The Pit [150]
played as much as she could remember of the music, she rose and closed the piano, and pushed back the folding doors between the room she was in and the "back library," a small room where Mrs. Cressler kept her books of poetry.
As Laura entered the room she was surprised to see Mr. Cressler there, seated in his armchair, his back turned toward her.
"Why, I didn't know you were here, Mr. Cressler," she said, as she came up to him.
She laid her hand upon his arm. But Cressler was dead; and as Laura touched him the head dropped upon the shoulder and showed the bullet hole in the temple, just in front of the ear.
X
The suicide of Charles Cressler had occurred on the tenth of June, and the report of it, together with the wretched story of his friend's final surrender to a temptation he had never outlived, reached Curtis Jadwin early on the morning of the eleventh.
He and Gretry were at their accustomed places in the latter's office, and the news seemed to shut out all the sunshine that had been flooding in through the broad plate-glass windows. After their first incoherent horror, the two sat staring at each other, speechless.
"My God, my God," groaned Jadwin, as if in the throes of a deadly sickness. "He was in the Crookes, ring, and we never knew it--I've killed him, Sam. I might as well have held that pistol myself." He stamped his foot, striking his fist across his forehead, "Great God--my best friend--Charlie--Charlie Cressler! Sam, I shall go mad if this--if this----
"Steady, steady does it, J.," warned the broker, his hand upon his shoulder, "we got to keep a grip on ourselves to-day. We've got a lot to think of. We'll think about Charlie, later. Just now ... well it's business now. Mathewson & Knight have called on us for margins--twenty thousand dollars."
He laid the slip down in front of Jadwin, as he sat at his desk.
"Oh, this can wait?" exclaimed Jadwin. "Let it go till this afternoon. I can't talk business now. Think of Carrie--Mrs. Cressler, I----"
"No," answered Gretry, reflectively and slowly, looking anywhere but in Jadwin's face. "N--no, I don't think we'd better wait. I think we'd better meet these margin calls promptly. It's always better to keep our trades margined up."
Jadwin faced around.
"Why," he cried, "one would think, to hear you talk, as though there was danger of me busting here at any hour."
Gretry did not answer. There was a moment's silence Then the broker caught his principal's eye and held it a second.
"Well," he answered, "you saw how freely they sold to us in the Pit yesterday. We've got to buy, and buy and buy, to keep our price up; and look here, look at these reports from our correspondents--everything points to a banner crop. There's been an increase of acreage everywhere, because of our high prices. See this from Travers"--he picked up a despatch and read: "'Preliminary returns of spring wheat in two Dakotas, subject to revision, indicate a total area seeded of sixteen million acres, which added to area in winter wheat states, makes total of forty-three million, or nearly four million acres greater than last year.'"
"Lot of damned sentiment," cried Jadwin, refusing to be convinced. "Two-thirds of that wheat won't grade, and Europe will take nearly all of it. What we ought to do is to send our men into the Pit and buy another million, buy more than these fools can offer. Buy 'em to a _standstill._"
"That takes a big pile of money then," said the broker. "More than we can lay our hands on this morning. The best we can do is to take all the Bears are offering, and support the market. The moment they offer us wheat and we don't buy it, that moment--as you know, yourself--they'll throw wheat at you by the train load, and the price will break, and we with it."
"Think we'll get rid of much wheat to-day?" demanded Jadwin.
By now it had became vitally necessary for Jadwin to sell out his holdings. His "long line" was a fearful expense, insurance and storage charges were eating rapidly into the profits. He _must_
As Laura entered the room she was surprised to see Mr. Cressler there, seated in his armchair, his back turned toward her.
"Why, I didn't know you were here, Mr. Cressler," she said, as she came up to him.
She laid her hand upon his arm. But Cressler was dead; and as Laura touched him the head dropped upon the shoulder and showed the bullet hole in the temple, just in front of the ear.
X
The suicide of Charles Cressler had occurred on the tenth of June, and the report of it, together with the wretched story of his friend's final surrender to a temptation he had never outlived, reached Curtis Jadwin early on the morning of the eleventh.
He and Gretry were at their accustomed places in the latter's office, and the news seemed to shut out all the sunshine that had been flooding in through the broad plate-glass windows. After their first incoherent horror, the two sat staring at each other, speechless.
"My God, my God," groaned Jadwin, as if in the throes of a deadly sickness. "He was in the Crookes, ring, and we never knew it--I've killed him, Sam. I might as well have held that pistol myself." He stamped his foot, striking his fist across his forehead, "Great God--my best friend--Charlie--Charlie Cressler! Sam, I shall go mad if this--if this----
"Steady, steady does it, J.," warned the broker, his hand upon his shoulder, "we got to keep a grip on ourselves to-day. We've got a lot to think of. We'll think about Charlie, later. Just now ... well it's business now. Mathewson & Knight have called on us for margins--twenty thousand dollars."
He laid the slip down in front of Jadwin, as he sat at his desk.
"Oh, this can wait?" exclaimed Jadwin. "Let it go till this afternoon. I can't talk business now. Think of Carrie--Mrs. Cressler, I----"
"No," answered Gretry, reflectively and slowly, looking anywhere but in Jadwin's face. "N--no, I don't think we'd better wait. I think we'd better meet these margin calls promptly. It's always better to keep our trades margined up."
Jadwin faced around.
"Why," he cried, "one would think, to hear you talk, as though there was danger of me busting here at any hour."
Gretry did not answer. There was a moment's silence Then the broker caught his principal's eye and held it a second.
"Well," he answered, "you saw how freely they sold to us in the Pit yesterday. We've got to buy, and buy and buy, to keep our price up; and look here, look at these reports from our correspondents--everything points to a banner crop. There's been an increase of acreage everywhere, because of our high prices. See this from Travers"--he picked up a despatch and read: "'Preliminary returns of spring wheat in two Dakotas, subject to revision, indicate a total area seeded of sixteen million acres, which added to area in winter wheat states, makes total of forty-three million, or nearly four million acres greater than last year.'"
"Lot of damned sentiment," cried Jadwin, refusing to be convinced. "Two-thirds of that wheat won't grade, and Europe will take nearly all of it. What we ought to do is to send our men into the Pit and buy another million, buy more than these fools can offer. Buy 'em to a _standstill._"
"That takes a big pile of money then," said the broker. "More than we can lay our hands on this morning. The best we can do is to take all the Bears are offering, and support the market. The moment they offer us wheat and we don't buy it, that moment--as you know, yourself--they'll throw wheat at you by the train load, and the price will break, and we with it."
"Think we'll get rid of much wheat to-day?" demanded Jadwin.
By now it had became vitally necessary for Jadwin to sell out his holdings. His "long line" was a fearful expense, insurance and storage charges were eating rapidly into the profits. He _must_