H. K. Shackleford

“ Fred asked.
Bob told him what had passed between the broker and himself, adding:
"He is the maddest man on earth. I am getting even with him, and am going to run that fleece business till some court tells me to stop it."
"By George," exclaimed Fred, "if he goes to law about it we'll be the best advertised firm in the Street."
"That's so," remarked Allison, his broad face wreathed in smiles. "He is a strong man–has many friends; but Wall Street brokers are always ready to shear each other."
"Of course they are. Business knows no friendship. It is merciless in its operations." ”

“ The old cashier was knocked topsy-turvy at receiving a check for such a sum from a young typewriter. As they were going out Gertie Clayton came by and said:
"They told me you had opened a bank here, Bob, and I wanted to see if it was true," and she looked up at the sign on the big plate glass front.
Callie caught her hand, kissed her as girls do, and said:
"Oh, Gertie, it's just too grand for anything in there! Would you believe it, I am the first depositor on their books!"
"I wish I could put money in the bank, but I can't. It takes all I can make to keep a roof over our heads." ”

“ He found her with her face buried in her hands and sobbing as though her heart would break.
"Why, what in thunder is the matter, Gertie?" he exclaimed.
"Oh, Bob, I–I–you seem to be the only friend I have in the world."
"Well, I'm much afraid that I'll stand by you till I can't breathe. Come, brace up. Here's one hundred dollars. Go and buy a machine. Get the best in the market. If that isn't enough, come back and get more. I'll let Bowles and Bryant both know that my girl can get on without them!" ”

“ Fred dreamed of the big fortune made in Wall Street; and Adah dreamed that she was no longer a cash girl in a big store, but wore fine dresses and rode in a carriage. The next morning, however, Fred ate early and hurried off downtown to sell papers, and Adah was at the store at her usual hour. Fred delivered to all his Wall Street patrons and then sold on the street to passersby all the morning. He was all around the Stock Exchange, for there he found the most customers. Inside the Stock Exchange he heard the brokers yelling like so many lunatics. ”

“ Manson laughed and shook his head.
"We all want money. That's what we are here for. But there are more losers than winners."
"What one man loses another one wins," said Fred.
"Of course, but one man sometimes wins from a thousand at one turn, so you see there are always more losers than winners," and the big broker went on up to his office, leaving Fred at the foot of the stairs waiting for Bob. ”

“ What do you want of me?"
"I am a detective and have been on the tracks of a band of forgers for months. I see in the papers that you helped bag one of them to-day. You gave warning to the bank. That's what I want to see you about. There is a big reward up for the arrest of the gang. If you can give me any information that may lead to the arrest of any of them you can have one half the reward."
"Not much I won't," Fred replied, shaking his head. "I can arrest the whole gang myself and get all the reward."
"That's all nonsense. You can't arrest any man. You're but a boy yet." ”

“ Fred and Callie had gone on ahead, and Bob walked with Gertie. They passed Broker Bryant on Broadway, and Gertie gave a shudder as she saw him, saying to Bob:
"I am afraid of that man. He looks at me sometimes as though he wanted to kill me."
"He is bad enough to do it," Bob said. "He hates me like poison, and would poison me if he could." ”

“ The messenger disappeared, and a few moments later the bank detective came in.
"Caruth," said the banker, "this boy tells me he overheard two men plotting to present a forged check to-day. Take him out there with you and arrest the man he points out to you. Let the man get the money, though, so as to make a good case against him."
Caruth looked at the boy and said:
"I know you by sight. What's your name?"
"Fred Halsey."
"Well, go along with him, Fred," the banker said to him. "It may be a bad business if you make a mistake." ”

“ It was an immense concern and the shares were in every broker's hands. But Bryant gathered them in by the thousand at a time. On the third day it was up to sixty, and Fred met Callie at lunch to tell her she had got the thing down fine.
"Oh, if I only had some money to put up!" she said.
"You have got ten per cent interest in my little pile," he said to her.
"What! Just for the tip?"
"Yes."
"Oh, my! I could give you tips almost every day."
"Wall Street is always full of tips," and he laughed. "Such a thing as this, though, comes but once or twice a year." ”

“ The young inventor of the gas-saving machine was now a frequent caller at the Halsey residence, for Adah was a beautiful girl, who was fast developing into a splendid woman. She was the magnet that drew him to the house. As he was studious, industrious, and withal a genius, Fred was glad to see an attachment growing up between them. Callie resigned her place as stenographer and typewriter for Banker Barron, and succeeded in getting Gertie's friend employed in her place. She and Gertie then proceeded to make preparations to marry the young bankers and speculators. ”

“ I could call that cop over here now and get another but I am not ready for you yet."
"What do you mean?' the man asked, turning pale with a frightened look in his eyes.
"I mean I am on to you."
"How on to me?"
"Oh, you make me tired. I got your pal to-day. Look out I don't get you to-morrow."
The look of amazement on the man's face was a picture. Fred looked up at him and laughed. Then he turned away and went over across the street, as if to speak to the policeman there. ”

“ Fred went to her, put his arms about her neck, kissed her and said:
"I've had good luck to-day, aunt. Just read that and you will understand it all," and he gave her a copy of an afternoon paper in which was the story of the capture of the forger in Barron's bank.
"And they gave you this money for what you did?" she exclaimed, when she had finished reading it.
"Yes. They just chipped in and gave me a pile of money. I left all in the bank but this, which I wanted to give to you. And you can have every cent of the rest whenever you want it–you and sister." ”

“ Manson arose, put on his hat and went out. Fred followed him, and both were soon in the midst of the frantic mob of brokers again. Bryant was the coolest man in the whole crowd. He knew what he was there for and kept taking all the shares that were offered him. Fred saw Manson and Tracey meet and go under the gallery for a few moments' consultation. ”

“ Bryant was guyed till he had to shut himself up in his office and refuse to see any one. Manson came in and whispered to Bob to drop that Bryant's fleece business, adding:
"He has a host of friends in Wall Street, and it will hurt your business to make an enemy of him."
"He is already my enemy," Bob replied, "and had me discharged from your employ. I will never let up on him as long as I live." ”

“ You do not know how happy I am. I am going to study music and make myself an accomplished young lady so our home will not be a dull one."
She told Callie her reasons for giving up typewriting, and the latter said:
"You are right, Gertie. I would do so, too, were I so fortunate."
Just a few days later Eva Gaines came down with her uncle, the old broker, and was shown into the ladies' reception room with him. Fred and Bob received them with great consideration.
"You have been making, things lively in the Street," the old broker remarked to Fred. ”

“ A few days after the Gainses left the bank Fred was going along Broad street when he saw a little crowd on the sidewalk listening to a young man explaining a gas-saving appliance. Fred took a great interest in the affair and after a while asked the young man to make a visit to his office and adjust one to his gaspipe. The young man did so the next day, and Fred saw it was a good thing. He asked the young inventor what he would take for the invention. ”

“ They walked up to Broadway and turned toward the City Hall. All the newsboys knew them, and, as a late edition of the afternoon papers had an account of the arrest of the forger, in which Fred's name was mentioned, some of the boys ran to him to ask him about it. The account said nothing about the money that had been given Fred, so he felt relieved. Of course he had to stop and tell them about it. While he was doing so a man came by and asked:
"Do any of you know a newsboy named Fred Halsey?" ”

“ One day a week later Bob received a tip from Gertie Clayton that Rock Island shares were going to be cornered. Bob saw Fred about it and they watched Rock Island. Pretty soon they saw it advance. Then Fred ordered 15,000 shares bought for the firm. The next day a man called and asked them to lend him $10,000 on a good stock worth double that amount. Fred asked to see the stock. It was K. & T. Fred took the stock to Mr. Allison for his advice, and the bookkeeper denounced the stock as a clever forgery. ”

“ Bob took charge of the office work, and soon had one thousand machines placed among the large consumers of gas, at a rental of from $5 to $10 a month each, producing an income of about $75,000 a year. Out of that sum they paid the young inventor $7,500 a year salary. One day Broker Tracey came in and begged Halsey & Company to sell him an interest in the gas machine, offering $50,000 cash for one-fourth interest in it.
"Not for $250,000," said Fred. "It is a gold mine, and we think we can work it by ourselves." ”

“ Bryant was so astounded at being given the lie so bluntly he sat still and heard Bob through without uttering a word; then he looked up at Manson and said:
"There's cheek for you!"
"Cheek!" exclaimed Bob. "Don't say a word about cheek! Your cheek drove your typewriter out of your office. I got a place for her, and you had the cheek to go to her new place and raise a row. That is what you kicked me for. Two members of the Exchange told me to prosecute you and call them as witnesses–Mr. Turner and Mr. Agnew."
Bryant turned white as a sheet. Those two brokers were his bitterest enemies. ”

“ The second day after he bought his seat in the Stock Exchange Rock Island advanced to 90. Bryant was the kingpin in the Rock Island deal. He saw Fred watching the board which told how the stock stood. Rock Island stood at 92 when business for the day ended. Next day Bryant forced the stock up to 95, when Fred dumped his 15,000 shares on the market. Bryant had to take them. Then the price broke. A panic resulted. Bowles clutched Fred by the arm. Fred sprang nimbly out of his reach, and the old man fell prone to the floor, where he lay still like one dead. ”

“ Manson would like to have me do such a thing, so put it that way. It's Fred's money, too."
The broker laughed, wrote the receipt, and handed it to Fred, with the remark:
"You will soon learn how easy it is to lose money in Wall Street."
"When a man loses, somebody wins," Fred replied, and Tabor never forgot the remark, for he had reason to remember it ere he was a year older. The two boys went out and Bob said, when they reached the sidewalk:
"I've got to go back to the office, but won't have to stay long as it is nearly three o'clock. Come along and wait for me." ”

“ You are a coward as well as a hog!" and the belligerent broker followed him out to the sidewalk.
The doctor got away in the crowd. The ambulance came, and the body was removed to the police station to await identification and the action of the coroner. The doors of the bank were closed, and a number of brokers remained inside to find out how the thing had happened. Mr. Allison related how it occurred, and produced the certificate, which they all examined. But not one of them was willing to say it was a forgery. The old man was the best posted of them all. ”

“ What are you going to do with so much money?"
"Set up a bank of my own," was the prompt reply at which the banker and the brokers broke into a roar of laughter.
"Gimme ten dollars," Fred said, "and keep the rest in the bank for me."
"Very well; here's the ten," and Fred took the bill and went out on the street, feeling richer than ever before in his life.
CHAPTER II.–Halsey & Company.
Fred Halsey was a sturdy youth of sixteen whose father had died when he was but ten years old. He was a manly little fellow who knew how to take care of himself in his career of newsboy. ”