96 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



what Hammond said, and together we went back 

 for the new comparison, which showed that his 

 watch was right. The boy returned to our office 

 for his check while I went to the Exchange to 

 borrow three quarters of a million dollars in cur- 

 rency at a stiff rate of interest, to carry the gold. 

 Interest and penalty footed up $1,400, the cost 

 to us of a foolish question of mine. 



That afternoon I bought the most expensive 

 Jurgenson watch I could find, which with the 

 heavy duty and the high premium on gold, ap- 

 proached in cost my witless query to the watch- 

 maker. Perhaps it has helped to make good the 

 loss in ways not apparent since for four and a 

 half decades it has reminded me daily of the folly 

 of foolish questions and the wisdom of letting well 

 enough alone. 



Recurring to the time when deliveries of gold 

 were made in coin, and the amount passed 

 through our office daily could be measured in 

 tons, there were times when delayed deliveries 

 made things lively for us in the few minutes pre- 

 ceding the official limit of time for delivery. 



