The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-05-03
LEARNING TO SPECULATE
BY 8. J. PHILLIPS.


Miss Edith Manchester's father spec.
uiated IN stocks and bonds and shares
and notes, and almost always made
money at 1t. Ever since Edith was six
teen years old-and she had come to
o. twenty now-she had heard her
rather talk Of his business until she
was fairly forced to take an interest
IN 1t. Finally she became so interest
ed that she read Of finance in the daily
papers. She often thought she read
OF opportunities in which she might
nave invested a few hundred dollars
n nave made great gains.
Miss Edith got a liberal supply Of
PIN money from her father, and when
ne had made a lucky strike he pre-
sented her with a ffty-dollar bill. She
decided to save up as much none as
she could and try her luck in the stock
market. Her father would laugh at
her II he knew her plan. So she kept
1t q secret. When the time came at
last and she had five hundred dollars
laid by she went quietly to a brokers'
office to make an investment. The
broke was a fatherly-looking man, and,
Delng told that 1t was her first specula.
ton, he said he would pick her out
something that would be sure to win
out.
The Wild Goose Silver Mine had
been plodding along with it's stock at
6S, but there vas something coming.
he was not at liberty to tell just what,
but he was sure the stock would take q
long jump and she would get the bene-
Mt of 1t. She would not make q hatful
OF money by only investing her five
hundred dollars. but she would be
learning how to speculate. For five
hundred dollars he would sell her q
bond, and she could take it home and
hide 1t safely away and say nothing to
anyone until the jump had taken place.
1t looked very simple and very good
to Miss Edith, and she put down her
money and went away with the bond.
Two weeks thereafter she heard two
men in a subway train talking about
the Wild Goose Silver mine. They said
1t was one of the biggest swindles ever
worked off on the public, and that ii
was on the point of a collapse that
would be known through the papers In
a few days.
The girls first impulse was to 60 to
her father about it, but her second was
not to do so. Her first move was tc
buy q hOrsewhip, and her next was to
call on the broker again. If he re.
fused to return her money. she would
lay the lash on him.
When Miss Edith made her call IL
was about the noon hour, and she en-.
tered the brokers' office to find him
busy with figures at a table which
brought his back to the door. At sight
OF the individual who had cajoled her
into parting with her savings, q sud.
den wave OF indignation swept over
her, and she drew the h%orsewhip from
under her cloak and began to lay II
over his back. OF course the victim
was surprised. He rose to his feet and
faced around, and, behold. it was not
the broker. 1t was a young man, q
young man who had also bought q
bond Of the Wild Goose Silver com.
pany. He had also discovered that he
had been swindled, and was there to
raise a fuss about it. OF course there
were apologies, and the two were talk
ing very amicably together when the
broker arrived from his lunch.
Young Mr.. Henderson talked
straight from the shoulder, and when
he paused for breath, Miss Edith did
some talking that was almost as en-
phatic. The broker saw the horse
whip. and he saw the young man re.
move his coat and spit on his hands,
and he quietly said:
"Very we'll, my children-very we'll.
l will give you both checks for your
money. l assure you that you are en-
tirely mistaken in me, and are doing
q very foolish thing, but we will let
all that CO."
1t was two weeks later when Mr..
Henderson called, and his call was
made just after the girls father had
been asked:
"Father, what stock would you ad-
wise anyone to invest in just nowY
"Why, the Wild Goose Silver Min
ing company seems to be a good thing
just now" was his reply.
"How much Of a good thing?"
"You could have seer by the papers
this morning that it had jumped to 1O5