well, I'll let you know what to do. Look here,
keep your heads cool. I guess to-day will decide things."

In the Pit roar succeeded roar. It seemed that a support long thought to
be secure was giving way. Not a man knew what he or his neighbour was
doing. The bids leaped to and fro, and the price of July wheat could not
so much as be approximated.

Landry caught one of the Gretry traders by the arm.

"What shall we do?" he shouted. "I've bought up to my limit. No more
orders have come in. What's to be done?"

"I don't know," the other shouted back--"I don't know! Looks like a
smash; something's gone wrong."

In Gretry's office Jadwin stood hatless and pale. Around him were one of
the heads of a great banking house and a couple of other men,
confidential agents, who had helped to manipulate the great corner.

"It's the end of the game," Gretry exclaimed, "you've got no more money!
Not another order goes up to that floor."

"It's a lie!" Jadwin cried, "keep on buying, I tell you! Take all
they'll offer. I tell you we'll touch the two dollar mark before noon."

"It's useless, Mr. Jadwin," said the banker quietly, "You were
practically beaten two days ago."

But Jadwin was beyond all appeal. He threw off Gretry's hand.

"Get out of my way!" he shouted. "Do you hear? I'll play my hand alone
from now on."

"'J,' old man--why, see here!" Gretry implored, still holding him by the
arm. "Here, where are you going?"

Jadwin's voice rang like a trumpet-call:

"_Into the Pit!_ If you won't execute my orders I'll act myself. I'm
going into the Pit, I tell you!"

"'J,' you're mad, old fellow! You're ruined--don't you
understand?--you're ruined!"

"Then God curse you, Sam Gretry, for the man who failed me in a crisis!"
And, as he spoke, Curtis Jadwin struck the broker full in the face.

Gretry staggered back from the blow. His pale face flashed to crimson
for an instant, his fists clenched; then his hands fell to his sides.

"No," he said; "let him go--let him go. The man is merely mad!"

Jadwin thrust the men who tried to hold him to one side, and rushed from
the room.

"It's the end," Gretry said simply. He wrote a couple of lines, and
handed the note to the senior clerk. "Take that to the secretary of the
board at once."

Straight into the turmoil and confusion of the Pit, into the scene of so
many of his victories, came the "Great Bull." The news went flashing and
flying from lip to lip. The wheat Pit, torn