Other People's Money

d settledidea of appropriating other people's money, it is with renewed wonderthat every night, when I go home, I find my purse still

at comes along, demanding, "Your money or your life," is but apoor busine

osed to all sorts of annoyances on thepart of the gendarmes, when manufacturing and financi

t to open from time to time acopy of "The Police Gazette," and to read some trial, like that, forinsta

han a month ago in one

he Accused - Y

President of

ore that what

peculated at

had no

pardon: I was

udacityto organize a company with a capital stock of three

ea, I did not suppose that

do you ca

ning swamps, and mak

ever had any existence,

y them as soon as my

e you promised ten per

t that draining o

have adv

Of c

what

t of about sixty

did you ge

cs, which a friend of mine hadlent me;

e use of the money of your

e thought it w

ent your prospectus with a p

se me. O

money did you

thousand francs, as

e spent the who

y personal wants any thingbeyond the sal

hundred and fifty francs found in your safe, and that amounthad been sent

een spent for the

se! You had

to me by Article

d of the compan

ertain display. The headof an important co

to inspire confidencethat you had a mistress,

Tone of Perfect

sumes,Q - Your offices were magnificent. The

othing. The furniture was allhired

true. My specialty isto hire office-fixtures for financial and other companies. I furnishevery thing, from the

like the one in question,the officers call on me, and, according to the magnitude of thecapital required, I

to see me, I gauged his

he Orne, shares of five hundredfrancs,

useless expenses. Take reps for your private office: that's goodeno

He followed my advice; and I sent him redhot the furniture and fixtures which had been use

rs may still be found for the sharesof the Tiffla Mines, the Bretoneche Lands, and the Forest

of theDecember coup d'etat, when the first ideas of mu

ronage at the start,and had been at once admit

formanufacturers and merchants, the Mutual Credit had

board of directors; and at the end theoriginal subscribers would have been not a little emba

thattheir manager, M. de Thaller, was personally very rich; an

ght; who suggested that the dividends were suspiciouslylarge; that M. de Thal

and were quoted at 580 francs on that Saturday,when, after the closing of the bourse, t

none broker, who, for merely one-twelfth of that amount would h

n muchnotice of, in the present instance, the magnitude of

man; and some personsdeclared, that to take

s he in collusion with his cashier?""That's the whole questio

l."This uncertainty kept up the price for about half an hour. But soonthe most disastrous new

self for a time, theMutual Credit fell sudden

ed to keep up the market; but they had soon recognized thefutility of

it was reported,with the most circumstantial de

ne to the races, and who had met there Mme. de Thaller and herdau

unable to come," said the baroness. "He is busywith two

thing of a man who lived on bread andnuts? But he operated at the bourse; and he had organiz

beenreported, and this time, again, we shall get off with a good fright."But the speeches of the baroness were hardly suf

'clock, they began toarrive in crowds to dema

on the stairs, and on the first landing, a prey to themost painful emot

ly, "The office is notopen, M. de Thaller has not yet come."Whereupon they uttered such terrible threats and

ge of men, who has not seen a meeting ofshareholders on the morrow of a great disaster,

e of their ruin upon the splendor of the house, thesumptuousness of the st

bench, a little short man was exciting transportsof indignation by describing the m

rriage-house, fifteen horsesin the stab

chen; and he declared that he had been dazzled by the numberand br

vestibule, the most sensible

government bonds.""Or a first mortgage on good property, with subrogation of the wife'srights."But what exasperated t

r a week.""You'll see nothing at all," giggled his neighbor. "Do you supposethey don't have back-stairs and private entrances in this infernalshop?""Ah! if I believed any thing of the kind," exclaimed the big manin a voice trembling with passion. "I'd soon break in some of

ther

s interested as yourself in not losing every thing, I beg ofyou to in

ding flew open. A clerk appeared,an

ut he is justnow engaged with the examining judge."Sho

ct," said another. "But we will have the preciousadvantage of hearing that dear baron c

oaf of bread froma baker.""Do you believe that sto

stood aside to let them pass; but there wasno time to make any comments, as another clerk appeared immediatelywho said,"M. de Thaller is at your comm

action. As soon as silence was restored,"First of all, gentlemen," he began, "I must tell you that the boardof directors is about to meet, and that a gener

first thought of calling for funds.""Well," said two or three timid voices, "If it was absolutelynecessary -""But there is no need of it.""Ah, ah!""And

d us had my entire confidence. Youwill understand my apparent blindness when you know with whatinfernal skill he managed."Loud imprecations burst on all sides against Vinc

y will be disappointed, gentlemen. Wewill triumphantly demonstrate our soundness; and we shall come outof this trial more powerful than ever."It was all over.

did not seem to share

our old friend. M. Ch

getting himself out ofthe scrape," he grum