Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-06-30

to the market desperately, making use
Of every device known to him to stop
the slump-to no purpose, 1t seemed.
The bear element controlled the mar
ket; the public-always 'bullish"
tempted to buy.
On the opening, Rope & Twins.
broke three points. Steele's support
fell away from him. For while he
felt as though stunned. Then cane
slight reaction, due to covering by the
shorts. Steele. encouraged, strove to
better the advantage. 1t proved to be
momentary thing, however; again
the price began to scale, point by
point. slowly, surely.
And Belden, in his office, smiled
grimly at the reports brought him by
his lieutenants, smiled yet more heart
lessly as he thought Of the final blow
he was preparing to deal.
The floor was in tumult To Steele
it seemed that at least two-thirds Of
the traders were engaged in the strug-
gle that ragged about the T. R. G. T.
post. Steele himself, Hollwedel and
Belden's broker were the storm CEN
| ters, around whom revolved bowling
mob of frantic brokers, red-faced and
dishing aloft their arms, threatening
| one another with their pads and pen
ellis, pushing, crushing this way and
| that, surging to and fro, shouting,
| yelling, shrieking-chanting monot-
| onous dirge of hundred notes and
but one word, that filed all four mar
BILE walls of the great room to its
golden ceiling with one never-ending
| cry Of "Sell! Sell. Sell"
And if one dared bleat "Buy!" he
was overwhelmed by an instant on
slaught Steele felt that hours passed
| thus, while he strained his ears to
catch a change, however slight, in the
insistent iteration of "Sell! Sell!
SELL" And in the end, when at length
it came, he hardly knew it.; for 10
had lost heart and his heat Nv wes
raving in unison 1s W. mis- fellows,
A1d tnep Just as he began to real.
1ze tat the tide was turning, some
one thrust telegram in his face. He
i never knew who it was. At first he
refused to notice it, but it was thrust
at him persistently. Finally he was
forced to comprehend that the mes
sage was for him. He seized it, and
somehow the envelope was torn away
from it, He backed up against the
post and held 1t UP before his eyes,
trying to steady himself. The words
danced madly; it was some time be-
fore he grasped their import.
"Your wife is dying. Come home at
once. Dexter"
The shock seemed, in way, to
deaden all his senses. 4
His fortune stood at stake. But
what did it matter? What was money
to him-life even-without her? Men
pressed about him like wall-deter-
| mined men without understanding.
But he lowered his head, sprang at
| them, bucked way through them by
main strength and carelessness of
consequence, fighting like a mailman.
Presently he was in Broad Street
hatless, his coat ripped up his back,
| his collar lying about his neck a sod
| den pulp of linen, one sleeve hanging
! from the shoulder almost by a single
! thread. And it was raining, steady
| furious downpour of April He hardly
was conscious Of it. He found a taxi
cab, mainly by intuition; he could not
have been said to have seen it; and
jumped in, believing large promises
to the chauffeur.
She was reading, or had been, when
| he staggered into her room. She arose
suddenly from her chair, and the book
crashed on the floor; she gave little,
startled cry, and one hand went tenta-
lively toward her heart. Her face was
very white and apparently drawn, and
Steele saw that she had been crying.
'Why, Jim!' she said.
"You're-you're all right?" he gasp
| ed, incredulously.
eyes," she told him, wondering.
She came towards him slowly, hesi-
| tating, bewildered.
"Then," he said, after an interval,
''what does this mean?"
He extended his hand, opening his
| fingers: a little ball of yellow paper
rested in his palm, damp with it's
moisture.
"Read it," he said, impatiently.
She unfolded it, read it with q
growing wonder, then looked up at
him.
81 do not know" she said, with what
seemed an effort, what it means"
"You are all right, sweetheart? You
are not ILL.,"
cat present, not In the least"
He pondered the problem, scowling.
Thank God" he whispered, once or
twice. And finally he Strengthened up,
with single cry: "Belden!" He had
fathomed the mystery.
can enemy sent it to me-" he ex-
planned, sitting down heavily. ut was
handed to me on the floor Of the Ex-
change. So I came-at once" He
attempted a smile, but without signal
success. cat once" he repeated,