Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 996) (1924 10 31)
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BOYS, READ THE RADIO ARTICLES IN THIS NUMBER OCTOBER 31, 1924 No. 996 56 § Price 8 Cents “Look here, country,” he said, “you can't pass unless you have the dough.” “Dough!” exclaimed the mystified Nick. “Money, you chump!” “I've loads of it,” grinned Nick, producing his wad of Confederate shinplasters. Furniss snatched the bills from his hand,
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issued weekly Subscription price, $4.06 Lee year! Canada, $4 West 23d Street, New York, N. Y. CHAPTER I.—A Level-Headed Country Boy. ee Well, Nick, what are you going to do now?” 2 ed Frank Fairbanks, curiously. _ “Going to work,” replied Nick Nutting, with a ute air. a farm?” propounded Frank. hook his head emphatically. “In a store, perhaps?” “I don’t know anybody in the village who rants a boy.” _ “Maybe you mean to go to the shoe factory the next town?” “No, I don’t think I’d care to learn the busi- core _ Then where are you going to work?” __ “I haven’t decided that point yet, but I’m figur- von going to New York.” , ‘To New York!” exclaimed his companion, in It’s a big place, and I hear there’s ‘there for everybody.” ( about that, Nick. I’ve heard say there’s half 2 million people out of there all the time.” ‘said that, did he?” asked Nutting, eye- 1 oe * keenly.’ irbanks nod father Soo to know something about ppose,” replied Nick, slowly. “He reads yspapers regularly.” fes, we take a New York daily, and father “pretty well posted on current conditions,” ed Fairbanks, whose father was the of the village bank. a it’s funny,” said Nick, scratching his surly head doubtfully. “I saw a New York pa = the W House some days ago, and part of it was just filled with small ad ments under the heading of ‘Help Wanted.’ - OT th “jobs of all kinds for over fifty. boys on thought there must be loads of work go- ~ s fifty’ boys, Nick, when there are four vt in New York City? ght,” admitted’ Nick, a bit dolefully. be a = see million.” | ut your s r, Nick?” ‘to live with Mrs. ee until : Entered ae Second-Class Metter, O¢ robe 4, 1911, the Post-Office at New Tork, N. X53, NEW YORK, OCTOBER $1, ‘in, and within three days hie You A Radio Fan? Read Pact FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY 0; Foreign, $5.00. Harry Wolf, Publisher, hie: We under the Act of Mareh 3, 1879. 1924 Price 8 Cents. A BID FOR A FORTUNE OR, A COUNTRY BOY IN WALL STREET By A SELF-MADE “MAN I can make enough money to take care of her myself.” “Your aunt didn’t leave you anything, did she?” asked Fairbanks. “She left me a wad of money,” with a sickly smile. “Why, I thought of surprise. “It happened to be Confederate shinplasters, and I calculate they don’t amount to much,” re- plied Nick. “Oh!” exclaimed Frank, with a flickering smile. “Y'm afraid the whole bunch wouldn’t buy you a square meal.” “That’s my opinion, too, She kept the roll these thirty years, for she thought the govern- ment might redeem them some time. I’m think- ing that time will be never.” “If anybody else than Deacon Dabbleton held replied Nick, ” began Frank, in a tune ‘ the mortgage on your late aun’t house I’d think there’d be something left to you and Nellie when the house was sold; but the deacon has a hard reputation in money matters. He never lets anything escape him if he can help it.” “That’s right,” nodded Nick. “He’s one of those people who grips a quarter so hard as to make the eagle scream.” Nick Nutting, the hero of this story, was a ~ bright, ambitious boy, who was born and brought up in the village of Westbury, not more than a hundred miles from New York. He had one sister, a year and a half his junior, named Nellie, ahd the pair, whom a steamboat disaster had made orphans at an early age, had been raised by their maiden aunt, Miss Tomkins. This és- timable spinster had done the right thing by her nigce and nephew, as far as her limited means og permit, and the children were very fond er. Unfortunately, a week before the opening of this story she contracted a chil pneumonia set was dead. It was the afternoon of the day of the funeral that Nick Nutting met his friend Frank Fairbanks on his way home from the general store where he gone to buy something that was needed sat the — house, and the foregoing conversation took place between the boys. They parted at the corner of one of the side streets. Sap Pe eR Soe “OCT 23 905
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A BID FOR Nellie Nutting was preparing tea when her brother entered the house that could be theirs but a short time longer. She was not yet four- _ teen years old, but nevertheless her brother re- garded her as quite a little woman. . She was pretty, vetite, and very bright-looking. This afternoon she looked sad and depressed, as was natural under the circumstances, and she had very little to say. “T just met Frank Fairbanks,” Sia Nick, as he laid down the packages on the kitchen table. “I was telling him that I was thinking of going to New York to look for work, and he told me his father said that there were half a million of - people out of work there all the time. Nice prospect for’a country boy, isn’t it?” “T wish you wouldn’t talk about going to New York, Nick,” said Nellie, the tears springing into Se her eyes. [a “Why not, sis?” 4 “« » y a2 Because I don t want you to go so far away . from me.” 5 “Why, that isn’t far—not over a hundred oS miles.” = - “Oh, come now, sis; brace up. I’ve got to a earn a living for the pair of us, and you ought “= ‘to know that I can’t do it round here. New York Pe or some other big town is the place for me. — There may be half a million of people out of 5 work there all the year round, but you can bet Fede? on one thing—I won’t be one of them.” == The sun was just setting when brother and sister sat down to their frugal tea. They were in the midst of it when a sharp, authoritative knock came at the door. Nick, wondering who their visitor was, got up and opened the door. He was not particularly pleased to find Deacon - _ _Dabbleton on the doorstep. The deacon consider- ____ed-himself the most imvortant man in the village, os and he tried ‘to impress that fact upon the com- “munity. “Will you take a seat, Mr. Dabbleton?” said . Nick, politely, after he had closed the aes __ The deacon took it without. wasting any of his precious breath to say “Thank you.” _“Ahem!” he said, holding his cold-handled cane _. between his ponderous legs and leaning upon it _ in a magisterial way, while he cast his experi- enced eves around the room to size up the value -of its contents. = : » i the whole the survey was not very satis- Se “Ahem!” ejaculated the visitor, once more, al- - lowing his gaze to rest on the boy and girl as if he thought they ought to feel highly honored to in the same room with him. “We must all _ die, my voune friends,” he said, casting his eyes _ toward the ceiling and then dropping them to ‘ — thete fo former level. “Ahem! ‘May I ask if your : excellent -aunt left anything beside this house pl which I presume you are both me in default of payment, prin- wis ete interest overdue, of a mortgage. scot oe in the registry of this county?” bens your pardon, Mr. Dabbleton, the house, es ~ Nellie and ‘niture for the benefit of Nick and Nellie, po have to be sold to satisfy your © e furniture home, while Nick was fou. stay With the eashiesla sous St A FORTUNE She said it was al “Aunt Mary told us so. ° she had to leave us.” “Your aunt was mistaken,” replied Mr. Dabble- ae ton. “I apprehend that the house being heavily — morgaged, and property having lately shrunk in value in this village, that its sale will hardly — ; bi cover the sum I advanced on it some years ago; therefore it is quite possible that I will be obliged» to levy on the furniture to make up the differ- ence.” His words carried consternation to Nella brother, who quietly remarked: “Does your mortgage include the furniture?” “ presume.it does, my young friend. ; ever, that is immaterial. I am entitled to my .. pound of flesh, you understand.” a “We deny your right to touch even a singlk= stick of the furniture. If you insist on been Oe so I shall put the matter in Mr. Fairbank’s hands,” = Apparently the. deacon did not approve of Mr. Fairbanks being made a party to the pro-— ceedings, so he. hastily dismissed the subject for the present. “Do you anticipate remaining in the village, young man?” he asked, with some curiosity learn the boy’s plans. “No, sir; I do not.” “Might I inquire where you propose to go? “It’s likely I will go to New York.” . “And do you expect to take your sister you?” “Not until I am able to support her.” “Ahem! You can hardly expect to do for some time to come, I apprehend. Now, was going to observe that if your sister wo like to make her home with Mrs. Dabbleton a myself we will board and clothe her in return for such service as she is. able to render.” What the deacon and his vinegary wife wi looking for was a household drudge at the lov est compensation possible, but Mr. Dabbleton v too politic to express the exact truth in so man words. ; ae “We are much obliged to you for the off Mr. Dabbleton, but my sister has already ar ranged to live, for the present, with “Mrs. ton.” The deacon was visibly disappointed. He h counted on securing Nellie Nutting, and h even told his wife that he intended bringi home with him. As the deacon had, nothing to say, he arose and, wishing the young a stiff “good evening,” left the cottage. a few days later Mr. Fairbanks called upon Mr Dabbleton in his capacity of auctioneer and ¢ him to hold a sale of the personal belongin z of the late Miss Tomkins, the deacon did n¢ press a claim against the cottage furniture. knew better. So Mr. Dabbleton advertised and sou. the his commission and paid the balance over Fairbanks, who made it his business to see t the sale was properly conducted. *The cask the village bank handed half of the mon by t Nick and the other half to the boy’s sister, ¥ had removed her scant belongings a the :
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Nick, having finally made up his mind to seek his fortune in New York, made his arrangements cordingly. Nellie gradually became recon- ed to the separation when she saw that it s Inevitable, and when Nick promised to send mday morning, after an affecting farewell be- ween them, Nick carried his grip to the next CHAPTER Il—Nick Nutting Arrives In New York. 3 Nick arrived in Weehawken at about noon, and, _ metropolis at the foot of Forty-second Street, on , North River. The general storekeeper at Westbury, who was well acquainted with New had recommended him to a boarding-house | West Forty-fifth Street, and Nick - walked p there at once. It was a cheap-looking: place, t the boy expected to live as cheaply as he _ eould until he could afford to do better. ; - The landlady had a small hall room, which showed to Nick, and at the same time assured “that she set as good a table as could be ed for the price she asked. The room d not seem to be much larger than the big poset in the spacious apartment in his late me at Westbury. Nick was disappointed with s look, but took it just the same. He paid . a week’s board in advance, as was istomary, and then was invited down to lunch, ough the landlady intimated that two meals day, breakfast and dinner, was all she ex- ected to hand out to her boarders. After the ; which consisted of tea, bread and butter ‘stewed prunes, Nick made a few inauiries Mrs. Jarvis, the landlady, as to the lay of town, and then sallied forth to look around ‘metropolis. He made a careful note of the ther of the house, its general appearance, th was shabby, and its position in the block, aad find it again, before leaving the P walked down to Sixth Avenue and Forty- md Street and decided to take an elevated n for the Battery—a spot he had, heard se +h about that he was anxious to see it. In n hour he was strolling about Battery Park. benches were well filled with men who seem- have nothing more important on hand than ill time. It seemed so strange to the boy see so many healthy specimens of humanity ne life easy that he stopped a park officer d asked him if it was a holiday. policeman regarded Nick in some surprise hen looked him carefully over. =. from the country, aren’t you?” asked n — Westbury, New York State,” re- Nick, wondering how the policeman knew a stranger in ag metropolis. Why did you ask if to-day was a holiday? al wget you been in town?” i of hours,” answered Nick. “I asked » use I see so many people doing her at the earliest possible time. And so one. ‘boarding the ferryboat, was soon landed in the ‘Broadway, A BID FOR A FORTUNE 3 “You'll find all the parks populated in mnch the same way on a fine day like this. Most of these people are out of a job, either because they ean’t get one, or because they don’t want one. “What’s that building over there?” asked Nick pointing to the old Castle Garden structure. “That’s the Aquarium. Why don’t you go in and see the fish? There are specimens from all over the world.” “What’s the charge?” “It’s free.” “T guess I'll go in,” said Nick, and he did. The building was well worth a visit,.and Nick spent fully half an hour gazing into the various glass tanks that lined the circular sides of the Aquarium. When he came out he saw the same policeman standing close by: “Well, how did you like it?” asked the officer. “First class. Is Wall Street far from here?” “Not so far. I suppose you want to see the bulls and bears, eh?” grinned the policeman. Nick was not so green as to imagine there - were any real bulls and bears in the financial district. He had read so often that Wall Street was the moneyed center of the United States that he was curious to see what the district looked like. “Do you want to go to Wall Street proper, or do you wish to take in the whole financial district as well as you can?” asked the police- man. “T want to see as much of it as I can,” Nick: “Then you'd better start from the corner of Beaver and Broad. . You can’t mistake Broad, which intersects the district, for it’s uncommon- ly wide, and is only two blocks long, from Beaver ~ to Wall. Do you see that tall office building ?” asked the officer, pointing. “T couldn’t well miss it,” replied Nick. “That’s the Bowling Green Building, which faces partly on the foot of Broadway. Walk up there and you will see a small triangular park, surrounded by an iron railing, which is called Bowling Green.” “That’s where the statue of George the Third used to stand before this city was evacuated by the British, wasn’t it?” asked Nick, with some interest. “T guess it is,” replied the policeman, who was not clear on that point. “The people* pulled it down and melted it up, didn’t they?” F The officer had never heard of the circumstance and did not care to commit himself. “Walk to the head of that little park—that is, to’ the narrow end of the triangle looking up turn your face east—that’s east,” motioned the policeman—‘“and you will see Beaver Street right before you. Take the upper sidewalk and go straight ahead. The first street you will come to is New, and the next is Broad, Turn up replied ‘either one of them and you'll be in the Wall Street district. Broad is the better one to take, as the curb brokers are there, and so is the Stock Exchange.” Nick thanked the officer and started for New York’s money. center,
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; CHAPTER IlI.—Nick Gets a Job in Wall Street Nick had no trouble in finding Broad Street where it intersected Beaver. He turned his face north toward Wall Street, and had to admit that it was a teeming hive of industry as far as he could see. Then he started to walk up the thor- oughfare, where hundreds of busy boys and men were passing and repassing all the time. Uniformed messenger boys with yellow envel- opes in their hands were flying along the side- walks or crossing the street like winged Mercurys, dodging pedestrians on the oné hand and cabs and vehicles on the other with an ease and precision that Nick admired. ~ The first thing that specially attracted his at- tention was a roped enclosure on the west side of the street. Here were gathered a hundred or more sharp-looking men and_ bright-appearing young fellows, in little groups, talking together or walking about from one group to another. This was the Curb Exchange, every member of which was a regular broker. Nick watched the methods of the curb brokers for a while and then continued on up the street. At the corner of Exchange Place he stopped and looked up and down that narrow street. Nick’s look of surprised interest attracted the notice of a rough-looking, thickest fellow who was hang- ing around the corner. His name was Joe Fur- niss, and until within a day or two he had been employed as a Wesseneey by the Maritime Ex- change. Just at amend he was hard up, and was figur- ing how he could raise the wind. He eyed the country boy narrowly, and finally sized him up as fair game. Stepping forward, he barred Nut- ting’s way. “Look here, country.” he said, “you can’t pass unless you have the dough.” “I’ve loads of it,” grinned Nick, producing his wad of Confederate shinplasters. Furniss snatched the bills from his hand. Then he started to run. But Nick was not going to be robbed of his Confederate money, worthless as it was, with impunity.. He immediately followed Furniss down Exchange Place at a hot pace. Furniss finally darted into the entrance of one of the office buildings and ran up the stairs to the. first floor. Nick followed close at his heels, and grabbed the tail of his sack coat just as he stepped on the floor of the corridor. The fellow turned = about and aimed a vicious blow at his pursuer’s . face. Nick dodged it and then grabbed Furniss by the collar. “Come now,” he said resolutely, “ante up that The other, however, was a tough youth, and not in the least averse to a scrap. He tore him- _ self free from 1 - in regular prize-ring style. Nick’s grasp and then squared off Nick -was mad clean through at the fellow’s nerve in snatching his “property, and he sailed in at him like a young eyclone. For about a minute there was as pretty a set-to A BID FOR A. FORTUNE would see at an athletic club, and then — s =. went down on the ange Lge from a : the end of h. short scrap had been view2:1 bya a caekiealiie who came out of one of the offices on that floor. = “That was neatly done, young man,” he sai stepping up beside Nutting and clapping m familiarly on-the shoulder. “Never saw the trick turned better. What’s the trouble between you?” “He snatched a wad of money out of my hand at the corner of Broad Street and tried to ge t away with it,” replied Nick. ee “The dickens he did! Then he must be a young | crook. He’s got all the ear-marks of one, at ; any — rate. This is a case for a policeman.” et “The money didn’t amount to much,” rep Nick, “It was Confederate shinplasters.” : “Oh!” exclaimed the gentleman, biting h mustache to repress the laugh which rose to lips. “Then you wouldn’t have lost much if | had escaped.” “But I don’t want to lose the stuff.” answered Nick, kneeling down beside the reviving young — rascal and thrusting his hand into the packet’ hh } had seen Furnisss stow the wad in. ; In a moment he rose with a roll of Confederate notes in his hand. : “There they are,” ne said, showing them to the ; gentleman. 3 “Looks like real ineaer at a casual glance? said the man, with a smile. “Any one wo uid - take you to be well heeled if you flashed 1 : roll on- them.” “T guess that’s what he thought. me up as something easy from the country tried to do me up. But I wasn’t born yes day, even if this is my first day in New Yo “Is that so?” remarked the gentleman. be you a stranger to the town?” ; “Yes, sir,” replied Nick. “Come here to see the sights, I suppose?” “No, sir. I came here to get a job.” y's “What kind of a job?” the stranger asked, a show of interest, scanning the bright, i aaa features of the boy he had taken a sud fancy to. th “Well, sir, if I can have my choice it right here in Wall Street.” “In Wall Street, eh?” : At that moment Joe Furniss sat up ii bewildered sort of way and looked around hin As soon as his eyes rested on Nick he scram to his feet with a growl of rage and began roll up his sleeves preparatory to a continuatio @ the fight. The gentleman, however, inte “Get out of this building at once, you scamp!” he exclaimed, with some vigor. _ Furniss did not like his aggressive manner, with a muttered imprecation and a me glance of his eyes at Nutting, he slowly downstairs, feeling his jaw as if to make it was all there. “So vou'd like to walk in Wall Stree said the gentleman, turning ‘to our hero. “Yes, sir. I’d like it first rate.” “What is your name?” “Nick Nutting.” “Where is your home?” “No. — West Forty-fifth Street Sa the Dp riceee from Westbury, where I’ve lived ates ? “How long have you. been in New. Y * Wan four hours, sir.” \ Be
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A BID FOR ought so from your scientific performance with t young tough. Taken lessons in the art of -defense, haven’t you?” _ “Yes, sir. From a professor who stopped at our village last summer.” “You must have been an apt pupil. You clean- _ €d that boy up in no time at all, and he looked husky enough to eat you. So you’ve only been four hours in New York?” said the gentleman, Teflectively, looking the boy over once more with critical attention. “I’m sorry that you’re not ainted with the city. I’ve kind of taken a fancy to you. I’m a stock broker, with an office on Wall Street. I’ve just lost my mes- ‘senger, and I would give you a trial if you had _ Some idea of the financial district; but I’m afraid ou’d get mixed up trying to find your way about, and that it would take you all day to deliver the message.” “T think I could get the run of this part of ® city inside of a couple of days, sir,” said eagerly. “At any rate, I’m sure it wouldn’t 2 me a week. I’d be willing to work the first ek for nothing, sir, if you’d only give me 2 chance to make good. If I had a list of office buildings I’d spend the rest of the afternoon locating them. Then I could buy a zuide, I suppose, with a map, and study out “position of the streets down here, and find where the banks and trust companies are ted. I could do that to-night after I got 0 my boarding-house. I could keep it up until got everything down pat.” _ “Are your parents living in Westbury?” “My father and mother are both dead, sir. ‘The only relative I have is a sister nearly four- en years old in Westbury.” : come around with me to my office and ‘I will consider the matter,” said the broker. “My ne is George Chiswell, Here is my card.” e to Wall Street, the broker pointing out ; Exchange and various banks and office uildings along the route. Turning down Wall, vay to Hanover Street, they came to the on Building, on the second floor of which Mr. well had his office. Taking Nick into his te office, the broker questioned him as to education and general fitness for office work. k’s answers were quite satisfactory to him. Finally Mr. Chiswell wrote down the names of “Seore of the brokers with whom he was con- ntly in touch, with their addresses, and hand- the list to Nick. "ll give you a trial, Nick,” he said. “Report his office at nine o’clock in the morning. » In meantime you might amuse yourself ‘during mm” Od Serap.- Others are in the Mills Building, on Street. The rest are scattered about. You _ where the New York Stock Exchange is. ‘ell, you'll have to go there frequently. But 2 don’t enter on the Brvad Street side, but at ' messengers’ entrance, on New Street, which narrow street in the rear of the building, from Wall to Broad Street. You might when you leave here and find out the . pom A FORTUNE - 5 right door. Any one in the neighborhood will tell you.” “Yes, sir. I'll do that,” replied Nick, promptly. “Well, I think that will be all for the present. I’ve an idea that you'll come out all right and make a first-class messenger.” “It won’t be my fault if I don’t, sir,” said Nick, rising from his chair. “Don’t forget. Nine o’clock in the morning. This is the Bullion Building.” “I’m in great luck,” chuckled Nick, as he left Mr. Chiswell’s office, “Only four hours in the city, and I’ve caught just the kind of position I’ve yearned for. The next thing is to hold on to it. I mean to do that if I lose a leg. Won’t Nellie be glad?” CHAPTER IV.—Nick’s First Dinner in New York. After Nick had found and inspected the s- sengers’ entrance to the Stock Exchange he con- tinued on down New Street to Exchange Place, where he looked around for the Vanderpool Build- ing. There was no sign on the building to iden- tify it, so Nick thought the quickest way of locating it would be to inquire of a messenger boy he saw coming along. The boy pointed to a tall building across the street and hurried on his way. Nick entered the office building and went up to one of the elevator men. “I want to find out on what floors these people have their offices,” he said. The man pointed to a nearby wall. “There’s a directory showing the names of every tenant in the building, with the floor and number of his office. You can get all your in- formation from that.” Nick studied the directory and soon got the hang of it. Then he looked for the names he was in search of, found them, and noted’ down the floor they were on and the number of their room. When he got on Broad Street again he Saw several stationery stores, and in one of them he purchased a street guide with a map of the city attached to it. “Tl look this over to-night,” he said to him- self, putting it in his pocket. 5 Then he looked up the other names on his list and found every one of them by five o’clock. “Now I'll go uptown to the boarding-house. I hope they’ll have plenty to eat on the table, for I feel mighty hungry. That lunch Mrs. Jarvis treated me to only took the edge off my appetite. I shouldn’t care to be a regular customer cf her midday meal—there isn’t enough of it for a grow- ing boy like me.” Nick remembered that the elevated road was on the west side of Broadway, so. he crossed over and asked one of the throng of people hurrying home where the nearest elevated station was. “Which one do you want—Ninth Avenue, Sixth Avenue or Third Avenue?” “I want to go to Sixth Avenue and Forty-sec- ond Street,” replied the boy. “Do you see that big building half a block down ‘the street?” big buildings in that Nick said he saw several direction. c “It’s the corner building I mean. Enter that,
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» het. x oe) a Svea 'y ad eet wih ¢ Soe ceili ats a, Aa 6 pass right on through the wide ground floor and you’ll.come to the Sixth Avenue station. It’s right at the end of the building.” Nick thanked the man, and, following direc- tions, was soon aboard a train bound downtown. The boy told the conductor that he was a stranger to the city, and that he wanted -to get off at the Fory-second Street station. The conductor promised to tell him when he got there, and told him to take a seat near the door. He was as good as his word, and in twenty minutes Nick was walking in the direction of his boarding- place, which he found without much difficulty. He had barely washed his face and brushed his hair before a cracked bell rang somewhere in ‘the basement. “T guess that’s the dinner-bell,” he said. “I might as well be among the first as the last. Probably I'll get all that’s coming to me, then.” So Nick steered for the dining-room in the basement. The odor of cookery and the voice of Mrs. Jarvis guided him to the door.’ “You will sit here, Mr. What did you s@y your name was?” “Nutting, ma’‘am. Nick Nutting.” Mrs. Jarvis pulled a chair oat near the head of the table, presided over ly a meek-looking man who the boy was sure did not weigh a pound less than two hundred and fizsy. “Mr. Jarvis,” said the landlady, sharply. “this is our new boarder, Mr. Nutting. Mr. Nutting, my husband. Jane”—to an invisible personage in a room beyond—“a plate of soup.” The soup was brought by the maid-of-all-work, who officiated as waitress at meal-times, and Nick proceeded im get away with a watery compouud which he understood was meant for bean soup. Some not over-tender roast beef followed, flanked by side dishes, and Nick did not leave a particle of their contents to be carried back to the kitchen. When Nick was eating his dessert, which con- sisted of a small plate of rice pudding, a sharp- featured, sandy-complexioned young man of per- haps twenty-five seated himself beside him. He looked inquisitively at his new neighbor, and Mrs. Jarvis aroused herself from a brown study long enough to introduce Nick to this party, whose name was Gilson. “From the country, I believe?” remarked Gil- hi gheos twirling his mustache while waiting for Nick “You worked in the bank, then?” \ p=et “No; this is the first job I ever had in my life.” Mr. Gilson looked at Nick as if We thought the boy was stretching the truth. “Who is this broker that hired you?” “Mr. George Chiswell.” “Chiswell, eh? I know him by sight. employed in Wall Street myself. I am margin clerk for Mandelbaum & Slewby, in the Barnum — Building. You are in great luck to pick up a job down there the way you did. It isn’t the usual thing, and I can’t quite understand it.” As he had eaten everything that was likely to come his way that evening, the boy excused: himself and left the table and the room. > “What a nice, gentlemanly boy,” remarked a — young saleswoman, employed in a big department — store, who sat opposite, and who had not re- ceived an introduction to Nick, ~ ea “Oh, he’s a hayseed,” .chuckled Mr. Gilson, rather contemptuously. “Well, he’s a perfect gentleman, if he is from the country,” she retorted, with some spirit. “I a pleasure to meet one occasionally,” she ai > pointedly. ; ; se Gilson did not haye so much to say tha’ I am CHAPTER V—Nick’s First Day in Wall Street. Nick found his narrow bed rather harder that : night than he was accustemed to, but the fact did not worry him, for he was a sound sleeper. — He woke up at seven “with the discordant clang — of the breakfast-bell in his ears, and hurried jown — to the dining-room, for fear that there might be — a deficiency of eatables if he neglected to be p ent on time. This time he was introduced 1 the young saleswoman, and she bestowed an ef couraging smile upon him. “T overheard you say that you are ae ia Wall Street,” she said, “Yes, Miss Smith.” ance “You must be a real smart boy to be able hold such a position.” = Nick blushed and began to eat his brig ge you from the ‘country ?” asked the sal gir ~ “Yes, Miss Smith.” “I should never have supposed so. Really, look just like-a New Yorker.” . Nick bowed, and then began operations on small piece of steak. The boy thanked his stars that the knife. was sharp and his teeth — A lonesome-looking corn muffin and a cxmk coffee completed the meal, and Nick left the feeling that he could eat as much again if had the chance. He decided that he would lose anything by going downtown early and Te fore it was time for him to report for busi Promptly at nine o’clock Nick entered Mr. well’s office. ous of the clerks had ye rived, but they began coming in imn afterward. Mr. en, =. Saeiiiel,
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yout a quarter after nine, and, seeing Nick seat- im a chair with his hat off, asked him if he a new messenger that Mr. Chiswell» had “Yes, sir.” 3 You’re from the country, aren’t you?” said ie cashier. Nick admitted that he was, though he was inning to grow tired of having. everybody that identical remark. : : . “Know very little about the city, I believe?’ tinued Lir. Edwards. T’m learning fast, sir, especially the lay of : e financial district.” The cashier went to his office, presently _ Myr. Chiswell came in. He bade Nick a pleasant _ good morning and called him into his private Office. The boy helped him off with his overcoat. = ind then stood awaiting his pleasure. “Sit down, Nick.” _ Our hero did so. se *Did you locate all the brokers’ offices on at list I gave you?” asked the broker, with a Y es, sir,” answered Nick, promptly. “Did you buy a street guide and map and ’ an ed of you. Th Seeker outlined his new employee’s duties, id then dismissed him to the reception-room, ‘re he took the chair he was to occupy while the office. The broker busied himself with morning’s mail, then he rang for Nick. The “quickly responded. “In one corner of the counting-room you'll see oung lady at a typewriting machine. That’s ‘stenographer, Miss Haley. Tell her to come my private room.” Nick conveyed the message to the young lady, was very pretty and petite. She smiled > Ni ~“You’re the new messenger?” she remarked. €s, miss.” en she togk her note-book out of a .drawer * her table and went into Mr. Chiswell’s room oom . } take dictation. : 5 a few minutes the bell rang, and Nick jump- ip and went in to see what his employer _ . “Take this note to Morris & Hutchins, in the iderpoo! Building, amd this to Davis & Co., Building,” said Mr. Chiswell. “Get back on aS you can.” ai oe Se *k took the two envelopes | started o liver them. He went to the Mills Building He one of the elevators and was up to the third floor in less time than uld wink, almost, He easily found Davis ., by using his eyes, and delivered the note. was no answer, so he started for Exchange Morris & Hutchins were on the fifth floor ne Vanderpool Building, and an elevator ced him up in no time at all. A pleasant- iced boy asked him what he wanted when he ed the ered reception-room. i ve got a letter for Mr. Morris,” replied Dick. take it in to him. Who from?” Chiswell.” carrying messages for Chisweil?” Now I'll explain what will be | A BID FOR A FORTUNE q Nick said he was. “What’s the matter with Andy Baker?” asked the boy, in some surprise. “Sick?” “T couldn’t tell you,” replied Nick. know him.” The office boy carried the note in to Mr. Morris. “You'll have to wait for an answer,” he said, when he came back. “So you don’t know Andy Baker?” “No,” replied Nick. “He was Chiswell’s messenger up to the day before yesterday.” “T guess he left, for Mr. Chiswell told me be- fore he gave me the position that he had lost his messenger.” “Lost him, eh?” grinned the boy. “Fired him, more likely. Baker was a cheeky kid. I didn’t like him for sour applies. So you’ve got the. job now?” Nick said he Rad been taken on trial. “Oh, I guess you'll do all tight. What’s your name?” “Nick Nutting.” “Glad to know you, Nick. My name is Dick Hudson! Hope we'll be friends. I rather like your face.” “And I like yours,” replied Nick, frankly. “Are you. from os “The country?” laughed Nick. bury, up State.” “You’ve been in New York before, of course?” Nick shook his head. : _ At that moment Dick’s bell rang, and he wen into the private office. “Here’s your answer,” he said to Nick, when he came out. “Hope to see you again soon.” Nick lost no time getting back to his office, and Mr, Chiswell complimented him on his speed. Half an hour afterward the cashier handed Nick a note and told him to take it over to the Ex- change and give it to Mr. Chiswell. “You want to go in at the New Street entrance, mind,” he said. “Yes, sir. I know that, sir,” replied Nick, hurrying away. Our hero was kept pretty busy until three o’clock, and during that time he did not make a single mistake in his errands, and on the whole nade good speed, much to his employer’s satisfaction. At half-past three he was told that he would not be required any more that day. “I don’t “Yes. West- CHAPTER VI.—Nick’s First Bid for Fortune. Nick svent the rest of the afternoon walking around the lower part of the city east of Broad- way and south of Maiden Lane. He reached his boarding-house some time before the sup- per-bell rang, and when it did he was the first at the table. On his way back to his room he met Mr. Gilson coming down. “Hello, Nutting,” said Gilson; familiarly. “How are they coming?” ‘ “How are what coming?” asked Nick, to whom the expression was new. “Things,” grinned Gilson, “What things?” — Gilson looked at him dubiously, as if he was ce e a i
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not quite sure that Nick was as ignorant as he appeared to be. “How are you getting along at your new job?” “First rate.” “Get tangled up any to-day?” “Not a bit.” “You’re lucky. the evening?” “Haven’t thought about it.” “Well, go out with me. I'll town.” Nick, however, declined the invitation and went on to his room. Nick and Dick Hudson got quite chummy by degrees. One day after Nick had been a month in the Street they met at the messengers’ en- trance of the Exchange. Dick was coming out, and Nick was going in. “They’re having a hot old time on the floor this morning,” said Dick, “That so? What’s up?” “A sudden rise in Michigan Norther. The brokers are acting like a pack of lunatics.” “Can you wait till I deliver this igh Ss asked Nick. Dick nodded, and Nutting dashed inside, where he found a scene of pandemonium which almost baffled description. Nick had some difficulty in delivering his envelope to Mr. Chiswell, who was finally located in the mob around the Michigan Northern standard. His hat was dented, his necktie loose and awry, and one side of his collar off. He took the note, read it, and said “All right,” which was a signal for Nick to make tracks for the office. He found Dick waiting for him 6utside in New Street. “Tf I had one hundred dollars I could double it in a couple of days,” said Dick. “How could you?” asked Nick, interestedly. “I'd buy Michigan Northern on a ten per cent. margin. It’s going now around 98, It will be up to 110 in a day or two. It was 92 three days ago. People who bought then stand to make over twenty dollars a share profit.” “Well,” said Nick, reflectively, “I’ve got a hun- dred and twenty-five dollars. Would you advise me to buy some shares of Michigan Northern with it? “Sure I would. You can get ten shargs on a margin, You'll clear a hundred dollars easily enough.” “How will I go about it? Ask “Mr. Chiswell to buy me the shares?” “No. You don’t want to let him know that you are monkeying with the market. ‘Brokers object to their employees speculating. Get your money and take it to a small banking-house you’ll find. on Nassau Street, above Wall. This bank makes a.specialty of small deals. You'll find the margin clerk’s window in the reception-room. Tell him that you want to buy ten shares of How are you going to put in show you the ' Michigan Northern, and he’ll tell you how much you'll have to put up as margin. But you’ve got no time to lose if you want to get as much benefit as you can out of the rise.” . “How shall I tell when to sell out?” “Well, it won’t do to hold on too long. I'd risk is as far as 110. It is likely to go higher, maybe to 120, but I wouldn’t advise you to take the chances of it doing so. You ought to be ta double your money.” A BID FOR A FORTUNE . He knew tha / “I should think so,” reptied Nick, beginning to get a bit excited at the thought of making 2 hundred dollars so easily. So when Dick intimated that Michigan. Northen was bound to go at least as high as 110, the country lad thought the matter a foregone con- — clusion. The hundred and twenty-five dollars represented the total amount of money received = from the sale of his aunt’s furniture and other personal property. Nellie had turned over her share to him to put in a New York bank for ‘her benefit, and he had deposited the entire sum in his own name in the Seaman’s Bank. The temp- tation to double that little amount, for his sister’s benefit as well as for himself, was very alluring. — money was easily made in Wall Street by those who knew how to do the trick, and he had an idea that his friend Dick knew a about as well as the next one. So before two o’clock that day Nick found a 4 chance to go to the Seaman’s Bank and draw out all but five dollars, which he had to let remain in order to hold his book. He knew where the little bank on Nassau Street was, and he ~ went around there after three, for Dick told him _ that the bank kept its stock department open until four o’clock for the accommodation of its customers. Nick walked up to the margin clerk’s window. a “What will it cost me to buy ten shares of — Michigan Northern on a ten per cent. margin?” — he asked the young man who stood at the con : there counting layers of money. r “It will cost you exactly one hundred dollars,” “All right,” replied Nick. “Here’s the money.” The clerk counted the money, then made out — a memorandum of the transaction. and handed — it to him. “How about your commission?” the boy asked. “We'll look out for that when we close the deal. We charge one-éighth of one per cent. to buy, and ditto when we sell. There will also — be a small interest charge on the nine hundred — dollars we have to advance to carry the steck for you. This will be charged to you and de- — ducted on your statement of account. Every point the stock advances above its present figure, which is 100, represents about ten dollars profit to you. When you want to sell the shares come in and tell me, and we will attend to the matter ; at once.” . CHAPTER VII.—Nick Has a Narrow Escape, = Next mornipg there was a repetition of the previous day’s scene at the Stock Exchange, only, instead of fluctuating back and forth, Michigan - Northern took on a boom and soared up to 107. Nick, however, was not aware of his good luck until he met Dick about noon on Broad Street. — “Well, Nick, did you buy those ten shares vet?” — he asked, rather doubtling that his new friend had done so. “Sure, I did,” replied Nick, nodding his “head. : “When did you do it?” a “About half-past three.” Pe “Then you bought the stock at par?” ae ; Dick nodded. ‘3 “T suppose you know it’s gone up seven points < this morning so far?”
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“No, has it?” asked Nick, in some surprise, _ unmixed with delight. “Is that really a “Yes, it’s really a fact. Why don’t you keep -tabe on your deal?” ° _ “Too busy, and I didn’t think about it. I sup- posed that it wouldn’t go up for a day or two.” “Well, you don’t want to suppose any such T’ll bet it will go to 112 before the Ex- _ change closes at three.” : “But I’ve got to sell at 110, mustn’t I?” “You don’t have to. I said yesterday that I ought you’d better sell at that figure if you ught the stock. I’ve changed my mind since. hold on for 115 if I was you.” As the boys reached the neighborhood of the ils Building, where Nick had to deliver a mes- $a on the fifth floor, they separated. On his “Way back to the office Nick pondered over his little venture in Michigan Northern. His gen- e! ignorance of stock transactions made him feel all at sea, as it were, over the deal. The estion that perplexed him was, when should re sell out? He was tolerably familiar with the roglyphics of the ticker*tape by this time, and he first thing he did when he reached the office Was to look up the latest quotation of Michigan rthern. He found that the stock had gone to While he was eagerly watching for another tation Mr. Chiswell came in from the Ex- ange and entered his:room. Presently he rang Nick and sent him on an errand_to the Bowl- z Green Building. The boy was gone about ee-quarters of an hour, and returned with an ver. Mr. Chiswell, however, had returned to e Exchange, and the cashier told Nick he had tter take the note over to him. Accordingly hastened around to New Street. he passed the corner of Nassau Street, Joe iss, who had tried to relieve him of his roll nfederate shinplasters on the day Nick ar- d in New York, was coming down that street saw him. Furniss had not expected to run Ss the country boy again, and was rather ised to see Nick trudging along with an pein his hand just like any of the Wall messengers. ° e immediately followed on behind him to see he was going. Down New Street went ing and into the messenger’s entrance of the Exchange.’ 0 he’s workin’ for some broker, is he?” mut- the young rascal. “Well, I owe hima lickin’ md I’m goin’ to give it to him.” _-He stood back in a convenient doorway and itched for Nick to come out. After five minutes gone by the boy from Westbury came out unconscious jhat the one enemy he had made _York was lying-in wait for him, started s office. As Nick passed the doorway, iss rushed out upon him, aiming 4 heavy low for a point behind his ear. ‘ __#ust at that moment, however, the lad from iné country, who was thinking more about his se stock venture than where he was putting stepped on a banana peel that some wer boy had thoughtlessly flung upon the The result was that Nick’s feet flew he fell backward. Furniss had launched fist with all his strength, and, as it a °: “ » A BID FOR A FORTUNE 9 hit nothing but air,"he was overbalanced, and tripped over Nick’s falling body and shot for- ward upon the cobblestones. His forehead came into collision with a stone that havvened to be higher than the others, and, as the stone was the harder of the two, Furniss saw more planets and stars than ever in his life before. In fact, it knocked him out for several moments, during which Nick picked himself up and then regarded the fallen rascal with great astonishment. : Several men and boys had witnessed the in- cident, and the boys set up a shout of derision and hurried up to see the outcome of the affair. “Dat feller came mighty near doin’ youse up,” said a very small A. D. T. messenger. ne don’t understand you,” replied Nick, in some surprise. “Don’t you know dat he tried to slug youse ?” “You're fooling,” replied Nutting, “Not on your life I ain’t foolin’.. He swung a right-handed jolt at you just as you went down, and den’ he tripped and struck his nut on a cobble. He rushed out at you from dat doorway. I t’ought he was goin’ to kill youse, de way he went for you. He ain’t got no more dan was comin’ to him.” “Why, I’ve seen that chap before,” ejaculated Nick, now recognizing his enemy. “Blessed if it ain’t the boy I floored in an Exchange Place office building the day I came to New York. If it hadn’t been for that scrap I wouldn’t have got a job in Wall Street.” Furniss sat up with a pained and puzzled look on his countenance. Gazing around, he saw Nick looking at him. : “I'll fix you for that, see if I don’t,” he growled darkly, for he had a dim notion that the country lad was responsible for the bump he got on the forehead. “What’s the matter with you?” asked Nick. “I haven’t done anything to you.” A ring of spectators began to thicken about them, for it looked as if there was going be a scrap. The crowd was disappointed, howé¥er, as the rude jolt Furniss had received had knocked the fight out of him for the time being, at least, while Nick, on his side, was not looking for ’ trouble. “Tll get square with you yet,” threatened the ex-Maritime Exchange messénger, feeling of the painful lump that had appeared on his forehead. “Tl do you up for keeps at the first chance: I get—you can bet your life on that.” And with these words he pushed his way through the circle of spectators, some of whom jeered him, and walked off down New Street, while Nick went Off in the other direction, not quite satisfied in his own mind as to what had happened to his former opponent. CHAPTER VIII.—Nick Picks Up a Tip. Three o’clock came, and the Exchange closed before Nick had decided whether he would sell his stock or not. The closing quotation was 112, and the prospect that it would go higher on the following day was good. Nick was off at half- past three, and he went around the bank-in Nassau Street with a half-fo intention to
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a 10 close out the deal. He got into conversation with one of the small speculators in the waiting- “room, and this person assured him that Michigan ‘Northern was almost certain to go up to 120 next day. That encouraged Nick to hold on a while longer. The stock opened at 113 next morning and at eleven o’clock was going at 116. “It’s: going to 120, all right,” thought Dick, when he saw the quotation on the office ticker. Five minutes later he got a different im- pression. A couple of brokers came in to see Mr. Chiswell, and while they were waiting their turn for an interview they got to talking about the excitement in Michigan Northern. Nick heard one tell the other that he was looking for a break in the market at any moment. He asked the cashier if he could get off for a few moments, but that gentleman replied that Mr. iswell was liable to call for him at any _ moment to carry an important message, and it would not do for.him to let him off. It happened that the broker rang for him while he was talk- ing to the cashier. and when he went inside he found a note waiting for him to carry to the Vanderpool Building, and that settled any chance of his going to Nassau Street right away. When he got back Mr. Chiswell was out, and he repeated his request to the cashier. “Very well. You may go, but don’t remain out long. Nick ecehan up his hat and made a bee-line for the bank on Nassau Street. He made pretty fast time and arrived flushed and almost breath- SS. “What’s the excitement?” asked the margin clerk, with a grin, as he appeared in front of the window. “IT want to sell my ten shares of Michigan Northern right away,” fluttered Nich. “It will be sold in five minutes,” replied the margin clerk, and Nick went away with a big load off his mind. Half an hour afterward the slump set in, and Michigan Northern went to pot with a crash, and a panic ensued at the Exchange. Nick was out on an errand at the time and did not learn about it till he got back to the office, when he saw by the excitement amone the crowd of cus- tomers around the office ticker that something unusual was on the tapis. ‘what was the matter. “The market has gone to smash,” was the startling reply. - “Well,” thought Nick, “I guess I did not get out any too soon. I had a pretty close shave. “Tl have to study the market before I take any more chances. Why, I might have lost every cent of that hundred dollars. What would Nellie have said?” Next day he got a statement of account from the bank and found that his ten shares had been sold for 117% and that he had made one hundred and seventy-five dollars, So from that day Nick applied himself in his - -spare moments, to the study of the science of stock speculation. Although he found many another shy at the market with the three hun- _ dred dollars in the savings bank, he resisted them. see's day, after Nick had been nine months Chiswell, and was considered one A BID FOR A FORTUNE He asked one of them | temptations during the ne&t six months to take - of the smartest messengers in Wall Street, Mr.~ Edwards, the cashier, sent_him over to the office of Morris & Hutchins, in Exchange Place, where his friends, Dick Hudson, still held the p ; of messenver, to deliver a note of some im- portance that required: an answer from Mr. Morris. “Mr. Morris isn’t in; Nick,” said Dick, when he stated the object of his call. “He’s over at the Exchange whooping things up.” “Then I’ll have to go there,” said Nick. “Mr. Chiswell is laid up with a severe cold, and I guess © your firm is attending to his orders. At any rate, this note has to be delivered righf away, and I’ve got to carry a reply back to the office.” ~ “All right. I'll see you-later.” said Dick, as his’ friend started for the door and then glided down the corridor to the elevator, <; In five minutes Nick was in the Exchange and : one of the attendants was looking about for Mr. ~ Morris. While Nick was leaning on the railing ~ two brokers came in that way, and the boy overheard one of them say, as they passed on into the enclosure, “C. & B. is certain to go O- 68 before the end of-——” That was all he heard, but it stirred up his’ wits. The speaker he recognized as one of the solid men of the Street, and when such a ma made a statement it was presumed to carry good deal of weight. : “So Mr. Jessup is sure that C. & B. will go to 68 before the end of—this week, I judge he said, though I didn’t hear him say so. I wonder what C. & B. is ruling at now? I'll find out when I get back to the office. It looks to m as if I had accidentally stumbled on to a real” tip. Maybe I can make something out of it.” Nick delivered his note, got his answer, and hurried out of the Exchange. Nick reached the office, delivered Mr. Morris’s reply to the cashier, and then returned to his seat in the reception-— room and took up the Wall Street Indicator. Consulting the previous day’s stock nots aes he found that C. & B. had closed at 59. Look over a file of the paper, he noted the fact hat for a month C. & B. had not been above 60. — Then he looked over the tape and saw a dozen. transactions in the stock that morning at es ces: ranging from 59 to 595-8. to “I wonder if a pool has been formed to boom that particular stock?” he asked him: He went into the counting-room and told Haley what he had heard the brokers say about C. & B. going to 68 before the end of the we : The stenographer would not encores to take any chances on the strength of a tip, so he returned to his chair to think over. He watched the ticker closely until Exchange closed for the day apd saw that had been an unusual number of sales of C. & the last at 60. When he left Ss office, half hour later;“he ran around to see Dick and n him coming out. of the office building. He to him about the tip and asked him what he about it. aa “T think it’s a good one,” said Dick. ee money enough to collar ten shares and I’m ¢g to buy ’em in the morning. I’d advise you. buy: as cml, as you can raise the margin fe and then sell out at 68.” hes
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A: BID FOR ‘Nick thought the matter over on his way jome and decided to take the risk. Next morn- ng he found a chance to draw his money from a, and he bought fifty shares of C. & B. CHAPTER IX.—Nick’s Second Bid For a aa : Fortune. Nick, having a personal interest in the stock ket once more,: kept a sharp eye on the t all morning, whenever he was in the office, a chance to look at the tape in some other ce, and he saw that transactions in C. & B. tt the Exchange continued to grow in volume, ‘and that the price, by degrees, advanced to 41. _ This was encouraging to him. = » ~#I may say I have made fifty dollars this morn- @—that is, almost. Perhaps I shall be twice ; much as that ahead by three o'clock.” j ' ~The final quotation of C. & B. that day was :1 7-8, and Nick was satisfied that his prospect making another stake was pretty good. Next Cc. & B. began to attract some attention at Exchange, and there was considerable gen- buying, which sent the price up to 64, at h figure it closed for the day. Nick then in and told Miss Haley, the stenographer, that he had bought fifty seers of C. & B. at that it was now listed at 64. ‘ow’re a great boy,” she smiled. “Did you all the money you have?” Every cent, t 3 of it belongs to your sister, doesn’t it?” nodded. 7 “Do you think that’s fair to her?” te Yes; ‘because if I win she gets half of the Song ac up Yes. ell, I hope you will come out all right, but are taking a great risk.” ; ¢ othing ventured, nothing won,” replied Nick, ith a laugh. “That’s all right,” she answered, “but Wall vis about the worst place in the world to that idea in practice.” “I came out a hundred and seventy-five dollars head before, and I didn’t know anything more gut the stock market than a donkey.” he more you think you know about a game of ance, sometimes, the worse you’re off, for you’re to take greater chances.” ae ell, I mean to hold on to C. & B. till it hits and then I’m going to sell quick.” 3 med, however, that. when the stock d that price, next day, Nick was uptown at ployer’s home. When he got back C. & R. quoted at 69. He found no chance to go to He bank on Nassau street until after the xchange had closed, and then C. & B. was 71, but Nick.entered the bank and ordered his shares as he came out he ran into Dick Hudson. walked up Nassau street together as far as dge entrance, where Dick took a car for in Brooklyn. Nick’s fifty chares were mn the market opened next morning and “3-8. . ently, when he received ent he found that he and his sister had 2 7 “2 7 is A FORTUNE 4 jointly made five hundred and fifty dollars. After his first transaction in Michigan Northern he had written Nellie that he had more than doubled her money im the stock market, and she had written back that she was delighted to hear it. Now he was tickled to think that he had still better news to send her. He felt so good over his second success that he took his check and statement in to Miss Haley and showed theni to her. “What have you to:say to that, Miss Haley?” he asked triumphantly. “I think you’re an uncommonly lucky boy,” she replied, with a smile. “That’s the advantage of getting hold of a tip,” he said. Nick had no further interest in C. & B., but he watched it, nevertheless, to see how high it would go. It reached 74 that day, but on the following day declined to 71. By the end of the following week it was down to 63, and there it appeared likely to remain. Those who bought it at high- water mark lost money, while those who bought it below 70 and sold out before the decline did very well. “Tf I had been able to buy a thousand shares,” remarked Nick to himself, “I would have made a bunch of money. Some day maybe I'll have enough weer make a good haul.” _ As it was, Nick congratulated himself that dur- ing the short time he had been in Wall Street he had expanded his original deposit of one hundred and twenty-five dollars into eight hundred and fifty dollars. “If I can keep on doing as well I shall make an heiress out of my sister by and by, It’s a good thing that I came to New York. There may be a million veople out of work here all the year around, but I guess there’s a chance for a new- comer to get on just the same. At any rate, I think I’ve proved it, for I haven’t been a whole day out of work since I came here.” CHAPTER X.—Nick Makes His Third Scoop on the Market. As soon as Nellie Nutting received her broth- er’s letter acquainting her with the fact that he had made another successful venture in the Wall Street market, and that their united capital now amounted to eight hundred and fifty dollars, she wrote right back and said that she wanted to come to New York, so that she could be near him, and get a position herself in the metropolis. It happened that Mrs. Jarvis, Nick's boarding- mouse missus, had a vacant hall room, so the boy engaged it for his sister, and sent her fifty dol- lars with which to settle and debts she owed in’ Westbury ee her way down to the city. On the appoin ay he met her at Weehawken ae eae ~ Lane ea gS Se and brought her to his boarding-house, in West - Forty-fifth street. As she was a very pretty girl, her appearance at the dining-table that evening created something of a sensation. Mr. Gilson was particularly struck, but Nick did not intro- duce him to, his sister until the meal was over, and the margin clerk followed them out into the entry, so that the boy was obliged, threagh sheer politeness, to do so.
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ns deta ek ele Mate 12 ; \ “Take the chair, Nellie,” said Nick, when they reached his room. ; “And where are you going to sit?” she asked. “Oh, the bed is good enough for me,” he an- swered. 5 “My goodness! “Yes, I’ve seen larger. ger.” “It doesn’t look much larger than a good-sized closet.” “That was my idea of this one when I saw it first, but I’ve got used to it and don’t mind it at all. Well, Nellie, what kind of a position are you going to look for?” “I thought I’d like to learn to be a dressmaker or a milliner.” Nick shook his head. *I wouldn’t, if I was you. Learn to be a stenog- rapner und get an office position downtown in Wall Street.” “I wish I could, but ” “Come now, no buts. Just put on your hat and come with me over to a Broadway commercial school. They have both day and evening sessions. We'll make arrangements for you to take the day course of shorthand, typewriting and bookkeep- ing. Ill put up the price and pay your board while you’re learning. In three or four months you ought to be able to work yourself into a job. Vil ask Mr. Chiswell to interest himself in getting u a place when I think you’re able to fill the ili. Then we can go and come from work to- gether, and I can kind of keep an eye on you.” “That would be nice,” said his sister, with sparkling eyes. So they started off for the school that Nick had in his mind. He paid for a full course of instruc- tion in the branches he had outlined and next morning Nellie started to fit herself for an office position. This is an awful small room.” Yours isn’t much big- e She was a bright, clever. girl, and made rapid > progress as the days went by. In the meantime Nick was on the lookout fer another chance to increase their combined capital, which Nelie’s ad- vent in the city had reduced by one hundred dol- lars. It was not long before he noticed that, for some unknown reason, a certain gilt-edged stock was selling low in the market—much lower than he believed was justified by the company’s re- ports. So he bought one hundred shares at 52, on the usual ten per cent. margin. It happened, though he was not aware of the fact, that a pool had been formed to boom this very stock, and the brokers employed by the combine had been using every trick known to Wall Street to depress the stock, the name of which was M. & N., so that they could gather in large blocks of it at bed-rock prices on the quiet. Nick bought the shares when it was at its Jewest point, and he soon had the satisfaction of - seeing it begin to rise, little by little, to its former standing of 60. As soon as it reached that figure the boy began to consider about selling out and taking his profit. The market, however, be- ginning to take on a bullish aspect, he .de- cided not to be in a hurry, as he figured that M. & N. would probably go still higher. Nearly all the stock ec the line improved during the ensuing week, M. & N. went to 64. Nick thought that it had pretty nearly reached top- BSL. ae A BID FOR A FORTUNE ~ a now amounts to thirty-three hundred dollars. , notch, and was quite unprepared for the sedden- interest that the traders took in it on the follow- ing Monday morning, owing to certain reports © that the capitalists interested in the pool man- aged to get published in the Sunddy newspapers. © When the Exchange opened for business on Monday a crowd of eager buyers gathered around the M. & N. standard and began bidding for the — stock. The bulk of the floating shares having already been acquired by the syndicate, the stock was hard to get. So little of it came to the sur- ~ facé that the price rose from hour to hour, until — at three o’clock 72 was bid, with 73 asked. Next — morning when a certain broker offered 73 he — found that there was no rush on the part of — holders of M. & N. to accept, and consequently by — noon there were a dozen brokers offering 78, with — few, sales even at that price. Nick. met his — friend Dick Hudson on the street, and they got to — gg about the unexpected developments in — “You can take my word for it that there’s a combination of moneyed men at the bottom of it. — They’ve practically cornered the stock, otherwise it wouldn’t be so hard to get.” : “I’ve begun to think so myself. I bought one — hundred shares when it was away down at 52, — and now I’m figuring on selling out at the present high price.” “i “I'd sell right away if I was you. You bought ~ at 52, you say. It is now 78, or was fifteen min- utes ago.. That will give-you a clear profit of ever twenty-five hundred dollars. You ought to be satisfied with that.” | = “T agree with you. After I take this note upon — Broadway I’ll stop at the bank on my way tae 2 and order the shares sold,” said Nick. : Half an hour later the young messenger en-— tered the Nassau street bank and told the margin clerk to sell his one hundred shares. They were — snapped up at 7842, and next day Nick received — a check for twenty-five hundred dollars, in addi- — tion to the amount of the margin he had put up. “Well, sis,” he said to Nellie that evening after — supper, “you and I are getting rich fast.” - an “How is that?” she asked inquisitively. a “I’ve been taking another shy at the market.” ~ “Have you? And did you win?” 45m “I should say I did. The other day I noticed — that M. & N. was uncommonly low down in price. — I said to myself, that stock is bound to go up as soon as the general market picks up, so I bought — one hundred shares of it. I’d have bought more — if I could have afforded to. The market did im- © prove and the stock went up, as I thought it — would. Just when I was getting ready to sell out a boom set in that carried the price away up. Yesterday, I thought it had gone high enough for ~ me, so I unloaded. I, or rather we—for you are — my partner, as I began by using your money with — my own, and consequently it was only fair that, ~ having shared the risk, even without your knowl- edge, you should share the profits as well—we — ore cleared twenty-five hundred and fifty dol- ars. ~ “Twenty-five hundred and fifty dollars!” ex- claimed Nellie, to whom such a sum looked like a small fortune. “You don’t mean that, Nick?” “I certainly do mean it. Our combined cap eee
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A BID FOR word, Nellie, you’re worth at this minute exact- y sixteen hundred and fifty dollars.” “Oh, Nick, is it possible?” The boy laughed at her astonishment and de- Why, we’re rich, aren’t we?” Rich! Hardly, sis. We're just nicely fixed oung people of our age and inexperience.” Have you put it in a bank?” “No.. It’s in an envelope, addressed to myself, our office safe.” “Do you think it’s perfectly safe there?” “Sure it is. Now, sis, you can either let your e remain with me, to use as I think best, or a can have it to-morrow to put in a savings nk to your own credit.” *“T think I’ll let you keep it, for it seems to psper best with you.” “J think it does, too; but, still, I might make a take and lose the whole of the money at one ” ° Fee ou had better let me have the three hundred dollars and you can use the three thou- and dollars. Then, no matter what happened, would still have something to cali upon.” ~ *All right, Nell. I'll bring you home three hun- red dollars to-morrow night and you can put it 9 the Dime Savings Bank.” — He was as good as his word, and on the follow- s day Nellie Nutting opened an account in her n name in the savings bank. Nick also told ss Haley of his third slice of good luck in the st, and she once more congratulated him. _ *T suppose you'll keep on till you run against : Beigeacd lose 3 it allina lump. That’s about the ‘Way people do who are successful a few times nning in Wall Street,” she said. > “I hope I shall prove myself an exception,” re- Nick, laughing. : oe P will, but I have my doubts. it s foolhardly to me for a boy like you to ris $ Savings, or pavelinees, in this Wall Street game, older, and shall I say wiser, heads are los- their money at it évery day in the year.” Don’t you mind, Miss Haley. I am simply cing a bid for fortune. To make easy money @ has to take desperate chances. It may be h in me, but I seem to be built that way.” see,” she laughed. “You have the fever Vhat fever?” “Why, the Wall Street fever, of course. If I ad your three thousands dollars Vd put it in and let it stay there. But of course *t do that. Now, when are you going to Why don’t you ” Imonico’s, indeed! e suit you?” i, there’s a nice restaurant on Beaver that will haps answer as well. May I on you? I'll get my friend, Dick Hudson, e along, and then there’ll be four of-us,” consided the matter,” she replied, with a ine Will nothing less ex- nner, however, implied that she was not 9 the proposition; so Nick was satisfied e would go when the time came. | A FORTUNE 13 CHAPTER XI.—What Nick Overheard in the : Wood. One Sunday afternoon, soon after Nellie Nut- ting had been graduated from the commercial school and had s: ired, through Mr. Chiswell’s good offices, a position as a stenographer and bookkeeper in an asphalt company’s employ in a big Nassau street office building near Wall Street, her brother proposed to take her along with Dick and himself, over to New Jersey for a trolley ride. It was a fine early summer day, and she readily agreed to go. Dick, who had taken quite a fancy to his friend’s pretty sister, was delighted to have her along. So they took an elevated train for the Desbrosses street ferry and were soon on board of a trolley car on the other side of the river, speeding toward the town of Newark. The “young people enjoyed the ride hugely, and went for some distance beyond Newark. Here the country aspect of the vicinage put Nick and his sister in mind of Westbury, and the trio strolled some little distance from the trolley line. Finally they sat down to rest on a big stone on the edge of a small wood. “I wonder where a fellow can get a drink?” said Nick, presently. “There are no saloons around here, and if they were they would not be open on Sunday,” grinned Hudson. .- “Oh, you get out!” laughed Nick. “You know what I mean. I want a drink of water.” “I thought maybe it was beer,” chuckled Dick. Nellie laughed, for she knew her brother’s friend was only joking. ; “Well, I’m going to hunt up a house and ask for a drink,” said Nick, getting up. “I’ll leave you to entertain Nellie.” “T’ll try to fill the bill,” replied Dick. . “All right, Dick; but cut out lovemaking, for I a want to lose my sister yet-a while,” laughed Nick. = “Why, the idea!” blushed Nellie. ashamed to make such a remark?” Dick flushed up, too, for it was rather embar- rassing to have the suggestion made in the pres- ence of so'charming a young lady. Nick grinned and walked off down the road, expecting to find a house at the corner of the w When he reached that point he saw one about a quarter of a mile ahead, around the turn of the road. He walked to the place, knocked on the door, and asked for a drink, which was readily handed to him. Thanking the woman of the house, Nick started to return to the place where he had left Dick and his sister. “IT guess I’d better make a short-cut through this wood. It will save time,” he said to himself. Accordingly he took a well-worn path and was soon threading his way through the leafy ten-acre lot He had penetrated about halfway through the wood when he heard the voices of two men, and one of them seemed familiar to him. The sounds came from a thick clump of bushes. The thick turf deadened the sound of Nick’s footfalls, and his approach was not noticed by two well- dressed men seated on a dead tree-trunk within the dense ring of shrubbery. One of these men was Gilson, and it was his voice that struck with Apis el eam bai eal ah a tad ane a cae er Lt an “Aren’t you . - a ai a! we < C) eae ee i
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4 ee eee Le ee aes he ee at eee > ‘4 F y a familiar ring on the boy’s ear. Curiosity to see if it really was Gilson induced Nick to stop and peer through the overgrowth that surrounded the twé men. it was Gilson, sure enough, and he held across his knees a japanned tin box, from which he had just removed a covering of newspaper. “So the bonds you spoke of are in that box?” said Gilson’s companion. “Yes. Ten of them, of a market value of ten hundred and sixty dollars each.” “But can you turn them into cash?—that’s the important question.” “I think so, if the attempt is made right away. They are not likely to be missed for some little time to come, unless Mr. Mandelbaum or Mr. Slewsby should take it into. their heads to make an inventory of the contents of the vault.” “How do you expect to get rid of them? I can’t “ wait an indefinite time for that money you owe me, and [ don’t care to take the bonds as security for the debt, for if their loss should be discovered” they would become useless, so far as I am con- cerned.” “It wouldn’t do for me to try to sell them in New York. That’s too near home. I might have to answer questions that would place me in a bad ligh:.” “Then wnat do you mean to do—take them to Philadelphia or Boston?” “I would if I could leave town, but I can’t. My idea is for you to take them to Boston and hypothecate them for as ntuch as you can get.” “Oh, come now, Gilson; I don’t propose to make myself a cat’s-paw to draw your chestnuts out of the fire.” “Come off, Fletcher! a cat’s-paw of you.” : “What is your proposition?” asked Fletcher, with a show of interest. ‘ “It is this: You take the bonds to Boston. They aggregate in value ten thousand six hun- dred dollars. Go to some good bank, represent yourself as a small capitalist, and request a loan of eight thousand dollars on them for thirt# days. - You can disguise yourself with a beard of some kind and make your face up to look like a man of fifty or sixty years. You ought to have no trouble. Act with great apparent frankness, and you should be able to put the deal through with- out risk. When you get the money come back, and we'll divide up half and half, you to cancel the three hundred dollars I owe you. That’s fair enough, isn’t it? You’ll make four thousand dol- lars instead of three hundred dollars.” Fieteher was evidently taken with the proposi- tion. The chance of making four thousand dol- lars was worth considering, even if there was a bit of risk attached to it. “When the tin box is eventually found to be missing from the vault in your office what will be the consequence? Any chance of you being sus- “I suppose everybody in the office will come under suspicion and will be investigated by de- tectives. I’m going to soak the bulk of my four thousand dollars away in some small savings bank, under a fictitious name, and be very cau- tious about spending money, so as not to give any one the impression that I am living beyond my means. Oh, I’m a foxy boy, all right, Fletcher. ‘A BID FOR A FORTUNE I’m not trying to make They'll never get on to me. As for yourself, no - one could ever connect you with the matter, if you are careful about your disguise in Boston. You must make yourself upto look twice as old as you” really are; then you will be quite safe.” j “Well, I'll do it,” said Fletcher, after some cogitation. “You are sure that the bonds won’t be missed within a few days?” ~ : “I can guarantee that, as it isnot likely either of the bosses will go through the vaults until the end of the month, at the soonest. I’ve never yet known them to do so in the middle of the month, — or in the middle of the quarter, and I’ve been with the firm five years. It is now the tenth of — June. Those bonds won’t be wanted till the thirty-first of the month, when the interest cou- — pons fall due. You have lots of time in which to work the riffle.” ~* “All right,” replied Fletcher. “But do you think I can get as much as eight thousand dol- lars on them?” “Sure. Any bank will let you have seventy= five per cent. of the market value of a gilt-edge security on a short-time loan.” “Tl make my arrangements to take the mid- night train for Boston at the Grand Central Sta- tion, so as to get through with the business early — to-morrow and get back to town by to-morrow night. Wrap up that box again. I’ll pry- it o when I get home and then bury the box in : yard somewhere.” Gilson wrapped the tin box up in newspaper again and handed it to his companion. a “T’ll look for you in the billiard rooms to-— morrow night,” he said. “If you don’t show up I'll consider that you’ve been delayed, and I will be at the same place on Tuesday nirht at ten.” “All right,” replied Fletcher, getting up. a Gilson did the same. Nick Nutting, who had — been an interested listener to, the foregoing con- versation, looked around for some spot behind which to conceal himself and thus escape observa- tion when the men came out of the shrubbery: It appeared, however, that the top of his derby showed above the bushes, and Fletcher, who had — a sharp and watchful eye, noticed it and saw it — move. He suspected the presence of a listener at once, and, with an oath, raised the tin bo:: and — flung it over the top of the bushes. Nick had just turnéd to get behind three trees that grew close together, when the flying box caught him a stunning blow alongside of the head g stretched him senseless on the grass. “What’s the matter?” exclaimed Gilson, very much astonished at his companion’s strange — ’ Fletcher did not answer, but sprang thr ey the shrubbery to see what had been the of his action. He almost stumbled over the form — of Nick WWutting, that lay directly in his path He uttered an exclamation of satisfaction, which was echoed by one of surprise and consternation — on Gilson’s part, when, following close at his senoretgs heels, he recognized the unconscio oy. - “Nick Nutting!” he ejaculated, aghast. “What! You know him?” cried surprise. 2
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I do. He boards in the same house with istening to our conversation. Something must ve aroused his suspicions to cause him to fol- Iw us out here.” I can’t see what it could be. Besides, I saw one following us when we came here.” The proof of the pudding is the evidence be- re us. This boy, you say, lives in the same 2 with you on Forty-fifth Street. What : have brought him way out here beyond ewark unless he’s been following us?” ‘That was a poser for Gilson to solve, and he e it up. : “He saw you carry that box out of the house, The theory doesn’t seem reasonable, Fletcher,” ected Gilson. “The box was done up in-paper resembled an ordinary package. Besidés, what iness was it of his if I carried a dozen pack- out of the house? What is there suspicious n that, anyway? No, I don’t believe he followed He must have come here by accident. He’s ‘great boy for taking long walks. He’s heen Il over the Bronx on foot, and way above Spuy- sn Duyvil, too. He told me so. Take my word it, he came out here on the trolley and has n walking around all the afternoon. He just this wood by accident.” : z “TI don’t care how he hit it; he’s been listenin’ our talk, and the fat is in the fire.” How do you know he has? Maybe he was passing up the path when you spied him.” I didn’t spy him. I only saw the top of his t, and from its position and movements I knew away that the wearer was hiding behind bushes. He was trying to get away unob- d when I shied the box at his head, and _ My aim was good I laid him out. The ques- jon now is, what are we going to do? You'd r return that box to your office vault in the ig and try to raise that three hundred dol- S some other way.” : tilson stared blankly at his companion and down at the senseless boy. s E ‘But I can’t raise it any other way,” replied } margin clerk. You must. It is impossible to do anything the bonds now. This boy probably knows hing. We've got to try and square him how. If he tells what he knows you'll lose job so quick that it will take your breath wish there was some way that we could him a prisoner until we realized on the Then i’d be willing to chuck up my job » out West somewhere. I’m tired of work- a small salary, anyway. Four thousand rs would set me up in the Nevada gold for instance, and I don’t belieye any would come hunting for me out there. ‘you ieee of some way of fixing this chap y days?” 2 : 2. ee m : ss ee Beri a Fe eS a Br ne — -* LS RS OR Te OR ae Ege 2 ns Se a eS a Ss 7 Ze A BID FOR A FORTUNE 15 “Well,” replied Fletcher, “if it was only dark now we could carry him over to Peter Furniss’s roadhouse. Peter is a friend of mine, and he'd do._me a favor if he could. He’d find a quiet’ lodging in his cellar for this young man for a week or so if I put the matter up to him.” “Would he?” asked Gilson, eagerly. “That would be just the thing. How far is his road- house from here?” “Not half a mile.” _ “Well, we can wait here till it gets dark. It is sundown now. We won’t have so long to kill time.”. “Suppose this boy come to his senses before we're ready to move him? He may give us trouble.” - “We can bind his arms and gag him. with our handkerchiefs# That will keep him quiet.” “All right,” agreed Fletcher. So Gilson and his companion sat down near where Nick lay stretched out on the turf, and while they talked together in a low tone of their plans with regard to raising the eight thousand dotlars on the bonds in the tin box they watched the boy for signs indicating his return to con- sciousness. In the meantime Dick Hudson and Nellie Nut- ting sat on the big stone and talked upon dif- ferent subjects, until the girl remarked that her brother had been an unusually long time away. “That's so—he has,” admitted Dick. “He must have gone some distance for that drink of water.” Fifteen minutes more passed, and still there was ho sign of Nick, _“Where can he have gone?” said Nellie, be- ginning to feel almost alarmed over her brother's continued absence, 2 “You know as much about it as I do, Miss Nellie.” ¥ “Do you think he could haye got into any trouble?” - oe what trouble could he get into?” said fick. “It seems to me something must have hap- pened to him, or he wouldn’t stay away so long. Let us walk up the road a bit.” Dick had no objections, so they walked to the corner of the wood, from which point they — the house where Nick had got the drink of water. “Let us go as far as that house, at any rate,” said Nellie. “Perhaps the people could tell us if he went straight on up the road.” “If he stopped there, and the people are home, he surely would have got the drink, and then he would have had no reason to go any further.” “He must have gone further, or he would have been back long before this,”-said Nellie, feeling very much disturbed. Dick could not help but admit that Nick’s lengthened absence was rather singular, and he wished that his friend would turn up, for dark- ness was approaching and they were nearly a mile from the trolley road. They walked to the house where Nick had got his drink, and Dick knocked at the door and inquired if*a boy had a there an hour or so before for a drink of water. “Yes,” replied the woman. “I gave him a “Did you notice which way he went then?” - ® ‘ ie a> *
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“T think he went down the road.” “We've been waiting for him at the other end of the wood for a whole hour. If he had gone down the road we should have seen him.” The woman, however, could'not give any ex- plicit information, as she had not paid any at- ' tention to Nick after he went away. Dick and Nellie held a consultation and then walked back to the stone. As it was now growing dusk, Dick ee that they had better walk on toward the trolley. “Nick may overtake us, or we may find him- there waiting for us to come on.” By the time they reached the trolley cressing it was almost dark, but they did not see Nick around. Nellie now showed evidence of distress and alarm. They let several cars pass by, but, as it was now dark, Dick said they had better start fur New York and not wait &ny longer in that lonesome spot. Nellie tearfully acceded, but during the trip to Newark, and on to Jersey City, she was silent and depressed, and nothing that Dick could say had much effect in cheering her up. They crossed the ferry and Dick took her home by the elevated. She refused to go to supper with him, for she aad no appetite now to eat. So Dick left her at the bearding-house and went to a restaurant himself, wondering where Nick had taken himseif off to, or whether he had really got into some trouble away out in New Jersey. CHAPTER ee” bags Himself in a Tight ix. When Nick Nutting came to his senses he was yather astonished to find himself in the dark. He was lying at full length on a couch made of old gunnysacks, in one of the corners in a stone cellar, but he was not immediately aware of this fact. All he realized was that he was lying down, and that the place was uncommonly dark. He sat up and looked around him. That it was night struck him as a fact; that he was not in his little five by eight hall bedroom at the boarding-house seemed another fact. Naturally his first confused exclamation was, “Where am I at" By degrees recollection asserted itself—vaguely at-first, then more clearly. The last thing he could call to mind was li ing to a conversa- tion between Gilson and a man whom his fellow- boarder addressed as Fletcher. It related to the disposition of some bonds contained in a tin box that had been surreptitiously taken by Gilson from the vault of the office where he was em- ployed. While Nick had no great opinion of the marein clerk, he never suspected him +s cap- able of anything crooked. He was theref«ire much surprised to find that Gilson was to a.| intents and*“purposes a thief. But what puzzled Nick was to fill up the interval between the conversa- tion and his present singular situation. Stretch- ing the “Why, I’m in a cellar,” he cried. “How did I get here?” yews = = i A BID FOR A FORTUNE ? a ee ee ee a FO _— ae a. ee Fe when the match flared up he looled arouild, Traly it was a cellar—a low-ceiled, cobwebby, dirty place, littered with old barrels, boxes, and other junk of a similar nature. A short wide stair- — way led to a closed trap in one corner. 7 e “Upon my word,” said Nick, “this is a fine hole—for rats.” . After thoroughly investigating his surround- — ings he was satisfied the only way out was by way of the stairs and trap. So he walked up the stairs and tried to push open the flap above. It would not budge. f “Am I a prisoner?” he asked himself, with — some concern. Apparently he was, so he returned to his® couch of gunnysacks to reflect upon his position and to await developments. In the course of an hour he heardegootsteps moving across an un- — carpeted floor overhead. After a time the trap — was lifted, and a pair of legs, followed by a body and a head, came down into the cellar. By the light of a lantern carried by the intruder Nick saw that his visitor was a burly youth. The boy advanced straight toward him, and when close enough swung the lantern aloft. The light fell alike on Nick’s countenance and the newcomer’s. — The young Wall Street messenger was surprised, — and not a bit pleased, to recognize the boy as — Joe Furniss. aa “Oh, you’ve come to your senses, have you?” — chuckled Furniss, in no friendly way. “Took — you a long time to get over that little crack on the nut.” “So it’s you, is it?” said Nick, rather aggres- sively, for he knew that he need look for no favors from the boy who had proved himself his — enemy. s “Yes, it’s me,” grinned Furniss. ¥ “Perhaps you'll tell me what has happened to ~ me? ; “Don’t you know?” dl “Tf I did I shouldn’t ask you for information on the subject.” “You were caught listenin’ to what was none — of your business, and you got a whack alongside — the head that knocked you silly.” “That was it, eh?” “That’s what.” " “And while I was unconscious I was brought — here?” ' “You couldn’t have made a better guess.” “Where and what is this house?” j “You want to know too much.” — “You won’t tell me, -then?” “No.” “Am I to be kept a prisoner here?” “That’s about the size of it.” “Why?” “*’Cause you are,” - Nick saw that there was not much to be got out © of the tough youth. 3 “What did you come down here for?” he asked. “To see-how you were gettin’ on,” with a grin. “You don’t like me, do you?” a “I hate you.” { ee “Because I stopped you from stealing a roll of — Confederate shinplasters from me the first day ne se New York, and knocked you out, be- sides? an “Confederate shinplasters!” exclaimed Furniss. “What do you mean?” ‘
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A BID FOR “Just what’ I said. The roll you snatched out ‘of my hand was not good United States money, ‘but a bunch of old secession notes used during __ ‘the Civil War.” ae Furniss. was evidently surprised at this infor- mation. z E | “What did you chase me for, then, if they “wasn’t no good?” i 4 “Because I wanted them’ back.” “You got ’em back. You took ’em out of my pocket when I was down.” _- “That’s right, Iedid.” : q _-“T said I’d get square with you for it.” ; “T think you tried that on New Street a littte while ago.” oe e _ “I’m goin’ to try it again.” E 4 “When?” : “Now.” _ “All right,” replied Nick, springing to his feet. ~ “Sail right in.” = Furniss put the lantern down on the head of a _ barrel and suddenly drew a stout rawhide from under his jacket. ‘ “I’m going to lick you till you yell like blazes,” he said vindictively. ¢ 4 “Tt don’t think you will,” cried Nick, dashing a to one side as Furniss raised the whip menac- ingly. ____ Furniss struck out wildly; Nick dodged, kicked _ over the barrel. on which the lantern stood, and _ then sprang upon his enemy like a young cyclone. _ The lantern fell over on the floor and the light went out. Nick, gappled with Furniss and the _ two struggled fiercely around the’ cellar, until _ they tripped over a box and went down together on the floor. e The young rascal suddefily ceased to struggle and lay quite still, It was a moment or two ” before Nick dared release his grip on the fellow, _ thinking that he was playing ‘possum. At length he did so, and struck a match to see what was _ the matter with his husky opponent. Furniss had struck his head against a heavy box, and the shock had rendered him senseless, Nick _ viewed his condition with great satisfaction. _ “*] guess you won’t stand in my way of escape _ new,” he said. ; He dragged the tough youth to the couch of - gunnysacks and placed him on it. “See how you’ like it yourself for a change,” he breathed. “Now to get away from this place.” He picked up the lantern and relit it. Then he walked up the ladder, opened the trap and stuck his head aboye the floor. All was dark and silent. He m: his way up, closed the trap and rolled an empty beer keg upon it to hold it down. ~ Flashing the lantern around the room in which he found himself, he saw’ that it was furnished with a small bar, several round tables a dozen or more chairs. : - “Looks like a saloon,” thought Nick. sr if I can get out through that door?” . The door in question opened upon the country ad, but it was locked and bolted, and the key to the lock was missing. - “3 must find some other way of making my Way out,” he said, starting to examine the nearest “T won- : then he heard heavy footsteps approach- the rear door of the barroom, Hastily blow- A FORTUNE 17 ing out the lantern light, Nick concealed himself under one of the tables and waited for develop- ments. CHAPTER XIV.—A Pointer Worth a Fortune. A stout, middle-aged man, bearing a common lamp in one hand, and a tray with three glasses in the other, entered the room and placed his load on the bar. He was smoothly shaven, with short-cropped hair of a reddish tint, and a bull neck. His whole appearance was tough and pugnacious. It was a toss up, so far as looks went, whether he was an ex-pugilist or an ex- convict. This was Peter Furniss, proprietor of the roadhouse, and Joe Furniss’® uncle. Nick, watching him from under the table, men- tally decided that his face would have done honor to the Rogue’s Gallery. He placed three clean glasses on the bar, in two of which he mixed fancy drinks, while into the third he poured three fingers of whisky. Placing the glasses on the trap, from which he removed the others, he took it up, grasped the lamp once more and re- tired as he had come. He did not quite close the door after him, and Nick heard him cross an entry, and then another door was heard to bang, after which all was still. Nick waited to make sure that the man was not coming back, and then came out from under the table. He did not light the lantern again, but groped his way to one of the windows overlook- ing the road and tried it. He soon found that it was secured by some kind of a patent latch that defied his efforts. The others windows were fitted with similar catches. It was just as well that he did not succeed in opening them, for each had a burglar alarm attached that would have set up a most unearthly rattle had the sashes been raised over an inch. Baffled in his attempt to get out of the bar- room by the front door and windows, Nick tip- toed his way to the half-open door communi- cating with the entry. He saw a gleam of light proceeding from a crack under a door on the other side of the passage, and heard the sounds of several voices in the room beyond. Nick crept up to the door and peered through the keyhole. _ He only caught a very limited view of the interior, but he saw there were two or three per- Sons seated around a table drinkimg. - One of these he had a good view of. He was a hand- some, well-dressed man of perhaps thirty. He seemed to be partially intoxicated. 3 “Peter,” the man was saying, with a hiccough, “you're a good fellow. Understand? And be- cause (hic) you're a good fellow I’m going to put something in your way. You’ve got a thou- stand or two, Petter, in your (hic) strongbox or in the bank. Take it out, bring it to. my office— you know where my (hic) office is, No. — Wall Street—and I’ll buy you as many shares of (hic) N. & O. stock as you can meet the margin for. N. & O. is going up, old (hic) man—going up, up, up! I know, because I’m one of the (hic) brokers that’s voing to buy. it in and boom it this week. Big syndicate behind it, so you can’t lose. Bound to (hic) make a thousand or two, I wouldn’t do this for anybody but (hic) you, Peter, *eause you're a good fellow. Understand?”
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A BID FOR It was probable that Peter Furniss understood, though Nick could not make out what his answer _. was, There was the sound of a chair pushed back, and another voice said: - “Come, Watson, it’s time we got back to the city. It’s after two.” “All right,” replied the good-looking broker, struggling to rise from his chair. “I mustn’t be seen,” thought Nick. He struck a match and took a hasty survey of the entry. There was a stairway communi- cating with the upper regions on one side, and a door with a key in the lock on the other. Nick, on the spur of the moment, sprang for the decor, turned the key, opened the door, and passed out into the open air. Shutting the door behind him, he started for the front of the building, which -_—s gtood at a little distance from the nearest house. Reaching the corner, he saw that it faced upon the road, and also that a big touring auto was standing in front of the house. Nick jumped into the car and crouched down under the rear seat. Hardly had he stowed him- _-self away when he heard voices approaching. Broker Watson was being assisted forward by his companion, who was not quite as much under the influence of liquor as the Wall Street man. They reached the auto and the broker was assisted on -to the front seat. His companion took his seat alongside of him and constituted himself the chauffeur. In a moment or two they were bowl- ing down the road at a swift pace. 5a “This is where I get to New York free and without any loss of time,” chuckled Nick. And he was right, for in due time the auto rolled aboard a ferryboat at Jersey City, and - Nick got out from under the seat and entered the men’s cabin. He saw by the clock in the engine-room that it was three in the morning. “Pll bet sis has been worrying herself almost sick about me,” he said to himself, “and Dick’s been wondering. why I didn’t turn up. Well, I . guess I had a lucky escape. I can’t quite com- - prehend how I was knocked out in that wood, but the fact remains that I was. Of course, I _ owe my imprisonment in the cellar of the road- house to Mr. Gilson and his friend Fletcher. - Knowing that I was on to their little game, they carried me to that place and arranged to have me detained until Fletcher could go to Boston and get rid of the bonds. Well, I rather think [HU put a speke in their wheels to-morrow, or rather to-day. I feel sorry for you, Mr. Gilson, ‘but it’s your funeral, not mine. You should not _ have taken the bonds.” Nick then began to consider the valuable tip he had picked up at the roadhouse. We Ei mee ge of big traders has been formed to boom N. & O. stock, eh? I guess I = lose much time in getting in on the ground the knowing ones. I ought to be more than double my three thousand dol- wenger I know the tip is a sure thing, oker was talking about the boom with the way to = ferry, and I easily Sahat th Vide ae! bs Sa pearl bly * he Aa ik i i He i, eee your belief.” et Seba, Se eee ‘ RS SE at ey a, eee A FORTUNE iaee ee <3 E <a Nick hurried ashore: and’ took a Niftth Avenue — train uptown. He got out at the Forty-second Street station and hurried to his boarding-house. It was nearly four o’clock when he reached his room, where he found Nellie, fully dressed, strétched out asleep on his bed. He lit the gas ‘and saw that his sister’s eyes were red from weeping. “Poor sis!” he said. suffer on my account.” Then he woke her up, and she was overjoyed to find herself in his arms. “T’ll explain everything to-morrow,” he said, in answer to her anxious inquiries. “Now go to your room and turn in. It’s four o’clock.” “It’s too bad you had to CHAPTER XV.—Nick Becomes a Person of Some : ‘3 Financial Importance. When Nick arrived at the office that morning — he had his plans all arranged. He left the house — unusually early, so as to avoid meeting with ~ Gilson. When Mr. Chiswell came into the office + Nick surprised him with a request for a private interview. re “Well, Nick, what is it?” the broker asked, i after motioning him to the seat beside his desk. = “It’s a matter of great importance, sir, as you J will admit as soon as I have told you.” ; He then gave his employer an account of his adventure in the wood on the outskirts of Newark. “So this man Gilson, employed by Mandelbaum & Slewsby, is a thief? He took the box con- _ taining the bonds in que$tion from the office vault on Saturday afternoon, I suppose. Very well, — T’ll send for Mr. Mandelbaum. It won’t do for. 9 you.to carry the message over, for if Gilson is at the office this morning, and should happen to see you there, he’d take alarm at once and make himself scarce. We must get him into the Tombs —_ right away, and then telegraph the Boston police __ to try and catch his Saree in guilt.” =x. So Mr. Chiswell called in a junior clerk and sent the note by him to the office of Mandelbaunt — & Slewsby. In the meantime Nick told Mr. Chis-/ = well about his further experiences at the road- house. . “It is evident that the proprietor of that house stood in with those two rascals, and that he meant to detain you a prisoner until they had ac- complished their object. I will notify the Newark — authorities to arrest the man and hold him until © you can go out there this afternoon and appear against him.” Se The broker called up Central on his phone ana had connection made with the Newark police a headquarters. By the time he had made rae : authorities there understand what he wanted Mr. — 7 Mandelhaum entered the private office. “Take a seat, Mr. Mandelbaum,” said Broker : Chiswell. “I have a very serious matter to call to your notice. It appears from information I have received from my office boy here that you have been robbed of a tin box containing a num ber of bonds.” “Robbed!” exclaimed Mr. Mandelbaum, in a tone = of great astonishment. “Not that I am aware of, Mr. Chiswell.- Let me hear on what ground y in
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: “Nick,” said Mr. Chiswell, turning to his mes- senger, “tell your story to Mr. Mandelbaum.” And Nick did so, in as few words as possible. Mr. Mandelbaum heard him with attention, and Was thunderstruck at the revelation. “Why, Gilson has been in our office five years. He has our entire confidence. It doesn’t seem : possible that he could—pshaw! I will soon find ~ out. An examination of the vault will at once show if the tin box in question be missing. If "it is—well, Gilson is at the office, and he will have to explain in the presence of a detective.” After Mr. Mandelbaum had taken his departure, Nick said he had something else to speak to Mr. - Chiswell about. = — “More adventures?” asked the broker, with a _ * ‘smile. - “No, sir; this is about a tip on the market.” “Indeed!” replied Mr. Chiswell. “What is it?” _ Nick then told him what he had overheard Broker Watson say about.the combination which had been formed to boom N. & O., and how he was one of the brokers that had been sefected te do the buying and booming. _ “Upon my word, Nick, I think you have got - hold of an-important pointer. I shall investi- ‘gate it at once, and if I find that developments bear you out I will invest largely on the strength -__ of it, in which event I propose that you shall ; share my good fortune. I will-give you ten per ~ ent. of whatever I may win.” - Thank you, sir,” replied Nick. =3 When he returned to his duty in the outer office the boy looked up the previous Saturday’s quotations of N. & O.,.and found that the stock was ruling around 59, but it had been as low as 59 on the preceding Monday. At that moment _ Mr. Chiswell called Nick inside. _ *f’ye just had word over the wire from Mr. - Mandelbaum that your story is corroborated by - the absence of the tin box containing ten Lake Shore bonds, worth ten thousand six hundred dol- ‘lars. He has sent for a detective to take Gilson into custody.” __ When Mr. Chiswell disinissed him, Nick asked for half an hour’s leave of absence, which, being ie ted, he made use of to draw his money from his safe deposit box, take it around to the little bank in Nassau Street and purchase five hundred ‘shares of N. & O. at 59 on the usual margin. That afternoon Nick was called upon to at- tend the Tombs Police Court at the examination of Gilson for grafd larceny, and he gave his ‘to his employer and to Mr. Mandelbaum. Gilson was held to await the action of the Grand Jury. _ Nick learned then that Fletcher had been ar- _ rested in Boston while trying to negotiate the - anticipated loan of eight thousand dollars on the - bonds, News was also received that Peter Fur- _ miss had been arrested at his roadhouse and would be brought up for examination in a Newark po- ice court next morning, at which time Nutting s directed to appear and substantiate his re against him. : When Nick returned to-the office the Exchange ; ped closed for the day, and N. & O. had gone to _ 61. Nick went to Newark on the following 1aorn- and told his story before the police magis- rate. Peter Furniss put in an absolute denial. Nick could not substantiate his charge, the A BID FOR A .FORTUNE : evidence just as he had told it that morning . magistrate said that he could not hold the pris- oner, and so the proprietor of the roadhouse was discharged. When the young messenger return- ed to Wall Street early in the afternoon he found, much to his satisfaction, that N. & O. had . advaneed to 64. That afternoon Mr. Chiswell told Nick that he had purchased fifteen thousand shares of the stock in question, and hoped to get as many more be- fore it went much higher. Next morning there was a considerable demand in the Exchange for N. & O. stock, and the price went up to 66 by noon. The scarcity of the stock demonstrated that a corner had probably been made in it, and there seemed to be nothing te prevent the price from advancing at a rapid rate, which it did, closing at 70. On the following day the Exchange was in an uproar over certain statements that leaked out about the foad, all to its advantage, and the price went to 80 by three. That afternoon Mr. Chiswell told Nick that he had sold ten thousand of his shares at a prefit of one hundred and seventy dollars, and that he intended to get rid of the balance in the morning’ at the opening of the market. r “I expect to clean up four hundred thousand dollars through your tip, and if I do I shall hand you my check for forty thousand dollars, as agreed between us.” “Gee!” whistled Nick. “I'll be wealthy.” “You certainly will, for a messenger boy.” Before four o’clock the boy hastened around to the bank and aga his five hundred shares to be sold first thing in the morning. It was done, and Nick found that he had cleared ten thousand five hundred dollars off the deal. The combined capital of himself and his sister now amounted to thirteen thousand five hundred dollars. In view of what he expected to receive from his em- ployer, he decided to hand Nellie her half of that amount, and not run the risk of losing her money in any subsequent deal he might carry into effect. Accordingly he got her to go with him to the banking department of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company, and he handed over to the cashier the sum of six thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars as a time deposit in her name, which would be entitled to draw regular semi- — annual interest. Next morning Mr. Chiswell -handed Nick his check for forty thousand two hundred dollars, which raised his individual cap- ital to forty-seven thousand dollars. CHAPTER XVI.—Conclusion. Nellie went into raptures over the big sum of poe oa her brother had received from Mr. Chis- well. “Why, you’re rich, Nick, aren’t you?- Just to think, you’re worth forty-seven thousand dollars! And I am actually worth a little over seven thou- sand dollars. My goodness! What a grand house we could build in Westbury if we went back there to live. How the people would open their eyes!” We'd be the great moguls of the place, and all our old friends would take — hats off to us,” laughed Nick. “I wonder how the news, if it | ited J
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~~ traveled there, would strike Deacon Dabbleton? : I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a fit.” Nick stowed his money, as usual, in his safe f deposit box, and went about his regular duties _ . just as if-he depended for a living on his wages 4 and was’ not the richest messenger boy in Wall ' . Street. He-and Nellie moved to a much better % boarding-house in West Twenty-fourth street, _ where they had a small and a large room, con- ; necting. A month later Gilson and Fletcher were tried on separate counts for the bond crime, and were convicted and sentenced to Sing Sing for a ; term of years. On the morning following their a conviction Nick received a letter from Mr. Man- ‘ delbaum, in which he thanked the boy for his services in saving the firm from a loss of nearly ee eleven thousand dollars, and begged him to accept a the enclosed check for one thousand dollars as a 7 substantial evidence of their appreciation. i He showed the letter and check to Mr. Chiswell, ; and the broker congratulated him on his further good luck. Nick and Nellie both paid a two weeks’ visit to Westbury in August, taking their vacations at the same time, and perhaps they did not make the eyes of their old friends bulge with wonder. Nellie had stylish summer gowns to : burn, while Nick had a couple of dandy suits = that took his boy friends’ breath away. He told Frank Fairbanks that he was not sure whether there were a half a million people out of work all the time in New York, but, as for himself, he got a job the first day he landed in the metropolis 7 and he had it yet. Deacon Dabbleton so far un- : bent his starched-up dignity as to greet them both & with great affability. ; He was very anxious to learn how Nick had +. acquired the money to put on so much style; but the boy would not gratify his curiosity. The day that they returned to New York, Nick pointed out e . a paragraph in a morning paper to his sister which stated that Joe Furniss had been arrested in Newark for theft. He was afterward con- =, victed and sent to Snake Hill for two years. The weeks and months flew by after that, and brother ~ and sister continued to give complete satisfaction to their employers. Christmas was drawing near before Nick found another opportunity to use his funds in the market. Then he accidentall tion about the consoli roads. Nick succeeded in buying five thousand <3 shares of the L. & M., which controlled the situa- ty tion, at 92, putting up almost every cent he had ~~ on margin. In the aggregate the deal involved - __. a matter of four hundred and sixty thousand dol- 3 ~~ Jars, and the Nassau street bank had to hypothe- ES secured advance informa- eate the shares as fast as it secured them in order to carry the transaction. Nick gave Mr. Chiswell and Dick Hudson the benefit of the tip also. The former agreed to give Nick another ten per cent. of his winnings as a compensation. It was some days before the news of the consolidation was officially confirmed, but as soon as it was there was an immediate rush by the-brokers and the public alike to secure - ‘some of the shares. In the scramble which ensued the price ran up to par on the first day. Two days later L. & M. was going at 110, and Nick - concluded to sell out and he did. He cleared gamething over fifty thousand dollars, Dick A BID FOR A FORTUNE tion between two big rail- . Hudson sold out his L. & M. holdings at about the same time, made one thousand dollars, and was proportionately happy. ; Mr. Chiswell held on until the shares reached 112, and then gradually disposed of the stock at a profit of two hundred thousand dollars. A few days afterward he called Nick into his office and a Re him his check for twenty thousand dol- ars. “You ought to be pretty well fixed by this time,” ne said to his messenger. “That makes sixty thousand dollars I’ve paid you for the use of two tips.” “I am, sir. I’m worth exactly double that amount,” smiled Nick. “I don’t quite understand you,” replied the broker, in some surprise. Then Nick confessed that he had been operating in the market on his own hook for some time, and that he had not only made seven thousand dollars for his sister, but sixty thousand dollars efor Himself. “So you see, sir, I’m worth, with this check, exactly one hundred and twenty thousand dollars at this moment.” é Mr. Chiswell was certainly astonished. He congratulated Nick on his good luck, but advised him to keep out of the market in the future until he grew older arid had accumulated more experi- ence and knowledge of the stock business. Nick took his employer’s advice, dropped fur- ther dealings with the market and put his money out at interest.. After that he attended strictly to business, and was soon promoted to the count: ing-room, where he gradually rose to the post of cashier. During this time he discovered that Miss Lizzie Haley, the stenographer, had other desir- able qualities besides that of mere good looks, and he began to exhibit a strong interest in her direction, which the girl reciprocated, for. she recognized that Nick was pure gold and a lad who ~ was bound to make his mark in the world. Dick Hudson’s partiality for the society of Nel- lie Nutting also increased as time went by, and Nick was not at all surprised when his chum came to him one day and asked him if he had any objection to him as his future brother-in-law. ‘Of course not, Dick,” he replied heartily. “Are you and Nellie of one. mind on this interest- ing question?” ; “We are,” replied Dick, and the two boys shook hands over it. That night Nick congratulated his sister. “T have also a secret to tell you, sis.” “What is it?” she asked, interestedly. “Lizzie Haley and I are engaged to be married as soon\as Mr. Chiswell takes me into the firm.” “I’m so glad,” cried Nellie, putting her arms around her brother’s neck and kissing him fondly. “T must see Lizzie at once.” ' Six months later Nick became Mr. Chiswell’s junior partner, and during the following week there was a double wedding, at one of which the broker officiated as best man for the boy who had made a successful bid for fortune. Next week’s issue will contain “BOUND TO RISE; or, FIGHTING HIS WAY TO SUC-— 4 CESS." ,
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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY CURRENT NEWS eee “ A SCIENTIFIC EAGLE ; He was greatly relieved to learn that Marvin _ . Because an eagle built her nest on the trans- Carter had motored to town with a colt seated ' ¢ontinental telephone line between San Francisco in the rear of his touring car, while some one and New York at a point near Elko, Nev., tele- held the animal in place. _ phone conversation between the Atlantic and Pa- fs SRL _ cific coasts was stopped and Associated Press wires for a few hours were interferred with. In SPIDER WEBS ON HATS p the nest were found pieces of wire and automo- Spider webs are reported to have been pre- _ bile parts, which caused a short circuit. pared successfully by a European collector for — Ts trimmings for women’s hats, handbags, cushions ee HORSE GIVES HIM SCARE and other articles: The webs, says Popular Me- Turner Williams, of Perry, Mo., while being _ chanics, are first transferred to gummed cards ' Shaved recently, happened to glance out of the and then treated with chemicals to give them ba ber shop window and saw a touring car drive strength and to make them waterproof. They past with a horse sitting in the back seat. He are then placed on the cloth background like ‘immediately fainted and, after reviving. started silken threads. As a full-grown spider can spin ' inquiring if any one else had seen what he had a new web in about an hour, a constant supply thought he had seen. of the material is easily obtained. Py Shp sake to ee a rm Py Freres We Ae syria lis Gide ue fe rg was - BOYS, READ THIS THE GREATEST DETECTIVE STORIES EVER WRITTEN ARE PUBLISHED IN “MYSTERY MAGAZINE”’ Read the number out today on all newsstands. It contains GEORGE BRONSON- HOWARD'S detective novelette “THE HOODWINKERS” It is full of exciting incidents and contains a dandy plot. All You Radio Bugs, Read “DRAWN TEETH” A story of roughnecks in the underworld, written by JOE BURKE. e WJZ recently Broadcast It on the Air It must have been a. good one for that great station to use it. ‘ And.Don’t Miss the Two-Part Serial “THE FORBIDDEN ROOM” By EDWARD L, BENNETT It zips along crowded with mystery and adventure from the first to the last chapter. Do You Want Your Character Read Free of Charge? Send LOUISE RICE a sample of your writing and she will tell you your best points in life, advise what is best for you and help you a whole lot. BE SURE TO READ THE SHORT STORIES. ~ “Button! Button!” by Paul E. Triem; “Reunion,” by Laurence D’Orsay; “The Hypnotic Mystery,” by Earl W. Scott; “The Clue in the Watch,” by Carl G. Hodges, Forpey and “Mixed Trails,” by Freeman Harrison. In Addition There Are Numerous ~ INTERESTING ARTICLES . - They cover all sorts of police and detective cases in real life, and : ~ eannot fail to please you. Get a Copy — Show It to Your Friends — You Will Like It! | ea ._ ‘THE EDITOR.
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- the Reporters — Or, — Rob and _ Hustling for War News by Wireless By GASTON GARNE (A Serial Story.) CHAPTER XVII.—(Continued). Edith was very silent as the aeroplane soared heavenward. - ae Rob, watching her face, saw it grow whiter and E whiter, but after a while this passed. “I’m getting used to it,” she remarked. “At ' first I thought I never would.” . “The wind failed to rise as the lieutenant had predicted, but the sky was overcast and the night so dark that Maxwell had to shape his course by compass. The nigh: passed and with the coming of day- , break they ‘ran into a storm of wind and rain, ___ which proved too much for poor Edith, who suf- fered severely. ; : , ; It continued during the morning. Shortly after --—s ten heavy cannonading was heard, and they knew that another battle was on. ae Later they found themselves passing over it. —— It was a wonderful sight. ’ a Rob and Brown, who had dispatched their stories “as arranged, both wished that the story of what they were now witnessing would have gone with the others. : “The Germans are certainly fine soldiers,” re- marked the lieutenant at length. ‘The allies will never be able to keep them out of Paris, I’m : afraid.” at : _. “A good deal for an Englishman to admit,” > said Rob. — -—- *E speak what I think,” was-the reply. ee - Searcely were the words uttered when some- thing snapped and Maxwell uttered a ery of dis- may. d Down we go!” he exclaimed. “The motor is . out of business.” ‘ : ; - “Pown upon the battlefield!” gasped Edith, ~ “We are lost!’ =e “Tf we get down alive we shall do ,” mut- tered Totten. ‘This is certainly a bad job.” - Not a word was spoken after that. 2 _ The rapidity of their descent fairly made Rob’s ee, spin. He threw a protecting arm about Edith, inwardly praying the brave girl’s life might be spared. - _ Several shots were fired at them _ the earth, but without effect. A sudden gust blew them from that portion of e firing line over which they had at first hov- . P| they landed at a point where there xemed to be a lull; the plain was strewn with dead and wounded. *Let’s mike for that house,” said Totten, point- ‘to.a farm-house nearby. ‘I suppose they \ us out, but——” . = oo. ms rt ‘as they neared x - > FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY “ ously near them. They ran for their lives, gain- - ing the house unharmed. — t was deserted. The windows had been pretty much all broken by bullets; the thatched roof“ leaked so badly that they might almost as well have been in the open so far as the rain was con- _ cerned. aa The lieutenant now took Brown aside and ad- a vised him to destroy the dispatches. a “We are all made up to look like Germans and may pass muster,” he said, “but for those papers ¥ to be found on you means sure death.” e _ “Never,” said Brown bravely. “I’ll stand by my = guns to the last.” Be “The Germans are charging!” cried Rob, who Stood by the shattered window. is “Get back!’ cautioned the lieutenant. “Here they come!’ ier a oe It was a wonderful sight to see a oer horde moving on the double-quick with fixed bayonets ready to do deadly business. Thousands passed. =) The roar of cannon and the rattle of musketry __ was deafening, to say nothing of the wild shouts __ from the side of the allies, | L “That’s the French of it,” said Totten; “these Germans fight almost in silence.’ es “Its a terrible thing,’ sighed Edith. “I never realized how terrible war is until now.” She had scarcely spoken when a bomb came ~ crashing through the roof and exploded. Rob seized Edith and dragged her through the __ open door when the crash came. ee It was all that saved them, probably. A portion of the house fell in ruins. “Merciful heavens, this is terrible!” gasped — Rob. “We have seen the last of our friends, I'm afraid.” ie reaps made no answer, but dropped at his eet. “Was she hit? Is she dead?” Brown came crawling out from among the ruins with his clothing all bloody. “I don’t know,” gasped Rob. “What about Totten and Maxwell? What about yourself?” = “T’m not hurt.” Poe “But the blood——” ; “That’s poor Maxwell’s. He was blown to But_ see; a ieces. The lieutenant is dead, too. er eyes are opening. I fancy it’s only a faint. The way you got her out of there was magnifi- cent. I never saw anything dohe so quickly.” Rob knelt beside Edith and raised her, - The Germans had all passed now, but the bat- tle still raged in the distance. It was evident — that the allies were being driven back. , “Help me up,” said Edith, “I must have — fainted. What about the others?” ; She shuddered as Rob explained. “Tiet’s make for those woods over there as fas as we can,” said Brown. “To hide ourselves i our only salvation.” 2 % They hurried on through the rain and once the battlefield came upon a road which ran alot at the edge of the woods, but before they could cross it two German officers came galloping pi ‘One put a few questions to Brown and then both rode on. aa “What did they says?”.asked Rob. | eg Fee
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. THE POPE’S CFAIR _. The most expesive chair in existence belongs “to the Pope. It is quite modern, and was made _ to the order of an American banker. It is of - solid silver, beautifully chased, weighs nearly _ half a ten, and is said to have cost something - like $60,000. » ALL YOU CAN DRINK FOR A FEW CENTS, ae IN ITALY - Producers. have so. much wine that, lacking " .empty casks into which to put new wine, they - now charge a few cents for the privilege of enter- ing their cellars and drinking as much wine as desired. : _ Although the vintage this year is below last year’s it is still above the: average of the last twenty years. Last year saw the greatest produc- *% ~ tion and what. is-still left,.added to this year’s _ vintage, brings the present supply to 52,000,000 hectoliters. Italy consumes 38,000,000 annually “and exports about 3,000,000. f SILVER “CARTWHEEL” COMING BACK The silver dollar, or “cartwheel” as it is com- eeoly dubbed, soon will be more generally im use, ‘in the Eastern States, the Treasury Department having initiated the program of distribution placing one such coin in the pay envelope of eac £ several thousand Government employees here. “Whereas the dollar in coin always has been in evidence in the West, the opposition has been true the East. The Government at Washington has * paid dollars in_vaner to its thovsands. of em- > s, and the banks at the national capital have "paid them out in abundance. The coin has been Yare in these parts. It has been estimated that the upkeep of paper money costs the Government around 3 per cent. of its total face value, while maintenance of sil- er dollars costs practically nothing. .A larger umber of coins put into circulation, therefore, will mean a saving in this expense and permit the use of a better quality of paper currency. About 509,000,000 cartwheels are pvyailable, of ‘which about 440,000,000 are required by law to be eld in the Treasury against silver certificates and es outstanding. About 30,000,000 are available r immediate distribution in silver. AYED SOBER pi na SUES FOR oe 0, Michael Crowley, Boston and Maine Railroad 3, by Ss m his * FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY FROM EVERYWHERE he made him offers of money to remain a total abstainer. The offers are claimed to have been at one time $1,000 if Crowley ‘would abstain for a year, then $2,000 if he would abstain for two years, and finally $10,000 for ten years’ ab- stinance. Crowley asserts he religiously kept sober, but Jones died before the ten years expired. Crow- ley contends the brewer would have kept his agreement had he lived. The amended declaration of Crowley in the aut oe two letters on which the suit is ased. GLACIAL AGE THEORY SUPPORTED A glacial age is en route and will cover Canada, northérn Europe and Siberia with a gigantic ice cap, according to two very well-known scientists. Prof. Gregory of Yale first advanced the theory and since then several other scientists have sub- scribed to the belief, among them being Prof. Charles Nordmann of the University of Paris. Prof. Nordmann asserts that the frigid prospest is entirely due to the fact that the world is not producing enough carbonic acid. This substance, which represents only one three- thousandth part of the earth’s atmosphere, has, nevertheless, a vital influence on the life of this planet. Carbonic acid has the peculiar p of acting like the glass roof of a hothouse, per- mitting the warm rays of the sun to reach the earth, but rejecting into interstellar space the rays emifted by the sun when the sun’s tempera- Pore is lowered. e earth’s atmosphere had no carbonic aci temperature would drop about 21 degrees jon grede, in other words, we would be living in a permanent temperature below zero. . Prof. Nord- mann believes that there. have been already two glacial periods with a temperature such as we are enjoying at present. He deduces this from the prehistoric data found in excavations. Frther- more, he agrees with the Swedish scientist Arrhe- nius that the present.period of earthly existence is merely a phase between the late glacial period and the new one to come, unless something is done to prevent it. a Carbonic acid gas is given out by volcanoes, plants, factories which use’voal, and by the respir- ation of human beings. If enough is produ to offset the amount consumed by plants, for which: it is as important as oxygen for animals, then there is no danger of a-permanent Arctic temper- ature. But if the plants consume more than is produced by other sgencies, then we are in for a som spell which may mean death for every living ing. : It is interesting to note in this connection the, action of the weather during the year 1924. The spring was notoriously late and cold, the summer unusually brief and autumn especially early. As early as the last of August the region as far as New York City was visited by typical autumn weather. Trees started shedding their leaves and undergrowth became tinged with colo th 5 was then, Crowley asserts, that . it were the middle of October. ae er
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ae _ > ee eee NEW STATION FOR JAPAN UJ A new $4,500,000 radio station is to be con- structed near Nagoya, Japan. ca rs FY , HALTS SERMON BY RADIO = Sermons and church services broadcast over the radio have been forbidden by order of the consistory of the Evangelical Chureh of Prussia. c A “DX” RECORD “2 A record for long distance communication by radio between a ship at sea and a shore station . LS was recently made by a telegraph company at f San Francisco and the S. S. Ventura, then 6,285 miles southwest of San Francisco. ABOUT UV-199S . When the UV-199 is subjected to excessive __ “A” battery current the tube is likely to lose its F sensitiveness. The tube can generally be re- ___- stored by disconnecting the “B” battery and op- * erate the set as usual for about twenty minutes, ZI with the “A” battery current 10 pér cent. in + @xeess of the normal rating. Some tubes require ; more than a twenty-minute test to bring the _- tube back to normal. i pe? FIGURING WAVE LENGTH ‘ The natural wave length of an antenna can be calculated to an approximate degree by add- ¥ ing the length of the antenna, length of the ; lead-in and length of the ground wire,-then mul- ___tiplying the total length of all by one and one- a half. For example, the antenna is 100 feet _. eng, lead-in 30 feet and ground wire 20 feet, i making a total of 150 feet. Multiplying the 150 - feet by one and one-half, the result is 225, the natural period or fundamental wave length of the antenna. 7 ‘ 2 _* RESISTANCE,TO CURRENTS 3 It is not only the resistance of a wire to < direct currents but also to high frequency radio & - currents which must be dealt with in a receiving _ gireuit. If it were only direct current large wire would help to overcome the difficulty. The re- 2 sistance of a wire to direct current is much less than the resistance offered to high-frequency cur- rents, because high-frequency currents are un- “evenly distributed through the cross section of surface of a wire, and such action is known as the “skin effect.” This effect is snore noticeable in large wire, and for that reason there is not much advantage in using a large size wire. The _ resistance of a large wire to high-frequency cur- rents is not much less than tha’ of a thin wire. . . However, the wire should not be too thin, as the sear g will be unavoidably high and the cur- rent will be impeded. EFFICIENCY TEST A simple method of testing aerials, grounds, — other radio parts is to take ad- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY INTERESTING RADIO NEWS AND HINTS ate ‘the wire. High-frequency currents skim over the. ~ duction of the number of operators necessary vantage of the fundamental or regeneration. tts is well known that the object of using regenera-. tion in a receiving set is to overcome the re- sistance of the circuit. To test yarious parts, etc., it is necessary to have a three-circuit tuner. and a constant supply of filament and’plate po- tential and current. It would be of course pre- ferable if one stage of audio frequency were used with the secondary of a second transformer con- nected to a crystal detector and a micrommeter; but that is expensive and can be eliminated. To find out whether any radio part, aerial or ground » has more losses, or less, than that which is now being used, tune the set to a station just below the oscillating point. Record the variometer set- ting. Then substitute the new part for the old ' one and again tune in the same station and note : the variometer setting. If this last reading is ‘ higher than formerly then the new part is worse : than the old one. -If the reading is-lower, then use the new part, as it is better., a RADIO IN NAVY IS ADVANCING Recent advances in radio communication in the Navy include the gradual elimination of spark sets and the substitution of tube transmitting- sets, until the -sparks have been almost elimi- nated. The employment of multiplex radio opera- tion, and the application of automatic recorders in the reception of radio press reports are other _ advances effected recently. ; — Tube apparatus has been applied to battle- ships,.the new cruisers, and has been installed on many submarines with excellent results. With — the discontinuance of old sparks, freedom from a interference is noted, and the ability of radio personnel in the operation of the latest types ag! of transmitters has increased. creased effi- ciency is seen and eventually all naval craft a will be equipped with tube equipments. 1 Submarine radio communication has increased BS by new installations from between 10 and 100 miles, with the spark sets, to between 300 and — 600 miles with the tube sets. The use of the latter is considered a long step in development — and increases the security of submdarine com- — manders. ta Multiplex operation, permitting several simui- | taneously, developed aboard the battleship Colo-— rado, is now used on several of the battleships successfully, and it is planned to modify the radio equipment and receiving rooms on board many ships so as to increase the facilities of fleet operation. : Radio equipment for capital ships will eventu- ally include separate receiving rooms on flag-— ships, aircraft carriers and battleships, so that they may operate in duplex. . Reports from the fleet indicate that the copy-— ing of press reports with an automatic meen has met with success and may lead to the re- man the many circuits aboard naval vessels-
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~ GOOD DERLIN’S FREAK AUTO One of the latest freak automobiles to appear on the streets of Berlin, Germany, is so con- structed that the front end of the car bears the appearance of the rear end of the ordinary car. ‘consequence, the vehicle seems te be running rong end first, and crowds stop in the streets d Jaugh at the unusual craft. > (OVERNMENT URGES THE USE OF MORE - SLIVER HALF DOLLARS There is a disproportion in the supply of silver coins, and banks of the Federal Reserve District of New York have been urged to go lightly on ‘the quarters. Owing to the oversupply of, half lars, the banks were advised to “use more halves and fewer quarters,” in a circular sent by Benjamin Strong, Gevernor of the Fed- Reserve Bank. ; “As you are aware, the demand for subsidiary _ silver and minor coins for holiday purposes is _ particularly heavy each year from about the Ist af October until ristmas,” said the circular. this connection the Treasury of the United es calls attention to the fact that there is an le supply of silver halves on hand and a fair smaller supply of quarters. ; “The Treasurer of the United States has ex- sed the hope that in orders for coins banks be able to increase the amount of halves and : the amount of quarters by approxi- rf ; y.25 per cent.” : ‘7EM POLES TO KEEP ASHES AND ~ PICTURE DEAD : ved cedar posts called totem poles were d by the Indians along the North Pacific from Vancouver Island to Alaska. The d totem is irregularly derived from the term an of the Chippewa.and other cognate lgonquin dialects, signifying generically “his Mther-sister kin,” of which tote is the gram- stem. hese poles were erected during the great commonly known as potlatches, where ‘an ense amount of property was given away quantities of food were consumed. The mks out of which they were to be carved were ‘down, rolled into the water and towed to the ee amid songs and dancing. One or more were employed to put on the designs. totem pole is to the Tlingit what a grave- is to us, according to T. T. Waterman in American Anthropologist, though they were X t up in cemeteries. he ancient pole was a pository for the remains of the dead, A re- was proviced, usually in the back of the ‘in which the cremated remains of-the dead put. In y all the poles standing at the. ‘time such irregular cavities are visible. oles t along the village front, each “FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY READING ‘166 West 23d é pole in front of the owne: s louse, in whieh, im many cases, his surviving relatives or heirs are still living. These people reckon descent through females, not males. A man and his wife belong to different to- temic groups, and a pole, is regularly set up, not by a man’s sons who belong with their mother’s people, but by his sister’s sons, who are, according to Tlingit usage, his nearest actual] relatives. The carvings on the poles represent distin- guishing features of individual people. If a per- son’s maternal uncle possessed a certain crest, for instance, that crest would be assumed at the proper time by the person himself, with the un- cle’s other property and privileges, and repre- sent him on a totem pole. Anything else that happened to set a person off from the remainder of the tribe might be assumed by an individual. Thus the carving of a full rigged ship on a pole represents the old Indian who was the first in the immediate region to see a European vessel. A rich man at Tongass village once acted as host to a Secretary of the Interior when he came to Alaska on a visit. When he entered the In- dian’s house he was invited to sit on a pile of fine furs. At the end of-the interview he started to leave, but was told that he was forgetting his furs. “It is a custom of our people,” said the old chief proudly, “that what a visitor sits upon is is. - When in later years a totem pole was raised, the Secretary was put at the top of it, in a frock coat, a stoye-pipe hat and checked trousers. “Mystery Magazine” ; Semi-Monthly 15 Cents a Copy THE RIVER PIRATES, by Hamilton Cra WHE SHADOW OF A NOOSE, by Juck Bechdolt. AT 2 A. M., by Beulah Poynter, THE INTRIGUERS, by Grover Kidwell. + ton 164 THE TALKING DOG, b hton. 165 THE HEART ON THE MIRROR, by Alexander 166 MIXD MOTIVES. by Eric Howard 5 MIXE cS. by Eric Howard. 167 Grae OF THE LAW,. by Hamilton r 1c. ? THE HOODWINKERS By GEORGE BRONSON HOWARD Out Today in Mo. 168 HARRY E, WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d Street New York City “Moving Picture Stories” _ A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays and Players PRICE TEN CENTS PER COPY Each number contains Three Stories .. the Best Films on the Screen—Elegant Half-tone Scenes pint ‘the Pi 3 a . Articles About Prominent People in the — s of Actors a A 3 and Lessons in Scenario tame ose HARRY E. WOLFF, ~ ¥ tg aa ae Nae ~~
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TF >. = Fame and Fortune Weekly NEW YORK, OCTOBER 31, 1924 TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS Single Copies...... cocvecceces Fostage Free $ Cents > One Copy Three Months...... 2 ¥ .00 One Copy Six Months......... = 2.00 One Copy One Year..........+ - 4.00 Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. HOW TO SEND MONEY — At our risk send P. O. Money Order, Check or Kegistered Letter; remittances im any other way are at your risk.. We accept Postage Stam the same as cas When sending sliver wrap the Coin in a separate piece of paper to avoid cutting the envelope. Write your name and addresg plainly. HARRY E. WOLFF, ) Harry E. Wolff, Pres. Publisher, Inc., Charles &. Nylander, Sec. 166 W. 238d St., N. ¥.J L. F. Wilzin, Treas. FROM ALL POINTS TREASURE HUNTERS OFF The steam trawlers Foam and Spray, of: to | seek sunken treasure and pursue scientific inves- tigations in the ocean near Cape Charles, Va., left the Tebo Yacht Basin, in Brooklyn recently. The expedition, financed by Anthony J. Drex- el Biddle, Jr., Franklin Iv Mallory, John S. Ball and other men of wealth, was crganized primari- _-_ |y to salvage builion believed to have been aboard 5 e Ward liner Merida when that vessel sank off Cape Charles after a collision in 1911. . RECEIVES 110 STITCHES AND PUFFS ce. CALMLY ON - Daniel W. Downey, a fireman on the steamship : New Briton, lay upon an operating table at Johns -. Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md., and calmly smoked cigarettes while surgeons sewed 110 stitches in his face, arm, abdomen and leg. He had refused dan anaesthetic. : His wounds were caused by John Black, an oiler on the vessel, who assaulted him with a knife, according to the police. Downey’s forti- - tude and courage recalled to hospital attendants = similar cases they had experienced among Ameri- - ean troops in France during the World War. - Later in the day he was so far recovered as to be able to appear in Police Court against Black, _ who was held. Fis PRISON GUARDS REVOLT AT “SASSING” ot BY FELONS whe, SOMES | Mout Be FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY grandma’s she let me have fruit tarts twic 'more wisdom you will gain.” af THE SHARK AS AN ECONOMIC ASSET From the head of the shark we obtain material. for glue. The tins are highly prized by Cnuivse, but we ate “Shark Fins Newburgh” once im Boston and the taste must be acquired. The cost - of fins is about $3 per pound. The body makes a good fish mea] and the oil from the liver com- mands a good price. It is the hide, however, —— which is most valuable as it is almost indestruct- — q ible. The leather is excellent for shoes. Finer grades of the tanned leather are used for un- holstering; colored and stamped, it is everwear- ing and rich to look upon. The outer strip of shagreen must come off in the first place and a process has been successfully developed which takes this away. It has the exact properties of a sandpaper of the rough variety. For very fine = work on: wood polishing, the shagreen of the baby aS shark cannot be excelled. a LAUGHS ae _ “Yes, I told father that the white poker chip I dropped was a peppermint tablet.” “Did he swallow it?” “No.” _ “Please, lady, could you give me a dime to help me get to where my family is?” “Oh, you poor man! Here is a dime for you. Where is your family?” “Gone to the movies.” , Mrs. Nexdore (angrily)—I want you to keep — your dog out of my house; it’s full of fleas. Mrs. Naylor—Your house is? Mercy! I certainly shan’t let Fido go in there again. : Neighborly Caller—How many children have — you, Mrs. Newcomer? Mrs. Newcomer (just ~ moved in)—Two. Neighborly Caller—Only-two? — Dear me! I thought I heard about a dozen. c “Yes,” said the old colored mammy, medita- — tively, “Cousin Martha am gittin’ old fast. When I was six, she was twelve, she was twice as old,as IT am. Now I am 48 and she am 96; yes, Martha am gettin’ old fast.” ; ers +8 “My father and.I know everything in the — world,” said a little boy to his companion, “All — right,” said the latter. “Where’s Asia?” It was a stiff question, but the little fellow answered, — cooky, “That is one of the thin my father ~~ ows.” -, ae Watering carts of a certain Irish town Wao decorated with the patent medicine advertise- ments. An innocent Irishman from the rural dis- tricts looked at one the other day, and remarked: “Faith, it’s no wonder X is healthy, when Poo water the streets with Flaherty’s sarsaparilla!” « “Ma,” remonetrated Bobby, “when I was “\ell, she ought not to have done so, Bobby,” pare mete 2 ee once is = enoug! ‘or little 8. older you grow, Bobb tf Bobby was §i “Well, ma,” older than yout but only for a moment, “grandma is a good deal | th
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eS :. FLARES FOR PETTING The police of Belmont. County, Pa., have adopted a quiet and effective method of. disposing of automobile petting parties. Upon discovering _ such parties, they proceed ‘as quietly as — to a point in front of the car, place something on the ground and ‘ight a fuse. For the next five _ minutes the scene is illuminated with a red glare. The couple or couples in the car, blushing from he red of the fireworks, promptly forget any- hing except stepping on the starter. HARPSHOOTER RIDS CHURCH OF : ~. -COOING PIGEONS Pigeons that had been disturbing the Sunday rning congregations of the First Methodist iscopal Church in Yonkers, N. Y., by nesting the belfry and cooing were stilled by Finlay chard, a marksman of that city. With the permission of Safety Commissioner Blanchard took a position on the sidewalk osite the church and with a .32 calibre rifle forty minutes picked off thirty-five of the birds, the same dispersing the others. A crowd ered his marksmanship. Blanchard, who once was president of the ‘onkers Rod and Gun Club, rid the church of a imilar nuisance a year ago when he shot seven- -five pigeons. _ CAN YOU GUESS THESE BIRDS? 4 « > cory outdoor time?—A meadow lark. t hunters sometimes do?—Killdeer. sed in decorations?—Bunting. color Quakers like?—Dove. unsteady light?—Flicker. aterial for summer trousers?—Duck. stupid fellow?—Booby. . boy’s name?—Bob-white. Vhat friends do?—Chat. 2 bird never seen in the summer?—Snowflake. at farmers need in the summer?—Thrasher. that a dog does when he is happy?—Wagtail. 4 color tool?—Yellowhammer. A baseball player?—Flycatcher. A little monarch?—Kinglet. : he — that likes to punish Wiiliam?—Whip- he champion angler?—Kingfisher. * THE RHINOCEROS’ HORNS cording to Dr. Herbert-Lang, who studied great white rhinoceros in the valley of the this animal has several very remarkable jiarities. lower lip is cag ge a plate a horn protection agains e sharp sword-grass, a orhaine a part of its food. thing is that the great horns it carries on its nose—the front one of about twice as Jong as the rear one—io from the bone, but from the skin. This y under the base of the horn. tached to 2k F aa ‘FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY : . BRIEF BUT POINTED skin by slender Sires, : and two days after the animal is dead they can be plucked off with ease. Therefore these huge horns are not weapons of offense and defense, bur merely tools which the big animal uses for push- ing its way through the dense jungle. Doctor Lang says the white rhinoteros is a sociable and inoffensive beast. It never attacks man and never quarrels with its own kind. It has the habit of taking a daily mud bath. It is esti- mated that only about 3,000 white rhinoceros re- main, the others having been slaughtered as were the American buffaloes. LD MONEY WANTED———— $ $2 to = EACH d for hundreds of old Cag eep ALL Old or odd money, it may Posted. We pay CASH. CLARKE COIN CO., Ave 18, LeRoy, N. Y. LOOK, BOYS! TRAPEZEE The Acrobatic Wonder Toy ALMOST HUMAN IN ITS ACTIONS! | _ It consists of a handsome parallel iron frame on which the littie yellow oe accurately performs like an ath-- ete. Five Different Stunts — THE FLYING TRAPEZE — Release the trigger-pin and the figure swings for- ward, gripping the brass trapeze-bar, turns a somersault in the air and catches \ a cross-bar by his heels. THROUGH THe LOOPY —A swift swing and he goes through a wire loop, makes a turn and, catching by his heels, swings H head downward from a bar. THE GIANT SWING—He goes forward with a rush, releases the trapeze, catches " a horizontai-bar with his heels, makes two swift somersaults in the air and catches by his heels again. = He performs two more horizontal-bar acts.with the grace and agility of a cir- cus star, and many new ones ean be in- vented. The Most Wenderful Toy in the World! PRICE $1.00 _The coilapsible stand and the little mani- kin are neatly packed in a handsome box. Delivered anywhere in the United States on jf receipt of price. Address ‘ WOLFF NOVELTY CO. ‘3 166 W. 23d St. New York City, N. Y. ba ‘ Bas «4 * oe : a I a on. ere
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; IMPREGNABLE BANK : 2 A series of bank robberies in Southern Illinois 2 stirred the officials of the bank at Millstadt to = acticn, and it was decided to keep the bank’s ~ doors locked at all times—even during” business hours. Customers are required to rap for ad- -- . mission. After the cashier satisfies himself as to _ the identity of a patron, he is permitted to en- = ter, a string releasing a latch which is pulled iS; from: the teller’s cage. _ FIRST STONE BUILDINGS DISCOVERED - IN EGY = PT Se Two royal tomb chapels of the Third Dynasty, believed to be the earliest stone buildings known to the world, are reported to have been discovered near the famous pyramids of Sakkara, about fif- ___ teen miles south of Cario. = The chapels are thought to have been the burial places of princesses or queens of the Third Dy- nasty. The facades of the chapels are decorated = with fluted columns with leaf-form capitals. The side walls have the earliest known from of papyrus capital and column. Zz RABBITS MENACING U. S. LIGHTHOUSE Rez Because rabbits are undermining Government z buildings and the lighthouse on Smith Island at _ the eastern entrance to the Strait of Juan de . Fuca the biological survey has a force of men _« engaged in warfare to destroy the pests. Bio- logical Assistant Leo K. Couch, in charge of F rodent’ control, is experimenting with calcium cyanide duse for the first time on rabbits. = The island contains fifty-six acres, is owned by the Government and occupied by a lighthouse _. and a radio compass station. ‘ The rabbits have multiplied from original stock taken there twenty-five years ago by a former light tender who raised them for the Seattle mar- __ ket as a means of increasing his meagre income. They are eating every green thing on the island and are about ready to take any kind of bait. Much of the island is heavy sea oe Ag x — _. which the rodents can burrow easily. near the Government buildings by the greenery from the keeper’s garden hose irrigation the rab- _ bits have. burrowed beneath the house and even a _ the cement light tower. There are so many holes by about these structures they threaten to topple in the next heavy wind storm. The rabbits are ~ to be destroyed and the property repaired before _ winter sets in. OUR ACTIVE VOLCANO “The only active volcano in the continental _ limits of the United States is Mount Lassen, -in California. ~ Mount Lassen has tossed boulders weighing a ton three miles; and stones the size of a man’s head ten miles, yet~only once has sent forth 1eated matter. voleano does not grow ho.ter than ied heat: use the oxygen which produces this m wacer in Solution in the rocks FAME AND FORTUNE That is because the interior of . S WEEKLY — 3 HERE AND THERE | ee - . See ys themselves, instead’ of -from water percolating — from without the mountain, the supply hence be- ing less abundant. Doctor Day, of Carnegie Institute, tells us of recent borings in Northern California, which re- ~ sulted in finding ‘a temperature above boiling point of water only 3 feet below the surface. These borings could not be carried deeper than 375 feet because below that point it no longer was possible to cool the tools with water. From : two such borings, he said, the equivalent of 1,100 kilowatts of energy could be obtained. eee - Doctor Day suggested that there is excellent opportunity to derive power on a commercial scale from borings in such a region, thus set- ye ting the internal heat of the earth to helping do ~, the work of the world. ROMAN MINT CACHE REVEALED A young archeologist of Somerset, Mr. God- win, of Portishead, has just discovered almost 4,000 Roman coins buried in a field at Clapton-in- Semen and he is adding to this number every ay. , a Clapton-in-Gordano is three or four miles from aa Bristol, England, and is a beautiful little-village lying under the range of hills which stretch <= from the Avon Gorge to Cleveden. The field where this important find has been made is on a slope and given over to agriculture. = = Coins were first found there by a plowmen _ two years ago, but the number discovered then . only amounted to some two dozen. About ‘two weeks ago Mr. Godwin heard that some more __ edins had been unearthed and he went to the spot and, in a heavy rain, began “picking them up.” Night fell, and still the young enthusiast was finding coins; though he could no longer see we Se them, he knew what they were by their feel. The next day he returned to the ce armed with — fork, a soil sifter. and a small tin box for the coins, With every bit of soil turned over more coins came to light, stuck together by fifties and hundreds, varying in size from a halfpenny to a farthing, and apparently made of some low- grade bronze, Eventually it was discovered that __ the coins must have been originally placed in a ~ skin bag (fragments of which were found) and then put into a large black unglazed urn, por- tions of which were also turned up. It seems that recent plowing had shattered the urn and partially torn the skin bag, thus dispersing some 3 of the coins about the field. = The authorities at the British Museum in Lon- don have examined a number of the coins and it is believed that they are all of the third cen- tury A. D., though not all of th: same empire. © Careful cleaning has made clear the images and — inseriptions of Aurelian, Claudius, Tacitus, Pro- bus and others and an amazing variety of alle- gorical figures, such as Fortune and Victory, and symbols representing altars, charioteers, eagles and centaurs, to name but a few.’ It is thought that the number being found may reach the te of 4,000, an immense hoard of coins to be covered in one place. : ets +
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it Ahi cs D WILSON, there, is one of the most ambitious men in the plant. I notice that he never fools away his ‘ spare time. He studies his International ' Correspondence Schools course every -. ehance he gets. “It’s been the making of him, too. . He hasn’t been here nearly so long as Tom Downey, who was laid off yesterday, but he knows ten times as much about this business. ~ _ . “I’m going to give him Tom's job, with a raise in salary. He’s the kind of _ man we want around here.” = -JOW do you stand in your shop or a ‘1 office? Are you an Ed Wilson or a _ Tom Downey? Are you going up? Or = down? : No matter where you live, the Inter- _ Mmational Correspondence Schools will come to you. No matter what your _ handicaps or how small your means, we have a plan to meet your circumstances. No matter how limited your previous _ education, the simply-written, wonder- 2 > . f I, ~ - “There’s one man we're going to keep” fully-illustrated I. C. S. textbooks make it easy to learn. This is all we ask: Without cost, without obligating yourself in any way, put it up to us to prove how‘we can help you. Just mark and mail this coupon for full particulars. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS Box 4495-C, Scranton, Penna. Without cost or obligation, please tell me how I me noe for the position or in the subject before which I have marked an X: BUSINESS TRAINING COURSES Business Management )Salesmanship Industrial Management Advertising Personnel Better Letters - Traffic Management Show Card Lettering Business Law Stenography and Typing Banking and Banking Law Accountancy (Including C._P.A.) Nicholson Cost Accounting Bookkeeping Civil Service Railway Mall Clerk Common School Subjects Private Secretary High School Subjects Spanish O) French Illustrating ‘\() Cartooning TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL COURSES Electrical Engineering Architect Electric Lighting Architects’ Blue Prints Mechanical Engineer Contractor and Builder Mechanical Draftsman } Architectural Draftsman Machine Shop Practice Concrete Builder Railroad Positions Structural Engineer Gas Engine Operating Chemistry [) Pharmacy Automobile Work Airplane Engines Navigation Civil Engineer Surveying and Mapping Metallurgy Steam Engineering Agriculture and Poultry Radio Mathematics Street Address ‘ Nic stiae cade aise ee OO EAS AIR EP LT ty threat aes Persons reviding in Coneda should send this coupon the Int bd siondl Correspondence Schools Conedian. Limited, Montreal, x. as . “ : - <¥ =. bat rk - ~ ot $e Es ee ee ST Pe et fe eee, ete
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“FREE Tai: BIG 3 FT. TELESCOPE . , as if pecpre end chieeis-saies tera on land or sea, as eehes be Wonder T See 33 TRICKS 10c Be a Man of Mys- tells how. Sent with large catalog of Magic Tricks, Jokes, Puzzles and Imported .Novelties, for only lc. Send today. LYLE DOUGLAS Sta. A-5, Dallas, Texas “A, Get Rid ~ FAT of Your Free Trial Treatment Sent on request. Ask for my “pay-when-reduced” offer. I havc successfully reduced thousands of persons, often at the rate of a pound a day, without dict or exercise. Let me send you proof at my ex- : pense. : DR. R. NEWMAN, Licensed Physician State of New York, 286 Fifth Avenue New York, Desk W FREE! pails sent prepaid for pr selling "ONLY SIX PACKETS new H Per« Sachet Powder AT 10c. ni 4 Khon a Special Offer to introduce y. » Weaalso give Mama Dols, Walking 3 Dolls, and premiums for 7 UNION earner co., : Dept. 49 Pawtucket, R.I. p? FRE Genuine a Leather Regulation size,Genuine Sea! Leath- Sentes Biadder Free for selling 24 Packets Perfumed Sachet 10¢ each.Easy to sell. Write toda¥. Be Money. Get your Football with- -s out cost. / ONES MFG. CO. Dept.671. ATTLEBORO, MASS. = Boys and Girls . EARN XMAS MONEY Write for 50 Sets it. Nicholas Christmas Seals. Sell for 10c a set. When sold send - us $3.00 and keep $2.00. No Work—Just Fun. ST. NICHOLAS : 2814 Glenwood Rd. Dept. 148 Brooklyn, N. Y¥. — ya id Pilled ence Rise = FREE send only name escope On arrival deposit with Sr FERRY & CO., 630 W. Jackson Bivd., Dept. 9467 Chicago, liL Tasca — on maker wecan ive you a bi i% fertain your friends, Send no tertain your and address t in your for tel ipareal post, or money ref} tery. Amaze and | mystify your friends. Easy ‘to learn. New copy- righted book. “33 Card Myst eries” Protect yourself against hold-up, rowdies, a“ with this clever ci; of —_ weigh' — ly like = he trigger, b cowtan your ae metal ot Get Behind a Hohner for Happiness! There’s nothing like good music for happiness; and there’s nothing like a Hohner for good music. Any boy or girt can learn to play real music quickly with the aid of the Free Hohner Instruc- tion Book, procurable at allgood dealers. And all good dealers sell Hohner’s Harmonicas— The World’s Best “That Musical Pal of Mine” is a favorite expression among Hobner en- thusiasts everywhere. Hohner enthusi- asm is sweeping the country. Why don’t you get in line for popularity and enjoyment? Go to your dealer today, geta Hohner Harmonica—50¢ up—and ask for the Free Instruction Book. If your dealer is out of copies, write M. Hohner, Inc., Dept. 156, New York City. © > OHNER ARMONICAS EGYFT’S .CURSE ON HIM, SCIENT- IST ENDS LIFE Has the curse of ancient Egypt been called down again on alien disturbers of her buried treasures? This is once more the talk of London since the suicide of H. G. Evelyn - White, Egyptologist of Leeds University. A farewell letter at his inquest said: “I knew there was 4 curse on me, though I had leave to take those manu- scripts to Cairo The monks told me the curse would work all the same. Now it has done so.” He shot him- self in a cab a few days dgo while responding toa summons to an inquest on Miss Mary Helen Nind, a_ schoul teacher who. poi- soned herself on account of unre- quited love for him. White spent many -years in Egypt conducting excavations. Dur- ing 1920 and 1921, working in Coptic monas- teries in the Wadi - Natroun Valley, about seventy miles from Cario, he discovered a_ se- cret room about ten feet square. There he found a number of Coptic and Arabic man- uscripts. After translat- ing them there in the heat and dust and tormented by insects, he finally obtained permis- sion to take the most important manuscripts to the Coptic Muse- um at Cario.
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: Y Which Job %¢(? — Methariical “é3 oS IC 0 2 t Expert -®& 3 y 9 E : So Wises week ~ ; Do ou Want @ é oa A How would you like to be an Automo- F » ON oh tn é eats A a “i C4 ee Ng raihy nih 5 (Ake med ne ot wey ae: Be he ee ee ey Bie FREE . Auto Library A big 5-volume AutoRefer- ence Library is FREE to you, 2200 pages, 2300 pic- tures, charts, photos, etc. Finest Auto Libcary in the world. Covers every su ject. Most valuable refer- ence books. Alone worth the cost of the course—but ALL FREE! FREE Tools and Instruments Complete equipment for re- pair work—special ratchet wrenches, socket wrench set, extensions, adapters universal joint, a valu- able “Sonoscope” for de- tecting engine irregulari-* ties, a volt-ammeter and a Willard Hydrometer for battery work, and a set of bi grade feeler gauges. This FREE outfit would cost you $22 at retail. FREE _ Employment Service ae Pr I 35 Electrical Expert “Ugo 715 to 71S aweek S &S tive Engineer, a Garage Owner, a Serv- mice Station Manager, an Automobile Salesman, or an Expert in some other branch of this wonderful business? Be the Boss with Big Pay— Learn at Home ; There’s BIG MONEY in it—there’s all kinds of opportunity. You can get a | job anywhere — any time—after you : know the business. HB Practica: Instruction—Easy to Learn I canteach you—can send you right to the top where the BIG PAY is found. I have had practical experi- ence for 24 years right in the biggest automobile fac- tories of England and America. My Course is pur- Posely made simple—so anyone can understand and apply it—yet it is thorough and practical in every way. It is the best and oldest home study Auto Course in the world. Learn, right at home, ail there is to know about an auto. I Give You Guaranteed Training “You risk nothing—I guarantee your suc- cess and satisfaction, orreturn any money pee pay me. But I know I can make you a UCCESS. My graduates — all over the country—are getting the big jobs and the big pa’ that goes with them. Why shouldn’t our ‘Age or lack of education is no draws ick—ail you need is ambition to learn. You Earn While You Learn I'll be your daily partner — teach you every- thing I know—until you reach the point where you can shift for yourself and pick the plums of success. And you can start earning money almost at cuice-~doing 1008 f pr in your neighborhood with the FREE TOOLS I furnish you. Here is Your Chance— Get Started Now Don’t delay a minute—time is valuable—and ac- Salesman . "7s fo 200 2 week ao, 7 llaa™ g Trouble Shooter. I giveyou FREE a life-long _ tions speak louder than good intentions, Write for help in aiding youto geta full particulars and Big Free Book —“The Easy job. Use it before or after Way to Bigger Pay.” It’s a wonderful volume of - you graduate—any time information, and a mine of inspiration. Take its * youwish—and aslongas advice—and in less than a year you'll be a big you wish. Through close - money-winner in this fascinating auto field. Mail ¥ touch with Manufacturers and Garages we seldom fail to successfully place all students who come to Send me your free book and other information on how I can Tom Plumridge, Chief Engineer Coupon = Ad best get into the Big Pay Field. Automotive Division, American School Dept. A-684, 58th St. & Drexel Ave., Chicago. If, us for employment. Oldest and Best Home Study Aute School ia the Woz?) a Heres the Way to Get I xa Address .. City ow ? This request is to put me under no e ob.igation. Name
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166 West 23d Street FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY —— LATEST IssvUES — 04 A mare Winner; or, TH Boy Who Went Out With a Mreus. } For sale by all newsdenlers, or will be sent to any ad- dress on receipt of price, Te. per copy, In money or pos- tage «stamps. THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS PRICE 8&8 CENTS 955 Golden Fleece; or, The Boy Brokers of Wall Street. 956 A Mad Cap Scheme; or,,'The Boy Treasure Hunters of Cocos Island. 957 Adrift On the World; or, Working His Way to For- tune. 958 “‘Pinying to Win; or, The Foxiest Boy in Wall Street 959 Tatters; or. a Boy From the Siums. 960 A Ear | Monte Cristo; or, The Richest Boy in the ‘orld. . 961 Won by Piuck; or, The Boys Who Ran a Railroad. 962 “ Beating the Brokers; or, The Boy Who Conldn’t Be Done. 963 A Rolling Stone; or, The Brightes: Boy on Record. O64 —— Say Die; or, The Young Surveyor of Happy alley. ’ 965 Boss of the Market; or, The Greatest Boy in Wall Street The Chance of His Life; or, The Young Pilot of Crytal Lake. 067 = for Fortune; or, From Bell-Boy to Million- atre. Out for Business; or, The Smartest Boy in Town. A Favorite of Fortune; or, Striking It Rich in Wall ‘970 Throngh Thick and Thin; or, The Adventures of a Smart ng € 971 Doing His el Best; or, Working His Way Be. ae on Deck; or, The Boy ho ade Is ark. 973 + et of Money; or, The Young Wal) Street roker. 974 The Ladder of Fame; or, From Office Boy to Senator. On the Square; or, The Specess of an Honest Boy. 976 After a Fortune; or, The Pluckiest Boy in the West. 917 pein the dollars; or ,The Young Wonder of ‘all, Street, ~ == ae Mark; or, The Boy Who Became nt. Heir to a Million; or, The Boy Who Was Born Lucky. i in the Andes; or, The Treasures of the Buried ity. : 981 On His Mettle: or, A_Plucky Boy in Wall Street. 982 A Lucky Chance; or, Taking Fortune on the Wing. 983 The Road to Success; or, The Career of a For- tunate Boy. 981 Chesing Pointers; or, The Lucklest Boy in Wall Street. 985 Rising in the World; or, Manacer. 986 From Dark to Dawn; or, A Poor Boy's Chance. Out for Himself: or, Paving His Way to Fortune. Diamond Cut Diamond; or, The Boy Brokers of Wall Street. 989 A Start in Life; or, A Bright Boy’s Ambition. ont for a Million; or, The Young Midas of Wall z Street. : 4 991 Everv Inch a Boy: or. Doing His Level Rest. From Factory Boy to 992 —- to Burn; or, The Shrewdest Boy in Wall reat. 993 An Eye to Business; or, The Boy Who Was Not Asleep. - : _ 994 Tipped by the Ticker; or, An Ambitious Boy in Wall Street. On to Success: or, The Boy Who Got Ahead. HARRY K. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc., New York City Price 35 Cents Per Copy This book contains all the most recent changes in the method of constrution and submission of seenarios. Sixty Lessons, covering every phase of scenario writing. For sale by all Newsdealers and kstores. If you cannot procure a copy, send us the price, 35 cents, in money or postage stamps, and we will mail you one, postage free. Address, L. Senarens, 210 Seventh Ave., New York, N. Y. F OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive, and Amusing. They contain Valuable Information on Almost i Every Subject. No. U7. HOW TO DRESS.—Containing full instrue- tion in the art of dressing and appearing well at home and abroad. giving the setections of colors, material, and how to have them made up. No. 14. HOW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL.—One of the brightest and most valuable little books ever given te the world. Everybody wishes to know how to me beautiful, both male and female. The secret is simple, and almost costless. No. 20. HOW TO ENTERTAIN AN EVENING PARTY.—A complete compendimu of games, sports, card diversions, comic recitations, etc., suitable for par- lor or drawing-room entertainment. It coutains more for the money than any book published. No. 22. HOW TO DO SECOND SIGHT.—RHeller’s sec- ond sight explained by his former assistant, Fred Hunt. Jr. Explaining how the secret dialogues were carried on between the magician and the boy on the stage; also giving alt the codes and signals. No. 23. HOW TO EXPLAIN DREAMS.—This little book gives the explanation to ali kinds of dreams, to- gether with lucky and unlucky days. No. 28. HOW TO TELL FORTUNES.—Every one is desirous of knowing What his future life will bring forth, whether happiness or misery, wealth or poverty. You ean tell by a glance at this little book. Buy one and eonvinced. : $ No. 29. HOW TO BECOME AN INV NTOR.—Svery boy should know how inventions originated. This explains them all, giving examples in electricity, hy- draulics, magnetism, optics, pneumatics. mechanics, ete. Né. 30. HOW TO COOK.—One of the most instructive books on cooking ever published. It contains reci for cooking meats, fish. me, and oysters; also pies, puddings, cakes and all kinds of pastry, and a grand collection of recipes. = No. 37. HOW TO KEEP HOUSE. It contains informa- tion for everybody, boys, girls, men and womeng it will teach you how to make almost everything ar@und the house, such As parlor ornaments, brackets, cements, — Aeolian harps, and bird lime for catching birds. No. 38. HOW TO BECOME YOUR OWN DOCTOR.— A wonderful book, containing useful and practical in- formation in the treatment of ordinary diseases and ail- ments common to every family. Abounding in useful — and effective recipes for general complaints. } No, 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS.—Inciud- ing hints on how to.catch moles, weasels, otter, rata, squirrels and birds. illustrated. No. 41. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN'S JOKE BOOK.—Containing a great variety of the latest jokes used by the most famous end men, No amateur minstrel is. complete without this wonderful little hook. No. 42. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK STUMP SPEAKER.—Containing a varied assortment of stump speeches, Negro, Dutch and Irish. Also end mens zoeken. Just the thing for home amusement and amatones shows, - No. 45. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK MINSTREL GUIDE AND JOKE BOOK.—Something new and instructive. Every contains full instructions for organizing amateur min- strel troupes. No. 52. HOW TO PLAY CARDS.—Giving the rules and full directions for playing Enchre. Cribbage, 8 Forty-Five, Rounce, Pedro Sancho, Draw Poker, Auc- sin Pitch, All Fours, and many other popular games,of eards, 4 No. 53. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS.—A wonderful little book, telling you how to write to your rt, your father, mother, sister,. brother, employer: i fact, everybody and anybody you wish to write to. No. 4. HOW TO KEEP AND MANAGE PETS.— Giving complete information as to the manner and method of raising, keeping, taming, breeding, and man nging all kinds of pets: also giving full instructions for making cages, ete Fully explained by twenty-eight illustrations. z For sale by all newsdealers, or will ne sent to any address on receipt of price, 10c. per copy, ~~ in money or stamps, by < “ HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. - 166 West 23d Street v ny ra HSM Ce et Ee OT Ee ak bea vd Bid ay A * oT Also Wow to cure skins. Copiously, — boy should obtain this book, as it