he had always heard
rom his mother when she was alive,
It had always been. Archibald, If
tou had only listened to met"
So he rushed away from Miriam,
bitterly saying:
When | get $50 a share for my
stock I'll come back
ON the following day It went
DOWN with a sickening "plop' to
}A, at which figure Archibald Wat
Sins sold out. Deducting the com
missions there was left for him about
$40 out of the $500 which he had
paid as his tuition fee
The next morning he noticed that
the reaction had begun, and in four
weeks f., l.. and b. common was
selling round rs. When II touched
30 again A. watkins sat and studied
The figures long and earnestly. Also
ne reread a note which he had re-
ceiyed that morning from Miriam
fyes
Dearest Archibald (she wrote), |
See now that you really did know
what YOU were talking about For
give me for the doubts expressed
concerning your wisdom Re sure
TO come this evening | am so anx-
fous to tell you how much | admire
you for your courage and for your
shrewdness. | have just heard of