Wall street stories

very blonde hair, a very red nose and a very loud voice. Greener was a sallow, swarthy bit of a man, with black hair and a squeaky voice. He had

ed him fifteen feet into a coal cellar on Exchange Place. He would plan the wrecks of railroad systems as a measure preliminary to their absorption, just as

key. He would buy or sell 50,000 shares of a stock and he would bet $50,000 on the turn of a card. On an occasion he offered to wager a fortune that he could guess which of two flies that had alit on a table would be the first to fly away. Greener found, in the Stock Exchange, the means to a desired end. Despite innumerable bits of stock jobbing, he had no exalted opinion, in his heart of hearts, of stock operations. But Di

oward Dutch Dan a certain passive hostility for interference 165with sundry stock market deals. But Dan hated Greener madly

geous age they would have cut the Little Napoleon to pieces and passed his roasted heart on a platter around the festive board. In the colorless XIX century they were fain to content themselves with endeavoring to despoil him of his tear-stained millions; to do which they united their own smile-wreathed millions-some seven or eight of them-and opened fire. Their combined fortune 166was divided into ten projectiles and one after another hurled at the little man with the squeaky voice and the high forehead. The little man dodged the first and the second and the third, but the fourth broke his leg and the fifth knocked the wind out of him. The Street cheered and showed its confidence in the artillerists by goi

how there was no need to hurry the "bull" or upward movement Dan sold the stock "short" every time Greener tried to advance the price. Four times did Greener try and four times Dittenhoeffer sold him a few thousand shares-just enough to check the advance. Up to a certain point a ma

h. Besides which, there was the desire on the part of the banks' directors to pick up fine bargains should their refusal to lend Greener money force him to throw overboard the greater part of his load. Gr

ut it calmly, just as he played roulette-selling it methodically, ceaselessly, depressingly. And the price wilted. Greener, unsuccessful in other quarters of the Street, decided it was time to do something to save himsel

was in difficulties. Financial ghouls ran to the banks and interviewed the presidents. They asked no

lmost pityingly: "Oh, you've just heard it

as really a good property, but his reorganized roads, whose renascence was so recent that they had not g

conqueror, the hero of the hour, the future dispenser of liberal commissions, but dea

one who was the greatest gambler of all, greater even than Dutch Dan-a little man with

ask you a question," he squeaked, calm

had a vision of humble requests to "let up." And he al

xecute an or

. I'll execute anybody'

000 shares of Federal T

he figures, from force of ha

. The stock," glancin

y we

Dan half menacingly, Greener, calmly, st

at length and the little man's hi

nge. At the entrance he met his partner,

from Greener to sell 50,000

?" gaspe

pt an order from him, I said yes, and he told m

Dan. You've got

es with the first half of the orde

nk tells me there isn't a bank in the city will lend Greener money, and he needs it badly to pay th

Greener as we do any other

sed consternation; he was an hone

won't save him. I'll get him

ice of Federal Telegraph doubtless would have broken 15 points or more, and he could easily have taken in his shorts at 75 or possibly even at 70–-which would have meant a profit of a half-million of dollars-and a loss of a much needed million to his arch-foe, Greener. 172And if he allowed his partner to whisper in strict confidence to some fr

lf, through another man took an equal amount. On the next day he in person sold 20,000 shares and on the third day the last 10,000 shares of Greener's order. This selling, the Street thought, was for his own account. It was all short stock; that is, his colleagues thought he was selling

sells what

back or go

becoming too reckless and Greener was a slippery little cuss and the short interest must be simply enormous and the danger of a bad "squeeze" exceedingly great. Wherefore, they forebore

ll his plans. It was a daring stroke, to trust to a stock broker's professional honor. It made him the owner of a great railroad sys