64 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



but I hate to let that crazy man have it. I don't 

 believe he can pay for it." 



"I'll take it at the price he is bidding," said I, 

 and I rushed to the office to report what I had 

 done. I had covered without orders and at a 

 heavy loss the short sale of a customer possessed 

 of large wealth and a sometimes sharp tongue, 

 and I dreaded facing him. Reporting to my em- 

 ployer was easy, for in his uniform kindly fash- 

 ion he endorsed my action, and said he would as- 

 sume all responsibility for it with his customer. 

 There was no trouble with the customer, for he 

 had been saved from ruin, and he congratulated 

 himself on his own good fortune. 



With the suspension of specie payments deal- 

 ings in gold began. At first they were confined 

 to the offices of money brokers, but their volume 

 increased, speculation became rife, and operators 

 almost blockaded William Street. The unit of 

 dealings was five thousand dollars, but soon bids 

 for a hundred thousand were frequent. We had 

 orders enough to keep me in the crowd watching 

 prices, and no thought of speculation entered my 



