The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1911-06-02

to the banker in his withered hands
the golden apples of the Hesperides.
And the banker grasped for them.
He had been pouring millions into a
vast scheme for the control OF the
traction systems of three big western
cities; family tradition had driven him
into the building of a palace at New
port: his extensive racing stable, his
greater pride, had been running neav-
lily behind at the various meetings.
If he sold $4,000 shares OF his own
stock at ITO it would mean 100000 in
cash to him at once. and he felt that
he could regain it as soon as this abb
surd bubble of melons and dividends
had been pricked. No one but Car
ruth would know, and he was bound
TO silence by self interest.
Bowman sighed little. He turned
to the waiting broker,
"Carruth," he said, slowly, IF the
market will take 1t, you may sell 60
600 shares for my personal account.
I'm finally a bear on my own road,
you see, anu lie tIltu hdI " wi NO
laugh to go with the jest.
Carruth hurried back to the floor,
and before the close, by the aid of the
favorable rumors regarding the road.
had put out $4,000 shares. The sales
for the day were over 10000 shares,
and the stock closed at 10, the high
est figure.
Friday brought forth long, detailed
stories in the morning papers OF great
things impending in st. Louis South
ern, to all of which the roads mana
gers, including Bowman, had refused,
so ran the stories. to give denials. II
was limited by one paper that the re-
cent activity in the stock had been
due to buying for control by a compel
ing road, the Mississippi Central.
The stock at once became the fea-
ture of the trading 1t opened at
110h. one-half of a point over Thurs
days close, on sale of 1000 shares
by Carruth's brokers' This was taken
by broker acting for Pierce. as was
the block of 5000 shares which follow
ed it at 11O14 BY noon over 100000
shares had been traded in and Carrath
had put out and Pierce taken in 10000
shares of BoWman's stock.
From noon on the St Louis post was
a pin.point in seething mass of hui
manity. In blocks of 1000. 1000 and
5000 shares Carruth hurled the rest OF
the bankers stock at the market, ex-
pecting to see 1t break any moment
and anxious only to get II out at the
high prices. But 1t didn't break 1t
went steadily up in spite of the fact
that the bears were selling also. Even
denials by the news bulletins of mel
on cuttings and purchases for control
by the Mississippi Central. the story
Pierce had set afoat. went un-
needed
When an explicit denial of any deals
or anything else OF favorable nature,
sent TO the floor by Bowman at Car
ruth's request, 20 minutes before the
close of the market. failed to check
the rise, Carruth became uneasy. He
had telephoned the banker that as his
| stock had been put out II would check
the excitement and start the decline II
a statement were issued, and instead
OF this the excitement was increas-
ing and the stock still climbing
And now for the first time Carruth
| began to analyze the buying OF ST
Louis Hurried conferences with his
brokers resulted in compilation of
the names of the buyers. and he found
that day after day the stock had ulti-
mately gone 10 less than a dozen
houses With resistless logic he went
on quickly to realization that he had
sold into bag which unseen hands
] had held open for the stock The So
0c0 shares of treasury stock. the CO.
000 shares he had sold for Bowman.
in all l200 600 shares-and then he re-
membered the break of the stock to
93l2 two weeks before. Rgged-the
whole market had been rugged A
snare had been laid and the control
of the road
Two minutes later he was painting
out his story to Bowman, who was Just
stepping into his carriage to be driven
uptown. In his Office. again, the bank
| er listened, silently, to the story OF
his undoing for something told him
that the cunning hand behind 1t all
had won. won irretrievably.
Irretrievably? The word brought
him to a soldierly erectness
"Carruth," he said. steadily. "you
have my orders to buy all the st Louis
Southern tomorrow you can get There
Is no limit as m prica shall cablo ~, y
Paris connections, and my own re.
sources are at your command It may
be that we are mistaken; tomorrow
will tell, but we must be ready to fight
In any event"
There came timd knock at the
mullioned door. The two men looked
at each other.
Come in called the banker, qui-
city