the while his eyes were on the ticker-tape.
Suddenly he saw upon it where it was bending from under the turning
wheel a figure that made him drop the receiver and seize it in both his
trembling hands. "Great heavens!" he gasped. "Fanshaw may be right.
Great Lakes one hundred and twelve--and only a moment ago it was one
hundred and three."

His visions of wealth and power and fame were whisking off in a gale of
terror. A new quotation was coming from under the wheel--Great Lakes
one hundred and fifteen. In his eyes stared the awful thought that was
raging in his brain--"This may mean----" And his vanity instantly
thrust out Herron and Gertrude and pointed at them as the criminals who
would be responsible if--he did not dare formulate the possibilities of
that bounding price.

The telephone boy at the other end, going in search of Zabriskie, left
the receiver off the hook and the door of the booth open. Into
Fanning-Smith's ear came the tumult from the floor of the
Exchange--shrieks and yells riding a roar like the breakers of an
infernal sea. And on the ticker-tape James was reading the story of
the cause, was reading how his Great Lakes venture was caught in those
breakers, was rushing upon the rocks amid the despairing wails of its
crew, the triumphant jeers of the wreckers on shore. Great Lakes one
hundred and eighteen--tick--tick--tick--Great Lakes one hundred and
twenty-three--tick--tick--tick--Great Lakes one hundred and
thirty--tick--tick--tick--Great Lakes one hundred and thirty-five--

"It can't be true!" he moaned. "It CAN'T be true! If it is I'm
ruined--all of us ruined!"

The roar in the receiver lessened--some one had entered the booth at
the other end and had closed the door. "Well!" he heard in a sharp,
impatient voice--Zabriskie's.

"What is it, Ned--what's the matter? Why didn't you tell me?"
Fanning-Smith's voice was like the shrill shriek of a coward in a
perilous storm. It was in itself complete explanation of Zabriskie's
neglect to call upon him for orders.

"Don't ask me. Somebody's rocketing Great Lakes--taking all offerings.
Don't keep me here. I'm having a hard enough time, watching this crazy
market and sending our orders by the roundabout way. Got anything to
suggest?"

Tick--tick--tick--Commander-in-chief Fanning-Smith watched the crawling
tape in fascinated horror--Great Lakes one hundred and thirty-eight.
It had spelled out for him another letter of that hideous word,