The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 9, 1903, Page 3

See the Thrilling New Novel “THE ‘GOLDEN FETICH Begins Sunday Call, August 23 t, 1802, by Lothrop Publishing Co. All rights reserved. CHAPTER XXXI ONSOLIDATED Copper at 110. The dey after his talk with Uncle Peter Percival through three different brokers gave orders to buy ten sousand shares. tried to give Relpin an order for five a over the relephone,” he Uncle Peter, “but they’re used to fitty and a hundred thousand ar pikers down in that neighborhood. seemed to think I was joshing him. n I told him I meant it and was to take practically all he could buy he next few weeks or €0 I think he the booth and had to be rs for twenty thousand morc shares ousand share lots during the next weeks sent the stock to 1 Yet 1 in the street seemed to fear the were walting cautiously for te leadings. The plunging of nes made rather a sensation, and when known that his holdings were and growing almost da bere and there would be revived At 115 the stock rested again, with few 2 ded. A certain few of the elect regarded this calm as ominous. It was f belleved by others that the manipu- ns of the inner ring would presently 0 a sensational figure, young man from ing upon informa- f & definite character. But among veteran speculators the fechng was conservative. Before buying they pre- ferred to awalt some sign that the ad- vance had actually begun. The conserva- tives were mostly the bald old fellows. Among 1 that rarely survive a street is the one that are necessarily sure. Percival watched Consolidated Copper back to 110, and bought again—ten i shares. The price went up two the day efter his orders were and two days later dropped back The conservatives began to agree ° younger set of speculators, in s b now belleved that the 1aving tn an unnatural man- ng that “something was do- manipulation behind the was under way to a Cefinite end. _conservatives and the radicals dif- fered as to 'what this end was. But then street s nourished almost exclu- vely upon differences of optnion Percival now had accounts with five s of brokers. " he 439950 e Ee ey explained foxy boy. fox He tried to hedge on what he told me been drinking absinthe frappe that him dreamy—but 1 e to give me the Of course he to U He's fc ncle fer i shares with him. 1 didn’ ss him. Funny about him, ver heard before of his drinking any to speak of. And there isn't a in the street comes o near to know- the big boys are up to. But cards aill right. I e information from mfidential sources; some of it trace to Relpin, and some of it to Shepler himself.” ourse I'm Iéavin’ it all to you,” an- swered Uncle Peter; “and I must say I admire the way you take hold and things on the move. You don't let grow under your heels. You 00d head fur them things. I can the way you start out—just like fur all the world. TI'll feel safe money as long as you got the a big get n't that fon right too. wy get a propos handle everv time, and they never too big fur him; the bigger as better he liked "em. That's the You ain’t med modestly under pral which now came to him good discipline for me, too. Uncle at I needed, som d on I needed a n You had me down loing myself a bit of good with my mind.” v glad you thought up | give you good busi- d experience, say nothing ur capital.” with It's w Burman on his begun to buy, and he this time. 1.e'll be the by June 1: don’t make » that. I thought as long ging so heavy in West- Union Cordage, along might as well take Then we won't 1 in one basket.” 1 right! I'm trustin’ corn is better'n a cor- ; day; anything to straight and doin’ something. T care how many millions you pile ip! 1 hear the Federal Ofl people’s back of the copper deal.” “That's right: the ofl crowd and Shep- Jer. I had it straight from Relpin that night. They're negotiating now with the Rothschilds to limit the output of the Rio Tinto mines. They'll end by controll- ing them, and then—well, we'll have a roll of the yellow boys—say, we'll have to lay quiet for a year just to count it.” “Do 1t good while you're doin’ 1t,” urged Uncle Peter, cheerfully. “I rely g0 much on your judgment, I want you to get action on my stuff, too. I got a couple millions that ought to be workin’ harder than they are” “Goed: T didn’t think you had so much gambler in you.” “It's, fur a worthy purpose, son. And it seems too bad that Pishy can't pull out something with her bit, when it's to be had so easy. From what that span- gle-faced beau of hers tells me there's got to be some expensive plumbing done in that castle he gets sawed off on to He's be “we'll let sis In, too” exclaimed her brother, generously, “and ma could use & little more in her business. She's sit- ting up nights to corner all the Amal- gamated Hard-luck on the island. We'll pool issue, and say we'll make those Fed- eral Ofl pikers think we've gnawed a cor- ner off the subtreasury. I'll put an order in for twenty thousand more shares to- morro . the three stocks. And then we'll have to see about getting all our capital here. We'll need every cent of it that's loose; and maybe we better sell off some of those dead-wood stocks.” The twenty thousand shares were bought by. the following week, five thou- sand of them being Consolidated Copper, ten thousand Western Trolley, and five thousand Unfon Cordage. Consolidated Copper fell off two points, upon rumors, traceable to no source, that the company had on hand a large secret supply of copper, and was producing largely in ex- cess of the demand every month. Percival told Uncle Peter of these ru- mors, and chuckled with the easy con- fidence of a man who knows secrets. “You see, it's coming the way Relpin sald. The Insiders are hammering down the stock with those reports,, hammer- ing with one hand, and buying up small lots quietly with the other. But you'll notice the price of copper doesn’t go down any. They keep It at seventeen cents all right. Now, the moment they get control of the European supply they'll hold the stuff, force up the selling price to awful figures and squeeze out dividends that will make you wear blue glasses to look at them.” You certainly do know vour business, son,” sald Uncle Peter fervently. “You certainly got your pa’s head on you. You remind me more and more of Dan’l J. Bines every day. I'd rather trust your judgment now than lots of older men down there. You know their tricks all right. Get in good and hard so long as vyou got a sure thing. I'd hate to have you come meachin’ around after that stock has kited, and be kickin’ because you hadn't bet what your hand was worth.” g “Trust me for that, Uncle Peter. Gar- mer tried to steer me off this line of stocks the other night. He'd heard these rumors about a slump and he's 50 vears old at that. I thanked him for his tip and coppered it with another thousand shares all around next day. The way Garmer can tell when you're playing a busted flush makes you nervous, but I haven't looked over his li- THE “You're very kind, Mr. Bines, awfully good of you!" 1 “I'm goin’ to be more, Mrs. Wybert. I'm goin’ to be a little bit confidential—right out in the straight open with you.” “I am sure of that.” “And if you want to, you can be the same with me. I ain't ever held anything agalnst you, and maybe now I can do you a favor.” s right good of you to say so.” Now, look here, ma'am, lets you and me get right down to casés about this soclety game here in New York."” Mrs. Wybert laughed charmingly and relaxed in manner. “I'm with you, Mr, Bines. it, now?” “Now don't get suspicious, and tell me to mind my own business when I ask you questions.” “I couldn’t be suspicious of you—really 1 feel as #f I'd have to tell you everything you asked me, some way.” ““Well, there's been some talk of your marrying that young Milbrey. Now tell me the inside of ft. She looked at the old man closely. Her intuition confirmed his own protestaticns of friendliness. “I don't mind telling you in strict con- fidence there was talk of marriage, and his people, all but the sister, encouraged it. Then after she was engaged to Shep- ler they talked him out of it. Now that's the whole God's truth, if it does you any good. e a pos away.” “Oh, dear, yes! Awfully swagger peo- ple—dead swell, every one of them. There's no doubt about that “Exactly; and there ain't really any reason why you can’t be somebody here. “Well, between you and I, Mr. Bines, I can play the part as well as a whole lot of these women here. I don't want to talk, of course, but—well!” “Exactly, you can give half of 'em cards and spades and both casinos, Mrs. Wybert.” And I'll do it yet. I'm not through by They're not the only per- people in this town! vou'll it; and you could” better if you | three or four times the stake you | got.” ‘What about u had married him you'd 'a’ had on, llke they say hete, right cense to know ever thing down in Street yet.” The moral gain to Percival from his new devotion to the stock market was commented upon ap- | provingly both by Uncle Peter and by J Sy his mother. It was ° quite e as his promised to He ceased to frequent temple of chance In Forty-fourth . to the proprietor’s genuine regret. poker games at the hotel he aban- doned as being trivial. And the cabmen slong upper Broadway had seldom now the opportunity to compete for his early morning patronage. He began to keep early hours and to do less casual drink- ing during the day. After three weeks of this comparatively regular living his mother rejoiced to note signs that his breakfast appetite was returning. “You see,” he explalned earnestly to Uncle Peter, “a man to make anything at this game must keep his head clear, and he must have good health to do that. I meet a lot of those fellows down there that queer themselves by drink. It doesn’t do much hurt when a man isn't needing his brains,—but no more of it for me just now!” “That’s right, son. I knew ] could make something more than a polite sosh out of you. I knew you'd pull up if vou got int business like you been doin'.” “Come down town with me this after- noon and see me make & play, Uncle Pe- ter. I think I'll begin now to buy on a margin. The rise can't hold off much longer.” “I'd like to, son, but I'd lald out to take afternoon and 1 need the outdoors, and anyway you don’'t need me down there. You know your right. My! but I'd begin to fe with all that money up, if it w but you, now.” In pursuance of his pronounced plan Uncle Peter walked up Fifth avenue that afternoon. But he stopped short of the park. At the imposing entrance of the Arlington he turned in. At the desk he asked for Mrs. Wybert. I'll see if Mrs. Wybert is in,” said the cferk, handing him & blank card; “your name, please?” The old man wrote, “Mr, Peter Bin Montana City would llke a few m talk with M Wybert."” The boy was gone 80 long that Peter, waiting, began to suspect he not be recetved. He returr ai with the message, *““The lady you please step upstairs,” Going up In the elevator, the old man was ushered by a mald into a violet- scented little nest whose pale green wails were touched discreetly with hanging of heliotrope. An artist, in Uncle Peter's place, might have fancled that the color scheme of the apartment cried out for a bit of warmth. A giowing, warm-haired woman was needed to set the afire; and the need was met when Mrs. Wybert entered. She wore a long coat of seal trimmed with chinchiila, and had been, apparently, about to go out. Uncle Peter rose and bowed. Mrs. Wybert nodded rather un- certainly You wished to see me, Mr. Bines™" “I did want to have a little talk with you, Mrs. Wybert, but you're goin’ out, and I won't keep you. I know how pressed you New York soclety ladies ure with your engagements.” Mrs. Wybert had seemed to be puzzled. She was still puzzied, but unmistakably pleased. The old man was looking at her with frank and friendly apology for his ntrusion. Plainly she Lad nothing to fear from him. She became gractous. “It was only a little shopping tour, Mr. Bines, that and a call at the hospital, where they have one of my maids who slipped on the avenue erday and fractured one of her—er—limbs. Do sit down."” Mrs. Wybert sald “limb” for leg with the rather conscious air of escaping from an awkward situation omly by the sub- tlest finesse She seated herself before a green and heliotrope background that instantly tool warmth from her color. Uncle Peter still hesitated. “You see, I wanted kind of a long chat with you, Mrs. Wybert—a friendly chat if you didn’t mind, and I'd feel a mite nervous if you're bundled up that way.” « shall be delighted, Mr. Bines, to have & long, friendly chat. I'll send my cloak back, and you take your own time. There now, do be right comfortable!" The old man settled himself and be- stowed upon his hostess a_ long look of approval. ““The reports never done you justice, Mrs. Wybert, and they was very glowin’ money profits anybody length ys will By’Harry Leon Wilson. SUNDAY CALL. % *“ ‘Do this up to the limit of your cap- ital and I will make good anything you lose.’ There, Mrs. Wybert, I've signed that ‘Peter Bines.’ That card wouldn't be worth a red apple in a court of law, but you know me and you know. it's good fur every penny you lose.” “Really, Mr. Bines, you half-way per- suade me. I'll certainly try the copper play—and about the other—well—we'll see; I don't promise, mind you!"” You think it over. I'm sure you'll like the idea—think of bein’ in that great no- bjlity and bein’ around them' palaces with their dukes and counts. Think how these u:me New York women will meach to you then!" The old man rose. “And mind, follow them directions and no other—makes no difference what you hear, or I won't be responsible. And I'll rely on you, ma'am, never to let any one know about my visit, and to send me back that little document after you've cashed in.” He left her studying the card with a curious little fiash of surprise. CHAPTER XXXIIL DEVOTION TO BUSINESS AND A CHANCE MEETING. - In the weeks that now followed Per- cival became a model of sobriety and pa- tient, unremitting industry, according to his own ideas ot industry. He visited the offices of his various brokers daily, read- ing the tape with the single-hearted de- votion of a veteran speculator. He ac- quired a general knowledge of the ebb and flow of popular stocks. He frequent- ly saw opportunities for quick profit in other stocks than the three he was deal- ing with, but he would not let himself be diverted. Early in March Coplen, the law. sent for, and with him Percival spent two laborious weeks, golng over inventories of the properties, securities and moneys of the estate. The major portion of the latter was not invested in the three stocks, and the remainder was at hand, where it could be convenientlv reached. Percival informed himself minutely as to the values of % the different mining properties, rallroad and other securities. A group of the less- | er-paying mines was i Read the Sensational Finale of “THE SPENDERS In Next Sunday Call. e hour, to the prevalling grip epidemic, and the lady threw herself confidently on the well-known generosity of the Bines male —*"like one of the big, stout nets those acrobatic people fall into from their high bars,” she concluded. Uncle Peter was more than willing. He like the Oldakers. “They're the only sane folks I've met among your friends,” he had told his grandson. He had dined there frequently during the winter, and professed to be enamored of the hostess. That fragile but sprightly bit of antiquity professed in turn to find Uncle Peter a very dangerous man among the ladies. They flirted out- rageously at every opportunity, and Un- cle Peter sent her more violets than many a popular debutante recelved that win- ter. Percival, with his new alr of Wall street operator, was inclined to hesitate. “You know I'm up early now, incle Peter, to get the day’s run of the mar- kets before I go downtown, and a anan can’t do much in the way of dinners when his mind is working all day. Per- haps Mauburn will go.” But Mauburn was taking Psyche and Mrs. Drelmer to the first night of a play, and Percival was finally persuaded by the old man to relax, for one evening, the austerity of his regime. *‘But how your pa would love to see you 8o conscientious,” he said, “and you with Wall street, or a good part of it, right under you heel, just like that” and the old man ground his heel viciously into the carpet. . ‘When Percival found Shepler with Mrs. Van Geist and Miss Milbrey among the Oldake guests he rejoiced. Now he would talk to her without any of that old awkward self-consciousness. He was even audaclous enough to insist that Mrs. Oldaker direct him to take Mlss Milbrey out to dinner. “I clalm it as the price of coming, you know, when 1 was only an afterthought.” “You shall be paid, ——P sir,” his hostess de- - ERS | “Dollars are worth more aplece in New York than any town I've ever been in.” “Mrs. Wybert, I can put you right square into a good thing, and I'm .going to do it. Heard anything about Consoli- dated Copper “I've heard something big was doing in it: but nobody seems to know for ger- tain. My broker is afrald of it.” 4 “Very well. Now you do as I tell you. and you can clean up a big lot inside of the next two months. If you do as I tell vou, mind, no matter what you hear, and if you don't talk.” Mrs. Wybert meditated. Mr. Bines, I'm—it's natural that I'm a little uneasy. Why should you want to me well after our little affair? Now, out with it! What are you trying to do with me? What do you expect me to do fc Get down to cases your- f, I will, ma'am, in a few words. daughter, you may have heard, is engaged to an Englishman. He's next thing 1o broke, but he’s got a title com- ing. aturally, he's loeking fur money. Naturally, he don’t care fur the girl. Put I'm afraid she's infatuated with him. Now, then, if he had a chance at some with more money than she's got, , naturally, he'd jump at it.” Aren’t you a little bit wild?” ot a little bit. He saw you at New- last summer, and he's seen you here. He was tearing the adjectives up telling me about you the other night, not knowing, vou understand, that I'd ever heard tell of you before. You could marry him in a jiffy if you follow my di- rections.” “But your granddaughter has a for- see do My one wh port tune.” Yop'll have as much if you play this the way 1 tell you. And—you never can tell in these times—she might lose a good kit of hers.” “It's very proposition.” “Look at what a brilliant match it would be fur you. Why, you'd be Lady Casselthorpe, with dukes and counts tak- in' off their crowns to you. And that other one—that Milbrey—from all I hear he's lighter'n cork—cut his galusses and he'd float right up into the sky. He ain’t /thing but his good family and & 7/ peculfar, Mr. Binés—your “T see. This Mauburn {sn’t good enough for your family, but you reckon he's good enough for me? Is that it, now?” “Come, Mrs. Wybert, let's be broad. That's the game you like and I don't criticize you fur it. It's a good game if that's the kind of a game you're huntin’ fur. And you can play it better'n my granddaughter. . She wa'n’t fur it—and I'd rather have her marry an American, anyhow. Now you like it, and you got beauty—only you need more money. I'll put you in the way of it and you can cut out my granddaughter.” “I must think about it. Suppose T plunge in copper and your tip f{sn’t straight. I've seen hard times, Mr. Bines, in my life. I haven't always wore seal- skin and dlamonds.” b **Mrs. Wybert, you was in Montana long enough to know how I stand there?"’ “1 know you're Al, and your word's as good as another man's money. 1 don't question your good intentions.” “It's my judgment, hey? Now, look here, T won't tell you what I know and how I know it, but you can take my word that I know I do know. You plunge in copper right off, without saying a word to anybody or makin' any splurge, and here—"" From the little table at his elbow he picked up the card that had announced him and drew out his pencil. “‘You said my word was as good as an- other man's money. Now I'm going to write on this card just what you have to do and you're to follow directions, no mat- ter what you hear about other people doing. There'll be all sorts of reports about that stock, but you follow my di- rectidns.’ He wrote on the back of the cardewith his pencil. “Consolidated Copper, remember—and now I'm a-goin’ to write something else under them directions. disposed of to an English syndicate, the proceeds being retained, for the stock deal. All but the best paying of the rail- road, smelting and land-improvement se- curities were also thrown on the market. The experience was a valuable one to the young man, enlarging greatly his knowledge of affairs and glving him a nceded insight into the methods by which the fortune had been accumulated. “That was a slow, clumsy, old-fash- ioned way to make money,” he declared to Coplen. “Nowadays it's done quicker.” His grasp of detalls delighted Uncle Peter and surprised Coplen. “I didn’t know but he might be getting plucked.” said Coplen to the old man, “with all that money being drawn out so fast. If I hadn’t known you were with him I'd have taken it on myseif to find out something about his operations. But he's all right, apparently. He had a scent like a hound for those dead-wood propertles—got rid of them while we were making up our minds to. That boy will make his way unless I'm mistaken. He has a head for detall “T'll make him a bigger man than his pa was yet,” declared Uncle Peter. “But 1 wouldn't want to let on that I'd had anything to do with it. He'll think he's done it all himself, and it's right he should. It stimulates ‘em. Boys of his age need just about so much conceit, and it dor’'t do to take it out of 'em.” Reports of the most encouraging char- acter came from Burman, The deal in corn was belng engineered with a riper caution than had been displayed in the fll-fated wheat deal of the spring before. “Burman's drawn close up to a million already,” sald Perclval to Uncle Beter. “and now he wants me to stand ready for another million.” “Is Burman,” asked Uncle Peter, “that young fellow that had a habit of standin’ pat on a pair of jacks, and then bettin’ everybody off the board?” “Yes, that was Burman. “Well, 1 llked his way: I should say he could do you a whole lot of good in a corn deal.” In the flush of his great plans and great expectations came a chance meeting with Miss Milbrey. He had seen her only at a tance since their talk at Newport. Yet the thought of her had persisted as a plaintive undertone through all the days after. Only the sharp hurt to his sensitive pride—from the conviction that she had found him tolerable solely be- cause of his money—had saved him from the willing admission to himself that he had carried off too much of her ever to forget. In his quiet moments, the ‘tones of her clear, low voice came movingly to his ears, and his eyes conjured involun- tarily her girlish animation, her rounded young form. her color and fire—the choked, smoldering fire of opals. He saw the curve of her wrist, the confident swing of her walk, the easy poise of her head, her bearing, at once girlish and womanly, the little air, half of wistful appeal, and half of self-relant assertion. Yet he falled not to regard these indul- gences as utter folly., It had been folly enough while he belleved that she stood ready to accept him and his wealth. It was_more flagrant, now that her quest for’a husband with millions had been so handsomely rewarded. But again, the fact that she was now clearly impossible for him, so that even a degrading submission on his part could no longer secure her, served only to bring her attractiveness into greater rellef. ‘With her fear gone that a sudden impulse to possess her might lead him to stultify himseif, he could see more clegrly than ever why she was and promised always to be to him the very dearest woman.in the world—dearest in spite of all he could reason about so lucidly. He felt, then, a little shock of unreasoning joy to find one night that they were .dining together at the Oldakers'. B At 4 o'clock he had received a hasty note signed “Fidella Oldaker, the fine, precise script of some yolng la- dies’ finishing school—perhaps extinct now for fifty years—imploring him, if aught of chivalry survived within his breast, to fetch his young grandfather and dine with her that evening. Two men had In- considerately succumbed, at this eleventh ned in clared, “if you consid- er it pay to sit be- side an engaged girl whose mind is full of her trousseau. And here’s this captivat- ing young scapegrace relative of yours. 3 What price does he demand for coming?"” and she glanced at Uncle Peter with arch liberality in her bright eves. That gentleman bowed low—a bow that had been the admiration of the smartest soclety In Marietta County, Ohlo, fifty years and more ago. “I'm paid fur coming by coming,” he replied, urbanely. “There, now!” cried his hostess, “that’s pretty, and means something. You shall take me in for that.” “I'll have to give you a credit slip, ma'am. You've overpald me.” And Mrs. Oldaker, with a coy fillip of her fan, call- ed him a naughty boy. “Here, Rulon,” she called to Shepler, “‘are two young daredevild who've been good enough to e me as many empty chairs. Now you shall take out Cornelia, and this juvenile sprig shall relleve you of Avice Milbrey. It's a providence. You engaged couples are always so dull when you're banished from your own ciel a deux.” Shepler bowed and greeted the two men. Percival sought Miss Milbrey, who was with her aunt at the other side of the old-fashioned room, a room whose bro- cade hangings had been Imported from England in the days of the Georges, and whose furniture was fabricated in the time when France was suffering its last kings. Throughout the dinner their entire ab- sorption in each other was all but un- broken. Percival never could remember who had sat at his left, and Miss Mil- brey's right-hand neighbor saw more than the winning line of her profile but twice. Percival began: “Do you know, I've never been able to classify you at all, I never could tell how to take you.” “T'll tell you a secret, Mr. Bines; I think I'm not to be taken at all. I've begun to suspect that I'm like one of thcse works that haven't any rhyme—like ‘orange’ and ‘month,” you know " “But you find poetry in life? I do.” “Plenty of verse—not much poetry.” “How would you order life now if the little old wishing-lady came to your daor and knocked?™ And they plunged forthwith, buoyed by youth's divine effrontery, into mysteries that have vexed diners, aot less than hermit sages, since ‘“the fog of old time” first obscured truth. Of life and death—the ugliness of life, and the beauty of death— “s ® * even as death might smile. Petting the plumes of some surprised soul,” quoted the girl. Of loving and hating, they talked: of trying and failing—of the implacable urge under which men must strive In the face of certaln defsat—of the probability that men are purposely born fools, since, if they were born wise they would refuse to strive; whereupon life and death would merge, and naught would prevail but a vast indiffer- ence. In fact, they were very deep and affected to consider these grave matters seriously. They affected that they never habitually thought of lesser concerns. And they had an air of listening to each other as if they wereyweighing the words judicially and were quite above any mere sensuous considerations of personality. And they fell together once in de- ciding whether, after all, the brightest women ever cease to belleve that men are Influenced most by surface beauties. They fired each other’s enthu- slasm for expressing opinions, and they- took the opinions very seriously. Yet of thelr meeting, to an observer, their talk would have seemed the part least worth regarding. Twice Percival caught Shepler's regard bent upon them. It amused him to think he detected signs of uneasiness back of the survey, cool, friendly and guarded as it was,on the surface. At parting, later, Percival spoke for the* first time to Miss Milbrey of her engage- ment. “You must know that I wish you all the happiness you hope for yourself; and if: I were as lucky in love as Mr. Shepler has been, I surely would never dare to gamble in anything else—you know the saying.” “And you, Mr. Bines. .I've been hear- ing o much of your marriage. I hope the rumor I heard to-day is true, that your engagement has been announced.” He laughed. “Come, now! That's all gossip, you know; not a word of truth in it, and it's been very annoying to us both. Please demolish that rumor on. my authority next time you hear it, thoroughly, so.they P YT BT BT TR g can make nothing out of the pleces.” Miss Milbrey showed genuine disap- pointment. “I had thought naturally—" “The only member of that household I could marry is not suited to my age.” Miss Milbrey was puszled. But, really, she's not so old.” *“No, not so very old. Still, she’s golng on five, and you know how time files—and so much disparity In our ages—twenty-one years or so. No, she was no wife for me, although I don’t mind confessing that there has been an affair between us, but —really you can’t !magine what a frivol- ous and trifiing creature she is.” Miss Milbrey laughed now, rather pain- fully he fancled. “You mean the baby? Isn’t she a little dear?” "Il tell you something, just between us—the baby’s mother is—well, I like her —but she's a joke. That's all, a joke.” “]I beg your pardon for talking of it It had seemed so definite. They're wait- ing for me—good night—so glad to have seen you—and, nevertheless, she’s a very practical joke! He watched her with frank, utter long- ing as she moved over to Mrs. Oldaker, tender, girlish, appealing, with the old air of timid wistfulness, kept guard over by her woman's knowledge. His fingers still curved, as if they were loth to for- get the clasp of her warm, firm little hand. She was gowned In white fleece, and she wore one pink rose where she could bend her blue eyes down upon it. And she was going to marry Shepler for his millions. She might even yet regret that she had not walted for him, when his own name had been written up as the wisard of markets and the master of millions. Since money was all she loved, he would show her that even in that he was pre-eminent: though he would still have none of her. And as for Shepler— he wondered if Shepler knew just what risks he might be taking on. “Oh, Mutterchen! Wasn't it the jolllest evening?” They were in the carriage. “Did you and Mr. Bines enjoy your- selves as much as you seemed to?"” “And isn’t his grandfather an old dear? What an Interesting little story about that woman. I know just how she felt. You see, sir,” she turned to Shepler, “there is always a way to manage & woman—you must find her weakness.” “He's a very unusual old chap”™"~ sald Shepler. “I had accasion not long since to tell him that a certain business plan he proposed was entirely without precedent. His answer was characteristic. He sald, "We make precedents in the West when we can’t find one to suit us.’ It seemed so typlical of the people to me. You never can tell what they may do. You see they were started out of old ruts by some form of necessity, almost every one of them, when they went West, and as necessity stimu- lates only the brightest people to action, those Westerners are apt to be of a pret- ty keen, active and sturdy mental type. As th!s! old chap says, they never hang back for lack of precedents; they go ahead and make them. They're not afraid to take sudden queer steps. But, really, I like them both.” “So do 1,” sald his bmotheg. CHAPTER XXXIIL THE AMATEUR NAPOLEON OF WALL STREET. At the beginning of April the situation in the three stocks Percival had bought so heavily grew undeniably tense. Con- solidated Copper went from 109 to 108 in a week. But Percival's enthusiasm suf- fered little abatement from the drop. “You see,” he reminded Uncle Peter, "1t isn't exactly what I expected, but it's right in line with it, so it doesn’t alarm me. I knew those fellows Inside were bound to hammer it down if they could. It wouldn’'t phase me & bit if it sagged to %.” “My! My!"” exclaimed Uncle Peter, with warm approval, “the way you master this business certainly does win me. I tell you, it's a mighty good thing we got vour brains to depend on. I'm all right the other side of Council Bluffs, but I'm a tenderfoot here, sure, whers every- body’s tryin’ to get the best of you. You see, out there, everybody tries to make the best of it. But here they try to get the best of it. ' I told that to one of them smarties last night. But you'll put them in their place all right. You know both ends of the game and the mid- dle. We certainly got a right to ba proud of you, son. Dan’l J. liked big propositions himself—but, well, I'd just like to have him see the nerve you've showed, that's all.” JUncle Peter’'s professions of confidence were unfailing, and Percival took new hope and faith in his judgment from them daily. Nevertheless, as the weeks passed, and the mysterious insiders succeeded in their design of keeping the stock from rising, he came to feel a touch of anxiety. More, indeed, than he was able to communicate to Uncle Peter, without confessing out- right that he had lost faith in himself. That he was unable to -do, even if It were true, which he doubted. The Bines fortune was now hanging, as to all but some of the Western properties, on the turning of the three stocks. Yet the old man's confidence in the young man's acumen was invulnerable. No shaft that Percival was able to fashion had point enough to plerce it. And he was loth to batter it down, for he still had the gam- bler's faith in his luck. ‘“You got your father’s head in business matters,” was Uncle Peter's invariable response to any suggestion of fallure. *“I know that much—spite-of what all these gossips say—and that's all T want to know. And of course you can’t sver be no Shepler 'less you take your share of chances. Only don't’ ask my advice. You're master of the game, and we'rs all layin" right smack down on your ge- nius furit.” ¢ By the" third ‘week in April it was be- lieved that his holdings. of Consolidated were -the largest in- the street, excepting those of the Federal Oil people. Uncle Peter was delighted by the magnitude of hig operations-and;by his newly formed habits of Industry. “It'lI"be-the makings of the’boy.” he sald to Mrs. Bines in her.son’s presence. “Not that I care so much myself-about all the.millions-he’ll ipile’ up, but it gives him a business traininig and takes Him out of the pin-head’class. I bet Shepler himself will-be takin’ off his silk hat to your son jest as soon as he’s made this turn in copper—if he has enough of ‘Dan’l J.'s grit-to hangon—and. I think he has.” “They meedn’t walt-another day for me,” Percival told’him later. *“The fam- {ly treasure-is about al] in now, ma’s. amethyst earrings, and . the hair watch chain Grandpa Cummings had. Of course I'm holding what I promised for