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Show j Tale of Early Telephone Days , How Three Old-Time Boston Merchants Mer-chants Made a Million Over Night on Bell Stock Owing to Dr. Hubbard's Ability. Many stories have been told of fortunes for-tunes made out of the telephone by men who bought stock in the original company when most of the world was doubtful of the practicability of the Invention. Here is a new one, a part of which I saw acted in the early spring of 1877, when I was staying at the United States hotel, in Boston, for a few days. After breakfast, on the second morning of my arrival at the hotel, I went to the men's parlor to look over the morning papers. Presently there entered two elderly men, who seemed to be warm friends. In appearance they were typical of the dignified, cultivated, cul-tivated, quiet-mannered merchant of Boston. Anyone seeing them would have said at once that they were owners own-ers of vessels plying between Boston and China or the West Indies. One of them jingled some coins in a pocket; the other tossed a ring of small tools back and forth in his hands. They took their stand near where I was seated. "I wouldn't give a sixpence for the whole capital stock," I could not help hearing one of them say. "I wouldn't have gone into it if So-and-So had not asked me to do it as a sort of favor to him." "But I hear that Dr. Hubbard has at last worked out a plan for marketing market-ing the stock, and he is a pretty clearheaded clear-headed business man," spoke up the other. Before the first speaker could reply a third man, whose appearance and manner also Indicated the successful merchant engaged in the China trade, came into the parlor, walked with as Papid a step as his dignity would permit per-mit up to the two men, and extended both hands first to one of.em, then to the other. "This is ery surprising," he exclaimed, ex-claimed, radiantly. "It has all happened hap-pened over night. What do you think our stock Is quoted at today?" The pair looked at the newcomer as though they felt that their friend was trying to have a little fun with them. I "No, I'm not joking," the man protested. pro-tested. "It's a fact Dr. Hubbard has worked out his plan. It's going to be a great success. Everybody will be rushing to buy stock. Two hundred and fifty was offered for it this morning, morn-ing, and that's a jump from almost nothing over night." The two dignified listeners actually actu-ally gasped when they heard that announcement. an-nouncement. They said nothing; they were struck speechless, apparently; and as they stood there, staring at their friend In a most undignified manner, man-ner, the latter turned to one of them with: "I had perfect confidence in Dr. Hubbard. I knew he'd do it. Aren't you glad I persuaded you not to drop out?" The next days. In conversation with the famous Tilly Haynes, proprietor of the hotel, I learned the sequel of the little scene I had beheld the morning morn-ing previous in the men's parlor. "I have three permament guests who together made a million overnight over-night this week. They are old-time Boston merchants who, with their families, live with me In the winter and spring. Somebody persuaded them to take stock in the original Bell Telephone Tele-phone company and for a long time they were in the dumps over the investment. in-vestment. Then Dr. Gardiner Hubbard Hub-bard took hold of the company and nut it on it3 feet: night before last the stock went up like a balloon literally lit-erally over night, and two of those three men aren't quite certain yet whether they are dreaming or whether It Is. a real experience for them. I wish I had bought some of the stock six months ago, when people wouldn't look at it at any price," continued Mr. Haynes, regretfully. (Copyright, 1910, by E. J. Edwarda. All Rights Reserved.) |