een married, with elaborate festivities; and some of the
young men present, thinking to find him in a sentimental mood, had
asked him for his views about the market. He advised them to buy the
stock of his road; and they formed a pool and bought, and as fast as
they bought, he sold--until the little venture cost the boys a total of
seven million and a half!
"No, no," Oliver added. "I have never put up a dollar for anything of
Evans's, and I never shall.--They are simply a side issue, anyway," he
added carelessly.
A couple of mornings later, while Montague was at breakfast, his
brother called him up and said that he was coming round, and would go
down town with him. Montague knew at once that that meant something
serious, for he had never before known his brother to be awake so early.
They took a cab; and then Oliver explained. The moment had arrived--the
time to take the plunge, and come up with a fortune. He could not tell
much about it, for it was a matter upon which he stood pledged to
absolute secrecy. There were but four people in the country who knew
about it. It was the chance of a lifetime--and in four or five hours it
would be gone. Three times before it had come to Oliver, and each time
he had multiplied his capital several times; that he had not made
millions was simply because he did not have enough money. His brother
must take his word for this and simply put himself into his hands.
"What is it you want me to do?" asked Montague, gravely.
"I want you to take every dollar you have, or that you can lay your
hands on this morning, and turn it over to me to buy stocks with."
"To buy on margin, you mean?"
"Of course I mean that," said Oliver. Then, as he saw his brother
frown, he added, "Understand me, I have absolutely certain information
as to how a certain stock will behave to-day."
"The best judges of a stock often make mistakes in such matters," said
Montague.
"It is not a question of any person's judgment," was the reply. "It is
a question of knowledge. The stock is to be MADE to behave so."
"But how can you know that the person who intends to make it behave may
not be lying to you?"
"My information does not come from that person, but from a person who
has no such interest--who, on the contrary, is in on the deal with me,
and gains only as I gain."
"Then, in other words," said Montague, "your information is stolen?"
"Everything in Wall Street is stolen," was Oliver's concise rep
|