"I'll make a note of what I can find out," she said to him, "and let you
know after 3 o'clock."

"But be careful and let no one else know it," he replied.

"Oh, I can keep a secret even if I am a girl," and she left him on the
corner of Nassau and Wall to go to the bank.

Fred clutched Bob's arm when the two girls were gone, and said:

"Callie says a big corner in Pacific Mail is being made up in Barron's
office."

"By George! Is it straight, do you think?"

"Yes. She says she'll make notes and give 'em to me. She let it out by
saying if she had any money laid up she could make a pile out of Pacific
Mail. I soon got the whole thing out of her."

"When will you see her again?"

"After three o'clock."

It was a little after three o'clock when Fred saw her come out of the
bank. He went to meet her, and she said to him:

"Bryant is going to do the buying--begins to-morrow. You won't tell any
one that I told you?"

"No; that would never do."

She lived over on the west side, and had a widowed mother and little
brother to support. He walked nearly all the way home with her. Bob went
uptown with Gertie Clayton, and did not see Fred again till the next
morning.

"I am going to buy Pacific Mail, Bob," Fred said to him.

"Go ahead then--for Halsey & Company--the whole pile."

Pacific Mail was going that morning at 52. Fred went to Tabor and asked
him to buy Pacific Mail on 10 per cent margin. Tabor gave a start,
looked keenly at him for a moment, and then asked:

"Why do you buy that stock?"

"I heard a man tell another one it was safe to try it."

"Give me his name."

"No, sir. Will you buy it for me?"

"I'd rather not do it," and he shook his head.

"Oh! Then I'll try somebody else," and Fred went away with a check for
$1,200 in his pocket.

He went over to Bowles' office, and arranged with the old man to buy for
him 230 shares at 52. The old broker had the shares bought inside of ten
minutes. By twelve o'clock Fred saw Bryant buying all that he could get
hold of, but there were thousands and thousands of shares on the market,
and he had bought 10,000 ere there was any signs of life in the deal.
Then it began slowly to advance. It closed with an advance of one point
on the first day. But the next day saw it go up three points, and the
brokers in the Exchange began to hustle. It was an immense concern and
the shares were in every broker's hands. But Bryant gathered them in by
the thousand at a tim