Wall street stories
Old Man desired to serve by the calculated notoriety of his church affiliations no one could tell.
Shaw, in some not generally known way, made practical use of his ostentatious enthusiasm for things churchly as
ount, certain luminaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church were called into consultation. Silas Shaw had long thought about it; and now there was much conferring and more or less arid and misplaced sermonizing by the theologian
en founded and endowed by Mr. Silas Shaw. But even after the Old Man had devote
s one of the pillars of his church. He heard with pleasure, of week days, the wakeful staccato sound of the ticker; but on Sundays he certainly enjoyed the soothing cadences of familiar hymns. And if more than one hardened broker expressed picturesque but un
lying to him for assistance. It was not Shaw's church, but in Dr. Ramsdell's charge there were one or two bankers well known in Wall Street and several members of the New York Stock Exchange. It seemed particularly fitting to the
other Shaw; I tru
er. "What brings you down to this sinful section? Doing some missiona
ivia by building the only Protestant chapel in Oruro, where it was incredibly 214tenebrous-worse than darkest Africa. The reverend doctor hoped, nay, he knew, in view o
sign subscription lists. When I give, I give; and I
ign your name. I'll put you down as
n't put me
so surprised and so woe
e for you. Yes, sirree; that's the best thing I can do. What
e a-ahem!-a desirable investment? You see
d the older I gro
ventured a tentative sm
make something for you. The bloom
ivians, Br
ance for their souls. John," to a clerk
telephone booth. To buy, "at the market" me
r is very close to my heart, I assure you. And-ah-will-wh
ntribute to your missionary fund. All you'll have to do is to look
ll, deprecatingly, "that I shall have n
rie. Yesterday, 216on transactions of 18,230 shares, Erie Railroad stock sold as high as 64? and as low as 63?, the last or closi
John. "Sixty-five
see at what price Erie stock is selling. If it is more than 65?, why, that will show you are maki
w-ahem!-if it sh
l you have to remember is that I am going to make some mo
eally
nd, of course, that it is well not t
ssented the doctor. "I un
ing more
ope my-ah-your-I should say-ah-our investment, may result in-ah
worry. We will come out O.K. You'll hea
et to the office of one of his parishion
ut certain Delphic advice he contemplated giving his timid customers, in order to ma
nd, bothering a man at his business for?" he
ng, Brother
amsdell. To what do I owe
nterest in it. We desire to build a chapel in Bolivia, 218where the light is needed,
" began Cranston,
ption list," said the clergyman with an air he ende
e well-known person?"
y Silas Shaw." And he added, hastily, "Not but tha
old ras-the
er signed subsc
ive you anyt
hing for me." The doctor's f
rightened. "What
y, "he said we would come out O.K. Thos
id not look promising fo
would make the stock marke
ston showed a
ought some stock for me. Five hundred shares, it was. Do you think, Brother Cranston, that th
, very carelessly, "upon wh
rie Railr
will depend upon the price you paid." T
Shaw who paid. T
"So the Old Man is b
ould read the paper every day and see how much above 65?
And now, Doctor, will you excuse me? We are very busy, indeed. 220Good-morning, Dr. Ramsdell. Call again any time yo
e proved that he himself firmly believed in Erie; also, he bought his stock ahead of theirs and thereby, in all likelihood, bought it cheaper. He then rushed into the customers' room and yelled: "Hi, there! Everybody get aboard
for themselves and their customers, 6,200 shares of Erie,
ions for the Bolivian Missionary Fund. He was a good soul and a
icturesque way, that it would come out O.K. in a week or two. Everybody to whom he told that fact developed curiosity regarding the name of the stock itself. They showed it in divers ways, according to their various temperaments. And as he had told some he felt that he should not discriminate against others; so, he told to all, impartially, the n
surprise, the stock table recorded: "Highest, 65?; lowest, 62; last, 62?." On Wednesday the table read: "Highest, 62?; lowest, 58; last 58." On Thursday, there was a ray of hope-the stock sold as high as 60 a
ness or of anger or of sadness. An exception was Mr. Silas Shaw, who had come, as he often did, to hear his friend, Dr. Ramsdell, preach. His eyes beamed benignantly on the pastor th
ce. Dr. Ramsdell's manner was c
small piece of paper in 223my pocket for some days, in the hope of mee
-didn't-the st
ur
it the
me out just as I expected. T
't you buy 500
our congregation, Doctor, developed a remarkable bullishness on Er
on was that you said t
.K. And I guess we have." He laughed joyously. "It's all righ
ace, fingering the check, hesitatingly, "
ck 224gambler assured him, gaily. "I mad
clergyman, "I don't know
ck in your pocket," he said
nd