me to do my worst. I did not
like to lose my own money; I hated to lose Pinkerton's; and the bearing
of my creditor incensed me.

"Do you know, Mr. Speedy, that I can send you to the penitentiary?" said
I, willing to read him a lesson.

The dire expression was overheard in the next room. A large, fresh,
motherly Irishwoman ran forth upon the instant, and fell to besiege me
with caresses and appeals. "Sure now, and ye couldn't have the heart to
ut, Mr. Dodd--you, that's so well known to be a pleasant gentleman; and
it's a pleasant face ye have, and the picture of me own brother that's
dead and gone. It's a truth that he's been drinking. Ye can smell it off
of him, more blame to him. But, indade, and there's nothing in the house
beyont the furnicher, and Thim Stock. It's the stock that ye'll be
taking, dear. A sore penny it has cost me, first and last, and, by all
tales, not worth an owld tobacco-pipe." Thus adjured, and somewhat
embarrassed by the stern attitude I had adopted, I suffered myself to be
invested with a considerable quantity of what is called "wild-cat
stock," in which this excellent if illogical female had been squandering
her hard-earned gold. It could scarce be said to better my position, but
the step quieted the woman; and, on the other hand, I could not think I
was taking much risk, for the shares in question (they were those of
what I will call the Catamount Silver Mine) had fallen some time before
to the bed-rock quotation, and now lay perfectly inert, or were only
kicked (like other waste-paper) about the kennel of the exchange by
bankrupt speculators.

A month or two after, I perceived by the stock-list that Catamount had
taken a bound; before afternoon "thim stock" were worth a quite
considerable pot of money; and I learned, upon inquiry, that a bonanza
had been found in a condemned lead, and the mine was now expected to do
wonders. Remarkable to philosophers how bonanzas are found in condemned
leads, and how the stock is always at freezing-point immediately before!
By some stroke of chance the Speedys had held on to the right thing;
they had escaped the syndicate; yet a little more, if I had not come to
dun them, and Mrs. Speedy would have been buying a silk dress. I could
not bear, of course, to profit by the accident, and returned to offer
restitution. The house was in a bustle; the neighbours (all
stock-gamblers themselves) had crowded to condole; and Mrs. Speedy sat
with streaming tears, th