Show FED MY anth J A novel by THOMAS W LAWSON author of frenzied finance copyright 1997 Double Jar page pace C co continued from last week at last from sheer exhaustion there came a ten minutes lull which was used in comparing trades at the beginning of the respite sugar was selling at for in that quarter hour of madness it had broken from to but when the ten minutes had elapsed the stock had worked back to barry conant had again taken the center of the crowd after hastily scanning the brief notes handed him by messenger boys and giving orders to his lieutenants ile he h had ad evidently received cements in the form of renewed orders froni from his principals many of the faces that fringed the inner circle of that crowd were frightful to look upon some white as though just lifted from hospital pillows others red to the verge of apoplexy all strained as though awalt awaiting the coming coaling of the jury with a life or death verdict they all knew that bob had bad sold more than a hundred thousand shares of sugar upon which the profits must bs be nore more than would he resume selling or was he through was it short stock which must be bought back or long stock and if ions iong whose stock were the insiders selling out on one another or were they all selling together and under cover of 0 barry con ants movements were Came meyer and standard oll oil emptying their bag preparatory to the slaughter of the washington contingent all these questions were rushing through the heads of that crowd of brokers like steam through a boiler now hot now cold but always at high pressure for upon the correctness of the answer depended the fortune of many who breathlessly awaited the renewal or the suspension of the contest even barry Co nants usually impassive face wore a tinge of anxiety indeed bob was the only one in the center of that throng that showed no sign of what was going on behind it the fhe same cynical smile that had been there since the opening still played around the corners of his mouth as he squared himself in holit front of his opponent all knew now that he was not through barry conant bad evidently decided to force the be n 0 ia o 04 W 2 1 I 1 A IN r M UP I 1 ll 11 r 1 X A 7 bob brownley hung close to the sugar pole all day fighting although more cautiously than before 67 for a thousand one of his lieutenants bid 67 for another 67 tor for SOO and as bob had not yet shown his intention of meet ing their bids 67 tor for different amounts was beard all over the house bob might have been tossing a metal coln coin to decide the advisability of buying back what he had sold he might have been adding up the bids a as ill they 7 were e re made ile he said nothing tor for a fraction zat an fn of a minute which to those tortu tortured men must have seemed like an age then with a wave of ills his hand as though delivering a benediction hs he wept the circle witha with a cold sold the he lots in fit all sixty seven for a thousand ag agaid aati aiti borry Co Conant nants 3 bid sold 67 for SM sold 66 for a thousand sold the drop from to 1000 and a dollar a share in fit barry Co Conant nants 3 bids was the mortally wounded but still game generals sound ill the e R retreat C deb bob heard it any part of at 65 gi 61 62 GO 60 the din was now as fierce as before the entire crowd all but barry conant and ills his lieutenants seemed to have concluded that bobs renewal of attack meant that he was the winning side and those who had been hanging on to their stock hoping against hope and those these who were choit and had been undecided whether to cover or to hold en an and sell more for greater profits vied with one another in a frantic et ef farl to sell all could now feel the coming panic all could see that it was a bad one as the least informed on the floor knew that there was a tremendous amount of sugar stock in the hands of washington novices at speculation and of others who had bought it at high prices sugar was now dropping two three five dollars it a share between trades and the panic was spreading to the other poles as it Is always the case for when there are sudden large losses in one stock the losers must throw over the other stocks they hold to meet their loss I 1 and thus the whole structure tumbles like a house of cards sugar had just crossed when the loud bang of the presidents gavel re sounded through the room instantly there was a silence as of death all k knew n ew the meaning of the sound the most ominous ever heard in a stock exchange calling for the temporary suspension of business while the president announces the failure of some member or housu bousu PERKINS BLANCHARD al CO announce that they cannot meet their tasir obligations this statement that one of the oldest houses had bad been swamped in the crash dob bob had started caused further frantic selling and as though every member had baj employed the lull to refill his lungs an a howl arose that pealed and walled to the dome I 1 watched bob closely in fact it was impossible impossibly for me to take my eyes off him he seemed absolutely unmindful of the he agonizing shrieks about him tor for the frenzied brokers were no longer crying their bids or offers but screaming them ile he still continued relentlessly to hammer sugar offering it in thousands and tens teas of thousand lots again and again the gavel fell ical and again and again an announcement ot of failure was followed by bloodcurdling blood curdling howls wh when en sugar struck 80 not ISO but plain SO it seemed that the last day of stock speculation was at hand announcements were being made every few minutes of the failure of this bank the closing of the doors of that trust company where would it end what power could stop this niagara of molten dollars suddenly denly above tha tumult rose bob brownleyd Brown leys voice he must have been standing on his tiptoes tiptoed tip toes his lands were raised aloft ile he seemed to tower a head above tap th mob hij was still s clear and unimpaired by tile the terrible ern ble strain of the past two hours to that mob it niesi must have like the trumpet of the delivering angel SO for any part of sugar instant ly sugar was hurled at him from froin all sides of the crowd ile he was the only buyer of tho the moment who had appeared since sugar broke barry conant and ills his lieutenants had disappeared like snowflakes snow dakes at the opening of the door of the firebox of a locomotive speeding through the storm in a few seconds bob had been sold all the lie he had bid for again his voice rang out SO for the sellers illy halted baited ile he got only a few thousand of his hia 25 83 85 for Afew A few thousand more 80 90 tor for still fewer thousands ills his bidding was beginning to tell on the mob A cry cry ran phrot through it the room 7 into the crowds crowd around the poles brownley has turned and taking renewed courage at the report the bulls rallied their forces and began to bid tor for the different stocks which a moment before it had seemed that no one wanted at any price in a chip of a minute the whole scene changed there was almost as wild a panic on the up side as there had been on the down bob brownley continued buying sugar until he had pushed it above ile he then went abouna tallying up his trades at the end of ten minutes calculation he returned to the center and bought shares more coming out his eye caught mine jim have you been here long iong an eternity I 1 was heio at the I 1 and I 1 pray god never to put me through another two hours like the past two it seems a hideous dream a nightmare nob bob in the name of god what have you been doing lie ho gave me a wild awful look of exultation sublime triumph shone in those blazing brown orba orbs triumph such as I 1 had never seen in the eyes ot of man an jim randolph I 1 have been giving wall walf street and its hell system a dose of its own poison a good full measure dose they planned by harvesting a tresh fresh crop of human hearts and souls soul s on the bull side to give friday the lath a new meaning tradition says friday the is near bear saints SaInt 9 day dav I 1 believe in maintain maintaining in old bradl eions so I 1 have harvested their instead I 1 will tell you about it some time jim but now I 1 must see deulah sands jim randolph ive saved her and her father ive made them a round three millions and a strong strona seven ceven millions for myself ile he almost yelled it as lie ho rushed away lad left me ine dazed stupefied fled A moment and I 1 came to something urged me to foil follow 9 w him CHAPTER R VI As I 1 passed through my office a few minutes later I 1 heard bobs voice in beulah sands office it was raised in passionate eloquence yes beulah I 1 have done it I 1 have crucified Came meyer standard oil and the system that spiked me to the cross a few weeds week s ago you have three millions and I 1 have seven now there Is nothing more but for you to go home to your father and then come back to me back to me deulah Beu lali back to me to be my wife he stopped there was no sound I 1 waited then frightened I 1 stepped to the door of beulah sands office bob was standing just inside the threshold where lie he had halted to give her the gird iad tidings tiding she had risen front from her desk and was vas looking qt at him with an stare he clemed seemed to be transfixed by her look the wild ecstasy of the outburst of love yet in ills his eyes she was just saying as I 1 reached the door dob in mercy s name tell me you got this money fairly honorably bob must have realized for tile the first time what lie ho had done ile he did not speak lie only stared into her eyes she was now at his side bob you are unnerved site she said you have been beba through a terrible ordeal for an hour I 1 have been read ins in in th the e bu bulletins 11 et in s of the banks and trust companies that have tailed failed ot of the banking houses that have been I 1 have been reading that you did it that you have made millions and I 1 knew it was tor for me for father but in the midst of my joy my gratitude my love for oh ch dob bob I 1 love you she interrupted herself passionately siona tely it seems as though I 1 love you beyond the capacity of a human heart to love I 1 think that for the right to bo be yours for one single moment of this life I 1 would smilingly en duie all the pains and miseries of eternal torture yes bob for the right to have you call me yours for only while I 1 heard the words I 1 would do anything bob anything that was liono honorable rabIr she had drawn ills his head down close to her face and her great blue eyes searched his as though they would go to its his very soul she was a child in her simple appeal for him to allow her to see sec his heart to see that there was nothing black there As she gazed her beautiful hands played through his hair as do a mothers through that of the hild child sho she Is soothing in sickness dob bob spec to me duj speak to mo me she begged tell me was wag no dishonor in the getting of those millions tell me no one wag was made to lo suffer as my father and I 1 have suffered T tell 11 me that the suicides and the convicts the daughters dragged to shame and the mothers driven to the madhouse as a result of this panic cannot be charged to anything unfair or dishonorable ora b ae that you have lone done bob boboc ob bob answer answer no or my heart will break or if bob you have made a mistake it if you have done that which in your great desire to aid me and my father seemed justifiable but which you now see was wrong tell it to me bob dear and together we ve will try tri to undo it wo we will try to find a way to atone we will give the millions to the last last penny to those upon whom you have brought misery fathers loss will not matter together we will go to him and tell him what we have done what we have lived through tell him of 0 our mistake and in our agony he will forget his own for such a horror has my father of anything dishonorable that he will embrace his misery as happiness when he knows that his teachings have enabled his daughter to undo this great wrong and then bob we will be married and you and I 1 and father and mother will be together and be oh so happy and we will begin all over again beulah stop in the name of god in the name of dour our love for me dont say another word there is a limit to the capacity of a man to tc suffer suffel even it if he be a great strong brute like myself and ceulah beulah I 1 have re rached that limit the day has been a hard bard one ills voice softened and became as a tired childs 1 I must go into the hustle of the street into the din and sound and get down my nerves and get back my head then I 1 shall be able to think clear and true and I 1 will come back to you and together we will se see e if I 1 have done anything that makes me unfit to touch thach the cheek Lek and the hands and the lips of the best and most lost beautiful woman god ever put uron upon earth Beula hiou know I 1 would riot not deceive you to save my body from the fires of this world and my soul front from the torture of the damned and I 1 promise you ou that if I 1 find that I 1 have done wrong what you call wrong what your father would call wrong I 1 will do what you say to atone ile he took her hand between his hands gently reverently and touching his lips to her glorious golden hair he went away baulah sands turned to me please 1 mr randolph go with him lie he is soul dazed one can never tell what a heart sorely perplexed will prompt its own er to do often in the night when I 1 hilve have got myself into a r fever ev er f from ro in th thinking inkin ot of my fathers situ situation atlo n I 1 have had awful tempt temptations ons T the he agents of the devil seek the wretched when none of those they love are by 1 I have bave often thought somo some of tile the blackest tragedies of the earth might ha have rc been avert averted lid it if there thera had bad boon con a tine friend to stand at tile the wrung ones elbow lat the fatal minute of decision ceol lon and point t to the sun behind bc hand just when the huck black ahead diew unendurable please follow mr brownley than you may be ready should hla his awakening to what he be has done be come unbearable tell him the dread ed morrows are never is terrible act bally as t they y seem beem in anticipation continued next week |