50 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



ance scrip as security for loans, but I enjoyed 

 such pleasantry, since it always ended in a 

 sale to me of the scrip. One prominent merchant 

 said to me, after the usual preliminary questions : 



"I suppose you don't care to tell what price 

 you get for the scrip, nor to whom you sell it?" 



"I would prefer not to." 



"Quite right. You can have ours, and as we 

 have scrip in other companies we shall be glad to 

 see you when you come to deal in them." 



I corralled about five hundred dollars of scrip 

 on the first day, and went home dizzy with the 

 thought of my gigantic profits. I know now that 

 it wasn't merely business and that half the sales 

 made to me were kindly tributes to my youthful 

 earnestness, for often I was reminded of my boy- 

 ish enthusiasm by the merchants themselves when 

 a few years later I met them on terms of business 

 equality in matters of financial importance. 



I spent hours when I should have slept in plan- 

 ning how to finance my trades. I decided against 

 applying to my employer for money, though I 

 knew how cheerfully he would have furnished it, 



