Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 1052) (1925 11 27)
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NOVEMBER 27, 1925 No. 1052 PA Vil E Price 8 Cents -AND-— FORTUNE WEEKLY STORIES OF BOYS WHO MAKE MONEY. The rascal sprang at Tom and seized him by the throat. “Help!” shouted the boy, realizing his disadvantage. His cry was heard. The door was flung Open and Mr, Arnold dashed into the room and rushed to Tom's assistance.
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\ 7 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY Issued Mepis "deg <8 te price, $4.00 per year! Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Harry E. Wolff, Publisher, inec., 1664 est 23d Street, New York, N. Y No. 1052 5 NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 27, 1925 F Entered as Second-Class Matter, October 4, 1911, at the Post-Office at New York, N. ey under the Act of March 3, 1879. Me Price 8 Cents. A FORTUNE AT STAKE OR, A WALL STREET MESSENGER’S DEAL By A’SELF-MADE MAN CHAPTER I—The Man With The Whiskers. “Hi, there, son!” Tom Sedgwick looked up from the market report he was studying and;saw, framed in the _ ¢ashier’s little window, a face that resembled an _ orang-outang, so hbewhiskered and mahogany- hued it was. Tom was employed as messenger _ by Frederick Carvel, a not over-prosperous stock __ broker, who operated on the Curb, at No. —-Wall Street, and his customary post was a well-worn, _ leather-covered chair by the window in the wait- room, if the limited ‘space, divided from the little _ counting-room by a wire fence, and fitted up _ with a few chairs, a ticker, and various framed documents on the side wall, could be called by Buch a name. At the present moment Tom was in charge of the office, the lord of all he surveyed. It was one o'clock. rinks _ The junior bookkeeper, who attented to orders 3 and called himself the margin clerk because he thought it looked more important, was out to _ lunch, while the head bookkeeper, who was also _ the cashier, and general boss when Mr. Carvel was out—which he was most of the time between ten and three—was upstairs on business. Although Tom, from where he sat, could see anybody who entered the office, he had not noticed the bewhiskered visitor come in, so silently had _ he made his appearance. Tom was rather net- tled at this fact and at the familiar way the ealler had addressed /him. Besides, he didn’t like the man’s face, anyway. _ “Speaking to me?” he asked, curtly. ~ “Who else?” grinned the man. “J thought maybe you were trying i to a man across the street. No; I was talking to you.” . hat do you want?” “Ts the boss in?” “Tf you. mean Mr. Carvel, he isn’t in.” . “Where is he?” : _“Fe’s on the street.” e in?”~ he doesn’t return before.” Want to do me a favor?” ; your ¥yoice, e is ‘ 19 ‘Are you a panhandler?” “T want to borrow a dollar:” : “You can’t borrow it from me. You're got a cast-iron nerve to come in here looking for money. Didn’t you see the sign downstairs?” “What sign?” , ie “ ‘Canvassers and beggars not allowed in this building.’ ” “What's that got to do with me?” “You're begging for a dollar.” ‘No, son, Only want to borrow one till I see ~ the boss.” “Try the next office, then. at present.” “The safe is ‘open. enough, can’t you?” f “I must say that I admire your nerve,” replied ‘Tom, hardly knowing whether to be angry or amused at the visitor’s gall. “Don’t I. get it?” “Not from me, you don’t. this.” Tom wrote two large figures on a pad, tore the — sheet off and shoved it through the window. | “What's this?” asked the caller, looking at the figures, “Can’t you read?” “T only see ‘238.’ ” ’ s “Well, that’s enough for you to see. Act on 1. . ? “How about the dollar?” | / ie Tom was' getting pretty hot under the collar... _ “Look here, I’m subject to fits. If one came on me now you might find yourself going through that door faster than you came in.” “Son, it’s pretty shard to be dead broke.” “T’ll give you a dime, if that will do you any - good,” and the boy put his hand in his pocket. “A dime ‘ain’t no good,” replied the stranger, shaking his head in a melancholy way. “Besides, I don’t want to rob you. I want to borrow a dol- lar till I see the boss. He knows me and will make it all right.” : : “Mr. Carvel knows you?” almost gasped Tom; “Yes, son. I’m an old friend. I haven’t any pene but he'll be as glad to see me as a long- ost brother.” ; ; R _. “Tf you’re a friend of. Mr. Carvel’s, you’d bet- ter leave your card and come back at thtee,” re- plied Tom, sacastically, = ead Me The cashier is out You can get a dollar easy All youll get is
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2 A FORTUNE AT STAKE “No, son. I haven’t any card, and I’d rather surprise him. He hasn’t seen me for some time. I reckon he thinks 2’m dead.” The familiar chuckle floated in through the cashier’s window again. : 2 “Better let me have that dollar so J can feed up. lll hand it back after I see the boss, for he won’t let an old friend go away empty-handed. It ain’t like him. He’s too tender-hearted.” Just then the door opened and the head book- keeper came in, “Here’s the cashier,” said Tom, dismounting from the stool. “Strike him for the dollar. He has charge of the funds.” The man with the whiskers seemed disinclined to interview the bookkeeper, for when Tom opened the door and came into the waiting-room he saw the caller vanishing through the entrance that led into the corridor, - He put on his hat and walked up to the window in the wire fence. “Got nothing for me to do for half an hour, have you, Mr. Wells?” “T’ve got nothing now. half an hour.” “Td like to go to lunch.” “You may go,” and Tom went. I don’t know about CHAPTER II]—Which Chiefly Concerns Tom Sedgwick. Tom Sedgwick was the son of a widow in fairly good circumstances, who owned her own home, a small brick house in the Bronx. _Tom’s father had been a carpenter and builder, and when he died he left the house and a small bank account to his wife. A friend of the family interested himself to the extent of getting Tom the position of mes- Senger with Frederick Carvel, and the boy. had now been in his employ a matter of two years. _ Although Mrs. Sedgwick was not actually de- pendent on Tom’s wages to keep the pot boiling she gathered in his money every Saturday. She allowed him a quarter every day for car-fare and lunch, and this he collected every morning’ be- fore he went to business. Out of this princely sum the boy could save nothing, but he managed to have some spare change in his clothes just the same. He was chiefly brought into contact with the brokers who did business in the open air’ on Broad Street, that is, the Curb market, and he often had a chance to do a favor for one of them in a rush, and was always rewarded with a quarter, if not a half-dollar when the broker had nothing smaller at hand. One day a fellow messenger explained to Tom how easy it was to make money out of a stock deal if he had small capital to start with. Tom was interested at once. N 2 about the matter and his friend told him ali he ~ knew about the modus operandi. ~ Tom learned that there was a little bank on ~ "Nassau Street that did a brokerage business in connection with its banking operations. It made a specialty of taking in small deals from the junior clerks and office boys in the: financial dis- _trict.. One morning Tom, while on his way to the station, picked up a small pocketbook from He wanted to know more . the gutter and found $40 in it. As there was no clue to the owner Tom appropriated his find and patted himself on the back. He had $15 saved up, and that gave him a capital of $55. At that time the stock market was on the rise and the public seemed especially excited over a stock called A. & C.; which was booming. Tom lost: no time in buying ten shares of it for 52 at the little bank, and a few days later, after watching the market closely, he sold out at 66 7-8.. He cleared a profit of $145, and was im the seventh heaven of delight. Indeed, he was so tickled that he told his mother all about the transaction. She immediately proceeded to lay a claim to the money. Tom protested. His arguments were lost on his mother. She wanted the money, and what was more to the point, she was going to have it. The result was Tom had to cough up, and he did it with mighty bad grace. All his bright anticipations were nipped in the bud, and he-went to business next day feeling as if he didn’t care whether school kept or not. : However, he did not remain long depressed. He was full of animal spirits, and he resolved to save up again until he could make a fresh deal, the result of which, one way or the other, he didn’t — intend to acquaint his mother with. In*time Tom saved enough money to make another deal. This he hid in a corner of his trunk and said nothing about it to anybody. On the day this story opens — Tom was watching the stock market closely, for — he thought he saw indications of a general rise, _ and he was figuring on bringing’ his $200 down- — town next morning to have it at hand in case the opportunity presented itself for him to make a ~ promising deal. As we said at the close of the — last chapter, Tom went to lunch. He patronized a quick-lunch house on Broad Street, where, for — fifteen cents, he got a plate of stew and a glass of milk. : As soon as he finished his lunch he returned _ to the office, where he found a message awaiting — him to call on-a Stock Exchange broker who had — an office in the Johnson Building. He was out — all the afternoon, and finally at ten minutes to three he carried the day’s deposits to the bank. * When he got back he handed the bank-book to the cashier and took his seat in his chair to — to await further orders. In a few minutes Mr. Carvel came in and entered his private room. Ha ~ sat down at his desk and began figuring up the — day’s transactions. After he finished that he rang for Tom. Ese “Go over to that letter cabinet, pulled out the letter from John Henry, dated May 16. Here’s aq — memorandum.” ae, So. Tom went to the cabinet, pulled out the — H—I—J drawer and began to look for the letter — in question. He had hardly begun before the — cashier opened the door and told the broker that there was a man outside who wanted to see him, “What's. his name?” ; ae , “He wouldn’t give it to me.” % 3 “Ever see him here before?” gees: “No, sir. He’s not very well-dressed and ha — seems all whiskers.” See eae “T can’t waste my time on strangers who are
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A FORTUNE AT STAKE _ 3g work he was on and there was silence in the little. room for two or three minutes, then the door opened softly and the man with the whiskers - walked inside. Neither Tom nor the broker - noticed that he was in the room until he slowly advanced toward Mr. Carvel’s desk and coughed. The broker swung around in his chair and _ Jooked angrily at the intruder. “Confound you! ing in here unannounced? ~qway?” ; “Who am 1?” said the whiskered man, with . y a sepulchral chuckle. “Only a party iby the name $ of Johnson.” _ Broker Carvel gave a gasp, turned a ghastly _ white and fell back in his. chair, j Who are you, any- i '-*- CHAPTER T—A Leaf From The Past. Be. “Tis quite a hee for old friends to ‘iach said the man with the whiskers. “I can see you’re quite overcome at the sight of me, though you 4 killin the fatted calf on my account, don’t do ‘it. If there’s any killin’ to be done I’ll do it.” ‘seemed to be gloating over the consternation that _ Finally Mr. Carvel pulled himself together. | “So it’s you, is it, Steve Johnson? I never x voice and youy manner——” “Puts you in mind of old times,” chuckled _ “How comes it that you’re in New York and free. It’s only four years since you were——” r, didn’t 1? Well, I got tired of the place, and e night a while back_—” “oat it what you want to. I lit out so sud- * y that I forgot to leave my new address be- -I always was popular, you know—that they’ve been huntin’ for me since.” “About two weeks ago.” Then those whiskers and that big wig | ald you? Fits me to the queen’s taste, don’t y? The man who fixed me up was an artist.” t you’ve placed yourself in my power? ‘only to strike this bell.to have you secured ve you sent back to Sing Sing. as an es- convict.” hat’s to prevent me?” veral things, this for gne,” and the man after a long separation, isn’t it, Mr. Carvel?” fa pee recognize me at first. If you’re thinkin’ The intruder spoke in an ironical way, and his presence occasioned the broker. 10uld have known you with those whiskers. But . Johnson. know, and I got a vacation of ten up the u escaped. .It that it?” nd. They took so much interest in me up en. did you escape?” “False? Rather. You wouldn’t think so, What brought you to my office? Don’t you ar d held till I can communicate with the police, ou can do it, Mr. Carvel, but you won't.” oa whiskers took a small revolver from threaten me?” a I merely exhibited it as a precaution. »ago you were the cashier of Spen- | Co.,. wiles of the Chicago Board of : eee as a elerk in the same house. You What. do you mean by walk-. ~ to let a good thing get away from you. were sweet onthe typewriter and finally you ; married her.” “That’s enough. I don’t care to hear ancient history.” “Just so. It leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth, doesn’t it?” chuckled the man with the whiskers. “If I recollect aright you were dead gone on the girl, and as soon as you were spliced ees settled down to love in a cottage and all a 7 ~ “T tell- you i won’t hear any more about that, 3 ‘eried the brokzr, angrily. “As I happen to be in a reminiscent mood you'll have to hear it.” “What do you want to bring that up for? My first wife is dead—let her rest.” ue she’s dead, all right; but your daughter isn” ” - “My what?” roared the proker. “Your daughtei,” = Mr. Carvel stared at the man with the white ers. “Look here, Johnson, are you crazy?” “Not that I know of.” “Then what do you mean by talking such rot? My first wife died childless.” * “Oh, she did?” with a chuckle. “She did,” Mr. Carvel, .mphatically. “How much ‘would you like to bet on that?” “T don’t propose to waste words on the sub- ject,” replied the broker, impatiently. “All right. Have-it your way. IT’ll proceed with my story. After you was married three years you received a good offer to come to New York. . You accepted it. You left your wife in Chicago because she was too ill at the time to come with you, Unfortunately she was sick a long time, and in the meantine, as cashier for your new employer, | Mr. Chase, you met——” “T tell you I won’t hear——” _ “Yes, you will, Frederick Carvel, - alll I’ve got to say. It will pay you. 4 “Pay me, you-——” The broker stopped. : ‘ “Well, why don’t you finish, Mr. Carvel?” said the: man with the whiskers, almost menac- ingly. “Don’t mind my feelin’s. They’te hardened. ; Four years of constant association with the resi- dents of a certain institution has a blunting effect on a man, especially when he knows that he’s — in ona trumped-up charge and isn’t guilty. Well’ as I was sayin’, you met the daughter of your’ new employer ‘and fell in love with her. Un- fortunately for her, she reciprocated your feel- in’s.” “This has gone far enough!’ mea the broker, wrathfully. “No, it hasn’t. you'll hear There’s more to tell, and ’m ~ _goin’ to tell it. By marryin’ Mr. Chase’s daughter - you saw your way to a partnership in the busi- ness. It was temptin’ and you always did hate But it’s against the law to have two wives, and the law is sometimes an inconvenient proposition. It °° seems, however, that some men are gifted with ‘the ability to extricate themselves from unsatis-, © You conceived the idea. — factory predicaments. of sendin’ your wife to Colorado for her health ‘She believed in you and’ went readily Pees os poor thing, especially as she had a brother ow: cee there in a amigin’ camp. One day a a man wal
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warn ‘dent in this city. - you and left.” ‘and bled you regularly rather awkward, I know, you: wedded her——” into the house in Silver Creek where she was boardin’ and told her with brutal abruptness that you had been killed in an elevated railroad acci- A month later you married Mr. Chase’s daughter and went on a honeymoon trip to Europe at his expense. When you got back you found yourself his partner, and at his death the business came into your hands. The business seems to have run down since Mr. Chase’s name disappeared from the sign. You - were a member of the Stock Exchange then, now you’re on the Curb. Still, I believe you’re pretty well fixed, or your wife is.” “T suppose you're through at last,” sneered the broker, : “Not quite. There is somethin’ else,” Be. “Oh, is there?” replied Mr. Carvel, sarcastic-. ally. “What is it?” “7 suppose you know who the man was who carried the news of your supposed death to your wife?” Y ; ie “It was you, and you were well paid for it, weren’t you?” E “Oh, yes, I was well paid. You gave me a lump sum and a good job in your office. I’m thinkin’, however, that you regretted the last part of your contract. I know you tried to rid yourself of me after a. while, but you see I’ve a weakness for hangin’ on to a good thing. It would have been better for me if I had humored “That’s right,” nodded the broker, “for then you wouldn’t have yielded to temptation and forged——” p “Your name to a check for a large amount. Correct,” chuckled the man with the whiskers. “Js this the check?” He: drew a paper from his pocket and showed “Mr. Carvel almost sprang from the chair. _ “How did you get that?” he demanded, with _ @ blanched face. “The real forger—the rhan who executed it at your biddin’ and afterward put the wheels in motion that landed me, an innocent man, behind the bars—gave it to me ten ‘days ago with his dyin’ confession, properly attested before a notary. That’s one of the reasons why you won t give me up to the police.” “Great heavens!” faltered the broker. “That was the biggest mistake you ever made, Frederick Carvel. You forgot that you were dealine with a smarter man than yourself when you hired Dugeleby to = sae dirty bina i that check after my conv er cau on the strength of it. Now he’s dead, but you’ve got a new master.” ‘The broker glared at his Nemesis. : _ “Now, we’ve got down to the last count, which I mentioned before—your daughter. Y -€You vil—you know I have no daughter. “Sorry to contradict you, but you have. Before ~ your wife died she gave birth to a daughter, and _ that child lives.” “ “¥ou lie!” cried Mr. Carvel, hoarsely. “J happened to be on the spot, as you know, and I have the documents to prove it. It’s vel learned that you were married vat. the time: yelyou scoundrel! My first wife died a month , ¢F because if Mrs. Car- . 4 7 A FORTUNE AT STAKE ~ “Tom,” sai a 2 eae Ts 5 hue Bt hee) tea ‘e + = . “I know I telegraphed that fact to you, but you. ~ see she recovered from her swoon and lingered just five weeks, which I have the documents to prove, consequently——_” 32 _ The broker gasped for breath, then with a howl like a wild animal at bay he sprang at the throat of the man with the whiskers. There was a brief scuffle, which Tom, dazed by what he had overheard, watched with distended eyes, and then Mr. Carvel fell back in his chair, white.and — ha blood oozing from between his lips, like one dead. CHAPTER IV—The Boy Who Had No Price. The man with the whiskers gazed down at the unconscious broker without a spark of ~ com- passion. Perhaps he was thinking of the four ~ years of imprisonment he had put in at Sing. Sing, an innocent man, and knew that Mr. Car- vel was the cause of it. Whatever his sentiments, Tom’s were different. He dropped the letter he had all this time held in his fingers while he listened in spellbound amazement to the inter- — view between the two men, and rushed to his employer’s assistance. The intruder gave a start the moment he became aware of the boy’s pres- _ ence. : + ae “Where did you come from?” he demanded, sharply. 6 eae aa “Ts he dead?” the boy faltered, ignoring the man’s question. . Pgs “Dead—no. He’s got a fit, that’s all. Bring a glass of water, and tell someone outside to ~ telephone for a doctor.” : it Tom rushed outside, hurriedly told the cashier that Mr. Carvel had been taken with a fit, or something like it, asked him to send for a doc- tor, and-then went on and ot the water. On his’ return to the private room, Tom found that “the — party by the name of Johnson” had straightened. — thé broker out on the lounge and had wiped the froth and blood from his mouth. A physician — who. had his office in a neighboring drug-store soon arrived, and he brought Mr. Carvel around. As soon as the trader began to remember things he looked about him in a fearful way. : Tom, who was standing close by, readily be- — lieved that he was expecting to see the disguised » Steve Johnson, but that person had left the office — as soon as the doctor made his appearance on the scene. : a ae “What was the matter with me, doctor?” asked the broker, in a voice so altered that Tom and the cashier searcely recognized it. aS “You had a species of apoplectic fit. You must — have been laboring under intense mental excite- - ment at the time. You will have to rest here g couple of hours, until you feel well enough to be taken home in a carriage. Then I would ad- vise you to send for your family physician. His. services may not be necessary, but-it is well to take time by the forelock. Don’t go home alone, but take someone with you in the carriage.” — “Ig there any danger?” asked Mr. Caryel, feebly. er SA is Sea ive / “You will pull around all right if you take care me of yourself,” replied the physician, encouragingly. the broker, “J shall have to + oe
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A FORTUNE you to stay with me and go home with me in * the carriage.” : SAN right, sir,” replied the boy, cheerfully. __ The doctor took his departure; Mr. Carvel gave __ his cashier some instructions about the office, and then he closed his eyes and remained quiet, while - Tom took his seat atthe desk and began to think over what he had overheard. Tom hardly knew what to think of the man with the whiskers, whose name was evidently Steve Johnson. That he had been badly treated by Mr. Carvel - seemed to be clear, but it also appeared that he had been something: of an ally of the broker’s, in a not very honorable way,-in the past. At any “rate, he now had a strong hold on the broker, and the boy did not doubt but that he would use jt to his own advantage. Tom was greatly interest- ed in the fate of his employer’s unacknowledged daughter, and wondered where she was. He _. judged that the man with the whiskers knew a _ whole lot about her, and he regretted that the - interview had terminated so abruptly that he was _ prevented from finding out something about her. -. Probably she was somewhere out West, where - Johnson could put his hand on her whenever it _ served his purpose to do so. Tom readily under- *stood that the production of this daughter would - lead to unpleasant eomplications in Mr. Carvel’s family circle, especially. if Johnson could make good his assertion that she was born even one hour after the broker married his present wife. - A great deal depended on the moral standing SEaty a a % ' Tom gave the driver the address he was to go ceeded perhaps a dozen blocks the trader spoke. ; som, when I was struck down with what the doctor called a fit I had a visitor.” SYes> six,” “4 man, rather shabbily dressed and whose face was covered with whiskers. You saw him: e ir, That was the second-time he called “4 Jot of nonsense.» He claimed to be a friend to, got in himself and the vehicle started uptown. © one “money and yet will keep ‘silent ae AT STAKE 5 “Did he tell you his name?” : “No sir.” “Tom, I think you were in my private room ~~ when he walked in just after I asked you to go to the letter cabinet to get me a certain letter,” “Yes, sir.” ? : “{ don’t remember you bringing me that letter | or leaving the room.” . : f The broker looked searchingly at his mes- senger. “I didn’t bring it to you, sir.” “Couldn’t you find it?” “T found it, sir, but———” Tom stopped in an embarrassed way. ~The broker was silent. for a moment or two. “Did you overhear a part or the whole of the interview between that man and myself?” Y “T overheard all, sir,” replied Tom, with a guilty flush on his face, beginning to realize that he should have left as soon as he saw that the conversation was taking such a personal trend. “Mr. Carvel made no answer, but looked at the boy with mingled anxiety and doubt. “What did you understand from that conver: sation?” he.asked, at length. _ “T’d rather not say, sir,” replied the boy, slowly and_in a hesitating way. “Then you believe that man’s story?” “Wasn’t it true, sir?” “Tt was a tissue of falsehoods,” said the broker, excitedly. “That fellow is a rascal. He has me in his—— He stopped abruptly, as if realizing the slip he had almost made. } v “Tom, I want~you to promise me to be silent about what you hearl—as silent as the grave. — The world is ready to believe evil of any man, however great or respected he may be. Im fact, the higher the pedestal on which he stands the more eager certain people are to drag him down therefrom at the first breath of suspicion. ~ have enemies, Tom, who would be delighted at a chance to pick my bones.. You do not wish to harm me, do you, boy?” “No,. sir.” Bite “Then keep what you have learned to yourself. Do not even tell your mother. I will make it all - right. Your wages shall’ be $10 a ‘Week oe this, or $12, if that is not enough, and besides ~ I will make you a present.” Ro He took a roll of bills from his pocket and pushed it into the boy’s hand. “Keep or spend that as you choose. All I ask is that you will not xo back on he.” ae He spoke with feverish eagerness, and Tom felt sorry. for him. < + “Y’q rather not take this money, sir,’ he said. “J don’t <want to be. paid for keeping your secrets.” : : “Boy, do you mean to betray me, then?” “No, sir; but as long as I am in. your employ it is my duty to do the right thing by you with- | out extra pay.” “But this is a present.” : “No, Mr. Carvel, it is not a present; it is Ee -bribe, and I wish you to understand that Iam not — to be bought. Steve Johnson may have his price, but I have none.” Z ied! The broker stared at his messenger in wonder. “Do you mean to say that you refuse this x ”
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Biggs A FORTUNE “T mean to say that I regard your interests as of the first importance as long: as my conscience tells me to starid by them. I promise you never to breathe a word of what I overheard for ‘the purpose of injuring you. should come when, in the interests of an innocent and wronged person, it would be.necessary for “me to speak, tlien I will know that. my lips are “my own. and not sealed by a price. At any rate, you can trust me, sir, which I could not answer for if I accepted a bribe.” * The broker did not answer for some moments. ; Then he took the boy’s hand in his. “T do trust you, Tom, and you shall not: find _me ungrateful: I believe your word is better than some people’s bond. I accept it and will rely on it.” : The rest of the journey uptown was. passed in silence. : CHAPTER V—Tom Meets The Man With The : Whiskers Under Thrilling Circumstances. After‘ leaving Mr. Carvel’ safely at ‘his resi- . » dence on ‘Madison Avenue, Tom hurried home himself for he knew that his mother would be © wondering why he was so late in getting back - from his work. He found ‘her looking’ anxiously from the front window of their little parlor in the direction he usually came~from the station. -. She wanted to know what had detained him, and told her that his employer had been taken him in acab. His supper was ready and waiting, _so he sat down to it at ence. Next morning he dug his $200 out of the depths of his trunk and ~ took it downtown with him. He had already de- © cided to buy 30 shares of D. & L. at 60, and as business was not very lively that day he easily . _ found a chance to ¢o to the little bahk on Nassau Street and put the deal through on a margin basis. Mr. Carvel did not appear atthe office that day, and the cashier was in full charge of the establishment. Next day, however, the broker turned up at a quarter of ten as usual, and things resumed their customary course in the office. Tom wondered when Steve Johnson would show up again, for that he would do so ' soon seemed to his mind a foregone conclusion. He had shown that he. held a winning hand, and his next move naturally would be to reach out for the stake he was playing for., Although Tom was undoubtedly interested in the move- ments of the man with the whiskers, he was more interested in D. & L., which went up slowly --as the days slipped by until it reached 70 3-8. All the stocks on the Stock Exchange list had ‘ participated in the bull market and were more ,or less higher than they had been a fortnight be- _ fore. Tom decided that $10 a share profit was good enough for him, so he ordered his thirty shares sold. When he got his check from the bank he found that he was worth just $500. He ‘cashed the check, got five $100 bills, took them home and stowed them away at the bottom of his trunk again. That evening he went. to call on - ga friend of his, hamed Dick Butterick, who was also a messenger in Wall Street. Dick lived ~ about ‘eight plocks away, and Tom stayed at his “house till ten o'clock, Wh z of ae . hie) 5 RS ‘ But if the time ever’ fll at the office and that he had to-go home with “Whosé head now appeared behind his _with reckless haste toward the stairs where Tom — _ran to thé door of the blazing room and looked — ‘a big closet between the front room and the rear hope of success. . Seeing that it en he got up to go AT STAKE Dick said he’d walk part of the way back with him. When the boys had gone about four blocks Tom seized his’ friend by the arm all of a sud- den and exclaimed: ; “Look there! I believe that house is. afire,” It is, for a fact!” agteed Dick excitedly: It was a three-story brick building, the ground floor - being occupied as-a store, and the blaze was in front—a room: on the third floor. As the boys looked. up at the window where they saw the suspicisus-looking glare the refiection in the room — grew more ruddy:every minute. pati . . -“That-room “is: on fire, all right,” said Tom. — “You'd better tun and turn in an ‘alarm’ from that automatic box ‘near your house, and when the firemen come direct them over here, Vl — arouse the people in the house.” ‘ HB c Dick started off down ‘the street on the: run, “while Tom rushed across to the house. The street — door was not locked, so the young messenger ‘opened: it and dashed in. He saw that the upper — stairs “~were misty with smoke, ‘through which ‘shone ‘the gas jet that lighted the second land- ‘ing. i Tom sprang up the stairs and began-pound- ing on the néarest door on the second: floor: he came to. ~ , eee = “The house is afire!” he shouted, in order to hasten the movements of those inside. This pro-- duced the necessary ‘effect, and presently 4 man camie to the door in his trousers and undershirt. — “The front-room upstairs is on fire,” said Tom, — hastily. “Doh’t you see and smell the smoke?” “Gracious, yes!” cried the man, while hig wife, Shoulder, - uttered a suppressed scream of terror. a “Oh, John,” she erjed, “the children! We must — get out!” : j Pea - “Who lives upstairs?” asked the boy. 25 BR got several lodgers. Go up and get them | out. : ; ia Tom‘ needed no urging to do this. He found — the smoke already pretty thick as he ascended, and wondered why the people had not yet‘ dis-— covered their danger. As he reached the head of the second flight the door of the front room was dashed open and the figures of a man and woman, the latter screaming with terror, were outlined against a bright glare. They dashed . had paused on seeing them, and he jumped out — of the way to let them pass. Both were in their — night garments and they flew down the stairs without paying any attention to the boy. Tom — in, He saw that the fire had evidently started in one, and was Now well undér way inthe front one. , Ae The\bed just vacated by the frightened couple was situated in an aleove room. From the dis- play of dishes and cooking utensils in the neigh- borhood of a small gas stove in the corner near the burning closet it was clear that the two lodgers had been carrying on light housekeeping — there: Tom ‘would have tried to put out the fire | if.there had been even the remote possibility of his doing so, but it had gotten under too great headway for him to think ef tackling it with any 2 was a job for the fire department, Tom pulled the door shi to cut off the draft, and then groped his way to
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A. FORTUNE the door of the back room. He pounded loudly on this door, but nobody responded, though he - repeated the summons. “I guess there’s nobody in there,” he said to himself, “for I’ve made noise enough to wake ' anybody but. one who was stone deaf.” The smoke was growing so thick on that floor ‘now that Tom was almost choked~by it, while his eyes smarted and ran water. There was a small window at the end of the landing facing the head of the stairs. The boy hurried over, threw up the _ sash and stuck his head out to recover his breath. A volume of smoke followed him and rolled out over and around him.. The atmosphere in the upper hall was thus cleared a bit, and Tom de- cided that he’d better get downstairs. However. ‘he determined to make sure that there was no- © body in the back room.’ He went to thée*door and © “turned the handle. There. was no fire in this “room as yet, but it was full of smoke, and he could see the-ruddy glow of the: burning closet shining through the cracks of the door of the adjoining closet which opened into the back room, and had caught fire from the other. Tom could see the outlines of a bed and a chair and table, but the smoke made everything indistinct. The draft from the window that Tom had opened ‘and neglected to close began sucking the smoke -out of the room in a filmy cloud. He dropped ‘on his knees and crawled over to the bed to see if anyone lay on it and had been rendered un- ‘conscious by the smoke. There was no one there, put the clothes were tumbled about as if it had recently had. an occupant. Then it was that his eyes were arrested by a dark object stretched upon the carpet in the corner opposite the bed. Tom crawled over and saw it was a man, with _ one arm extended under the edge of the carpet, ' which was turned up. Whether the man was dead or insensible the young messenger could not tell, but he judged it must be the latter. Seizing him by the legs, he tried to dram him toward the door, but his hand was caught and held by the earpet and he would not budge. Tom, seeing what the trouble was, pulled”his arm out and saw ~ that he held some papers in his fingers. The ~~ documents fell from his nerveless grasp. Tom, ‘seeing what the trouble was, pulled his arm out and then grasping the man, whose face he could mot see, by the arms, dragged him out into the. corridor. Leaving him there, he ran to the win- dow for another breath of air. Now he heard the shouts of the people in the streets in front and the distant clang of an approathing fire- ‘engine. He returned to the unconscious man, hurriedly lifted him on his back and began drag- ging him downstairs. The front door was open, and a small crowd was gathered about it, but none yentured to enter the burning building. _ Two or three had done so after the alarm had - first spread, but after getting to the second floor they had been intimidated by the thick smoke above and had beaten a quick retreat. Tom’s appearance with the limp form of the man on his back was greeted with many ejaculations of ‘surprise, and not a little admiration. At that~ moment a fire-engine, followed by a hose-cart, dashed up, while a second was seen coming up the eat street. A hook-and-ladder was hum-, ming along a block away, and the toots of the.en- — and je of the bells had aroused the \ ¥. ¥ sat te jangle of %& AT STAKE 7 immediate neighborhood to a pitch of consider- _ able excitement.. Tom dragged the man across the street. and laid him down under a lamp-post, a crowd gathering quickly about rescuer and rescued, Then it was that the boy got his first fair look at the unfortunate person he had saved. He gave a gasp of astonishment as he recognized es “It was the man with the whiskers—Steve ohnson. ° CHAPTER VI—The Man With The Whiskers Pays Tom A Visit At His Home. Tom was rather staggered by the extraordi- nary manner in which he had come in’contact with “the party by the name of Johnson” again. He had probably. saved the man’s life, for the whole upper floor of the building from which he had dragged him was now in flames. A policeman came up and pushed his way through the crowd collected. around Tom and the man with the whiskers. The young messenger hastily told the officer how he had dragged the man out of the iis house from the back room on the top oor. : § “What’s your name?” asked the cop, taking notes. ' “Tom Sedgwick.” “Live in that house?” | “No. I live about five blocks fro “Street and number, please?” The boy gave them. “Flow. came you to be in the house?” Tom explained the circumstances—how he had caught sight of the glare in the upper floor when he and a friend were passing along the street, and how he had sent his friend to ring in an alarm while he entered the building to arouse the people and get them out. “The man is clearly overcome by the smoke, and is coming to already. It is hardly necessary to send for an ambulance, for he'll soon be all right.” Aus spoke the policeman, who was évidently ased to such cases. Steve Johnson was showin undoubted signs of returning animation, an m here.” therefore Tom felt a strong desire to get away pefore the man recognized him. *So he said he was going to hunt up his friend Butterick, but after he got away from the vicinity of the lamp- post he took care to watch the fire from the outskirts of the crowd, and as soon as the flames __ were pretty well subdued he made tracks for — home. _On going to bed that night he discovered the two papers in his pockets that Steve Johnson dropped out of his fingers while unconscious. They were evidently very important to the man with the whiskers, for they eonsisted of the forged chéck on which he had been railroaded to Sing Sing, and the sworn confession of the real. forger, which exonerated Johnson from the - crime. Without these documents Steve could neither prove his innocence nor levy blackmail — on Broker Carvel. . ae one eae : Had Tom been anything but an upright and honest lad, they would have furnished him with the means of feathering his pockets at his em- ‘ployer’s expense. No such thought occurred to a the young messenger as he read the es fat * petrerut ; 5 peter Rit a
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8 incriminating Mr. Carvel. He was very sorry to know beyond any doubt that the broker had been capable of working so heartless a scheme against a man he wished to remove from his path. The possession of these papers was a ‘source of embarrassment to him. He could not destroy them in. justice to Steve Johnson, who, having been unjustly convicted, was entitled to * them as evidence. which would establish his in- nocence. “Yet as long as he remained in Ma. Carvel’s employ he felt as if it was his duty to prevent Steve from using the documents to ex- tort money from the broker, not that he could see that his employer was deserving of any special sympathy on that score. On the whole, he was sorry the papers had come into his pos-_ ‘session, for it did not seem as if he could decide what was the proper course for him to take with respect to them. Finally he. put. them at the bottom of his trunk along with his money, went to bed and was soon asleep. On his way to work next morning he read the account ‘of the fire in the morning paper. - His own part in the affair was fully described, and his name and address given in full; but the name of the man with the whiskers was printed as William Brown. ; Evidently Steve Johnson had no desire to dis- close his identity, and Tom could not blame him. Tom met Dick Butterick on Broad Street about noon, and his friend grabbed him. ; “J see you made a hero of yourself last night after I left you,” said Dick. ‘Your exploit of sav- ‘ing a’man named Brown from the burning house js printed in all the papers this morning.” “Well, you don’t suppose I was going to leave him in the house to be burned up after I found him half-suffocated and unconscious on the top floor do you?” ~ : - “Of course not; but still it was a mighty plucky thing for you to do. You might have been over- come by the smoke yourself while trying to get him downstairs.” ; “When a fellow is doing his duty he doesn’t stop to think about the side issues.” *! “T suppose the man expressed his gratitude to you when he recovered.” “N; I didn’t give him the chance.” “Why not?” i “Because I wasn’t looking for his thanks,” re- ) plied Tom, exasively. “t¢ he’s the right kind,of man he’ll call at’ your house and thank you.” \ “He'll never learn who I am.” “He won't? When your name and address are printed in the papers?” Tom had forgotten that, It gave him something of a shock, too. stéve Johnson was likely to call on him ° to ‘learn whether he knew anything about the papers he (Johnson) had had in his grasp when he was overcome by the smoke. Tom felt that he could not deny having them in his possession if the man with the whiskers pressed him for a direct ~ “answer on the subject. “Tf he-suspects that I have them he will make a strong effort to get them back, and I don’t : ‘know-as I Have any real right to. refuse to give ~ them up,” thought Tom. “I wish to goodness that I didn’t gew Aold of them. In any case, if _ Johnson should be arrested and taken back. to _.. Sing Sing I’d have to'send them to him so that “k A FORTUNE AT STAKE from becomin’ a human torch last night,” he said, Tivege? | ¥ je es he could clear himself, no matter what effect their production had on Mr. Carvel.” : ; All this passed through Tom’s mind in a twink- ling while Dick was looking at him. “Well, if ‘he chooses to hunt me up,I- can’t prevent him doing so,” he*replied. After some further talk on the subject of the fire the boys parted. That afternoon when on an errand to the Mills Buildng, Tom heard a couple of brokers talking about a syndicate that had been formed to boom C. & A. stock. He heard enough to assure him that C. & A. would bea good thing to get next to as soon as possible. When. he returned to the office he looked the stock up on! the daily. market report and found that it was going at 47. F “Tl be able-to get 100 shares on margin,” he told himself. ‘With that amount, if the syndi- cate doesn’t run against a snag, I ought to: make —_ over $1,000. Then I’ll be worth at least $1,500, which is a whole lot of coin for a messenger boy to own in these strenuous times.” ac When he started for home after his work was done that day it was with the determination to — bring his $500 downtown in the morning and slap it into C. & A. : « ; He had just finished his supper and was read-.. ing the evening paper when a ring came at the front door. Throwing down the paper he went to the door and opened it. The man with the whis- kers stood there. He was clearly quite taken aback on seeing Tom, whom he recognized as Mr. Carvel’s office boy. He had read the article in the _ paper which stated that a boy named Tom Sedge- wick, of No. — Boston Road, had rescued him — from the burning building in an unconscious con- dition, but there was nothing in the story to con- nect Tom with Wall Street,.so that Steve John- — son did not dream that it was the same boy he | had tried to borrow the dollar of the day he called _ on Mr. Carvel. as Although a bit staggered by the encounter, he - quickly pylled himself together. = “Well, son,.we meet again,” he began, with the same old chuckle, ~ - sas “Apparently so,” replied the young messenger, it “Do you wish to see me?” es “If you are Tom Sedgwick, I do.” : . “That’s my name.” ; +4 “J eame around to thank you for savin’; me’ . slowly. fee. “You needn’t have put yourself to the trouble of coming here to thank me for the service, I _ pulled you out of the house because I should have considered myself a coward had I left you all — alone in the condition I found you. I was willing to take your thanks for granted.” 3 “Well, son, I’m greatly obliged to you for what you did, and I’m sorry that I’m flat broke-and — can’t make you a suitable acknowledgment; but — that ain’t sayin’ I’ll never be in shape to’ make, — it all right with you.” rs : “You needn’t worry about\making it right with me. I’m glad I saved you, so we'll let it go ab that,” replied Tom. : ie oe ae ~ “No,” said the man withe the whiskers, shak- ing his head, “you did me a good turn and you’re entitled to some reward.” ms ; sik “Pm not taking rewards for saving people's inte eS 4 “ ' ; ; % a
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. ee A FORTUNE AT STAKE * “Well, son, we won’t argue that matter. Now, I want to ask you a question. Where did you find me ?” “On the floor in the corner,of the room opposite the bed.” | : : “Jest so. I had somethin’ in my hand, didn’t I?” said the man. “Your hand wag under the end of the carpet, which was loose.” “Exacthy,” xeplied Steve, anxiously. “You pulled my hand out and you found I had a couple of . papers in it, didn’t you?’ - for them, but they wasn’t there. If you didn’t © “You did have some papers in your hand, but you dropped them on the floor.” , “And didn’t you pick them up? They were very ee heat to me, that’s why I kept them hidden der the carpet. When I woke up half smothered T thought of them first. I tried to save them. I remember gettin’ hold of them, and that’s all. Did you leave them behind when you dragged me out? I was up in the room this mornin’ huntin’ take them somebody else did, for that end of the room wasn’t burned. They must have been there somewheres if they wasn’t taken by some one.” “You say they belonged to you and were very important?” y ~\ “Yes, yes,” said the man with /the whiskers, eagerly... 3 Your name is Brown, William Brown, isn’t it?” “That’s right.” : “I found two papers—one a check bearing a date of four years since, and purporting to bear the signature of my employer, Frederick Carvel; the other a confession signed by a man named James Duggleby, and sworn ‘to in the presence of a notary public and one witness, which stated that the check had been forged by Duggleby, under arrangement with Mr. Carvel for the pur- pose of sending Steve Johnson, Mr. Carvel’s clerk, to State prison in order to get rid of him .for reasons good and sufficient to the said Mr. Car- vel. The object of the paper was clearly to es- tablish the innocence of Steve Johnson, and the -eheck was the evidence used aganist him at the trial. Now, Mr. Brown, in what way do those ‘papers concern you? =. = Tom's presentation of the matter quite stag- gered the man with the whiskers. For a moment or two he could only stare at the young mes- senger in a dazed way. Finally he seemed to termination. Coon. et trust you?” he asked, hoarsely. » replied Tom. ; ; “Then ae namic isn’t William Brown. I that to the cop last night as a blind. I am ‘ave teve Johnson.” x ~ “Y know you are,” replied Tom, coolly. CHAPTER VIIl.—Tom Plays a Winner in the ; Stock Market. - “You_Imow I am Steve Johnson?” replied the man with the whiskers, slowly. . “Yes. I know you escaped from Sing Sing about three weeks ago, and consequently that 10se whiskers ‘you wear are false. I also know at you were not guilty of the crime for which a 9 you have suffered four years’ confinement up the river, I have a general idea why Mr. Carvel took such a cowardly means to get you out of his way.” “You know all that?” said Steve Johnson, clear- ly astonished. ; “IT do. I know also that you are more or less - guilty of causing the death of Mr. Carvel’s first wife in Silver Creek, Colorado, by abruptly in- forming her of her husband’s alleged death by accident in this city.” “You know that, too?” “T_ also understand that Mr. Carvel has a daughter living by his former wife. Do you know ™ . anything about her present whereabouts?” i “Say, son, how did you learn all these facts?” “From your own lips.” _ “From—my—lips!” ejaculated Steve Johnson, evidently amazed. “Yes. I -was present in Mr. Carvel’s room that afternoon when. you rehearsed the story of old times. I heard every word.” “The—dickens!”* ’ “Now, Steve Johnson, I’ve got the papers that prove your irinocence. I think they are safer with me than with you. Your intention is to use them as a means of revenge—to extort blood-money from Mr. Carvel. I think you can make better use of them. If you know where his daughter is bring her forward and I will let you have the documents to compel him to recognize her and make suitable provision for her support. Unless you agree to this the papers will remain with me except in the event of your arrest as an escaped convict, in which case I should deem it my duty - to clear you by producing them in your behalf. - That’s all I’ve got to say.” : The man with the whiskers didn’t like Tom’s ultimatum. He tried to argue the matter, but | the boy was firm. “But I’m flat broke,” protested Johnson. “Yl see that you get some money from Mr. Carvel.” “How?” asked the man in surprise. “Don’t worry about that. J’ll get it for you. Now, where is Mr. Carvel’s daughter?” “She was with her uncle in Silver Creek five years ago.” : “T’l] get you funds enough to take you out there. Find the girl and bring her on here. Tell her the whole truth. She is entitled to know it, and it will only be an act of justice to her dead mother, as well as an act of reparation on your part. Will you do it?” “T will,” agreed Johnson, ‘ “All right. Call here to-morrow night and you shall have all the money necessary to carry this plan out.” That ended the interview, and after receiving a dollar bill from Tom, the man with the whiskers took his departure. Next morning Tom took his $500 downtown and put it up on 100 shares of C. & A. at 47. During the day he had an interview with Mr. . Carvel and astonished the broker with the state- ment that the-man he rescued from the burning building in the Bronx, and whose name was re- ported in the papers as William Brown, was none other than Steve Johnson. . Balboa Mr. Carvel was not It is quite possible that particularly pleased that his messenger’s activity and pluck had saved the life of the man who was so dangerous to his peace of mind. Had Johtson ¢ 3 a
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10 perished in the fire the knowledge would have given the broker the most solid kind of satisfac- tion. He found some slight comfort, however, in Tom’s assurance that he had made an arrange- ment with Johnson not to press his advantage, for a while at any rate, if the broker would advance him $500.. Mr. Carvel naturally was curious to learn how his messenger had brought about the agreement with Johnson. Tom wouldn’t go into particulars. All he would say was that Johnson’s gratitude to him for saving his life, added to an- other little matter, gave him a hold on the ex- -» clerk that for the present he was working in Mr. '» Carvel’s interest. He got the $500,,and handed it over to Johnson that evening when he called at his home, where the final arrangements relative to Steve’s trip to Colorado were concluded. Two days later C. & A. began to show some activity and advanced to 50. On the following day it was quoted at 503-8 around eleven o’clock. Tom was standing in the messengers’ entrance of the Exehange at the time, - having brought a message from the cashier to a broker who acted for Mr. Carvel when he had orders to fill for the purchase or sale of railroad stocks. All at once there was a flurry around the C. & A. standard. A well-known broker had come on the floor and begun bidding for the stock at an advance on the market. Then it developed that there was a scarcity of the stock, for though he raised the price a point at the time, very little of it came out. Before Tom left C. & A. had jumped to 56. By noon it was selling around 65, amid great ex- citement, and when the Exchange closed for the day it was up to 70. On his way home Tom left orders at the little bank to sell his 100 shares in the morniig at the market price, for he believed the stock showed every indication of being top- -heavy, and consequently was liable to develop a slump at any moment. ©. : ‘In fact, the market might open with a drop in the price, and therefore the young messenger was anxious to get out from under as soon as possible. The market, however, opened strong in the morn- ing, and Tom’s shares went at 703-8. But inside of an hour somebody began unloading big blocks of the stock on the brokers, and then the traders became shy of buying, while those who were long on it hustled around to get rid of their holdings, foreseeing that the end of the boom was in sight. The result was that as buyers prew scarce and sellers numerous, prices began to sag. y This brought more sellers to the fore, and soon a small panic was on, prices béing cut left and - > vight in the efforts to realize. By noon C. & A. was selling at 61. Tom didn’t care what it was - gelling at now, as he was out of it with a profit that had figured at $2,800 above commissions and other expenses. His statement and check that - reached him next morning showed that he had in- deed made that amount, and that his capital was now $2,800, He took the money home to hide away as usual. When he went to his room after supper, = and he was opening his trunk, it struck him of a zs sudden that thé trunk was not the safest place in the world for so much money. He began to wish that he had left the money in the office safe down- town and not brought it home. To arouse his fears still more he noticed that the lock of the trunk ~ showed signs of having been tampered with. He wondered if his mother, suspecting he had made * =f - He was’ 80 absorbed in this pleasant occupation < tins Sat A FORTUNE AT STAKE more money in the stock market, had been tryin to investigate in a quiet way. He hardly believe that she would adopt such means to reach the truth. It would be more like her to ask him right out if he had any money in his possession, and if she found he had, she would amend that he give it up. : If she had not been near his trunk who else was there to figure on? Only the new lodger in the next room. ~ His mother had told him that she had eieed the room to a Frenchman, but though the new lodger had been several days an inmate of the house Tom had not caught a glimpse of him yet. Tom hardly thought he would have the nerve to invade his room while he was away and try to get into his trunk. The man had shown good references when he applied for and secured the room, but whether his mother had investigated his credentials or not At any rate, the boy was certain somebody had been monkeying with the lock of his trunk, and he decided that he would be taking great chances to put his $2,800 in it. He looked around his room Tom had not heard. ‘ to see if there was any other place he could hide — it in. There did not seem to be any place he could afford to trust it in longer than overnight, and the trunk would probably answer better than any _ Suddenly his eye lighted on a hiding-place that he had not till that moment thought of. The kitchen extension of one story stood right under his window. It had a slanting roof which came — up on a level with the window sill. This left a good-sized. space between the ceiling of the kitchen, which was flat, and the slanting roof. His father other place for that length of time. ot had used the space to store odds and ends in, and to reach it had made a small door under the win- dow opening in on Tom’s room. This door had been so well fitted, the hinges being on the inside, that even a close observation by one not acquainted with its existence would fail to reveal the fact that a door was actually there. There was no knob of any kind to open it with, but there was a spring catch under the ex- tension of the sill. By pressing that the secret door would fly open. “That will be just the place to hide my money __ and those papers belonging to Steve Johnson,” thought Tom, gleefully. “No one other than my mother and myself knows about that door. She would never think of rummaging in there for any-. _ thing, and no stranger would ever get on to the place. Ill make use of it for a safe.” rs There was no danger of interruption, for he had heard the lodger go out half an hour before, and his mother was in the sitting-room talking to her 4) brother, Mr. Arnold, who had called with a friend to’ see her, spring catch. The door flew open and he looked Tom went over and touched the ~ inside for a convenient shelf to place his valuables — on. He saw one within easy reach, and after brushing the dust off of it he went to his trunk, unlocked it and took out the confessions of Dug- gleby and the forged check which he had pinned to it. Then he emptied a small oblong japanned-— tin box of various souvenirs he ried it over to the secret Opry : Kneeling down. he took his $2,800 in big oy out of an inner pocket of his jacket, and proceeded to count the money before putting it in the box had in it, and car-
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A FORTUNE that he did not hear his room door open slowly and softly, nor did he see the foreign-looking ~ countenance that peered in and observed what he was doing. : The intruder had a pair of deeply-set, twinkling black eyes that greatly resembled the eyes of the - man with the whiskers—Steve Johnson. He also had a well-waxed black mustache and a small goatee. The rest of his face was smoothly shaven, with a high forehead, the whole of a swarthy tint.. : : He entered the room with a cat-like tread, sim- ilar to the way Johnson had entered Mr. Carvel’s office on the day Tom first made his acquaintance. _' He glided over to the spot where the young mes- senger knelt counting his money. He would have completely surprised Tom but for one circum- stance—in passing the table he brushed against a book that lay close to its edge and displaced it. The noise of the book striking the rug caused Tom to turn his head. He was paralyzed at seeing a stranger, whom he instantly divined to be his mother’s new lodger, advancing stealthily upon him with arms extended to Brat him. CHAPTER VIII.—Tom Aids’ Beauty In Distress. ‘ With a cry of surprise and consternation the _- boy made an effort to get on his feet. A The rascal sprang at Tom and seized him by the throat. 2 Sosa gi cried ‘the boy, realizing his disadvan- ge. ; His cry was heard. The door was flung open and Mr. Arnold dashed into the room and rushed .to Tom’s assistance. In the struggle that en- sued between the young messenger and the _ Frenchman, the tin box was overturned and com- pletely hid the $2,800 in bills which Tom had dropped’ when he started to get up and face the mew lodger. The boy’s assailant turned his head when he heard the door open, and seeing Mr. _ Arnold, his friend, with Tom’s mother in the background, he saw that the game was up. Throwing the lad from him, he flung up the ‘window, sprang out on the roof of the extension, slid to the ground and disappeared bareheaded Into the darkness of the backyaxd, which com- - -municated with a vacant lot, by the way of which he made his escape. sae eae “Who was that man and why did he attack you, Tom?” asked his surprised uncle. . TI believe he’s mother’s new lodger. I never _gaw him before, at any rate. He knows best _ himself why he attacked me. He came on me un- _ awares from behind, and if you hadn’t come to 2 my assistance I’m afraid he’d have got the best i ‘of me, for he was pretty strong.” 4 ; "What were you doing, Tom?” asked his mother, looking at the open secret door and then at the overturned tin box and papers near it, but not seeing the money. '“T was about’ to stow this box and its contents on a shelf in that place above the kitchen,” re- plied her son, truthfully, , : - “Did. you recognize that man as your new _ Toomer, Clara?” asked Mr. Arnold, who was very Suda puzzled over the affair. — 2% “J did not get a fair look at him, but so far Teper Os AT STAKE ° wo as I could judge from his figure I am inclined to think that 2 was my new lodger. I cannot understand why he came into Tom’s room and assaulted him. Can’t you explain the matter at all, my son?” ; “No, mother. He came in without. making any noise and then sprang at me.” : During the talk Tom was more concerned abow the $2,800 hidden by the tin box than he was ‘about the foreign-looking rascal who ‘had attack- ed him. He was afraid that his mother might come forward, pick up*the box and discover the money, in which event it would be up to him to explain how such a large sum happened to be in his possession, To his great relief she did not take any special interest in the box, or the docu- ments beside it, and presently she left the room with her brother and friend. Tom slammed the window down and secured it. After that:he looked at what he had-supposed would-be a good hiding- place, the hole behind the secret door, and de- cided that he wouldn’t use it, at least not for: the present. It was not impossible but that the Frenchman might come back some time during the night, for he had a key to the front door, and as he had seen a\wad of money in his (Tom’s) hand, there might be something doing again. After some thought the boy locked the papers and the money in the tin box and hid it between the two mattresses of his bed. Then he sat down to read the book whose fall from - the table had defeated the purpose of the new lodger. Somehow or another he ‘couldn’t get in- terested in the book. That Frenchman’s face kept coming between his eyes and the printed page. There was something familiar about that face, particularly the eyes, that struck him as very odd, for he was sure he had never met the man before. =a : “He certainly puts me in mind of somebody I’ve met, but bless me if I can think who that somebody is,” thought Tom, “It must be that he looks like some brokér I’ve run against down in Wall Street. Yes, that must be— Gee! I’ve .got it. Those eyes of his are just exactly like the eyes of Steve Johnson,” he ejaculated. sud- denly, “But Steve didn’t look like a Frenchman even a little bit. He looked more like a human orang-outang than anything else with those whiskers. He ought to be out at Silver Creek, by this timg. “At any rate, I’ll look to hear from — him in a few days. I hope he'll have no trouble finding Mr.- Carvel’s daughter. It’s about time 7 the gitl came into her rights. If Steve does bring heron, with the documents to prove her identity, Mr. Carvel will have another fit. But he’s got to do the right thing by her, unless he wants me to go back on him. She must be about seventeen years old now. Time she found out * — who her father is.” x Bt _ Tom read till half-past ten, then he not onl locked his door but barricaded it with the table. Feeling: tolerable safe now, he undressed and went to bed. Nothing happened to disturb him during the night, and he woke up at his usual hour. When he went downtown he carried the tin box with him and asked the cashier to put— it in the safe. Mr. Carvel employed no regular / stenographer, but he required the services of on¢ for all that. So he had an arrangement with. Miss Sharp, a public stenographer, several floors S
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a al Peis -yeported for work in the office. 12 above in the same building, to send a girl. down every day to take dictation. After she took it she returned to her office, transcribed the letters and other matter on her typewriter and handed her work to her boss, who charged it up and sent it down to Mr. Carvel by her office boy. The same girl didn’t come down every day, but that fact didn’t bother the broker any. On the morn- ing Tom brought the tin box downtown an en-- “tirely different girl from any he had seen before Tom regarded her with considerable admiration, which was something out of the common with him, as he “was not easily “mashed” on girls. He thought she had the sweetest face he had eyer seen. She was a blonde. with golden hair and sapphire-blue eyes. As Mr. Carvel was late in getting down that morning Tom invited her into the private room on his own responsibility, and then for fear she might feel lonesome pro- ceeded to make himself agreeable to her. He found out-that her name was Olive King, and that she was from the West. She took the young broker’s dictation for several days in succession,, - and Tom was getting pretty well acquainted with ‘her, when she stopped coming down, much to ' the young messenger’s disappointment. He asked y * the girl who took her place where she was, and was told she was on some other kind of work “up in the office. Olive King was the first girl Tom had ever been interested in, and she occu- pied a good part of his thoughts. On Friday afternoon Tom had to go to Brooklyn on busi- ness and report at the office before he went back home. It was a quarter of five’when he got back to the office and handed a letter:to the cashier “he had brought back with him. ' “Take this work up to Miss Sharp’s office, tell her that it’s wanted as soon as possible in the morning, and then you can go home,” said the ~ eashier. ‘The elevator took Tom to the tenth Haak where he got out and started down the corridor, Miss Sharp’s office was in the rear corridor off the main one. As Tom approached the turn he heard: a pirlish voice exclaim: “Please let me pass. to detain me!” “My dear Miss King,” ‘replied a man’s voice, You hayen’t any right > “why so coy? You are really the most charming ‘young lady I have ever met. Permit me to es- -cort you to the car you take.” ‘Tom stopped. short and listened for develop- ments. oa “part way home.” une “Will you let me pass, sir?” asked the girl again, “T can’t lose you that way, ’pon my word, I can’t. You really -must let me accompany you “No, sir,” she answered, adbviedly. “Let me “pass. You annoy me!” “Well, let me have a kiss and you shall go.” ‘Tom heard a slight scuffle and then a low seream from the girl. He sprang around the corner and saw Olive. King struggling in the aap of a well-dressed man. That was enough for Tom. He grabbed the man by the arm and fore him away from the girl. “How dare you interfere, you young Jacka- napes!”” roared Miss King’s persecutor, whom Tom = recognized as @ young broker new to the woe A FORTUNE AT STAKE together. _will permit me,” said Tom, turning to Miss Kine, * aiming a vicious blow at the young messenger’s head. just as the boy caught the frightened and - var ah eee girl on one arm. ; Tom dodged the blow and swung his right fist. It caught the angry broker on the point of the chin and down on the marble floor he went. ~ Cm = ‘ - t ss . CHAPTER IX.—Tom Makes a Dandy Haul S 5, In P. & By ; Tom released his slight hold on the girl and stood ready to defend himself when the trader got on his feet. The man, whose name was Win- dom, picked himself up almost sputtering with rage, “You—you infernal young monkey!” he roared, “T’ll have 40 ou arrested for striking me!” oes “All right, do so.” replied Tom, coolly. “I'll show you up in court. You insulted Miss King in my presence. You tried to kiss her against — her will. I suppose you: call yourself a gentle- — man,” the boy added, scornfully, “Well,-you did not act like one. You ought to be ashamed. of yourself!” ; Windom gilared-at the young messenger in a furious way. There was something in the boy’s eye that deterred him from springing at him as he would like to have done.. Tom was.a stal- wart young fellow and full of sand. His face showed that he was not one whd would stand any nonsense, and the broker seemed’ to realize that to engage in a scrap with him might not be | to his advantage. The blow he had got on the — chin had also served to take some of the fight out of him, and he was not anxious to ret any more of the same kind. “111 remember you, and fix you for this,” he — said, with a scowl. “I’m not to be insulted by a puppy like you with impunity. Ill find out wheve : you work and report» your conduct, then we'll sea how you come out.” - 3 “Pm not afraid of what you can do. I work a “for Frederick Carvel, Curb broker, on the fourth floor of this building. Call on him if you want — to to-morrow, and, tell him your story. T’ll tell — mine afterward. Then we'll see how you'll one out yourself,” teplied Tom, defiantly. ‘i ry Windom “started to make a retort, but. seem-_ 4 ine to think better of it, he turned on his heel — and walked rapidly away, leaving Tom and Olive — wees “If you wait till I. turn this package in to Miss Sharp I will see you downstairs; that is, if. you — “You are very kind, Mr. Sedgwick,” replied — the girl. “I will wait.” ; It didn’t take the boy but a moment to finish his errand, and then he rejoined her in the cor- ridor. “Now we will go, Miss King,” said Tom. i 5 “You were very g00d to save me from the man’s insulting conduct,” she said earnestly. hope you will understand that I am grateful to you, and very, very sorry that you had troub on my account.” ““Nyon’t mention the trouble, Miss King. It ; “my duty to interfere in your behalf. oe am v glad to have- been: of: service to you.”
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oe A FORTUNE AT STAKE “T appreciate what you did very much. He frightened me a good deal.” : - “You mustn’t get nervous. I don’t think he dare bother you again. If he should, just let me know. I should consider it a favor to be permitted to protect you.” » “Thank you; but it wouldn’t be fair to im- pose on your kindness.” - “You’re not imposing on me at all. You have told me that you are alone in this city, without a friend. You ought to have somebody whom you could call on In case of need. I don’t want - to force myself on you, but it would give me _ great pleasure to be of service to you in case of need.” ; « .. “I thank you very much. You are indeed very . kind to make the offer, and I assure you that a I appreciate it.” : ee The elevator now stopped at the floor and they boarded it. When it reached the bottom, Tom offered to see her to the elévated station, and she gratefully accepted his escort. The girl’s natural reserve gradually wore off as -they walked to the Hanover Square station together, When they reached there he said he was go- ing uptown himself and would ride with her as _ far as 125th Street, where she got off. He learned that life at the Y. W. C. A., where she had a room, was rather lonesome, as the girls there did not show any great anxiety to be well ac- guainted with her. She spent most of her time in her little room, and it was very far from ~ being like a home to her. ; “Wouldn’t you like to make a change?” Tom asked, eagerly. “My mother has a nice room to rent, and she-will board you, too, if I ask her to. ~- You won’t have to remain alone in your room ‘at my house. Mother, will treat you just like one of the family, and I’m sure you'll be more + eomfortable. Besides, I’ll take you out and show ~ you around. There are_lots of places to go. You will then be sure of protection with me around. x You'll find me just the same as a brother.’ I wish you would come up. I never had a ‘Sister, and I promise if you will come you will be ~ treated as one.” , - Olive appeared rather diffident about accepting - his generous offer, though she thanked him for a the interest he showed in her. She left the train _ at 125th Street, Tom promising to see her if ssible on the following day. Next day, return- ne from lunch, she“met Broker Windom in the ~ elevator, but he did not. attempt to address her, -- much to her relief. Tom, instead of going home that afternoon when he got off, walked down _.to the Battery to kill time and then returned ~ to Wall Street in season to meet the girl as she _ eame out of the building on her way home. He rode uptown with her on the elevated. _ “T-spoke to mother about you, Miss King,” he said, “and she told me to téll you that she would be very glad to have you come and live at our ouse. She said she will treat you, just like a. daughter. She asked me to invite you up to dinner on Sunday. If you will come 1 will call for you at the Y. W. ©. A., and bring you back terward. What do you say?” Olive, after some hesitation, consented to the 2 girangement, and’ so, early Sunday’ afternoon, had the facilities to make things hum, At any 13 liking to each other, and before the visit was over Olive had agreed to come and live at the~ Sedgwick home, to the young messenger’s great delight. She moved her small possessions up about the middle of the week, and after that Tom saw her every day, morning and night, and the more he saw of her the more he was attracted to her. It was about this time that he got a letter from Silver Creek, Colorado, signed by Steve Johnson. The:man with the whiskers told him that he could find no trace of Mr. Carvel’s daughter. All he could find out was that her uncle had died when she was five years of age, but what had become of her he had not been - able to learn up to that point. He said he would continue his search for some clue to her present. whereabouts as long as his money held out, and would then write Tom for further instructions. Tom was disappointed with the contents of his letter, as he had counted on Steve finding the girl right away and bringing her on to New York, The story Johnson. had gone over that day in Mr. Carvel’s office had taken a strong” hold on the boy’s interest, because his sympathies had been aroused by the heartless way the broker had treated his wife, and he was determined that, if it was possible for him to bring things about, Mr. Carvel should be compelled to ack- nowledge his first child, and provide for her future. A few days after Johnson’s letter came to hand, Tom learned by accident that the M. & N. road had gotten control of the P. & B., which furnished them with a monopoly of the traffic in the eastern section of the State. The P. & B. had been running to seed as an independent line, and its securities had been go- ing a-begging for some time in the market. Tom Saw. his ance to make a first-class haul by ~ getting in on the ground floor with those on the inside, and he got busy at once. P. & B. was then going around 45. Tom left an order with the little bank to buy for his account 600 shares on a margin, ‘It took nearly all of his $2,800, but that fact didn’t Worry him, for he saw his way to a.fine haul the moment the boom set in.. The little bank found some difficulty in se- curing even. so small a number of shares,, but their representative got them finally, and only just in time, for on the following day the price - jumped to 47; on account of the scarceness of * the stock. ; Tom felt safe in holding on for the best figure he could get, as it was different from a fictitious boom. A great deal of trading was done in the stock above 60, and finally Tom sold out at 61 8-8. This gave him a profit of $12,000 clear, which was more than he had expected to make. With -nearly $15,000 he felt like a small capitalist. ’ CHAPTER X.—How Tom Made a Considerable Addition To His Capital. It was around this time that Mr. Carvel made a very successful deal in the Curb market. In some way he found out that a certain copper stock that was selling low in the market was — about to take on a boom. The mine had come — into possession of a syndicate of capitalists which
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“ rate, the broker put into the deal every cent he could scrape together, and the result was he cleared about $100,000. This was the first real lucky transaction he had*pulled off in years, and it set him on his feet in good shape. He immedi- ately hired a better and Jarger. suite’ of offices in the same building, and began to spread_himself. One day not long afterward Dick Butterick . met Tom on the street: : eae . “Say, Tom,” he said, with some eagerness’ in his ‘tones, : “I’ve got ‘on to a fine tip. T haven't any money to use it myself, which is hard luck, so I’d like to sell it’ to some broker who" would allow me a petcentage on his winnings. Do you _ “suppose I could do that?” - “Why don’t you sell-it to your boss?” Tom asked:’ ; 3 “Not on your life! office.” Sr ishik : ; : “Oh, did you? Then you ought not to sell it at all.” ot. A “Why not? Haven’t I.a right to?” “J shouldn’t imagine you had.. ’m hot. after tips myself, for I’ve a little’ money. to put up, but I wouldn’t care to use anything that I heard jin my own place. I don’t think it’s a fair deal on your boss, It might queer. some of-his plans if the thing got out to: another broker.” : “Oh, well, my boss doesn’t treat me ‘any too well. -I’ve asked him for a raise,-and he can’t see it,” replied Dick, discontentedly. “That doesn’t make any difference. It ought to be a matter of honor with you to keep-your mouth shut about what you hear in your own office.” 5 Re aE ae _ "You’re too blamed. conscientious!” I got hold of it through our vt growled Dick. : Part SS Da Sa toa ' * *T don’t think so, How did you hear about this E tip?” Pe gat : “Qh, while I was in the boss’s private office this morning doing something a couple of brokers came in and.asked. him to join a pool they were forming to boom a certain stock, He finally said he would help, so I heard their plans and the name of the stock to be boosted.” ° “Tf you traded that news off to a smart trader he would probably get up a combine to offset the plans of your employer and his friends. Then “your boss would belikely.to lose all the money he put up on the deal.” : ~. Dick saw the point and- was silent. “Say, how much money have you got?” 7 “Rifteen or twenty thousand, more or less, grinned Tom. “Well, it would be fair for me to let you in “on this thing: so you, could make a haul, and divide with me, wouldn’t it?” “Tt would be fair enough on my part to make use of the information, but I don’t think it would be entirely fair on your part to give it tome. You can do as you please; you're the boss of your own-actions,” i “Why do you want to make a fellow feel so ‘ cheap?” a “T’m not exactly trying to make you feel cheap. All I’m doing is to tell you how I look at such things.” , 3 tags ; -- “Say, you make me tired sometimes. Don’t you know that the brokers down: here are doing one another whenever they get the chance?”: . ~ “Pye ‘heard: something of the kind, but I don’t — A FORTUNE ‘AT STAKE believe the practice is universal. There is honor in .Wall Street as well as elsewhere.” - * “Supposing some broker had’ overheard what. I did, wouldn’t he make use of the information?” “T ‘gtiess he would.”? Cats. “Then, where is’ all this honor about?” ; “That isn’t a question of honor. If a trader accidentally gets possession of the plans of a rival he has a perfect right to make the. best you’re talking use of the knowledge that he can. If the man ~ got hold of this information under a promise, that would be dishonorable.” ; “Well, I didn’t get hold of my information in any dishonorable way.” “If you hadn’t been an employee of your office you wouldn’t have been in a position to find out what you did, All employees are expected. to be loyal to the establishment from which they draw their salary...You have no right to give any of your office secrets away.” dese ‘A few days later when he was atthe Ex- change he saw Broker Rollins, Dick’s boss, buy- ing in H. & IL. shares as fast as they were Bil Bi cy 8 et offered. It recalled to his mind. what, Dick said about a pool, that was being organized to boom a: certain stock, and that his employer had gone 3 into it. Tom wondered if H. & L. was the stock in question. When he went back to the Exchange later on he saw Rollins still buying in the same | 3 stock. That afternoon Tom went around to the little bank and gave an order for 2,000 shares.of H. & L. Next day it was up to 69 7-8. On the following afternoon it had crawled up to 71. Three days afterward it was quoted at 73..That — : day Tom got a letter from the man with the whiskers saying that he believed he had. gotten hold of a clue at last which might lead to results. . He was going to Denver and wanted. the boy to send him, another $500. Tom-told Mr. Carvel and sent Johnson $300 by draft. On the-follow- — ing day there was great excitement on the Ex- change. H. & L. started to boom like wildfire. In one hour it advanced ten points, and closed that day at 85. It opened next morning at 86, and the traders were wild over it. When the — price reached a fraction above 90 Tom had a — chance to go to. the bank and order. his shares sold. Inside of ten minutes he was out of the — mate with a profit of $42,000. He was now wo: Dick on his way to the Exthange. ‘ha ““Yve mate a haul out of H. & L.,” he said. $56,000 in good money. Next day he met — “How much did you make?” asked’ his friend, 4 curiously. “Knough to make me feel kind of liberal. You didn’t give me the tip, but you said enough to put me on the track of the deal. Here’s $50 Put it in your vest. pocket and say nothing.” Tom pushed five .$100 bills into Dick’s hand | and then skipped away before Butterick could — recover from his astonishment. ee Le CHAPTER XI.—In Which Tém Passes the. | $100,000 Mark. “Tom,” said Mrs. Sedgwick at the su on the following evening, “what does this mean’ I found it on.the table in your room this morn- i. Pe “is table
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3 4 mysel ~ abouts. Tom got hold of another good he had received from his friend. , .Tom went to a well-known brokerage establish- ¥ A FORTUNE received from the little bank the previous day. It contained—Item one, ‘profit ei 2,000 shares of H. & L. stock purchased at 69 and sold at 90 3-8, $42,750; item two, commission and inter- est, $550; item three, margin deposit, $13,800— total balance, $56,000. Tom looked ruefully across the table at Olive King, to whom he had already confided his good fortune, and then somewhat doubtfully at his mother. “Just a little stock transaction, mother,” he replied. ° “A little stock transaction,” she repeated, look- ing at it again. “‘The Bank of Nassau Street ' in account with Thomas Sedgwick, $56,000.” How could you be interested in a stock transaction in- volving such a large sum of money?” F. “Easily enough, if*I was fortunate enough to- have the margin to put up on the deal.” “Tt says here, ‘margin deposit, $18,800.’ Is this something that you executed for Mr. Carvel?” ro mother, it’s something I put through for “J should be glad if you would give me a clear- er explanation.” : Thereupon Tom gave his mother a clear ex- planation of his financés. It is unnecessary to tell how astonished Mrs. Sedgwick was at the revelation of Tom’s money matters. Neverthe- less, she was very proud of Tom’s good fortune. Two weeks went. by after that and Tom ran errands and carried: messages like any other boy working in Wall Street. Then one evening when he got home he found a letter from Steve John- son saying that the clue he was following had not panned out as well as he had expected, but ‘that he still had hopes of finding out something. He suggested that a couple of hundred dollars more wouldn’t come amiss, and advised Tom to strike Mr. Carvel for it. Tom forwarded $100 and told him to economize. j yeral times Mr. Carvel akked his messenger about Steve Johnson, but Tom always evaded giv- ing any exact information as to that man’s where- Four weeks more passed away and then tip. He and Dick were attending a show at a well-known vaudeville house. During intermission they went out to stretch their legs, and after stretching them to some extent they entered a cafe for a drink—of lemonade. K Here Tom heard two brokers conversing about a syndicate they were interested in which had just “been formed to boom 8S. & T. stock. Although Tom did not hear very much, he learned enough to convince him that he would make no mistake -in loading up with the stock in question, which was going at 72. He passed the tip on to Dick, as that youth was itching to double or treble the $500 Next morning ment and arranged for the purchase of 5,000 - shares of the stock. : _. “Who is this for?” asked the head of the house , as Tom was counting out the $36,000 margin. ‘ Rs nc “out the order and I’ll sign it,” replied Tom and Dick me . the boy. © a 15 “Unusual things are censtantly happening in Wall Street,” replied Tom. Pas “T suppose you're acting for somebody who doesn’t wish to be known in the transaction,” said the broker. ~ j < ; “T have no objection to you supposing what you please; but that doesn’t say that your supposition is correct.” ; The broker laughed.. He didn’t for a moment believe that Tom was the principal in the deal. However, as the boy was putting up the money he had to recognize him in that capacity. Tom signed the order, got his memorandum and left the office. Dick Butterick about the same time managed to get around’ to the little bank on Nassau Street and put up the necessary margin to secure 66 — shares of. S. & T. for himself. That afternoon the two boys met, “Did you get in on S. & T.; as you said you were going to, Tom?” asked Butterick. ~ | “Sure thing. I bought quite-a block. At least, I left my order with a broker to get it. and put up the margin. How about yourself?” - AT STAKE “I left my order with the bank for 65 shares. ~ I see the price is up half a point now.” “You ought to be worth more than a thousand when this deal is over, if you sell out at the right time.” “That’s what I’m looking for.” “Yes, we’re all looking for the coin these- days, old man. Well, so long, I must get back to the office.” ; i There was not much- doing in S. & T. for two days, the price slowly advancing to 74, then it began to attract some attention owing to its scar- city in the face of buying orders from the outside ~ speculators. The demand being greater than the supply, the price began to jump, and when the Ex- change closed. the third day after the boys had secured a hold on their shares the stock was quoted at 76. 2 Next morning quite a crowd.of traders gathered ~. around the S. & T. standard looking for the stock for their customers. It opened at 765-8, and at noon reached 79. The brokers, scentifig a boom ahead, were very eager to get hold of the stock, and the result was the price kept on the rise. ' Other stocks participated in the bullish feeling, and the bears got under cover. By two o’clock the . Exchange was in a whirlwind of excitement. Dick — Butterick kept his eye on the tape whenever he got a chance, and was so excited that he could ardly attend to his work. — It was a new experience for him. Every little while he found himself another $65 ahead of the game, and he felt just as if he was finding money by the fistful. © . Tom was taking things coolly, notwithstanding that every advance of a point represented a'profit of $5,000 to him. At half-past two S. & T. was . going diy 82, and that meant if he sold out now he would be worth $100,000. x From the general appearance of things he was confident that it would be safe to hold on for a — higher figure. ote stock closed at 84 that day. | by appointment at half three and shook hands over the+outlook. - past oes “Whom do you represent?” -*. “J think I'll order my shates sold at 85, That~ ay. nese myself.” Any objection?” _ ___will give mé a profit of something over “<800," sald “No, not as long as you’ve got the money; but_ Dick. Se ee Og Ti ae Ae eg it’s rather usual? 2 args ae I would, if you think you won't -get vanch Fier Tee SERS 5 des x ~ - a} Se
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16 A FORTUNE chance to get around tg the bank tomorrow,” said ‘om. ; “I don’t think I'll get any chance. I was kept on the jump all day and it will be the same thing tomorrow. We’re loaded up with orders to buy - .stoeks.” i “Then get out while you’ve the chance,” ad- vised Tom. “It’s different with me. We’re fairly busy, but nobody calls me down if I take a few minutes to myself.” . So Dick put his selling order in that afternoon for the next morning. Tom held on until eleven next day, when S. & T, had gone-up to 89 1-2, then he ordered his broker to close out his stg a That night he’told his mother and Olive at the ‘supper table that he had been in a big deal on the market and had cleared $86,000. 3 “That makes me worth just $142,000,” he said, complacently. ' His mother had ceased to be astonished at any- ' thing he might do downtown in the s eculative line since she learned that he was worth $56,000, and she accepted his statement as another evi- dence of his remarkable luck, “Olive, knowing better how things went in Wall Street, was amazed at his good fortune, and judged that he must be a wonderfully smart boy. ‘And while Tom was being patted on the back-in his own home, Dick was in the seventh heaven of delight in his, for he had given the whole family a fit by his declaration that he had made $800 that day in the stock market and was worth, all told, a matter of $1,300. ae x -- GHAPTER XI1.—Tom Gets Hold of a Dandy 1p. That evening: Tom took Olive out for a-walk. It was a fine night, calm and warm, with a round moon hanging like a white globe in the sky. ~~ *@Jad you shook the Y. W. C. A. and came to live with us, Olive?” asked Tom. f ‘a “Oh, yes. It seems just like home to me,” she - replied. . ; ‘ : ss “You have never mentioned. anythin your people sinc@éyou’ve been with us. ther and mother are dead, I suppose.” ettYes,” ” “ffadn’t you any brothers or sisters?” Olive shook her head. “Well, y respect, : came from St. Louis, “How long did you live there?” “Byer since J was a little girl.” “And before that?” City “We were born in Denver, then?” “I’m not sure of that.” - “Didn’t your mother ever tell you where you were born?” : "No, I never thought anything about the mat- ti I suppose I was born in Denver, because I . . about our fa- ou and I are in the same boat in that We are a pair of lone chicks. You J think you told us?” . ” . with that o ue ou were born there, then. How did Ne “7 guess you like it:'there?” - _. , i * “J can hardly tell you, as I was very young” New York all by 4 when we moyed to pene on _ How came you to come to _- yourself?” Et ky Sot 2a x vo do not ep pee ‘anything but what is associated . ) ‘5 igek:. ettell pare re Ar AT STAKE “T always had a great longing to come to New York and live,” she replied. “I can’t tell you just why, but something seemed always turning my thoughts in this direction. I have often wondered what it was. It was just as if something was eggs me here—something that I could not re- sist. “That was funny.” Ree AS Te: “Yes. Well, after mother died and I was left entirely alone, the feeling became stronger than ever. I felt timid about making the trip to such a large city as this is, where not a soul knew me, nor would care for me when I came. And y in spite of that, T just had to come. It seem as if I couldn’t help myself.” pe fae ‘Well, you have found friends who do care for you, haven’t you?” “Yes. I have been very fortunate indeed in that respect. Your mother is very; -very good to me, and I have learned to love her very much.” “And how about me? Any fault to find with the win I’ve ace eae you?” * ‘No, no. You've been very good, too,” she sai flashing a grateful look adits fee: aad “And don’t you love me just a little bit, too?” Olive blushed and looked at the ground. “Well, I suppose I’ve ng right to expect you to think so much of me, but I wish you did, for I think the world of you. If you were my sister I couldn’t like you better.” \ ; Olive remained silent and for a few minutes | — Tom said no more. fees ead ae _ “Say,” he blurted out, at last, “don’t you be- lieve that I think a lot of you?” “Yes,” she answered, after a pause. “Have you any objection to it?” “Why should 1?” he < “The more I see of you the more I feel that you are the nicest and sweetest girl in all the world. I don’t like to think that some day you may meet another fellow that you'll like better . than me. I am sure it would break me all up.”, Olive said nothing, but kept her head bent down. _ “Olive, don’t you. know. that I care for you as much as I do for—mother?” : , She made no reply., “Don’t you care whether I do or not?” he ask- . ed, anxiously. © a Be gel —r returned in a low tone. 4 ‘If you do care, won’t you say that you love me just 2 little?” x: 2 on : The street was silent.and deserted at that spot, ‘and Tom stopped under a big overhanging elm. “T want to know, Olive. You are everything to me. - If I lost you I shouldn’t care whether ~ I lived or not,” said the boy, earnestly. “I want. to find out just how I stand with you. The un- certainty of the thing is worrying me. Tell me,- — won’t you? Do you care forme? Do you loveme _ a little?” : af He lifted her face gently in his two hands, but she kept her eyes averted. | ‘ “You won’t speak. I-suppose that means that you don’ 2 : : Bie “No, no, Tom. I do care for you.” “How much?” 2 a “With all my heart,’ she cried, dropping her — head his shoulder. . Ae bam ‘Do you love me with‘all your heart?” “Yes, I love you dearly. Better than any one’ — else in the world.” yao oY Sete “\ “Then kiss me, dear,” - 3 5 Ae ; 9 "] FO ORR ee A Oe nek eet Se UE aN xs * st 5 oe oa iis
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A FORTUNE She raised her lips to his, and the moon was the only witness of their young’ love, and that luminary wasn’t giving anything away. The rest of their walk was a dream of happiness, and Tom thought that winning the biggest kind of a stake in the stock market wasn’t a circumstance to it. A week later Tom received the following laconic epistle from the man with the whiskers: “St. Louis, June 10, 189—’ “Friend Sedgwick: . I’ve struck the trail at last. - Jt’s a warm one. Send me $100. “Address me care of the Planter’s Hotel.” “T wonder if he’s telling me the truth?” mused the boy, as he read the note a second time. “If he couldn’t learn anything at Silver Creek where Mr. Carvel’s wife died, and where all the records of the case are, how can the trail be so warm in St. Louis? Well, I must send him the hundred, or he’d be back here bothering me for his papers. I hope he does find one where the girl is. It would that stock.” be a whole lot of satisfaction for me to know. I wonder if she’s pretty? Well, one thing is cer- tain—she isn’t in with Olive, I’ll bet any money.” So Tom sent $100 to Steve Johnson, care of the Planter’s Hotel, St. Louis, Mr. Carvel giving it to him. He looked to hear from Steve within two weeks, but four passed and no word came. One day Mr. Carvel sent Tom with a note to the secre- tary of the Mining Exchange. The gentleman ‘was not in when he got there, but Tom was told he was expected any minute. As the note was important Tom took a seat by an open window that overlooked a small area. : Diagonally across from him was another open window, out of which floated a conversation be- tween two men which attracted the boy’s atten- 4 _ tion and interested him very much.” , : . .. "You are sure this information is to be relied on?” said a deep-toned voice. i _ “Positive. My brother had it straight from one ‘of the directors of the road,” said another voice. “J know that the B. & O. has been after that line for a long time, but as it was a close corpora- tion they did not seem able to connect,” . “The deal is eoueuded now, and.the papers will signed in a day or two.’ pe magne much R& N. stock is there out? We “must get a hustle on and buy up all we can get hold of before the news that it has been absorbed by the B. & O. gets out. There is a fortune in it for us.” ; “Tm afraid there is very little held in this city —probably not over 25,000 shares. There is an old lady named Sprague in Germantown, Phila- delphia, however, who has a block of it that she’s been wanting to sell for a long time: She has al- ( ways asked too.much for it, as things stood here- tofore, and, nobody would buy it at her figure.” “What does she ask?” “Sixty.” “R, & N. hasn’t sold higher than 55 in years.” “That’s right. Ten days from now, howeyer, it will be sought for at 75, so we can afford to pay the old lady 60 for her holdings.” “How many shares has she?’ “Thirty thousand.” : | “At the market price her shares are worth over a million and a half) She seems to be pretty well \ ? fixed “She is. She’s worth a million or two beside" AT STAKE 17 “How did she get so much of the stock of that road?” “Her husband was one of the original stock- holders and directors. -He left it to her.” “I wouldn’t mind being her heir-at-law,” laugh- ed the other. “She’s got a small army of grandchildren and others to divide her property among. They’ve been looking for her to die these ten years, but she holds on like a major, and may last ten years “That’s the way with some old people. They never know enough to drop out and let their wealth circulate. Well, about that stock. If we pay 60 for it, it will cost us $1,800,000. It will e@ a whole lot of money to raise on short notice. I. suppose we'll have to take the whole block or nothing?” “Yes. the money. I’fl send one of my clerks on to Mrs. Sprague with $50,000 to buy a week’s option on the stock. Then we'll be sure of it.” “All right. When will you send him?” “Tomorrow morning.” » “Very good. I'll get busy at once to raise my half of the amount. I can get half a million easy enough right off the reel, but I’ll have to borrow the rest.” “It will pay you. quarter of a million apiece.” 52 : _. There was a shuffling of chairs in the room as if the men had gotten up, and presently Tom heard a door slam. Tom meditated on what he had just heard, Pr “I have $142,000 lying idle. I should like to turn it into a quarter of a million. This seems to be a chance. The question is, will I be able to . get hold of any of those 25,000 shares in this city? I’m afraid they may have already been snapped up by the people on the outside, I’d like to get the inside track on that old lady’s stock. She wants eight points above the market. If the gentlemen next door are willing to pay that for it, it is a good sign that the price of the stock will soon take on a boom. If I had a couple of million to spare I’d go to Philadelphia; look her up and make her an offer of 60. By the way, that gentleman spoke _ about sending his clerk with $50,000 to get a seven-day option. What’s the matter with me tak- ing $100,000 and trying to secure a fifteen-day op- tion? The boomwill be on in.ten days, according to that gentleman next door, who seems to know» it all. It will be considerable of a risk, but, there” seems to be something like half a million profit in it. Those brokers next door would have a fit if I got ahead of them.” ; Just then the secretary of the Exchange cam in, and Tom handed him the note he had brought. In a few minutes he was going downstairs with the answer in his pocket, and his mind busy with eons of what was going to happen in R. & N. stock. \ CHAPTER XUL—A Wall Street Messenger’s eal, The market was rathér dead about this time. — All the different exchanges were scarcely. doing © enough business to keep the brokers in pocket- money—at least that’s the way the traders put it. Mr. Carvel yas: doing hardly anything, and — Ey rea We’ve got the rest of the week to get We should clear nearly a
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18 consequently Tom was having a pretty easy time of it. When he delivered the note from the secre- tary of the Mining Exchange he went to his chair and sat down. For the next half-hour he did some ~ pretty tall thinking. Finally he came to a sudden resolution, He walked into the private office and asked permission to get off for the rest of the day. Mr. Carvel felt that he was under too much of an obligation to the boy to refuse him almost any request, so he said he could go. It was near noon, and the first thing Tom did was to go and get his lunch. Having eaten as much as he wanted he hastened to his box in a safe deposit vault and took out $100,000 in big bills. Putting them in an inner pocket, he started for the Cortlandt Street ferry. He bought a round-trip ticket to Phila- delphia. A train was on the point of starting over the Pennsylvania line. As soon as he reached Jersey _ City he boarded it and about two hours later he got off at Germantown Junction. He hunted around the drug stores till he found a city direc- tory. This he consulted for the address of Mrs. ' Sprague. He found where she lived, hired a cab and was driven directly to her residence. On ask- ing for the old a he was shown up to a sitting- room on the second floor, where he found her read- ing’ He lost no time in introducing himself and the object of his visit, He asked her what she wanted for her R. & N. stock. é “Sixty dollars a share,” she replied. “You have thirty thousand shares?” ~ “Yes. Six certificates of 5,000 each. I will sell the whole or none,” she said. ~ _“Will you give me an option on the stock, good for fifteen days?” asked Tom. ~ “Y will, if you pay a deposit of $50,000, to be _ forfeited in case you fail to pay for the shares at _ the end of that time.” _. “T agree to that, ma’am.” “Very well. I will give you a note to my bank- crs, but it is too late for you to do any ‘business today. In the morning you can take the note to - Drexel & Co., pay the $50,000 and get the option. The bank has a power-of-attorney from me to transact business in my name. You will have the | privilege to take up the stock any time within the ‘ fifteen days, but if you fail to do it your money ; will revert to me, and the option will be of no further value.” _ » “AN right, Mrs. Sprague. . That's business,” re- -plied Tom, with a smile. The old lady then wrote the note, handed it to him and he took his leave. The cab took him to a 5: downtown hotel, where he proposed to spend the’ night. The first thing he did after registering was to send a despatch to his mother informing her that he wouldn’t be home that- night; then he '- _went out to inspect the town and kill time till the dinner hour. After dinner he went to a nearby theater, and after that to bed. Next morning at ten he was ' at the Drexel Bank. It took him less than half ‘an hour to. transact his business, and then he. started for the Pennsylvania depot to return to New York. He felt pretty good, for he held the ~~ option on 30,000 shares of R, & N. stock, good for fifteen days. ‘ Tom reported at his office about’one o'clock, and explained his absence during the morning by say- ing he had been at Philadelphia since the previous afternoon: The young messenger chuckled when . rt So ESS : Caem iy A FORTUNE AT STAKE he thought about the two brokers who were busy raising the money to buy the very stock that he now had a two weeks’ call on. hen the clerk came back and reported that somebody had se- cured a fifteen-day option on the certificates they would certainly have a good-sized fit. He didn’t know who these traders were, and his lack of knowledge in this respect did not great- ly worry him. What chiefly engaged his attention was how he was. to dispose of the stock when the price went up to a figure that would allow him a | good profit. , i : e could not raise the money to take up the stock and therefore would have to sell the option, The question that now presented itself was to whom would he be able to sell so large an amount of the stock as 80,000 shares, which even at 60 involved the sum of $1,800,000. If the price went to 70 it would amount to $300,000 more. He began to fear that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. He had fifteen days in which to figure the mat- ter out, but practically nothing could be done until the boom started in, and that might not be for ten or even twelve days hence. As the case stood he had a fortune at stake, and it seemed somewhat of a problem how he would come out in the end. That day the attempt of some brokers to buy R. & N. in the open market drew attention to its - scarcity. The result was those who had any of the stock wanted a higher price than 52, and bee fore the Exchange closed for the day it went to 56. Next day the demand,caused a further gise to 58. This was very satisfactory to Tom, who had not looked to see any great activity in the price for a week, at least. On the third day it was quoted at 59, and on the next at 60. There it re- mained for five days. : : Rumors of the consummation of a long pending deal between the B. & O. and the R. & f. were now appearing in the newspapers, but there was no official confirmation of the fact. Still, these ~ reports, taken in connection with the great scar-. city of the’stock, had the effect of causing R. & N. to rise to 63. About neon on the tenth day the news camer out from an official source, and © then there was excitement to burn in the Ex- change: Within fifteen minutes after the Street had undoubted information about the consolida- tion 70 was being offered with no takers for R. & N. The price, however, kept going up, and at three o’clock some of the stock was sold for 75. ~ “Tt is time that I got busy with my option,” thought Tom. “If I could dispose of the certi- ficates in sections I might probably have no great trouble in getting rid of it, but Mrs. Sprague ex~ _ pressly said it would only be sold in one batch. The stock is now worth $2,250,000, giving mea =~ profit in sight of nearly half a million. But if I fail to dispose of my option my name will be Dennis, with a capital D.”, ‘ When he went home that night he had almost come to the conclusion that he would have to get —_ Mr. Carvel to help him out with the matter. At supper he was so preoccupied that his mother ask- ed him if anything was worrying him. . 3 “Well, mother, I made a-deal that afternoon I went to Philadelphia which has netted me a paper ~~ profit of $450,000. What’s bothering me is how — -to get that profit that is coming to me. As mat- ters stand there is a fortune at stake, and I hate — to lose my grip on it. The deal involves $1,800,000. fee i
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Tye put $50,000 up. I’ve got g matter of $92,000 __in my safe deposit box. Ifsome good friend would come to the front with the balance I’d be right sic to? = Wie az “How do ‘you expect to manage it?’’ asked his mother, with no very clear idea of the magnitude of the deal Tom had on his hands. . “That's what is puzzling me,” he answered. _. The evening meal had hardly been finished when there was a ring at the front door. Tom an- » gwered the bell as usual when he was in the house. When he opened the door he was treated to a surprise. : ; There stood the man with the whiskers, looking the same as ever. 3 : a ae :. CHAPTER XIV.—Olive King Is Treated to a 2 Surprisex ai) — “Well, son,” chuckled Steve Johnson, “I’ve got P .. back.” 4 “T haven’t found the girl.” : - “Ts that so?” replied Tom, much disappointed. “J thought from your last note that you were feel- ' ing sure of success.” ~ Ser - . “So I was. I struck the trail at last, and “would have got her but for one thing.” _ “And what was that?” “She left St. Louis, and I couldn’t find out _* ‘where she had gone.” “Then we’re where we started out?” “No, we’re considerably ahead ‘of that.” - “In what way?” _/ ~«7}) tell you what I found out. The first thing --. I discovered was that her uncle had died when she t was three years old.” gcnat “4 . “That so?” y as f _The man with the whiskers nodded. ; f “From that time she seemed to drop right out of sight. Nobody in Silver Creek had any idea | what had become of her. Afterward I found out 3 she had been adopted by a prospector named peerage,” i : = “King!” cried Tom, thinking of Olive. + “That was the name. He and his wife car- _ ried her to Denver.” : . “Where?” asked the surprised boy. . “Denver, the chief city in the State. I had a good .deal of trouble trying to locate the King family. When I did get track of them I found , g they had moved,to St, Louis.” : . “Suffering jew’s-harps!” almost gasped Tom. +» . “What's the matter?” 3 “Nothing. Go on.” 5 a “St. Louis is a mighty big town. It ain’t easy : to find a person whose name isn’t in the directory when you haven’t the ghost of an idea where _ they’re located. I found any number of Kings, ore but not the particular King I was huntin’ for. ‘But I’m a sticker when I set about doin’ any- thin’, I kept up the search and got the police to help me. Finally I located the right Kings, and _ then I found that they were dead.” et Deadl? . “Well, King himself died many years ago, but bie widow only recently. As for their daughter, “Olive King, she——” ge 3 ~~ “Olive King!” cried Tom... ; ; Ec j A FORTUNE AT STAKE + citement. “eT see you have. What report have you to > , é yy “ Ss 19 ss “Exactly. Olive King whose right name’ is Olive Carvel; the daughter of your boss, she——” Tom grabbed Johnson by the arm in great ox- “Come right inside.” a “Hold on, son, don’t pull my arm off. Pll ; come.” © - ies ier te E Tom led him straight into‘the dining-room, where Olive was sitting with a book in her hand. ~~ “Sit down, Mr. Johnson. This is Olive King, of St. Louis and Denver; and possibly also Silver Creek.” , ° “Whol” gasped the man with fhe whiskers. _“Oliye King. It begins to look as if she is the girl you’ve been hunting for.” ours looked her surprise as she heard Tom's words, - a “Olive, what was your father’s and mother’s (names?” asked the ng messenger. “James Wilson King, and Jennie Dean King.” “That settles “if,” said Steve Johnson, clearly much astonished. “This is the girl. This is the daughter of Mt.——” : POTS See “One moment, Mr. Johnson. We will come to ~ that presently. Olive, did you know that Mr. King was not bs aa father?” ESS Re ae “Not till mother died, then she told mé with almost her last breath that they had ‘adopted 1 Ey when I was a little child,” said the girl, with ee tears in her eyes. © . er £ “What else did she tell you?” asked Tom. t f “Nothing. I know she meant to say more, but she was taken with a spasm and died in a few minutes. But why do you ask me these questions, __ Tom? And who is this man who.seems to know something about me?” added Olive, in a half $ frightened way. Gen F _ “This mani Olive, knows who your real‘mother = was, and who your real father is.” ° baer ce tx anton “Yes, miss,” said Johnson; “I saw you when — a you were two days old. You were born in’ Silver ; Creek, Colorado, a few days before your mother died, and here are the documents to’ prove ih There is a ‘certified copy of the original record f= of your birth,” went on Steve, singling out a particular paper. “You were christened Olive. © Your mother’s name was Edith Carvel.” aan “Carvel!” exclaimed the girl, looking at’ Tom. “Exactly. Your father——” ; : 2 Steve paused and looked at, Tom for instruc- ions. Sige é “Is my father alive?” asked Olive, excitedly, —~ “He is,” said Tom. : “Where is he? Do you know, Tom?” = “Ido. He is living in this city.” i eS: “If my father is alive why did he not take care of me after my mother’s death? Why was _ : I adopted by Mr. King?” asked the girl anx- iously, with a throbbing heart. “Because your father never knew that he had a daughter till a few months ago,” aoe never knew?” said, Olove, in a puzzled~ ne. ; “No. He believed that your mother died with- out having given birth to you, consequently for - the past seventeen years he has been in ignorance of your existence.” ae “Why?” 2 - te _ “He was in this city when your mother die@ in Silver Creek.” ; , as, recast: = _» “Could he not. have found out?” . or ~ = “There are reasons why he did not.” é at
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“What are they?” “T can’t explain just now.” é “You say my father is living in this city?” ; “Yes.” 4 “Then you will take me to him, won’t you?” 3 “Sure, I will but not until I have straightened matters out. Mr. Johnson and I have got to first prove to his satisfaction that. you are his daughter.” And you will do that at once,” she cried = eagerly. i as : “We will dodt to-morrow. These papers will furnish all the necessary facts to establish your identity. That is right, isn’t it, Mr. Johnson?” _ . said Tom. _. “Correct,” replied the man with the whiskers. _ “There’s no goin’ back on them.” “And then I shall see him?” ° - “Ofcourse. As soon as he knows you are his _ daughter he will naturally want to, take charge _ of you.” - “How came you to know my father?” “You will learn that when you see him.” “You say my father did not know he had a daughter until within a few months?” “That is right.” ‘ that I was his child and 7 '“Who was it knew told him?” ; “Mr. Johnson.” | is “My. Johnson,” said Olive, “you said you saw me when I was two days old.” - tae - "Yes, miss,” admitted the man with whiskers. “Did you know my .mother?” ~ “Yes, miss.” “And my father?” Johnson nodded. “Then tell me how it is that my father was kept in ignorance of my existence for seventeen years?’ : aan Steve looked at Tom in an embarrassed way. . “There are reasons why I can’t answer that i question, miss,” he said. ee -» Will you tell me something about my mother? asked Olive, wistfully. “What do you. want to know?” '“BHyerything you can tell me.” Johnson then told her how her mother was a stenographer in a Chicago office where he and her father were employed; how Carvel became infatuated with her and married her; how, after z three years, her father came to New York while her mother went to Silver Creek, Colorado, where her brother was, for her health; and how the unfounded report of her husband’s sudden death - xeaching her proved to be her death warrant. ~ ‘Olive listened tearfully to his recital. The . name Carvel naturally made an impression on. ~ her, as she was employed by a broker of that name. Suddenly a strong suspicion of the truth began to take shape in her mind. “Tom,” she said, in an excited and earnest tone, “is Myr. Frederick Carvel, the man with -. whom we are both employed, any relation to me?” fey see : “Ts he—is he—my—father?” ~ Yes, Olive, he is your real father.” eo . A FORTUNE AT STAKE ‘terms will you advance the cash necessa . custom. -When Mr.. Carvel came in‘ and was ready to dictate some letters he wanted to know — where his stenographer was. Tom told him that “she wouldn’t be down that day, so the broker had . — to send up to -Miss Sharp’s office for a_steno- grapher for the time being. That day the ex- citement around the R. & N. standard and a con- siderable amount of the stock came out at figures between 75 and 80, at which latter price the stock closed. S During the day Tom went to a well-known millionaire operator and told him that he held an option on 30,000 shares of R. & N- at 60. “The option has four days yet to run. cae " te) gain possession of the stock? “You can hold it.as security for your money,” said Tom. — - “Who sent-you here, young man?” asked the “operator. 3 ; “No one. I represent my own interests, sir.” “Do you mean to tell me that a boy like you. holds an option on 30,000 shares of R. & N. stock, the market price of which today is nearly a quarter of a million?” asked the millionaire, in- _ eredulously. : < af do.” “Where is this option you are speaking about?” “In my pocket.” . “Let me see it.” ; Be? ““T must decline to show it unless you are wille ing to enter into an agreement with me. I do not care to have it generally known where the stock is held.” yi : : “Can you prove that you are the person to whom the-option was made out?” ~ : “I can. I will accompany you or your mes- senger to the bank with which I made the deal and the president will identify me as the prin- °~ cipal in the matter.” ; Tom spoke so confidently that the capitalist began to look at the proposition in a new light — “Your option calls for 60, you say?” ; “Yes, sir.” “That is $1,800,000, How much deposit did you put up?” “Bifty thousand dollars.” “The price will probably go to 80 to-day. That represents a profit on paper to you of $600,01 You, however, stand in the light of a person who has bitten off more than can chew. You haven’t got the money to put the deal through, consequently you stand a good show of losing - your deposit and the big profit in sight unless you can get a moneyed man to help you out. Now, =} Tl tell you what I’ll do for you, if the option is all right. I'll give you $350,000 for it. That- is, the amount of your deposit and haif the —~ profits in sight.” ; i “T think ‘that is too hard a bargain, sir,” ob- jected Tom. isk _ “Half a loaf is better than no bread, young man. I think I am making you a very fair offer. — You are in a hole. You can’t turn yourself, — and it is business for me to take every ad- vantage of that fact.” Ag ‘J think you ought to be satisfied to take the stock at 75. That will give you a clear profit of -$150,000, as the market stands,” protested om. “a ps Rete a ae eg ERC Orc a “Y have mentioned the only terms on which I ¥. 7
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A FORTUNE will make the deal with you,” replied the capital- ist, erim ly. . “J will have to decline your proposal, then,” ~ replied Tom, politely. “I think you would make a good thing out of it at 75.” Very well, young man. Go out and see if you ean make ‘better terms. Should you fail do not come back to me, as I shall decline to do busi- ness with you. You have a fortune at stake, and the chances are, in turning down my offer, you will lose it, as well ag your deposit. Good- morning.” ; Tom ‘went to three other big capitalists, but could not get an interview for one reason or another. Finally he had™to give up for the day, a bit discouraged over the outlook, but none the less resolved to keep on trying to pull out ‘to the last. At a quarter past three o’clock, when Tom returned from the bank after depositing the day’s receipts, he found Steve Johnson waiting . for him in the corridor, as per arrangement. , They entered the office together. After turn- ing in the bank-book to the cashier, Tom went into the private office, where he found Mr. Car- vel. preparing to go home. : “Mr. Carvel,” the young messenger said, “Steve Johnson is waiting to see you.” The broker turned pale. . ’ - «J cannot see him,” he said, hastily. ““y think you can,” replied Tom. “I request _the interview myself, and expect to be present, as I am interested in the outcome.” “You, Tom?” exclaimed the trader. - &€Yes, Steve Johnson is powerless to make any demands on you without my help.” “In Heaven’s name, Tom, what - over him?” S2 _ . “The forged check and confession of James -_-Dugegleby, implicating you in the plot to ruin Johnson are in my possession,” replied the boy, calmly. F =) How. did you get hold of them?” asked the broker in surprised trepidation. \ “They came into my possession at the time I saved Johnson’s life at the fire.” “That was Some months ago, told me.” “No, sir. I had a reason for it.” “Ts it your purpose to make use of them against me, after all?” asked Mr. Carvel, bitterly. : _ “That depends.” - “XW! ‘Then you have a price, after all. You promised me——” cf “= “T told you that day in the cab that T regarded your interests as of the ‘first. importance as long as my conscience——” _ . “Your conscience.” replied the broker, with 2 . gneer. 5 "Yes, sir,” continued the boy, calmly, “as Jong as my conscience told me to stand by them. But TI added, if you remember, that if the time shouid ever come when, in the interests of an innocent and wronged person——” : _ .®What do you mean by an innocent and wronged person?” cried Mr. Carvel, impatiently. ~ -_ *“T mean your daughter—Olive Carvel.” _ *T have no——” ae > “Yes, you have. Your. daughter by your first wife, Edith, is alive, as Steve Johnson asserted.” “T don’t believe any such rot,” replied the irate hold have you A and you never PAY Ae ee broker, “ Wee aS he eae a Say: | bring your daughter to your home. Is thrt satis- ; AT STAKE 21 - “Excuse me, Mr. Carvel. I can prove the fact ond, papduee the girl, who is now seventeen years old. The broker glared at him. “Where is your proof?” Tom stepped to the door and opened it. Walk in, Mr. Johnson,” he said; and the man with the whiskers entered the room. “Mr.\Car- vel wishes to see the proof of his daughter’s ex- istence.. Show him the documents in the case.” “All right, son. Here they are,” and Steve pro- duced the papers he had brought from the West. “Sit down, Mr. Carvel, please,” said Tom, very coolly. “This is a matter of. great importance. _ Look those papers over carefully and convince yourself that what is there shown is an un-~ doubted fact.” ; The broker, much against his will, did so. When he had finished his inspection he had no doubt about the matter. - 3 “Now, Mr: Carvel, 1 know where your daughter. is,” said Tom. ; ; J “Where is she?” asked the man, with white — - face. ; : Be J aint “At my mother’s house.” “At your——”" wd : say “Yes, sir: Now, let me say that you have seen — and talked to your daughter a hundred times - within the last two-months.” ) : “I have? Explain yourself.” , pee ee “Your datghter, Olive Carvel, is.none other — than your stenographer, Olive King.” j “Tmpossible!” the broker gasped. iy case ' “Mr. Johnson,” said Tom, turning to the man with the whiskers, “tell Mr. Carvel the story — of your trip West.” ; Be . Steve Johnson did so. The broker heard him through and then threw up the sponge. Wi he said, “TJ am in the power of both of you,” : bitterly. “What is the price I have to pay for silence ?” a a Ais - “There is only one price and that is—acknow- ledge your daughter. Take her to your heart — and home, and treat her as she is entitled to be treated.” ? j ’ "J dare not. My wife——” . “Face it out like a man, Mr. Catvel. Tell her the truth.” = Sree! “Confess that 1 committed bigamy, though un- ~ consciously! My heavens! I cannot do it!” ites “You did not Pea bigamy, sir. Steve John- son did not telf you the exact truth. Your first wife died one day before you married Mrs. Carvel.” ; Ps that ee “ag ld j : ‘It is, and those papers prove it.” Vengo att “Then J yield. I will acknowledge my young ; daughter and face the music,” said the broker; ~—— but those papers—the confession of James Dug- —- ~ gleby and the forged check—what about them?” <._ They shall never be used against you, sir, for — I hold them. But for all that, Steve Johnson oe is entitled to justice. You are rich. Pay him. — an annuity, and he will leave this country and never return.” steer sft Fe es <n that.” ese = ae : en our business is settled. Fix matters with your wife to-night and to-morrow Jsaeiinn ¥ will a & the present — s Bis: factory?” a ““It is,” replied Mr. Carveh =
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Pon and Steve Johnsen then withdrew. What- S ever effect the broker’s confession had on his wife, certain it is she acted like a true woman and welcomed her stepdaughter in a loving man- ner, and from that moment Frederick Carvel felt like a new man. .That afternoon Tom had another interview with him, which was almost ' a, greater surprise than the previous one. Tom told him the story of his various stock deals, and finally explained the predicament he was now in about the 30,000 shares of R. & N. Mr. Carvel agreed to take the matter in hand Sr and help him’ out. He sent for five other brokers, and after putting the situation before them, each : one, with Mr. Carvel, agreed to take 5,000 shares of R. & N. at 75, which was Tom’s price. Five checks for $375,000 each were handed to the broker. Next morning Mr. Carvel collected the 4 ehecks himself, deposited the money in his ‘own bank and drew a check for $1,750,000, payable to the order of Drexel & Co., Philadelphia, had it certified and handed it to Tom. The young messenger immediately took a train : for the Quaker City and returned that afternoon -. with the stock, which he distributed Among those entitled to it. Mr. Carvel then handed him his check for $500,000, which gave him a profit of $450,000 on the transaction, ‘and made him worth $592,000. __ On-the first of the ensuing year the broker took Tom into the firm as his acting partner and Stoek Exchange representative, and the boy put - * up $250,000 cash, making the working capital of the firm half a million. Tom become a steady aller at the Carvel home, and Mr. and Mrs. -. ~ Carvel easily understood that Olive was the load- | stone that attracted him. In due time the young - people becamé engaged, with the approval of the broker and his wife. Olive, after a course at a select school in this city, was sent to Vassar | = College, There she put in the usual four years . and graduated a very accomplished young lady. Ye Tyo. weeks after her graduation she and Tom were married, and went away on a three months wedding trip. To-day Tom is at the head of the firm of Carvel & Co., Stock Brokers, his father- in-law having retired from business. — - He is currently reported to be worth more than a sillion. Though he engineered many a suc- 7 cessful deal since he entered his firm, none of _/ them required more nerve than the one when, as * amessenger boy, he had A Fortune at Stake. ste ff Next, week's issue will contain “HIS LAST NICKEL; OR, WHAT IT DID FOR JACK eee: bre : 22 A FORTUNE AT STAKE ANCIENT SUN DIAL IN FAVOR ONCE MORE The vogue of the sun dial is increasing. Large optical houses, firms dealing in garden “furnish- ings” and even department stores report a stead- ily. growing sale of these ancient time-tellers, With the invention of clocks and, later, of watches, it was thought that the knell of the sun dial had sounded. Apparently, progress was too rapid for these ancierit devices, which were every- where superseded by millions of fast-ticking timepieces. It was not until comparatively re- cent years that the sun dial began to come into its own again, enjoying an honored place in the modern garden, where it is valued for its an-. tiquity, its slow, dignified and noiseless record of the eternal passing of time—and.as a warning, too, perhaps, against the hurry and rush of to- day. The pyramid and the obelisk, by intercepting the sunlight and casting shadows, served to show the time of day to the Egyptians. But though it was the Egyptians and Babylonians who first began to reckon time by scientific methods,-a Greek living about 140 years before Christ is credited with inventing the first sun dial. His was ot altogether a popular invention among thr, philosophers and thinkers of ancient Greece, “20 did not enjoy being reminded of the passage of the hours. Modern ‘sun-dial makers marvel at the skill and knowledge of the ancient workers, with their passion for perfection and their studiousness. For the making of sun dials is an art by itself, calling ‘not only for artistic’ feeling but a thorough - knoWledge of mathematical and astronomical. principles involved. A description of-a mpdere sun dial reads as follows: 2 “This dial is guaranteed to record locel sun time accurately. Hvery hour, angle and- division thereof appearing on the plate is gxactly figured for the latitude at which the dial ig to be placed.” Other dials are described as achieving “an equa- tion of time-table, showing the difference between sun and clock time for every day of the year.” The description of these complicated devices ex- plains that: “A, beam ‘of light through a small hole in the gnomon acts as an accurate calendar, : falling daily, at noontime, on the day of the year as engraved on the analemma.” The faces/of these dials are covered with fig- i ures, with circles, with arrows and annotations, and also bear the namés of the months. ‘decidedly complicated affairs, which the early Greek who invented the sun dial would probably never recognize ‘as an expression of his ancient ' idea. But though design may change, the eye. ie . bolism of the dial remains forever the same.. _ ney They are al
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-HARRY THE HALF-BACK OR A FOOTBALLIST FOR FAIR By GASTON GARNE (A Serial Story.) . CHAPTER V.—(continued) The way was now clear for ten yards and for- ward ran the new halfback with the speed of the wind. The crowd of spectators was wild with excite- ment and delight. ; The youths leaped up and down and yelled like wild Indians. Fi: “Wi, hi! What do you think of that!” yelled Jimmy Opper. z “Took at him. run!” wee “Did you ever see such sprinting?” “He's all right!” ~ Harry was dashing right toward the center of the scrub’s line, and they massed there to head him off and stop him. : : Suddenly the new halfback altered his course. : He turned to the right and dashed away at an angle, doing so with such wonderful quickness as to take the opposing players by surprise. He was around the end and racing toward the opposing team’s goal before they could head him off, and the next moment a great chorus of cheers went up from the spectators. —- “Go, it, Harry!” “Make a touchdown!” “Yes, yes!” “Show ’em how to play the game!” : “He'll do it, never fear!” This last was, from Jimmy Opper, who had gotten it into his head that Winslow could do anything, On dashed Winslow. ; Only the fullback, was between him and the enemy’s goal-line. Could the fullback stop him?. ; Few believed ie apeh - thing was possible, : what they had already seen. ie pene were Pour who hoped that the fullback would succeed in. stopping Harry, the Halfback, ~ however, and the four in question were Silkwell and his three cronies. ; - “Did you ever see the like of that?” exclaimed ‘Wilkins, in a voice tinged with anger and dis- ointment. PRY iok-—all luck!” growled Silkwell. ; -Jhen suddenly the cheering ceased and silence reigned supreme. ea es Sas within a few yards of the goal- fine, and the scrubs’ fullback was crouched, ready to make the spring. “Suddenly the fullback made his leap. : Forward he shot, with hands extended ready to rasp the legs of the flying halfback. : But just at the right moment up into the air shot Harry. He cleared the groping hands of the fullback by at least a foot and a half and alight- ss FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY his feet and ran on and made a touch- ; eee ae : 2 ; ---gumed. > apis. Instantly wild shouts and cheers went up from the spectators. Pandemonium reigned. “A touchdown! A touchdown!” “He did it! He did it!” . - “Yes, yes! He’s all right!” “Who's. all right?” “Why, Harry, the Halfback!” ; Such were a few of the exclamations, and with muttered words of rage and disappointment Percy | Silkwell and his three cronies turned and strode ~*~ off the field. oem They had seen all they wanted to see. The majority of the students were looking at Harry; but a few noticed the departure of. the four, among them being Jimmy Opper, who ‘us- ually saw about everything that was going on. “Good-by, beloved comrades!” he shouted. “We know just how you fell, and under the circum- stances we will excuse you!” = iz This attracted the attention of a number to the four, and derisive and jeering remarks were sent after them. q The four heard, but they did not let on that such was the case. : ; “Blast them!” muttered Silkwell. “Let ’em talk!” muttered Wilkins. “We'll show ’em who’s who before this term is ended.” 5 » “That’s what we will!” from Silkwell. But the crowd did not waste more than a few moments upon the four. They were more in- terested in Harry, the Halfback, and his wonder- ful feat of making a touchdown unaided. Parker, the coach, and Westley, the captain of - the first team, exchanged looks. 7 “We've made a find, I guess, Westley,” said Parker. : es “Looks that way,” with a smile. “I don’t .— think that Sanson, at his best, could have don what Winslow has just accomplished.” coat “That’s my opinion, too.” : The scrub team now lined u and Winslow took the ball an try for goal. . ae Curly Cardwell held the ball, and then Winslow made the kick. 5 ay Away sailed the ball, and it went between the goal-posts—as clean a goal as any one present had ever seen kicked. Wild cheers went up, and the youths acted as | if they were crazy. They leaped and danced and ~*~ throw their caps in the air. a The students were delighted for the reason that. they realized that Winslow was a far better half- back than Sanson was, and that with his aid on ~ the team the Wrightmore eleven stood a- good — chance, an excellent chance of winnirig from Larchmount. : Winslow was plainly embarrassed by the ap- — at the goal-line, got ready for a. ~ plause which his feat had aroused; he was ex- — ppannety modest, and he blushed almost like a girl. a= He contended that he had not done such a very great deal in making the touchdown. i tice “You must. remember that it was against the serub,” he said to one of the other members of the team whothad complimented him on his great eat. ; “Oh, but the scrub is nearly as strong as the first eleven,” was the reply. ee ie eee The sides lined up again and the play was re-
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24 afternoon. "Tt was an accident,” growled Thorp. “He couldn’t do it again in a hundred years.’ ; “Of course he couldn’t,” said Silkwell. “He é The first eleven had the kickoff this time, and the ball was sent far down into their opponents’ territory. : The rest of the half expired without another touchdown having been scored, although the first eleven had the ball within five yards of the oth- er’s goal-line. When the practice for the afternoon ended, a" cheered loudly for Harry, the Half- ack. ~ Does Harry get the place on the team,” asked Walter Denman, when they were on their way to the gymnasium, where the youths changed .dothes and took shower-baths. “Noes he?” replied Westlry, with a big smile; “well, I just guess yet!” L a = CHAPTER VI. Silkwell’s Scheme. About nine o’clock that evening four youths were gathered in a certain room in the dormitory of Wrightmore College. ' The youths were Percy Silkwell and his three eronies, and they were in the sitting-room of the former, who by virture of his father’s money was enabled to have a suite of rooms instead of hav- ie to share a single room with some other stu- lent. The door was locked, and the four were seated about a round-topped table, in the center of which stood a bottle of wine, while in front of each youth was a wineglass. They were at the present moment doing more drinking than talking, but presently the wine he- gan to take effect, and then they began to con- verse. They knew enough to speak in low voices, “T tell you what it is, fellows,” said Silkwell, a vicious look on his face; “I am going to have revenge on that cur Winslow.” : ad blame you for wanting revenge,” said Small. 3 “Blast him!” growled Wilkins. “He’ll make the eleven, all right, after the play he made this _ however. was lucky, that’s all, the same as he was in his fight with me. I’m a better man than he is any day, ‘and I'll prove it before the term ends.” The other youths had secret doubts regarding this, but they were careful not to let Percy see - that such was the case. They hastened to side with him again,” : ; - The three thought that this was a wise de- ‘dision, but they did not say so. in with him. : “Of course you’re a better man than he is, Percy.” ; “Yes, he was just lucky, that’s all.’ ; “He couldn’t get the better of you again!” Such were the remarks of the three, and Percy, in his egotism, never doubted but what they meant what they said. : “But I’m not going Ae engage in a fist-fight 8 Si . Instead, Wilkins asked: ; Pr sae FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY PF, “What are you going to do?” ‘I'm going to run him away from this school.” The three looked eagerly at the speaker. They were interested, and they hoped that Percy might be able to do as he threatened. i “Your reign is ended unless you can drive him away,” said Small. w “He has got to go!” declared Silkwell, savage- y: : “How. are you going to manage it?” queried Thorp. Percy winked his eye and looked wise. “Tl find a way,’ he said. “Have you thought of a plan yet?” asked Wil- No.” “Then how do you know that you can make a success?” “Because I have confidence in myself,” with calm egotism, “I have never yet tried to do any- thing and made a failure. I am not going to fail’ this time.” “T hope that you won’t, for I hate that fellow Winslow worse than poison.” “He will be the whole show from now on,” growled Small. “Because he made that touchdown, eh?” from Thorp. OY cas? Fe vrhony that was just a lucky accident,” said ns. : “But you couldn’t make anybody believe it,” said Small. : “No,” agreed Thorp. “Say, fellows, let’s send an anonymous letter over to the captain of the Larchmount eleven telling him that this new right halfback is a hired professional,” said Silkwell. : sae they won’t believe it, will they?” asked mall. cae _ “Oh, yes, the Larechmount people will believe it,” said Wilkins ; “but Parker and Westley will be able to prove to their satisfaction that Wins- low is not a professional, I have no doubt.” “Maybe not,” said Silkwell. 5 “The Thorp. “So it is,” from Small. plan is worth trying, amyhow,” said well. He went to his desk and got out paper, pen and ink and wrote rapidly for a few minutes. - ' “There, that will do, I think,” he said. “Read it,” said Wilkins; “let’s hear what you have writtert.” “All right; here it is: “RoperT BARTON, Captain Larchmount Eleven —Wrightmore’s right halfback is down with the mumps, and Parker and Westle “Y]l write the letter at once,” declared Silk- have imported | i a professional by the name of Winslow (proba- — bly not his real name) to take his place in the games with your eleven. If you want to win— — . ringer play. and of course you do—don’t Jet the «Ss Fam PLAy’. igned, Silkwell read this aloud and then looked ‘at auditors inquiringly. “How is that?” he asked. A=: “That’s all right,” nodded Wilkins, approv: ingly. _ i (To be continued.) % his
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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY > . GOOD READING 25 ANCIENT MORTGAGES The mortgage business is one of the oldest businesses in the world. Back in the days of an- cient Babylon, 3,000 years before the Christian era, mortgage transactions were recorded in clay, which was burned to a brick for the purpose of preservation, ; WHITE SNAKEROOT POISONING CATTLE IN MIDDLE WEST . White snakeroot is a poison plant which is caus- ing the death of cattle in. the Middle West, says “The Pathfinder.” . Flowers of white snakeroot are white, about one-fourth are two or three inch- es long and are produced in clusters. The plants grow from two to three feet tall. The leaves are two or three inches long and are ovate in shape. White snakeroot is related to boneset, a plant t _ Pioneers used in making tea for medicinal pur- poses. Cattle in some sections have consumed this plant ‘partly because of the dry’ weather and resultant short pastures, according to Dr. L. H. Pammel, Iowa botanist. Cattle are said to show trembles when poisoned by white snakeroot and the milk from cows eating this weed is considered injurious to man. ; CLIMBING FISH | e B. K. Das, a scientist from the Orient, showed living specimens of the famous climbing :fish of Bengal, India, at the recent meeting of the Bri- tish Association for the Advancement of Science. _. his species, known as Anabas scandens, quite lives up to his name—‘‘scandens” means “climb- i \ Ae eh ee Te ee _. ing’—for it actually does climb coco ‘trees, says «Science. Dr. Das, however, denied the rumor ‘that it invades gardens and battles with its fel- _. lows over angle worms as robins do. So used is this fish to being out of water that it drowns if ° . kept in it too long. It absolutely must have at- _mospheric air to breathe, 7 There are five sfecies of Indian fish that have developed air-breathing apparatus, some with, others without, auxiliary gills. This, it was pointed out, is an example of present-day evolu- tion quite different from the way amphibians and higher animals rose, 7-FOOT SKELETON DUG IN MISSOURI Great interest has been aroused at Fairfax, Mo., fifty miles north of St. Joseph, Mo., by the discovery by Frank L. Plumb, on the farm of ‘Robert Russell, of what is believed to be the skeleton of a prehistoric man. He found also the bones of a mastodon and implements used in agriculture and war in an age before this country - -was'inhabited by the Indians of later centuries. Some observers believe the skeleton of Maya Origin. - workmanship, is this variety which is just now passing along the wel] preserved state. The skeleton intact measured seven feet two inches in length. The Skull is five inches wide and five and one-half inches long, with little forehead. The head was buried to the west of the skeleton. Nearby was a funeral urn. The urn broke when removed, but in it were found the bones of some aquatic animal and two peculiar nuts of the walnut family. - At the side of the urn were two perfectly polished stone axes, a polished arrow point of rare” rkn several other arrowheads, two skinning flints and effigy carved on'‘a translucent stone and a stone grain grinder, CARIBOU RUSH THROUGH STREETS Passengers on a government railroad train nearing a little interior town were startled at the violent whistling of the locomotive, and locked out of the windows. They saw the branching aon and fleeing forms of thousands of wild cari- ou. ‘ The season of the migration from the grassy plateaus of the Far North to the wooded valleys . of Alaska is at hand. The deer are crossing the Yukon River and its tributariés, working toward the base of Mount McKinley, where great masses _ of them winter. . Ranging over the whole of Alaska excepting the Seward peninsula, caribou are divided into several sub-species. In the Far Northern tundras, where sudden icy blasts from the pole’keep vege- tation to_a minimum, the caribou are small and gray in color, but with longer horns, Cridee In the Yukon Valley, where pasturage is abund- ant, the species is known as the intermediate, and those found at the headquarters of the Matanuska _ River and around Mount McKinley are the giants of their kind. A MA These latter weigh 600 to 700 pounds and are next to the moose in size in the deer family. It government railroad toward winter quarters. Hundreds of Alaskans are out in the valleys hunting the fat deer for winter larders, The average family consumes four caribon during the cold months. It is declared the meat is equal,to corn-fed beef. iF “ BOYS & « : NO WOR a GIRLS « $2.00 Given sus? ware Simply sell 50 Sets of Our Famous Christmas Ty Seals for 10c a set. When sold send us $3.00° ‘ and keep $2.00. Trust You till Xmas. Amer- ee Christmas Seal Co., Dept. 131, Brooklyn, “Moving Picture Storiés”’ ye A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays and Players A RRICE TEN CENTS PER. COPY Hach number contains Three Stories of the Best Films on the Screen—Hlegant Half-tone Scenes fromthe Plays —Interesting Articles About Prominent’ People in the Films—Doings of Actors and Actresses in the Studio and Lessons in Scenario Writing, x é _ HARRY «E, WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. - 166 West 23d Street “City fa . F eee "at Lm ; et s:
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26 66 Fame and Fortune Weekly” NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 27, 1925 TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS 00. NEY—At our risk send P. O. Ca HOW TO SEND Money Order, Check or Registered Letter; remittances *in any other way are at your risk. We accept Postage Stamps the same as cash. ‘When sending silver wrap MO the Coin in a separate piece of paper to avoid cutting the envelope. rite your name and address plainly. Address letters ‘to HARRY E. WOLFF, - { tarry ©. Wolff, Pres. Publisher, Inc., Charles E. Nylander, Sec, _ 166 W. 28d St, NX. U2 # Wilkin, Tress, ~ ITEMS OF INTEREST QUEER ANIMAL CAUGHT IN A TRAP IN OHIO 2 An animal of undetermined species was caught * ina trap, near Woodsfield, Ohio, by Henry Smith. It is thirty-four inches from tip of nose to tip of tail, is of a brownish color and is said to re- semble both the fox and the muskrat. Local fur dealers are puzzled. “ims LABORS OF MAP MAKING To map 43 per cent. of the United States, the topographic engineers are estimated to have tramped an aggregate of approximately 9,000,000 miles; for the average amount of walking varies | from five miles for every square mile surveyed in ordinary country to ten or more miles in rough country. INFANTS GO TO SCHOOL,.DRUNK St. Lawrence County officials are investigating: + ecomplaint by Miss Edith Shea, teacher in the -- district school at Edwards, Nv Y., that two of her youngest pupils, aged seven and nine, re- cently came to school so intoxicated they stag- - gered and later were violently ill. Their actions indicated the children drank “white mule,” which _ -is extensively peddled all over the north country and the Adirondacks. The children were too befuddled to tell where they got the liquor. It is said they narrowly es- caped death. SUGAR FROM DAHLIAS ieee A new dahlia and artichoke industry promises | new life for domestic sugar manufacturers, ac- cording to Science. At present huge beet sugar i plants are lying idle two-thirds of the year for -* Jack of raw material. It is now expected that after producing beet sugar in the summer, the plants will run four months on artichoke, fol- - Jowed by four months.on dahlia tubers to produce large quantities of the new levulose sugar. At - present levulose is prepared only as a syrup or of crystallization are rapidly being solved com- ees Mg Pe ee oe ea ee FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY moist powder-like brown sugar, but the problems ‘ ; Warner, “another, fellow got ahead _ had to wait five minutes for hi PITTSBURGH HAS WON PENNANT FIVE TIMES The victory of the Pirates this year brought Pittsburgh its fifth National League pennant and its first since 1909, when Babe Adams pitched them to three triumphs over the Tigers in the series for the world’s title. Pittsburgh captured its first National League title in 1901, when the great Hans Wagner was a°member of the team. It won Se in 1902 and again in 1903. Follow- ing the latter victory it met the Red Sox in the first world’s series ever pla and was. beaten. Its next pennant came in 1909. The. Pirates have finished’ second in the Na- tional League race seven times, including the sea- | son of 1908, when they and the Giants shared this position. -The last time they finished in the run- ner-up position was 1921, when the Giants won the first of their four successive championships. The Pittsburgh club has finished third six times, including the season of 1922, when it tied with the Cardinals for this position. They have been fourth five times, fifth twice, sixth five times, seventh four times and they have come in eighth during five different seasons. _ % LAUGHS “Mamma,” complained little Elsie, “I don’t feel well.” That’s-too bad, dear,” said the mother, sympathetically. “Where do you feel worst?” “In school, mamma.” “The woman threw herself into the river,” read _ the teacher. “Her husband rushed to the bank. Now, tell me why her husband rushed to the bank?” “To get the insurance money!” yelled the class. . First Comedian—Did you score a hit with your new specialty? Second Comedian—Did I? Why, ys je S: ' the audience gazed in open-mouthed wonder be- | fore I was half through. First Comedian—Won- piper It is seldom that an éhtire audience yawn at once, a ‘ j Employer—Well, what did he say when you called to collect that bill? Clerk—That he would break every bone in my body and pitch me out ~ of the window if I showed my face there again. Employer—Then go back at once and tell him — he can’t frighten me by his violence. ; Patient—Doctor, when I bend my body forward; stretch out arms horizontally and impart to them a circular motion, Iealways feel such a pain in my shoulder. Doctor—But what need is there for you to perform such ridiculous anties? Patient— — ‘Do you: know any other way, doctor, of putting ~— on your overcoat? Ta sedaaets “ait Moye “As I was sitting in the crowded car coming out home to-night,” said Warner, at the dinner table, “a woman entered and “stood almost ex- actly in front of me.” “And you got up and gaye her your seat?” queried his wife. ““No,” eplie of me, But & him.” st sti 55 a i eae pm : :
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FAME AND FORTUNE, WEEKLY CURRENT NEWS “ BLACK HILLS. TIN CRYSTAL: 38 1-2 FEET csc: IN- LENGTH. . Some time ago there was found what was thought to be the largest of all crystals—a viece _ of spodumene,-29-feet in length. Later, however, Prof. Montgomery of Toronto announced that he - had measured in the Etta tin mine in the Black Hills a crystal of that-mineéral which was no‘less _ + than 88 feet 6 inches in length and 82 inches in _: thickness. It was, he says, almost’ perfect in “. form. Spodumene is a grayish white or pink ~ mineral almost as hard as quartz. » INDIAN WHIPPING TREE STILL SEEN AT ” é OKMULGEE SRS The ancient whipping tree and the old capitol % of a vanished Indian nation still are doing ser- vice in this sity. : fe. In the heart of Okmulgee stands the council : house of the Creek nation, erected in 1878. The Y¥. M. C. A. and the Chamber of Commerce have _ their headquarters in the building, and a bus line uses one corner for an office. . : The building and its grounds occupy a block © ~ in the center of the business district. Among ‘the numerous trees on the grounds are two where . the executions and the legal whippings took place. The Creeks had no jails. They had only two methods of punishment—whipping and shooting. The punishment for robbery, for instance, was » 60 lashes for the first offensé,-100 lashes for the second, and death for the third. In cases of exe- cution, the condemned Indian was tied to the tree and shot. Damage suits were settled in cash, ° - work ‘or 50 lashes on the bare back. “a oo os CONDEMNS COAL AS FUEL “We cannot live without sunlight, and our chances of life are materially cut, down when we interfere with the sun’s rays,” declared H. Leigh Whitelaw in a recent address before the National Smoke Prevention Association. : ae _ “Tf any real progress is to be made in smoke prevention we must look to some other fuel than coal. Manufactured gas or natural gas, or a_ mixture as the supply of natural gas diminishes, will be the solution of the problem. % ‘Despite the fact that smoke prevention has progressed to the point where we have taken ‘practically all the color out of smoke, the most healthful rays of the sun are still shut off from those who live in large centres of population by ash particles in the air, “Just as long as we burn solid fuels we must contribute to the waste of life and wealth, and -. life is more valuable than wealth. - “Just as long as our ash-full can be measured -4n tons per square mile per year, and just as - eontributing their part of the dirt of our cities, / long as ashes are hauled through our city streets, _ ; dust so long will the fuel problem be a vital > E. INDIANS GAVE, MISSIONARY RATHER LURID TALE J.-H. Galbraith writing on “Why the Dela- wares Came. to Ohio” in “The Columbus Dis- patch,” blames John Barleycorn to'a considerable extent. : : = Heckewelder, the Moravian missionary, who operated in what is now Tuscarawas County be- fore the separation of the colonies from the mother country, told of receiving from a Dela- ware Indian their legend: of the coming of the white man to-America and of their first: experi- ence in dealing with him and with intoxicating liquor. ; Long before a person with a white skin had been seen by Indians: of the interior, he said, Indian runners had brought the news of the ar- rival of a “great house of many colors” moving up into New York Bay. and into the Hudson - River. . While the Indians in the vicinity were praying to Manitou fcr preservation, the “house” stopped and human beings with which it was found to be filled came ashore, protested friend- ship and in token offered them a beverage whic all were afraid to drink. Finally one chief arose and declared that to refuse to drink the, prof- this occasio: bullock, and then cutting the hide into thin strips _ so aS to make the longest cirzumference possible. This bitter experience with the white man was cause of the removal of the Delawares to a point far inland. _ Sie eens rt
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28 aaa _ FROM ALL POINTS ee ONE SOURCE OF CASCARA The only known source of Cascara bark, from which a valuable medicine is made, is now. British Columbia, according to the Scientific American, which says that the forests in Washington and @regon have been completely stripped. Steps are being taken to preserve and properly culti- vate the British Columbia supply. WORLD’S LARGEST SAFE -> What is said to be the largest safe in. the world has been installed in the new Fourth Fed- * eral Reserve Bank of Cleveland, ©. The steel yestibule weighs 200,000 pounds, while the door ‘and the remainder of the giganie vault weighs 300,000 pounds more. The vault is 13 feet square and has an all-around thickness of 4 feet of the toughest steel. : « BARBS. KILL CATTLE : - One would find it hard to attribute any virtue to the terrible cholla cactus, the most spiny and dreadful of all American plants. Starving cattle j desperation try to pierce the thorny barricade ot a a mouthful of the tempting green pulp within, only to die slowly from the festering barbs... In extreme dry seasons the ranchmen often set a torch to these. Only the thorns burn and the nourishing joints remain as safe fodder. DEER’S FRIEND ‘That there is something sentimental among deer ‘hunters is shown by the action-of William L. - Fox of Westfield in refusing to shoot a small doe during the open season. Mr. Fox went to his summer farm to get a deer, and after scouting around located one. Drawing nearer he re- - eognized the doe as one which had been feeding at his farm all summer and fall, getting apples “and other fruits and vegetables. Mr. Fox re- fused to shoot, telling his companion that he was ~~ not going to kill “his friend,” even though it was the open season, 5 SIX: FOOT BOA, KILLED ON PIER - Proof that snakes do not wait till sundown to die was given récently when six longshoremen beat a six-foot boa-constrictor to death in broad daylight. The men rained blows on it with ‘shovels when it attacked one of their number, Patrick Rogers of No. 1009 Bloomfield. Street, » Hoboken, on the. Seandinaviar-American Line pier { at 17th Street, Hoboken. ~ 4 » Rogers was working among bales of rags on *- the pier. when he saw the snake coil up and watching him from behind one of the bales. It made for him, Roger reports, but he dodged back and before it could turn he pounded it on the head “with a shovel he held in his hand. * The reptile was stunned, but Rogers took no chances and called five husky longshoremen into action. A terrifie assault with shovels soon left the contrictor dead as a doornail. ~ : ‘Steamship line officials believe the snake was dia. me Ren Eases: FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY : gee, brou, i “docked the other day with a cargo of rags from _ a THE LIBERTY BOYS OF ’76 Tales of the Revolution We can’ still supply the following numbers of the above Weekly: : Price 8 Cents Each 1212 The Liberty Boys at Trinty Fire; or, Capturing a Dangerous Spy. f 1218“ Helping Washington; or, Great Work at White arsh. xoung Scout; or, Fighting the Redeoat Raiders, gh oy Swamp; or, General Marion’s Daring eed. t on. the Border; or, Exposed to Many Perils, ae Nerve; or, Not Atraid of the King’s Minions. ‘ Detiance; or, “Catch and Hang Us it You Can.” _ to the Rescue; or, A Host Within ‘Themselves. Narrow Eseape; or, A.Neck and Neck Race with Death. 5a . F Pluck; or,-Undapnted by Odds, . Peril; or, Threatened from All Sides. Luck; or, Fortune Favors the Brave. Trap and What’ They Caught in It. F Puzzled; or, The Tories Clever Scheme. ore Stroke; or, Capturing a British Man-of- ar. Trapped; or, The Beauteful Tory, Pa Big Mistake; or, What Might Have Been. Fine Work; or, Doing Things Up Brown at Bay; or. The Closest Call of All. i On heir Mettle; or, Making it Warm for the wicoats, Hf j acs Double Victory; or, Downing the Redcoats and Tories. is Suspected; or, Taken for British Spies, ie Clever Trick; or, Teaching the Redcoats a | Good “Spy Work With the Red oie 00. Dp ork; or h e ts in Philadelphia, } he Sears or, With Washington at the Battle Cry; Brandywine, Wild Ride; or, A Dash to Save a Fort, FS in a Fix; or, Threatened by Reds and Whites, Big Contract; or, Holding Arnold in Check. | Shadowed ; or, After Dick Slater for Revenge. Signal; or, At the Clang of the Bell. yao Fake Surrender; or, The Ruse That Succeeded, —_- Plot; or, The Plan:That Won. ; 3 «-Dary Work; or, Risking Life for Liberty's Cause. _ : ; Duped; or, The Friend Who Was An Enemy, _ Flush Times; or, Reveling in British Gold, ! Prize and How They Won It. awe Great Haul! or, Taking Everything in Sight, in a Snare;,or, Almost Trapped, nang Maa Brave. Rescue; or, In_the Nick of Time, ~ ye Big Day; or, Doing Business by Wholesale ; Net; or, Catching the Redcoats and Tories. — ‘Worried; or, The Disappearance of Dick Slater, Iron Grip; or, Squeezing the Redcoats. eer. Success; or, Doing What They Set Out to Do, Setback; or, Defeated But Not Disgraced, f is in Toryville; or, Dick Slater’s Fearful Risk. Aroused; or, Striking Strong Blows for Liberty. | ‘Triumph; or, Beating the Redcoats at Their. Own Game. Scare; ‘or, A Miss as Good as a Mile. Danger; or, Foes On All Sides. “ Flight; or, A Very Narrow Escape. Strategy; or, Outgeneraling the Pneny. xs Warm Work; or, Showing the Redcoats llow to ~ ight. . ‘ o% Push; or, Bound to Get There. Ses Desparate Charge; or, With “Mad Anthony” at— Stony Point. pears Justice, and How They Dealt It Out. Bombarded; or, A Very Warm ‘Time. Sealed Orders; or, Going It Blind. Going Tt Blind; or, Taking Big Chances. “S Braye Stand: or, Set Back But Not Defeated. - 1272 “ Daring; or, Not Afraid of Anythiny. Be Big Risk; or, Ready to Take a Chance: Any of the nbove numbers will be mailed to you postage free, upon receipt of the price in money, or postage stamps. eet i é . aaa HARRY BE. WOLFF, PUBLISHER, INC, oe 166 West 23rd Street, — ee : k New York, N. Xe. 5’
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PG Te ne a ET ae 6-INCH FENCES Fields in Western Texas are being closed in by mile after mile of tin fences six inches high. These tiny fences haye proved the best defense aginst the invasion of grasshoppers. The insects F are able to jump no higher than five inches from : the ground and are unable to clear the fencing. ee Pee ee \ CIRCLED THE GLOBE IN SMALL BOAT Circumnavigation of the globe in a thirty-four- foot sailboat has been accomplished by Harry Pidgeon, fifty-four-year-old photographer, known to many as the “library navigator.” He made port at San Pedro, Cal., after traveling 38,000 miles in his home-made cockleshell craft, the Islander, since he set sail from San Pedro on Noy. 18, 1921. ' The Islander traversed seas notorious for bad weather. Leaving San Pedro, she went to the Marquesas Islands in the South Seas, to Torres Straits, across the Indian Ocean to Auritus and then southwest to Cape Town. Thence she made St. Helena and crossed the Atlantic to Panama. She left the Canal.Zone on Aug. 7. Pidgeon was dubbed the “library navigator” because of the unusual manner in which he ob- -. tainéd his seafaring knowledge. With books from a branch library here he spent what time he - could spare from fhe construction of the Islander in studying navigation. All his information abou sailing was acquired in this way. Z : CORTE Ee ae ae Ce seer tot WILD PONIES MUST GO : _\ Another feather has been plucked by the Fed- eral Government from the headdress of Indian romance. The Department of the Interior has consummated a plan-for disposal and extermina- tion® of Wild Indiaan ponies and_worthless ‘mus- “tangs on. Indian reservations in Western States. Disposal of these animals has been a difficult and perplexing problem to the Indian adminis- tration. Most of them are thin and ill-fed. They ‘perish by the thousands during the blizzards from starvation. They run in bands, destroying: fences, erops and anything else in their path. - monopolize water holes, eat the salt distributed over the range for other stock and destroy as much grass as they consume. The average bron- _to procure feed as is required for a cow. Fertil- izer companies are buying these ponies from the Indians at $2 to $5-per head. The Indians pro- fit by this and the range is preserved. : The estimated number of mustangs and Indian - ponies running wild on all the Indian reservations ~ ds about 100,000 head. It is reported that 30,000 are estimated at large on the Blackfeet Reserva- tion, while on others the numbers vary from 2,000 to 20,000 head. “With the ultimate disposal of the wild mus- tangs on Indian reservations more range will be available for valuable live stock belonging to the Indians and stockmen, which will bring sub- stantial profits to them. — Rae aie: = Veh AND ORTORE: WEEKLY. HERE AND THERE They - _cho on the range requires about twice the area - 21,000 DUBLIN FAMILIES LIVE IN ONE- ROOM HOUSES The Rev. Robert Malcomb Gwynn, chaplain of Trinity College and member of a Dublin family noted both in jiterature and sport, at a conference here, painted-a grim picture of the conditions in which the poor of this city live. Housing condi- tions in Dublin, he said, are worse than anywhere else in the British Isles. ; The Rev. Mr. Gwynn- said that 27,000 families’ comprising 90,000 persons, lived in one-room dwell- ings, and that of every 1,000 persons in the city, — 229 live in the one-room tenements. Glasgow ~ was second to Dublin, he said. in its crowding, and there 132 persons out of every 1,000 lived in 3 one-room dwellings. The speaker declared that : 6,830 families in Dublin lived in houses unfit for- habitation and that between 1,700 and 1,800 houses had six to ten families living in them. George Beckett, who presided at the conference, said that in 1917 there were 8,000 families in Dub- lin with incomes of less than 25 shillings (about $6.25) a week and that there were almost ag_ many such families now. 3 , is INSECTS USE GAS IN WAR Poisonous gases and acids used as weapons a destruction during the World War were con- sidered innovations of that conflict, and many persons shuddered with apprehension and®terror at the possibilities of their future development. . Poisonous. acids and gases have long been in vogue among. the insect tribes, writes A. Cham- plain in Nature Magazine. Striking &xamples of these novel means of offence and defencé are demonstrated in a spectacular manner by the “Bombardier beetles” with their gas bombs. When pursued by some enemy or disturbed in any manner they discharge an ill-smelling, red- dish fluid from special organs at the hind end of the body, accompanied by a sound similar to that of a small popgun. As the fluid comes in contact with the air it changes into a bluish smoke or vapor. — : - When we lift a log these active, slender-legged . beetles may be seen scurrying away in every direction, and the pop-pop-pop-puff of their acid artillery and the gas barrage that hovers for a moment over them, covering their retreat, re- minds us of a skirmish line. The reddish heads and bodies and blue wing-covers seem like mili- tary uniforms, 3 Many species of beetles have at the end of the ~~ abdomen little internal sacs in which. a supply ~~ of this pungent, volatile, bad-smelling liquid is — kept, which is used as a means of defence., oh If we get some of this fluid on our fingers it colors the skin a persistent red and has a sour. __ taste, showing that it is of an acid nature. : sae The predatory ground beetles, to which family the bombardier beetles belong, all possess more — or less the accomplishment of squirting this fluid out at the se when attacked and are often = referred to as the skunks of the insect world. ee ee
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# ON'T bea low-pay man. Don't be a Job-Hunter. Change quick) from Empty ‘Pockets to STUFFED POCKETS. YOU TOO, have ‘ a right to enjoy BIG MONEY—there is a fast way to doit. I'll ehow you a QUICK way—eo quick that it is positively amazing—just : ( 2 >» easy Ww 5 A afer Bar Mg BB crome Hh 7 ee VICK RESULTS. It's FREE to you. lexi for it NOW—That Coupon brings it. B.W. coo KE. Directing ngineer rarnt2 9150 weer You want RAISES IN PAY—Well then, take the’ QUICKEST way to them. QUICK RAISES are what you want, Clip Conrgn—Gee my free Book. Student after student reports $100 a month extra, some even over $200 2 month EXTRA, spare time money, long before radustion—right In the early weeks of this famous “JOB- WAY" Auto Training. Did you ever hear of training that, can show such quick ae big results? Right at your home. ,L train you for a fine Big-Pay Aute Business of Your Own or /the splendid Auto Experts’ positions paying up to $150 week. x JTO BUSINESS ~” The World’s Biggest Business Think of {t—18,000,000 cars on the roads today—5 Theus gand Million Dollars spent every year for upkeep alone Wonderful opportunities to make Big Money an ulele) Money in this gigantic Auto Industry. Get B. W. Cooke! “Job-Way" Training. Be your own boss—go into business where up to $10,000 or $15,000 ® year can easily be made? Remember with Cooke “Job-Way” training you don't have to wait. Hundreds of my students start right ip Coen and spending Big Extra Money in the very first a few weeks of thelr training! Read what John F. Plow did.) $30 a Week More Pay o=Right in the First Fow Weeks of My Training? 92 year old John F. Plow, Box 370, Ironwood, \Mich:—stlll in the earllest part of his trainin \—writeg that he has averaged $30 a wee! {EXTRA MONEY over his regularpay, Bue t. Plow ls only one of hundreds. | Thi jof it—how would you lke a fine quick $30 & week raise! That's the kind of opportunity Cooke "Job= s Way” offers youl Mr. Plow says: “Toan't get away without henking yeu fer it. Your couree le ONE in @ million and NG "\] back up my statement with anybody." / e+ * ~, $300 in'a Week! BigPayJobsOpen Speaking of Pay Ralses—look at More trained Auto Men needed at this! @ Jose hh Woroneckl, 186 today than ever before! See how Afiick’ St., Hartford, Conn., was I back you op with the entire Re- making only $21 a Week when he sources of this Institution—how, wrote me, Just afew months later I give you Consultation Service— he"wrote that he made $300 in Employment Service for your one> week in his own garage! ; whoic Ife! Not @ penny extra (That's an example of how quick a See how the demand for ,* | my, training sete stoaainn results. B. W. Cooke JOR ay" trained * ind out w' er oF men we er an’ caer ev ear, ‘oe fous «Ba Ter my Free Auto Book qolekt (eax Bree, Pook todart' ; oud STAY LEARN a pe ric coon: OM ‘JOB-WAY ” _ Iftyou’ wart’ s guick ‘boost in P = you , Seed veut JOB! STAY HOME ‘arn all your prea \ MMi ee ee make up to k—send-for toM ie LUS the ence to King Work the B.- B= ra an WAY." Common eo! * Tl show you how so many men between the ages of 15 and 60—ftom all walke nm He ag Oto Orc Mace |. Foremen, Santen the class with BIG PAY EX- ECUTIVES. Get Bicl> Coupon Now! ) BIG OUTFITS INCLUDED‘ ae Ave 4 menos FREE Sarees = @ of extra cost ractical, money-) ALL she Facto} a BigPayMan) nd re Ses nohet ft oan YOR, ars © q® RIGHT NOW! f a ' lib Enaine6er “easels ease, ceo SS cake oe | ) Directing Engineer ) ish teat pierre eal @ CHICAGO MOTOR TRAINING CORPORATION =~ — : Bp ae ce amet - snen ts: H AB96-1926 Sunnyside Aves Dept. 876 S © Ghicags We . 5
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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY 31 BRIEF BUT POINTED’ ve LARGEST DIAMOND The largest diamond of which there is any rec- ord was found in the Premier Mine, near Pre- toria, Transvaal. The stone, called the Cullinan diamond, weighed 304% carats, or 1.37 pounds, and measured 3.5 inches by 1.25 inches. Its value was estimated at from $2,500,000 to $5,000,- 000. This diamond, which was reputed to be the urest of the large stones, was purchased by an nglish syndicate and cut into nine stones which were presented in 1908 to King Edward VII to be placed among the crown jewels. SWORD EATER DOES HIS STUFF ; TOO WELL Convincing work in his amateur sword swal- lowing act at a local theatre in Columbus, 0O.,.ac- complished full result in thrills for his audience but threatened to end disastrously for Jack Hill of Edgefield. Hill swallowed the sword all right—a nine-inch case knife—but the knife remained in his stomach until surgeons removed it at a hospital several hours later. a hospital. ae Apparently Hill’s act went over smoothly, end- ing in a demonstration in which the knife disap- peared down his throat. He bowed as the audience - applauded, then left the stage without restoring the blade to view. ae : Fully aware of his predicament, Hill went to spe An X-ray revealed the knife, blunt end down and the point piercing his esophagus. Through an abdominal incision the blade was removed, and except for incidental shock -had SOMETHING ABOUT LIBERIA Liberia was started in 1820 as a result of the great colonization movement headed by Henry Clay. It was contemplated to return the negroes to their own country, which is the only part of Africa now under negro control. It is on what is called the Guinea Coast, whence the most.of our negroes came. Its area is about the size of Ohio. Over five-sixths of the area is covered with dense tropical forests, in which the rubber plant is well at home. The settlements are principally along the coast, which is exceedingly hot and un- healthy. The forests are occupied by native ne- groes, who are generally at peace with Liberia and are slowly becoming civilized. The highlands are quite salubrious, This country has given valuable assistance to the colony, but it population has not increased as was hoped for. In 25 years only 4,500 American negroes went to Liberia, but Mr. Firestone’s en- terprise will probably result in rapid development - of the colony and its resources. Its principal town is named Monrovia, in honor ~ of President Monroe. It has developed a fair trade in palm oil, palm nuts, fiber, and rubber. The British and Germans have entered the country and have developed plantations of rubber and gold mines. Great Britain and France have both in- fringed on Liberian territory and robbed her of much that-was originally given. She appealed to the United States and a commission of in- vestigation was appointed, which visited Liberia and made certain recommendations: which the United States adopted, and also regulated her’ financial affairs. It has always been hoped that Liberia might not only prosper but also become - the leader of Africa. She declared war against Germany and a German submarine did her some damage, but was later sunk by a British cruiser, eaused no harm. Hill will recover. Or Snuff_Habit Cured Or N TOBACC r No Pay ar Saags cigareting vot Any Be peppers treatment 1. it cures, nothing if it f; Used : Mansel Woes Superba Con og henna ta GetRid ¥ Yor F A T Free Trial Treatment Sent on request. Ask for my “pay - when - reduced” offer. I have successfully reduced thou- sands of persons, often at the = | rate of a pound a day. Let me send you proof at my expense. DR. R. NEWMAN, Licensed Physician State of New York, 286 Fifth Avenue New York, Desk B-46 Ooi. § Christmas Money Given Send name and address. We will sengd you 50 sets of Christmas Seals. Easily sold 100 You keep $2; send us $3. your neighborhood. We Trust You. _Many earned $10 last Christmas. Write at once. Blistletoe Seal Co., Dept. 59, Brooklyn, (#%) New York. ; is ay BOOK FREE! A Booklet in 2 col- Xe * ors, illustrated and copyrighted at Washington, tells cause of ; new ideas for home treatment. Goitre Saterrs write to—Dr. Rock, Box 46, 3. GOITRE goitre and Milwaukee, SALE - King of Rovolvers Has all improvements of latest guns, $35 value, lett whoeler, safety hand ejector, ‘ §uarantecd neveroutoforder hot, 32-20 or 38 cal. Send No Money. Pay on delive! lus stage. Satisfaction on aumiay tasks Federal Rtait Order 414Broadway, New York Dpt.K 113 BOYS & BE FIRST GIRLS. Earn $2.00 yx’youn town WRITE NOW for 50 Sets Christmas Seals. Bell for 10c¢ a set. when sold send us $3.00 and keep $2.00, Tr You till Xmas. B. Noubecker, 061 E, 23d St. Dept. B.° Brooke > lyn, N. X. ae y pee vl 2:
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OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive, and Amusing. They contain Valuable Information on Almost “ Every Subject. Ne. 26. HOW TO ROW, SAIL AND BUILD A BOAT. —Fully illustrated. Full instructions are given in this little book, together with instructions on swimming and riding, companion sports to boating. 9 No. 28. HOW TO TELL FORTUNES.—Dvery one is desirous of knowing. what hi{s future life bey 9 bring forth, whether happiness or bone wealth or poverty. You.can tell by a glance at this Nttle book. Buy one and be convinced. No, 29 HOW TO BECOME AN INVENTOR.—Pvery hoy should know how inventions originated. This book explains them: all, giving examples tn electricity, hy- Araulies, magnetism, SOR eNE RUC ung ek, mechanics. ‘o. 80. OW TO COOK. ne of the most instructive hooks on oman ever published. It contains recipes ‘or cooking meats, fish, game and oysters; also pies. nuddings, cakes and all kinds of pastry, and a grand colection of recipes. No. 38 HOW TO BEHAVE.—Containing the rules and etiquette of good society and the easiest and most ' “pproved. methods of appearing to good advantage at ’ Nustrated. varties, balls, the theatre, church, and in the draw- "No. 88. HOW TO PLAY GAMFS.—A complete and rseful Uttle book, containing the rules and regulations Ay billiards, bazatelle, back-gammon, croquet, dominoes No. 86. HOW TO SOLVE CONUNDRUMS.—Contain- mg all the leading conundrums of the day, amusing rid- dies, curious eatches and witty sayings. No 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS.—In- eluding hints on how to catch moles. weasels, otter, rats, equirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. Copiously ‘o. 41. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN’S von EBOOK.—Containing a great variety of the tatest iokes used by the most famous end men. No amateur minstrels is complets without this wonderful little book. No. 42. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK STUMP- SPERAKER.—Containing a_ varied assortment of stump speeches, Negro, Dutch and Irish. Also end men’s jokes. Just the thine for home amusement and amateur shows, No. 45.. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK MINSTRED AUIDE AND JOK® BOK.—Something new and rate tnstructive.. Tvery boy should obtain this book, as it contains fv’! ‘~structions for organizing an amiteur _ electro magnetism ; hy eee with full instructions for 5 ared cards, Oe te. “HOW ay paring, mounting and preserving birds, animals and in- ‘ee 51, HOW TO DO TRICKS WITH CARDS.—Con- jaining explanations of the general principles of sleight- of-hand applicable to FN Lea ordinary. cards, and not requiring sleight-of-hand; o tricks involving sleet oe panes or the use of specially ; ri i TO PLAY CARDS.—A complete and giving Bi salle one tas rectus Euchre, age, Casino, orty-Five, eta Be ro Sancho, Draw Poker, Auction Pitch, All Vours, and many other popular games of cards. Ne. 544. HOW TO KEEP AND MANAGE PETS.— \iivinge complete information, as to the manner and meth- iy raising, keeping, taming, breeding and managing 4 nds of pets: also giving full instructions for mak- ‘ng cages, etc. Fully explained by twenty-elght illus- handy létle book, - trations. 13@ West 23d Street Ber sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any addtess on receipt of price, 10c, per copy, s _in money or stamps, by HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. New York City 4 ecard tricks; or card tricks with: Fame and Fortune Weekly 3 — LATEST ISSUKa —— 998 Out for the Dollars; *or, A’ Smart Boy in Wa’l Street 999 For Fame and Fortune; or, The Boy Who Won Both. 1000 A Wall Street Winner; or, Making a Mint of Money. 1001 The Road to Wealth; or, The Boy: Who Found It Out. ; 1002 bette Wing; or, The Young Mercury of Wall reet. 1004 Tugeling -with the Market; or, The Boy Who Made ay. 1005 Cast Adrift; or, The Luck of a Homeless Boy. 1006 Pls the Market; or, A Keen Boy in Wall reet. 1007 A Pot of Money; or, The Legacy of a Lucky Boy. 1008 From Rags to Riches; or, A Lucky Wall Street Messenger. 1009 On His Merits; or, The Smartest Boy Alive. 1010 Trapping the Brokers; or, A Game Wall Street Boy. 1011 A Million in Gold: or, The Treasure of Santa Cruz. 1012 Bound to Make Money; or, From the West to Wall- Street. 1013 The Boy Magnate; or. Making Baseball Pay. 1014 Making Money; or, A Wall Street Messenger’s Luck. 1015 A’ Harvest of Gold; of, The Buried Treasure of Coral Island. 1016 On_the Curh; or, Beating the Wall Street Brokers. 1017 A Freak of Fortune; or, The Boy Who Struck Oil. 1018 ace Prince of Wall Street; or, A Big Deal for Big oney. 1019 Starting His) Own Business; or, The Boy Who Caught On. 1020 A Sonar. In Wall Street; or, The Wall Street Boy on. Who p Pe First in the Field; or, Doing Business for Himself. 022 A Broker at Highteen; or, Roy. Gilbert’s Wall Street — Career. 1023 Only a Dollar; or, From Errand Boy to Owner. 1024 Price. & Co., Boy Brokers; or, The Young Traders of Wall Street, 1025 A Winning Risk; or, The Boy Who Made Good. 1026 From_a Dime to a Million; or, A Wide-Awake Wall treet Boy. 1027 The Path to Good Luck; or, The Boy Miner of Death Valley. 1028 Mart Morton’s Money; or, A Corner in Wall Street _ cocks. . 1029 Famous at Fourteen; or, The Boy Who Made a Great Name. _ 1030 Tips To Fortune; or, A Lucky Wall Street Deal. 1031 Striking His Gait; or, The Perils of a Boy En- gineer. 1032 Brom Messenger to’ Millionaire; or, A Boy’s Luck In Wall Street. 1033 The Boy Gold Hunters; Treasure. 1084 Tricking Game of Chance. or, 1035 Jack Merry’s Grit; or, Making a Man Of Himself, - 10386 A eA Shower; or, The Boy Banker of Wall Street. : 1037 Making a Record; or, The Luck of a Working Boy. 1088 A Fight For Money; or, From School to Wali Street. 1089 eh at Out West; or, The Boy Who Found a oatman. 1040 Ben mae Luck; or, Working on Wall Street ps. 1041 A Young Gold King; or, The Treasure of the Secret ave. 1042 Bound To Get Rich; or, How A Wall Street Boy Made Money. 1043 Friendless" Frank; or, The Boy who Became Famous. ; 1044 A bag ste Tip; or, The Young Weazel of. Wall reet, ; 1045 Plucky Bob; or, The Boy Who_Won Success, 1046 From Newsboy to Banker; or, Rob Lake’s Rise in ‘Wall Street. ~ "1047 A Golden Stake; or, The Treasure of the Indies. 1048 A a ae the Market; or, A Hot Time In Wall 1049 Watching His Chance; or, Brom Ferry Boy to Cap- 1050 A Game for Gold; or, The Young King of Wall 1051 A Wizard for Luck; or Getting Ahead in the World, For sale by all mewsdealers, pr will be sent to any Le address on. pt of price, 8c. per copy, | in money or Ptamps, by : ’ HARRY K, WOLFS, PubMsher, Inc. — 166 West 22d Btrect After A Pirate's” the Traders; or, A Wall Street Boy’s : ¥ ‘Mew York City —