he island to-night.
But Roby has bought one hundred of this stock, and if he realized the
situation, he'd faint."

"Well, let him," answered Jack, "he'll come to quick enough when he
understands his stock is worth fourteen dollars to-day and may not be
worth one cent to-morrow. My belief is, if you wired him the price now,
he'd point his old boat for the city and shovel coal under the boiler
all the way himself."

"He wouldn't do that," replied Winn, "but he'd start for the island at
once, and in ten minutes every one would know it."

"Well, wire him," said Jack, "and do it now. Tell him to see your
philosopher."

And Winn obeyed.

"Now," said Jack, "you are a prisoner here in this room until Page says
otherwise. If ever Simmons or Weston learns you are in the city, it will
upset our plans. When your old barnacle arrives, we'll lock him up also
until the crash comes, and then take you both into the exchange and let
you see the fun. He will be all the safer anyway. Some one might sell
him a gold brick."

"Not much," answered Winn, stoutly. "Jess Hutton can't be buncoed. He
was keen enough to see through Weston the moment he set foot in his
store, while it took me three months to do it."

"Well, you're getting you eye teeth cut slowly," laughed Jack, "and in a
year or two you'll know sheep from goats. I'm sorry you can't go to call
on Ethel Sherman this evening, but you can't. It's just as well, for
when she hears you have come out on top of Rockhaven and are worth a few
thousand, she'll receive you with more warmth. She is back from the
mountains, brown as an autumn leaf and looking out of sight. If I didn't
know she was the most heartless and selfish hypocrite ever clad in
petticoats, I'd make love to her myself."

And Jack Nickerson, the inveterate scoffer at all things, took himself
away.

That day Rockhaven was bid up to twenty, the short interest more than
doubled, and the two arch conspirators, Weston and Simmons, in the
privacy of the latter's office that night, held a love feast, nudged
each other in the ribs, and laughed and joked while they smoked costly
cigars, feeling sure a small fortune was within sight.

"I think it's best to let 'em bid it up to about forty," said Simmons,
in a self-confident tone, and as though the street were within his
grasp, "and then I'll feed those hungry bears granite chips by the
shovelful."

"I flatter myself," he continued, "that I have engineered this deal as
bu