Cleveland County herald., 1920-05-06


 fortably in his chair and said:
 You all remember it was agreed in the beginning l was to run this thing, and shall run it in my own way or not at all."
 But confound it, man," exploded Marsh, who had been holding his tongue with difficulty, "what in the name of common sense do you mean by seiing?"
 Glad that one of the tribunal had shown some life. Fitzhugh swung his chair round briskly so that he faced the speaker.
 "Who owns the most wheat-Sym- ington Otis or us? How long will his crowd last if they try to outsell us? Don't you see?"
 Not for a minute" '" broke in All port, reddening under his collar.
 "Tll make it clearer. Suppose Otis crowd knocks July wheat off fifteen or twenty points. Very well. Immedi- ately they stop selling-perhaps be- fore-Pll begin buying. Then, as an elastic band that has been stretched to it's utmost, July wheat will spring back. It'll go to a dollar. It'll go be- yond a dollar. I'll see to that ]"
 Tt does sound plausible" hesitated Hunt, desirous of supporting his lead CT, yet still somewhat doubtful.
 q don't like it." said Marsh sourly.
 "Mr. Otis" continued Daniel, and there was q hard ring in his voice that caused Hunt and Allport to exchange meaning glances, thinks he has me on the run. He's boasting how he licked me in todays skirmish. of how I turned tail at the first fire. But wait till he springs my pitfall. Wait! I've got him."
 The discussion lasted until nearly nightfall. By grace of his power of persuasion no less than by his domi- nant personality and strength of pur- pose, Fit7hugh finally induced the oth- CTS to admit that his course was the best one. When they went out through the quiet, brightly lighted offices, the four were on very amicable terms and the hot words of discussion that had frequently passed between them were quite forgotten.
 "There's one thing" Fitzhugh said in parting, "I want to impress upon you three. When we have defeated Otis, I want to deal with him in my own way. Remember that'-looking keenly into each face. 'I want to deal with Symingson Otis in my own way" inn newed the combat It occupied every | minute of that days session, and, as | on the preceding day, ragged with tit- for-tat uproar. When the closing gong sounded he had sold, altogether, over four million bushels of July wheat :: wheat of which he owned not a grain, but which he expected to buy later and deliver as promised-at lower price than he had sold 1t for. And the same as yesterday, his opponent had sold with him. bushel for bushel.
 Otis was flushed with the elation of his obvious victory.
 "It's all over" he confided to a friend that evening, as he sat down smilingly to a well-ordered dinner. Otis was living at his club these days, his wife and daughter having gone abroad | for the summer. "All over but the shouting. Tomorrow I'll finish him. He'll be snapped out of the Chicago wheat pit like a gnat-just as I once told him long time ago." Simultaneously with the dawning of the third day of battle Otis took the | aggressive. And simultaneously there came surprise. His promises of wheat were gobbled up as fast as they were offered. Buying orders poured in from all sides, deluging his traders. He increased his selling. The buying like wise increased. He began to fight des. perately, flooding the pit with his sell ing commands. But it was as though he poured sand in the ocean,
 Fitzhugh had not appeared on the floor since the first day. From his pr.vate office he sent orders to dozen or more brokers. All these orders were, Buy July wheat" All were to take effect this morning. He cabled his representatives in Liverpool and
 
 Buy July wheat" They, too, became effective this morning. In all, he is sued instructions to purchase twelve million bushels, or approximately double the amount he had sold on the prior two days.
 The market that morning was like kite in a windstorm. It zigzagged crazily. Shortly, however, it steadied, hung stationary an instant, then bounded upward. Up, tugging deter minedly, it climbed with rapidity that outstripped its falling the day be- fore. Otis gave orders to cease all sell ing Like a released spring, the price leaped higher still. At the close of the days session it stood at dollar ana twenty-five cents, with tendency to mount beyond.
 The next day was Sunday. Mon- days trading increased in frenzy. The price ascended more and more ,1; ;l Q