New-York tribune., 1910-02-27
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR FEBRUARY II. ls1
Keeping Tabs on Piddie
Continued from
Continued from page 9

| gum was moist. Not that I'd made up my
| mind to rubber: but just SOS | could if took
| the notion. And, sure enough, got the notion.
or 1t got
Chez! | near slid off the rattan seat when
| reads that note. Guess | must have sat there
starin bug eyed and lookin' batty, from 14th
to Wall Do you know what that mush-head
of Piddie was at? He was givin order to
bolster up Bitten by buyin' up to a hundred
thousand shares, and in the package was
bunch of gilt edged securities to cover the mar
gins.
Now wouldn't that jggle the grapes on SIS
ter's new lid? Piddie, narrow gage, dime
pinchin' ink singer, dom the bull act like he
was a sooty plute from Pittsburgh That's
what comes of swallOwin' the get-rlch-tast bug.
WELL. when gets out at the Street didn'
w have any program planned First 1
strolls down to the number on the letter and
takes look at the buildin'. That was enough.
There was some good names on the hall dlrec-
tory; but most of 'e1n was little two-room tty
by night firms. with party phone for private
wire and mail order list bought of m patent
medicine concerns The people Plddle was
dom business with was that kind.
Next takes walk around into Broad-st.,
where the mounted cops keep the big wind
bunch rOped in SOS they can't break loose and
pinch the doOrknobs off the subtreasury. The
ear mutf brigade was lettin' themselves out IN
fine style, tradin in Ground Hog bonds, Hobo
ken gas MOonShine preferred and whole lot OF
other ten-Cent shares. as earnest as II they was
under cover and biddin' on Standard Oil tlrSts.
While / lookin' EN- over, wonder1n
what to do next, | spots Abey Winowski on the
fringe of the push And, say it want so long
ago that Abey was wearin sky blue pants and
a Postal shield, trOttin' out with messages from
District Ten But here he is, with checked
ulster and five-dollar hat, writln figures on
pad.
Hello, Motziei" says l. How long since
they lets the likes of you inside the ropese"
Hello, Torchy" says he. Got any or
ders?"
good?"
Bitten" says he. Its on the seesaw:
but'll fetch fifty
Amt it a Wildcat" says l,
Just from the menagerie. says he. Com
to take a dollar flyer"
Guess I'll see what my brokers has to say
first" says |.
With that | goes around to a little joint l
knows OF, where they has board for unlisted
stocks. and | sets back and watches the curves
Bitten was maxim. First she'd Jump four
five points, and then she'd settle back heavy.
The Curb was playIn tag with it; that was all,
SO far as | could see. Nice lot of Hungry Jakes
to feed with int rest bearin SeCuritieSi
About fifteen minutes before the market
closed quit and mOseyed along up town just
KILN time and tryin to figure out what ought
to be done. Course didn't have any idea of
playin' private detective and shown Piddie
l didn't ike the scheme of just chuckin' the
bonds back at him and let him get away with
any bluff about my interferin' with something
didn't understand at all. Besides, if the re-
turns showed that he'd have won on the deal,
what was to hinder his tryin' the same trick
again next time he got the chance? That
wouldn't been fair shake for the firm.
Say, worked my thinker overtime that trip;
but | couldn't dig up a thing that was worth
savin from the scrap basket, and when |
Strolled into the Office Just about closin time
wa n any nearer to KNOWN what TO do than
when | started.
MOST everyone had left when | pushes
80 through the gate and takes peek into
Pldde's office. He there. And say, for a
speakin' likeness of a dropped egg that's hit
the floor instead of the toast he was it He's
slumped ali over the desk, with his head in his
hands. and his hair all mussed up and his
shoulders Topped. | always suspicioned he was
built out with pneumatic pads, and blew him
self up IN the mornIn' before he buttoned on the
four inch collar that kept his chin up; but |
dldn t guess he had a rubber backbone 1t WAS
a case of flush with Piddie. He was all in What
could see OF his face had about as much color
to 1t as sheet of blottin' paper.
aNr on he - ii