left Haggerdy and Borneman with their heads together

ure of Gunther, the banker, in conversation with Fontaine and Marcus Stone. Gunther, the simplest of human beings, a genius of common sense, had even at this time assumed a certain legendary equality in Wall Street, due to the possession of the unhuman gift of silence, that had magnified in the popular imagination the traits of tenacity, patience and

of Chinese porcelains in the library. They remained a full twenty minutes, engrossed in the examination of the porcelains and Renaissance bronzes, of which Gunther was a connoisseur, and returned without a mention of matters finan

ore their advice, bullish or bearish, mixing up his orders so adroitly that had the entire list been spread before one man, it would have been impossible to say which was the prin

't they been treating you r

at poker face," sa

what

rew into us-those selling orders. Ord

ou up in the morning, bri

h a nervous, jerky

l evening. Trouble with you, Al, is you don't play poker: gr

this time all right," said Bor

"You have. Want a little bet on it? A thousand

his pocketbook and h

you g

esitated a

mischievous twinkle, "the in

d Borneman. He n

u win. What exactly have

utting up a bluff at running down values to get you fellows to run stocks up

, while Borneman, completely perplexed, stood s

l at once. "Of course you will, but remember I warned

easy as that," said

ught to be like Haggerdy and me-no friends and no enemies. Well, Al, you will have a crack at me, I know. If you've figured it

ng. Haggerdy loitered, o

mething together," he said slowl

y n

ose we work up something worth w

Borne

Haggerdy, with a

her," said Drake, pretending to consid

ser

erdy, I'll tell you one thing. Your information's correct. That federal suit

fect of this disclosure and returned to the supper

way in your head-Joseph R. Skelly. Write it down when you get home. Anything that comes through him, I stand behind. We won't do anything in a rush, but we'll lay a few lines. To-morrow I want you to sell for me-

gh spirits, keeping them in roars of laughter, on the brisk walk home. He had been with Gladys St

ime of day with the policeman at the corner. (Fred was assiduous i

ng, I'll bet. I passed them once tucked in back of a palm and they stop

do

ack to Ali Baba Court, with all the windows black, and only t

bit like sle

office now in the charge of the night watch. "Wonder what's filtering in there? I always feel guilty when I

orking out on the

'm finding out a lot of things I don't know-sort of measles and mumps period. I had no right

on which he had embarked. There was something overpowering in the spectacle of society as he had seen it, something so insolently triumphant and aloof from all plodding standards, so dramatically enticing that he felt no longer compunctions but only fierce

r dissolution by a federal investigation. Something was up- Drake's name was whispered about, along with Haggerdy's and a western group. On the Exchange a hundred rumors came into existence like newly hatched swarms of insec

es of Seaboard Air Line and sell 500 of Pittsburgh & New Orleans. He turned the order over to Forshay, with the caution of secrecy th

e had reported to him the execution of the order. "Nothing

Bojo, telephonin

, why do so. You understand. I've been talking things over with Hauk and Flaspoller. If Drake's going into the market, we don't see why we can't be of use. 'Course, on account of your relations, he probably wouldn't want to do much openly here.

t y

want to

gged his

ark, Mr. Forshay,"

ly about the room, stopping curious

ette to give commissions down here-though why the Lord knows. Suppose I work out a scale of salary-to meet, say, certain eventualities. Let me think that over. Meanwhile here's what we'd be glad to do. You can't be calling up Drake out here where any one can be pricking up his ears. Now it may fit in his plans or not, but there's no harm trying. If he wants to operate throu

" said Bojo

oached Drake on the following ni

firm-for the present, anyhow. Just now I'm holding back a little, Tom, a little early to uncover my game-tell you, though, what you might do; sell five hundred shares a day of Pittsburgh & New Orleans for me, but tell them to break it up 50 here and 50 there. I don't min

losing,"

trying any fliers on your own hook, without coming to me. You had fool's luck o

hare his secret with no one and to watch the course of Pittsburgh and New Orleans for a week before making up his mind. The first flurry had subsided. To the surprise of every one the attack

n the announcement of the first order for Drake, his salary was raised to $125 a week and the affection of the firm sho

ur own hook yet, eh? Sort

panic that must follow inevitable readjustment. Borneman and his crowd sold openly and viciously, raiding all stocks alike, particularly industrials. That day, among other orders, Hauk, Flaspoller and Forshay sold

ost solemn promises of undying secrecy from Fred DeLancy before communicating to them the information that had now become a conviction, that he had placed $50,000 in a pool which Drake was engineering to sell the market short and make a killing of Pittsburgh & New Orleans. He imparted the confidence not simply because it had become an