THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 110, 17 August 1910, Page 6

THE STORYTELLER.

1 A GAMBLE IN OIL. Mr. Morgan had been very firm about tho matter, and though his daughter she could not help seeing that her father was right. The only fault that lie or anybody else could possible find with Harry Barton was that the young man was not rich, and that is a fault peculiar to so many people who are not otherwise 'blameless.

Still, Mr. Morgan had been very reasonable. He was not himself very rich, 'but he had brought his daughter up in luxurious ways, and he knew that she would make no wife for a poor man. He had told Harry Barton that if the young man could find three thousand pounds as his share of the marriage settlement, there would be no further obstacle to the wedding, ais Alice would, with what her father added to that amount, have at ■ lea.st her bread and cheese assured. As Alice walked up and down the lawn that afternoon she felt angry with everybody, especially with the thoughtless man who had first invented money. ■Harry was having some difficulty in finding the three thousand pounds, while Mr. Edward Hingley, a city acquaintance of Mr. Morgan's, who was coming to dinner that evening, was said to be worth something like a million. And he didn't even look a gentleman; whereas everyone admitted that Harry had the most perfect manners.

"Dearest," he said, as he gently disengaged himself from her, "I'm afraid it's all up with me. I'm farther than ever from that three thousand pounds. I came to tell you so." 'iHow do you mean, Harry?" she asked anxiously, ais she slid her arm through his with a tenderness he could not resist. "You 'know," he said, "I had got a thousand pounds together, and on the advice of some friends I invested it in the Bagdad Oil Company."

"Oh, I never understand stocks and shares," said Alice plaintively. "Well, this deal is unfortunately too easy to explain," said 'Harry. "I bought a thousand shares at one pound each. My friends said they would be worth three or four pounds each presently, and in that case I should have three thousand pounds, shouldn't I?" "Yes—l see that," replied Alice hesitatingly, evidently trying her hardest to understand.

"Well," continued Harry, "instead oi being worth three pounds they are now worth only ten shillings each. That is to say, my thousand pounds has come down to five hundred. And what is worse is that I was introduced yesterday to the chairman of the company, and as soon as he heard that I was a shareholder he advised me to sell out at once. And you may be sure that with such a tip as that I telephoned to my broker at once."

"Oh, dear!" said Alice; "what a bother money is. What shall we do?" "There is only one thing for me to do, now," he said mournfully. "Your father is quite justified in what he asks of me. And as I have failed, I have come to-day to confess that I have no longer the right to " 'His speech was abruptly stopped. Alice had laid iher hand quickly over his mouth.

"I know whaf you are going to say," she said quietly. "You mustn't say it. I can't bear to think of it. Something can surely be done. Let us talk it over together." ; 'Half-an-hour later, when Harry left, the solution of tie problem was as far off as ever. Still, Alice had absolutely declined to despair, and he had gone away a good deal encouraged, ibut with |no real reasons for optimism. Indeed. I herself, as 3poii she- was alone, I could Bvi; •.•wVVjr a,tear or. so ! whicjh sbe hel4, fesfci: : 'Harry's sake ' wfeile V waA ' tvsi-:%eT'; and t when I «He casno faint**' old ! bs-r 1-av, ■•"■ / 'tired. •*<.. ... ......... lto3»! fat : &'-a as* if ty I A.ad •• fciiU, -Alice |h* " ■ v bo igtx-eabl'S 'to . j . ■ it.'.i \ 1.. -fl a I u - '..VI•• •» 'jlffc o®,iwl *lO 5-t.f luiiii-d to in- ! -radusa • --/ fepk the -aft '"■fMiwu.r nies, in •tJIO mat Mr. ttimgley wi/uid S;u» something about them, and be perhaps disposed to drop a hint or so as to a likely venture here or there. I Mr. Hingley did most of the talking himself. He heaped l any amount of compliments, more or less clumsily expressed, on Alice's attractions and charms, hinted at the' delights that would be afforded by a motor-drive with so desirable a companion as herself, and emphasised the fact that when he went to a theatTe, he was obliged to go alone, because he had no lady friends. After Mr. Hingley had gone, Alice wa.s . not at all surprised to hear her father say that he had asked if he might call | again. Mr. Morgan also mentioned the J fact, in case it might have any bearing j on the question, that Hingley was a good i fellow, immensely rich., and calculated j to make an Meal husband for even the most ambitious vouna lady. Alice judged that, in her eagerness to ! secure Mr. Hingley's sympathy with her aspirations for financial knowledge, she had led him, perhaps, to believe that his ; attentions to her had' been more welcome than really had ibeen the case. Still, as | she had a purpose in view in cultivating his acquaintance, she could afford to let him imagine for a time that she had been dazzled by his brilliant gifts and enormous wealth.

On the following day Mr. Morgan said he had to go into the city, and while there he proposed to call at.Mr. Hingley's office. 'ln a casual tone he added he supposed tliat a visit to the city would not interest his daughter in any way.

To Ms surprise, Alice replied that nothing! would please her more. It seemed to Mr. Morgan that the girl had been more fascinated by Mr. Hingley than either of them had imagined, and, as he would! naturally rattier have a millionaire for a son-in-law than an unsuccessful stockbroker life Harry Barton, he was delighted at his daughter's decision. •Mr. Hingley was as attentive as ever. He received father and daughter in his private office, and ordered tea for them

there. He began also to renew his complimentary remarks of the previous evening; but, finding herself for the moment in the atmosphere of finance, Alice found no difficulty in introducing business topics. "I .suppose you know all about stocks and shares and all that sort of thing, I Mr. Hingley?" he said, with a gracious smile. Mr. Hingley replied modestly that he supposed lie knew something about such things, but he thought he had still a good deal to learn. "Do you know," continued Alice, "1 should awfully like to put a few pounds into something, and see the money double itself." "So would a good many of us, Miss Morgan!" replied Hingley. "You will want a long purse if you are going to start speculating, my dear," said her father, with a short laugh, i "Oh!" said Alice, "I don't mean that 1 want to risk much. I've got about fifty pounds by me, and' I thought Mr. Hingley would like to please me by giving me a good tip." She had got the financial jargon off pat, and Mr. Hingley ismiled appreciatively at it. I "Well, you know," he said, "it so happens I can give you a very good tip, Miss Morgan, if you only want to risk fifty pounds." "You /.now," interposed -Mr. Morgan, "I don't exactly approve of gambling myself, Hingley. Still, if the girl has made up her mind to lose her fifty pounds, she had better do it. It will be one wav of

gaining experience for her, anythow." "Oh, she is not likely to lose in this case," Hingley hastened to assure him. "The Bagdad Oil Company is " "Did you say the Bagdad Oil Company?" interrupted Alice, starting forward. "Yes," replied Hingley, a little startled at her eager interest. "Have you heard of it before ?" ">N—no," stammered Alice. "Not that I remember. I must have been thinking of the Bagdad -in the 'Arabian Nights.' That's where I heard the name." "Well," said Hingley, "there's a good tip for you. The shares are not difficult to get, and if you want no more than fifty I daresay you will easily find them. I shouldn't 'be surprised if they quadrupled themselves in two or three months. I'm chairman of tue company, so I ought to know what I'm talking about." "You—you are—chairman?" gasped Alice, with Harry's explanation fresh in her memory. j "Yes; that's so," replied Hingley. 'He attributed her surprise to the sud-. .denness of the revelation that he should! be so important a personage, and he flat- j tered himself that he had already consid-! erably improved on the good impression 1 he had made. He took it for grantedi that she had asked for the "tip" merely! to put his ability to the test, and that when she found it had turned out to be • a good one, she would appreciate his efforts and add to her happiness whenever

it had lain in his power to d« so. ■ I "Of course," he said, as he escorted Alice and her father to the door, "I don't i want everybody to know my opinion of; the Bagdad shares. I am buying all 1 j can iget for myself, and I should like to j buy as cheaply as I can." Mr. Morgan replied that he should not think of betraying State secrets. Alice said nothing, for the very -oibvious reason that she did not choose to bind herself to respect the financier's confidence until she had got an explanation of the mystery from Harry. She merely offered her hand to Hingley and told him that he had been very good to give her so much of his time; and while her father went to make another call, Alice made her way to the nearest telephone office. In a few words she told -Harry Barton over the wire of the sudden discovery of the identity of the chairman of the Bagdad Oil Cuinpany. Harry replied that be could see it all, and would come and explain later. He said also that the shares had fallen since yesterday to five shillings on the strength., of a rumor that there was to be no dividend, and that he would be, therefore, able to have two thousand shares in the company instead of y one thousand as before. And whil ' "Altec .7,,.'. trying to understand tlf Jgarea, £h J . telephonic commuriicalAk waa inte apted, and! she had to oas. >'• away v h the idea that those kh id stocks ft d shares were more coniNOag tina e». r. Jhm Ham called that evening, he was nunc . cplain matters in a way that did not reflect the highest credit on Mr. Hingley. By this time, however, Alice had forgotten Mr. Hingley's existence, and she did not care whether he was, as Harry said, a shady financier or not. j • If Alice had forgotten Mr. Hingley, ! however, he had not forgotten her. He j left flowers for her at the house, and | called with some frequency. Every time ' he came he had pleasure in announcing that the shares of the Bagdad Company , were going .up rapidly on the strength i of the very favorable report—the most favorable, in fact, that the company had ever published. Some two months after his first visit, Mr. Hingley came to dinner again, and Mr. Morgan made a great point of leaving him alone with Alice in the drawingroom afterwards. Mr. Morgan was not a good diplomatist, and his manner left Alice wit no room for doubt that she was expected to listen to a proposal if she could help it; 'but, on the other hand, she was very anxious to let him kne that she had obtained a fair insight ' it-*' his character. Mr. Hingley uncov-;)'- "• ly aided her plan by starting t 1 ..t.m sion on finance directly the*' vif: He saw a chance of pre: -^elf■ in a favorable light to .• - vA such an opportunity was no V» b • steed.

"I hope you are satisfi' . -Tii : £». suit of your investment ifiy , Miss Morgan?" he began, ..'Hli a .::jiirk. "'I did not invest the money ?iter all; Mr. Hingley," she replied coldly.

"Didn't invest it?" he echoed in astonishment. "Why, my dear young lady, your fifty pounds would have been worth about five hundred now!"

"Indeed?" was all the comment that Alice made. Hingley could not understandl her attitude. The fact that she had lost an opportunity, of making a profit of four hundred and fifty pounds and was not upset aibout it was a new experience for ihim, knowing the aver- j

! age speculator as he did. His emotion was so great that for the moment lie even overlooked the more sentimental business that he ihad obviously come to transact. "B-but," he stammered, "on the day I gave you the tip you could have picked those shares up at five shillings each. They were selling to-day at fifty shillings. I came to tell you to sell them, because that is, perhaps, as much as they are worth. I can assure you that the information I gave was very valuable. I would not have given it to everyone." "No," agreed Alice, rising from her chair and facing him sternly. "You did not give it to everyone. You did not give it, for instance, to Mr. Barton." "Mr. Barton? Who is he?" asked Hingley, flushing deeply. "Mr. Barton," she went on, "is an acquaintance of ours. He met you in the city about two months ago, and when you heard that he held these shares you told him to sell at once. 'He did so." "That's all very well," said Hingley, grasping at the opportunity afforded him. "I, don't 'know Mr. Barton. He is nbthing to me, though, of course, as a fi-jiend of yours I respect him. As chairman of the company I knew naturally enough that the report was going to be a good one, and as the market in Bagdads was in a very nervous state I naturally took advantage of the fact to circulate unfavorable rumors—but there, I beg your pardon. You don't under-1 stand the little intricacies of finance."

"I am beginning) to understand them a little more than I did," replied Alice, her eyes flashing fire as she spoke. "You wanted to depress the price of the shares on the market so that you could buy them more cheaply yourself, and Mr. Barton was only one of the pawns in the game. You recommended everybody to sell out at once—and little by little you bought." "That's right," said Hingley, Tubbing his hands as if he took her comments as a high compliment to his smartness. "That's all part of the business, you know." "When you told me to buy I passed your message on to Mr. Barton/' she continued. "He then explained to me the trick you had played on him, and, I am afraid, many others, by the circulation of false reports. Fortunately, he was in time to recover his losses. He bought two thousand shares at five shilling's each and sold them this morning for fifty." , "Well," said Hingley, a little rougjhly, "he hasn't done so badly out of it, has he? He ought to be much obliged to me for the tip." "A 9 it happens," she continued, as she walked over to the bell, "it is myself to whoin he is obliged 1 . He has his own opinion of you." "Wait a moment," he said, ais she laid her hand on the bell rope. "I don't understand all this fuss about Mi - . Barton. I only met him once. Who is he?" I "He happens to be the gentleman to I whom I am about to be married," she replied as she rang the bell.—M.A.P.