Show NORFLEET The e Own lf e L SUCA J CHAPTER Lit LII Davis insisted that we share the same room that night I knew he be would We Texans must stick t together gether And he gave me nie a pla playful ful slap on oct the back And he stuck tighter stuck tighter than a leech He needn't have wor wor- ried ned I 1 was just as determined to stick k to him l I wanted to take his little exchange apart and see see what made maae it tick The biddIng opened just before noon and Davis SILO ana I 1 went to ta the tho exchange together Miller had al already already already al- al ready arrived ana ace he no assured us that hat he was ell all 11 set for a big dayVe day We Ve all sat down around the table n in n the first com ooin and Davis and Miller went through the papers Stock to k market pages ages commenting occasionally occasionally oc oc- oc- oc caslon lly on certain stocks I sat satto satto satto to one side and With a aVery aver avery very ver- short stub of pf a pencil I 1 marked my mv my cattle brand IXL on bidding slips lIps and other papers on the table I 1 L thought the mark might come in lt handy landy some day if I should want t to Identify some of the papers which would soon be used in the ex exchanges exchange's ex- ex changes change's transactions transaction's Zachary breezed In with a howdy and a smile for H had rad a morning paper in his handI hand I 1 see sec gentlemen that call money money money mon- mon ey i is quoted at 3 per cent to toda today to- to da day i iI I knew his remark was meant for forme me so I 1 asked ed at once What Is the o of this tilis here herec c call ll mon money y bein three three per pel cent to today today today to- to day 9 Zachary explained patiently Ill tell you ou exactly how it It itis is by giving you ou U a little illustration you earned three thousand dollars on the ex exchange exchange ex- ex change yesterday With call money at three per percent cent cent you ou could put up that hat three thousand and anti bo borrow row a hundred thousand f for u use usein in tracts ran actions on this thi s exchange LoL br thirty da days s Do you see see Do you mean meau I 1 could have a a. credit of one cne hundred thousand dollars rIol dol lars to use usa in buln stock on this exchange like I done yesterday 1 I poka oke as if f I could hardly believe belie what he told me exactly what T I Zachary replied G giving ving- ving me a 3 kindly smile that hundred thousand thousand thousand thou thou- Well VeIl g give ge e me sand dollars' dollars worth of credit I ex ox- claimed Im lm goin to start It now Im I'm whim to take talce a chance and I 1 dug into my trousers pocket for tor the cash Zachary filled out a slip sUp which en entitled entitled entitled en- en titled me to a credit in the amount of Miller had mentioned National Lead very fa y and andI I 1 b bought a good chunk of it It was wasa a lucky choice apparently for I 1 had no sooner completed the transaction than I Iwas was called to a ticker and shown that National Load Lead was takIng taking taking tak tak- ing an upward bound My how easy it was to pile up the long green green on on on that exchange A At t the close of each period Zachary Zachary Zachary Zach Zach- ary would bring me ma bundles of cash which represented my profits in inthe inthe inthe the purchases and sales I had been making so rapidly with Millers Miller's help Twenty Twenty five twenty five thirty thirty- five thousand dollars all tidied up in In nice bundles with spanking new bands around them It was right exhilarating to feel that much cold cash again after wondering for so many months If I would ever er see over ovel my mv debts Davis DaYis and Miller elso kept excitedly excitedly edly busy with their own transactions transactions Lions as earnestly as if they were actually making thousands They were working for thousands and hoping like the dickens they would get them them from from Inc me The They co could ld af afford afford afford af- af ford to seem enthusiastic Ever Every time Zachary delivered a fresh stack of currency Davis would let out a a. w war r whoop I got over my mv nervousness ner since it was vas so plain that I 1 was vas being accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac at face value as the fool I looked That even evening inS inS' when wh-en the exchange was ready to close we checked up I 1 had three hundred thousand dollars dollars dollars dol dol- lars and when I 1 say 1 I had It it I 1 mean that it was stacked up UI there before me in col COI cold coin of the realm I 1 repaid the hundred thousand and began to stack up my two hundred thousand to leave the place I was hoping they would let me get it to tomy tomy my lilY hotel before they sprung the gag about the confirmation mone money Id I'd give gl them a a. run un for their money then One of the rules of our exchange Mr 11 Mulligan Zachary spoke up and I 1 was sure sure he was going g to mention confirmation money is that if it a customer does not use his credit for more than three days we refund half of his interest mane money You have used your our credit but one day so 80 you are entitled to a refund of fifteen teen hundred dollars And AndIn Im I'm a of gun if n count out fifteen hundred moro more and h hand nd It over He was sure sweetening sweetening sweetening sweet sweet- ening the pot r I h had lud d the money stacked on m my any left i arm rm like an armful of stove wood It was l piled so high that I had to hold my chin high to hold th the money tight and nd see over I started for the door Now was the psychological mom mo mo- m meat ment nt I could feet feel the tenseness in the atmosphere and that all eyes s were u upon on me mc Telegraph operators and clerks 1001 looked ed up from their worl work work- I r knew what to expect for more than twenty victimized men had told me that it was at this moment moment mo mo- ment that the they had been ask asked d for their membership cards ards I Knew that Davis and Miller would clamor loudly loudl am and long for or my rights and th that Zachary would be politely firm Everyone E else would be ready to Join in the a and start a agen gen general ral melee In iii case the vi victim tim should insist on taking the money with him If necessary a afew few blows would be passed and arid a few guns guns guns' drawn and the victim would drop the lie mon money y and flee Ins Ills friends would co gO with him and declare that they w would uld stick with him hint until the exchange could be made mide to pay off orr Then they would proceed with the game I st started ted for the door with m my fortune fortuna Just a minute Mr Mulligan Zachary called after me but I walked on as if I had not heard him Mr Mulligan MR MULLIGAN He wa was considerably excited I turned toward him Mr 11 Mulligan I Id I'd like to see your membership card if you jou OU please My Iy membership card I 1 re re- re Yes Are you ou a member of this I exchange I Why no Im I'm not a member ber 1 I backed cd toward the door I have no card Zachary scowled and two of the others edged toward to the door to cut cutoff cutoff cutoff off my escape I thought you were a member of this exchange He pretended to be greatly excited excite Miller walked toward him and spoke soothingly Why Zachary I told you OU these gentlemen were ft friends lends of or mine mine and that 1 would wouW vouch for fOl them Im I'm a member Isn't that sufficient Mv M I God no no Zachary stepped toward me I r understood you to say they belonged here Mulligan 1 I cant can't let you have all that money Cant let me have It I 1 ed cd Why Ive I've done got ot it Cant have It By God he can have it it Miller shouted angrily He made It In strict accordance with the rules of this exchange and hes he's entitled to keep It it Furthermore Furthermore Furthermore Further Further- more Im I'm going g to see that he does keep it lL Zachary began to bleat and plead with te tears rs In his eyes then he fell to his knees and Implored us to consider consider con con- sider aider his predicament He had committed committed com corn a grievous ous error and would be sure to lose his job if we persisted persisted per per- In leaving lea without straightening straighten straighten- ing up the transaction Please Mr 11 he begged Wait until I call up my iy chief to see what he lie has to say about it it I have violated the most important rule of the exchange Go on I 1 said not moving mo an inch Call him He went over to a a. telephone and called a number He waited a bit and I 1 sidled sidle over toward him to see if I could make sure was tall talking to some Bome one They had referred several times t tu j the main office They had also frequently spoken of this office as No 4 4 I had no dou dout t that they were operating several other exchanges of of their sort sort sort-in in inthe the city In fact tact later raids proved I 1 was right I 1 listened closely to the number Zachary called and made madea a mental note of it it Then he talked for a moment and I heard a voice from the receiver although I stood at least five Ive or six feet away The boss must have ha had a a. wide ide vocal broadcasting range for his words carried to me clearl clearly Is Mulligan a reasonable man He seems to be re re- re plied I 1 have hae paid him bins the cash and he has it in ails nis possession What will I 1 do about It it He Isn't a member They talked on and I could not make out the other fellows fellow's fellows fellow's tellow's fel tel lows low's part of the conversation Then Zachary placed the receiver on oxa the hook and turned to me Mr 1 Mulligan my manager says to tell you that under the circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances he Is willing to be very lenient with you ou nice of him I replied He said that since it was our own that you ou were permitted to operate on this exchange we should offer to gi e you thirty dasto days das to confirm your our bids You may leave leve your oUr money here in the vaults and it will be subject to your call at an any time during the next thirty days das when you OU have deposited one onehundred onehundred onehundred hundred thousand dollars in in inan an any Denver bank banle to prove that you OU could have covered your jour our margins if It the markets had gone against you We extended you jou ou worth of credit cred cred- it assuming that your financial standing was assured and that you ou belonged to the exchange You must prove that jou ou are a man of cent means mens to justify the extension of that credit A very l pretty retty speech It would hav have ha e sounded fairly logical too to the kind of rube lube I I 1 was before the they first gigged me I 1 hemmed and I hawed a bit then relented and agreed to accept his terms All right Mr 11 Zachar Zachary You j lest jest st make me out a receipt for this money and give me a complete statement of my dealin here an Ill I'll leave m my money here till I 1 can ar arrange arrange ar- ar range to fix up my credit with you j ou I had been tempted ted t to draw my gun and fight ht my mv way out with all that money but that would have defeated mv my Vint I to bust hust up t the 19 rIng ling so I 1 decided Id I'd try y to get hold of the mone money later They helped me unload the stack stacIe of greenbacks greenback from flom my arm and Zachary y fixed up UI a due bill a receipt and a statement of my account It was quite a letdown to have to pocket those worthless papers after having so much mone money on my arm Oh well vell I 1 thought what's a quarter million or so between be be- be tween gentlemen Continued Tomorrow v |