Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-05-18

dlers. A superficial observer, visiting
their offices, would have supposed
| their customers to be La Sale street
spectators. A rigid investigator
would have discovered their only
patrons were victims of the get-rich-
quick fever. The chief business of
Quigg & Peeyy was the selling Of
/ worthless stock. The rows of chairs
in the customers room and their oc-
cupantS, the rushing messenger boys,
the long blackboard and the phleg-
matte youth chalking cabalistic fig
ures, the chattering telegraph instru-
ment, operated automatically not
twenty feet away, were nothing more
than stage properties and players. en-
ployed for the sole benefit of the suck
ers who made them possible.
And upon this opera bouffe stage of
sham and hypocrisy strutted Daniel
FftZhugh, dreamer and actor His
roles were many and varied, but he
portrayed them all with unerring ac-
curacy-and, yes. even art. When he
was informed that it was time for an
| other entrance" he never knew, until
the messenger came with directions,
what part he would be called upon to
enact Now it was that of a West
ern millionaire, bluff, ungrammatical,
breezy; again that of a French f1nan-
cier, suave, polite, tangling his Eng
fish; anon it was some great banker
from Liverpool. frigid and precise.
But the character he most often pOr-
trayed was the Eastern capitalist"
Peevy was a thin, pale man, of
dropping eye and pointed chin, and
was deeply attached to a small briar
pipe. His business was to round up
the boobs and steer 'em in" Quigg
aided by Fitzhugh, did the rest.
After the second week Fitzhugh be-
gan to conceive a sinking dislike for
the knavery he was abetting After
the third he began to hate it, Capa-
bilftics were stirring within him
capabilities which told him he was
worth infinitely more than one hun
dred dollars a week. and that every
week he worked for that sum he was
throwing away money. 1t was near
the end of the first month that ne
asked his slippery employer for hun
dred-dollar weekly increase. He was
little surprised when it was prompt
ly granted him.
Il was thinking about increasing
your pay, Fitz," said Quigg. in his
large, careless way. you're worth
two hundred a week to me-"
But when three weeks later the
CRATER was told it was four hundred
dollars a week or nothing, he frowned,
pinched the pink roll of flesh under
his chin with his chubby fingers. and
rocked himself gently in his swivel
chair. I'll tell you what, Fitz. I'm
about to tackle the biggest thing I've
ever attempted. I'm launching upon
the grandest little mail-Order scheme
in America. l expect to spend a cou-
pie o. hundred thousands in advertis-
ing. If it goes through, as l certainly
think 1t will, I'll do the level thing by
you"
THAT'S not the point" broke in the
four hundred-now?"
You do mott" Quigg's palms de-
scended firmly upon the arms of his
chair. His big jaw acquired u bel,
ligerent aspect.
That's all l want to know" Fitz-
hugh stood up briskly. This is
Wednesday. You therefore owe me a
hundred dollars. I'll take it now"
"Sit down, Fitz. Sit down and keep
cool. believe you're a game sport, in
spite of the low way you're acting, and
I'm going to make you a gambling
proposition. Some friends o. mine are
getting up a nice, quiet little game of
poker tonight, and I'm going to sit In.
The pot'll run high-no limit. Be-
tween ourselves We'll cooperate in
this game. I'll finance the partner
ship with five thousand dollars. If
we double that amount you get half
the winnings and your four hundred a
week. If not, you'll still contrive to
scrape along on two hundred"
The poker game that night took
place in a South side hotel. 1t was a
six-handed game, the players being of
the class commonly known as "men
about town." Two were professional
gamblers, another was a wheat pit
Spectator, fourth was a wealthy Sa-
loon owner. The remaining two were
Fitzhugh and Quigg. Playing COM
| menced shortly after eight. Compared
to subsequent betting. it was modest
at first, a five-dollar limit having been
imposed. About nine, however, the
limit was removed. and the game be-
gan to warm up. Another hour, and it
had reached the point where five-and-
six-hundred-dollar pots were the rule
and not the exception.
The Golden Goddess. Luck. smiled
upon Fitzhugh from the very start.
Perhaps ii was his superior playing
that won her favor. Anyhow, he as
tOniShed his coadjutor by his skill at
the game. He was a hundred differ
ent men. His fellow players never
knew how TO take him--never knew
what he would do next. And while
| they were wondering he continued TO
{
it were only a matter of course that
he should.
But as Fitzhugh steadily won Quigg
as steadily lost. When the game ended
at nine a. m. it was noticeable that
of the five men sitting around the pa
ded table beneath the pail of tobacco
smoke and the green-Shaded electric
lights Fitzhugh was the only one who
showed no i'll sign of the thirteen
hours steady playing. He seemed as
| fresh as when he started and appar-
emily was quite fit for another thir-
| teen-hOur session. When he "cashed
| in" he was winner TO the extent of
some eighteen thousand dollars. The
professional gamblers had won a few
/ thousands each. The rest had lost.