The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-05-15

= Jim eomplacently, ''is the
pet name a crowd Of fell
COWS down in the Street gave TO an
coil stock they wanted to sell short.
-Im buying it on very good margin"
: "Buying-when the men down in
@he Street are selling?" 1 asked a
Ebit nervously.
= If Jim's deal went wrong, We
faced q double loss-the collapse. of
%our chance at wealth, and the hid
zeous grind TO pay back the money
%he had borrowed. I felt panic
stricken at the very thought. And
Sims laugh-the reckless, over
Esure laugh of the born gambler
did not reassure me at all. For it
s>opened the door TO a long vista I
EJound myself staring down a road
lsuch as ] had known in my youth
Rhe road my mother had travelled
as the wife of a gambler-rose-col
SOred plush hotel suites. alternating
with dingy drab, foUrth-fioor, back
boarding house rooms.
z Are you listening:" Jim de-
manded.
"Of course. dear. I'm listening.
EYou just said that the men on tn,
Street were selling" 1 replied, tink-
-.ering costly with Jim's necktie.
Il said that about half an hour
Eago. Anne. wish you'd get out of
7sthe way OF planning your next
spring suit when I'm talking to
YOU. You have a good enough
mind when you choose TO use it
-and pay little attention TO worth
while things"
Yes, jim" I replied, meekIy
%enough. But I'm very stupid
about stocks and corporations and
nj ha ~
way I can ever think which is
= which is to stop and remember
that a bull losses people up on his
> horns. And then I'm likely to get
mixed and think of the bulls char
acteristic as being to stamp peo-
sple down with his hOOfs."
A Fortune At Stake.
Jim didn't laugh as 1 had in
tended he stared at me with
s-hostile eyes and calculated:
We'll, OF all the rubbish! I can't
understand women. I tell you my
fortunes at stake, ana you stand
there making fool jokes"
I'm sorry. thought il would
do your. nerves good to laugh at
sgne" I replied @How-if you'll ex-
zplain a bit about your-deal. I'll
try to understand"
Jim ceased pacing UP and down
the floor and sank into q chair in
Ethe old familiar position, with his
zknees crossed and his fingers en-
.circling his lame ankle.
It's like this" he began. "The
aColonara Company starts boosting
=Colonara oil a few months ago,
-when they advertise q gusher. an
oil well that runs $4,000 barrels a
-month. Can you imagine how their
stock climbsc"
Yes, can" I replied, delighted
at tire simplicity thus far Of my
study OF high finance"
IAN right Colonara goes from
rs TO so in about week Then q
crowd OF fellows who were caught
abort try to force the selling-so
they can buy low enough to cover
their losses. And they get hold Of
- trade journal and write a story
OF how the Colonara gusher Is
-spouting $4,000 barrels a month
but $4,000 barrels OF salt water
not OF oil. and Colonara slumps to
about Il. Now do you begin to
see"
= but Jim that wasn't honest
Iou aren't risking $4,000 of Dor
flowed money-in a shady transac-
4ion-are your" cried.
The ethics Of the Salt Water
eOif bunch don't affect US, Anne"
yFeplied Jim dryly. Because I'm on
The other side Of the market I'm a
, 8ull-not a, bear. Buying, not SELL
ing"
A Clash Of Opinions.
2 Buying! Buying stock that
Pther men are trying to prove
Worthless: :" I cried.
For a woman who has Just nm
1shed declaring she can't under
HtAnd the stock game, You show
rather-positfve opinions" declared
Tim, shaking his head impatiently.
Ehen he went on, Don't be fright
,ened. I'm not buying 8 worthless
stock The Colonara people are
lighting. They invited q we'll
known enEineer to come down with
q commission and look over their
Holdings. His frst look treasured
Aim-and even before he made HIS
ofhcisl report, he told some one in
confidence there was oil there all
tight And I got it from the inside
that I'd better buy. So I raked up
all my available cash and bought a
few shares at u. ID. And as
little scraps Of advanced informA-
tjon began TO dribble out about the
way the expert was going TO re-
sort, Colonara started TO rise a bit
Through the inside buying That's
all cleaF-isn't it,"
- Scarcely waiting for my reply,
Jim continued:
= We'll, 1 borrowed my five thou.
sand bought IN all the Colonara.
Salt Water Oil I could get The re-
port came out officially this MORN
8ng, Salt Water offs, rising. The
Tpport IS going to be that not only
81 the gusher producing all the
company claims, but that there are a
eouple OF other good wells runntn ing
rich. Salt Water Oil ought to go to
80 before. closing"
"Jim," pleaded, "teIl me Just one
thing. Your advance information
wasn't what they call a leak? Had
you a right to take advantage Of
What you knew"
why not?'' demanded Jim ct
hight as we'll make a fortune as
the next chap. And IL the dope
Doris Vests brother gave her was
Fight"
Doris Vests brother"
sure. He's the engineer who
went down to make the report.
T5idp'f tell sOI that in fRa fret