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THE WIZARD OF THE TAPE BY HAROLD C. BURR (OwKfU. kjr Mir Starr Pita. Or.) The cote of chance bad called Aadjr 3a|> aad bo bad harkened. "There's mo doubt of ft," bo aald to bla partner, tonkins. "It's tbo wisest atop wo eaa take. We oucbt to braach out on a larger scale. Of course we'll bare to pot la a quotation board, blre bigger offices aad more dorks. But look bow our profits will increase, man! We ought to got la some outside custom ers. There's Duncan for oae." "Who’s her asked old Jenkins, wavering. "Some friend of yours?" "Too—a stock gambling friend. He’s a corker with a barrel of money be hind him, bis own. He don't dabble In stocks; be plunges. The tips be gets are safe aad sure—absolutely. He’s band-aad-giove with the big men—bank president*, railroad wreckers aad mak ers, financial giants—the crowd who moves things." Andy laughed. "The wisard of the tape. 1 can swing him into line. Jenkins, we ought to braach out" Jenkins had known the strife of tbs street, man aad boy. "That's all right," he said dubiously, "but I*m getting along la life. I’ts been through panic scares. 1 know what shrinking, unre pienlshed margins mean—the danger. You’re young aad have never seen dull times down here. Private wires and heavy expenses—why, 1 wouldn’t sleep nights!" "Look around you, Jenkins," pleaded young Gage. "There's hundreds of suc cessful firms all about us doing a cus tomers’ business. Watch them forge ahead. We’re being distanced, side tracked, lost apoag the small fry. There's no use la dodging, we’re tak ing the duet of the big procession. We ought to braach out." Aad his partner, eager yet cautious, caught some of the boy's enthusiasm. "That settles It," he conceded. "But U we’re mowed down"—doubtfully. "We won’t be." declared Gage. The new venture was a pronounced euocsss from the start Jenkins had Hah friends who ranted around him solidly. Young Gage's whnud never hoiked about margins to carr* along Us Mg steak Mils asm The profit# the first year fibehled, tripled, quafi rngfeed any la the oooeera’s history, Andy was vindicated, elated; the senior partner converted. A smash did come. Duncan, Jenkins A Co.’s star customer, was away aome whera shooting quail. On the eve of his departure he had disposed of everything her fits thousand Seaboard Traction. High prices faded aad died •way that day, ton potato ions the matter of a trivial tell hour. Jenkins, watchiag the tape like a hawk, teto phoalsg, aaxlous, tried to roach Dun ces by wire. No use. Nobody knew where he was, how to reach him. And hie security vanished like snow on the Fourth of July. Gegs, because he was young aad mo tive, clear-headed, was over on the leer, tearing madly around, executing •tap toes orders, seeing the house of finance shake, hearing It tumbling shout hie ears. His partner of the quaking heart sent him notes by the doscae—"Hadat we better sell Dun can out? llargta exhausted." Aad al ways there came hack the same loyal •newer: "No. Stand teat and keep n •tlfi upper Up. He's good for n fifty point drop." And Jenkins believed he was, too. * Bet after the does of the exchaage •ad the day had become history, he met-Gage with a grave face. "I’ve •bees gotag over the accounts," he said, -shaking and worried. "Andy, If ywur man ftwni should welch, if be re fuses to amuae his losses- !" "Bad as that, hay!" Gage voiced thredly. His nerves were la strings and his head aching. "But he wont. He’s white and square, Jenkins." The wisard of the tape arrived back Wednesday. He looked neat and brand new, pressed aad polished to the mode. A carnation spiked his buttonhole. Jenkies was never gladder to aee a man In his Ufa, aad vastly relieved. "Hello!" he greeted him solemnly. "Reed about yesterday’s panic? Sea board Traction’s dawn thirty potato.” "The devil yoe say! Get out!" gasped Duncan twice, crossing over and reading the tape. ‘Let’s see, five theosssd—ten points." He looked out the window a second, calculating. "Fif ty thousand dollars. Wboo! That’s too had." "One hundred and fifty thousand,’ serractad Jenkins gently, byway of precaution. The customer whirled on him. “You didn’t sell out? You didn’t cover your self against kws?” "No, Andy said to hang on. He said you wouldn't go hack oa us.” Daacsa gestured impatiently. "Where is Andy? I want to see him." Jenkins' heart was in his mouth. That which he had told Gage the night before was no idle exaggeration. The Seaboard Traction stock had been paid far with borrowed money. "1 hope," ho ventured, "that you’re net hit too hard. There'll he some re covery to' the market, maybe to-day. Of course you’D—" "Of course nothing!'* flared Duncan. Ho tamed hotly upon hie broker and Taboetod aa that the whale oSea ceuM hear. "I know what yon’re driving at, dodging around. You aeedat tell me. I know. You want mo to pay for year stupidity. Well, I won’t. It's year funeral If you stayed la the game too long—not mine. Where's Andy?" Gage was sent for, and he hustled to the office poet haste, ears of some mistake, "1 .want to aee you—alone," the wto ard repeated stubbornly. Jenkins started to say something, hesitated and stopped altogether. Andy nudged him aad led the way to hia private office. The next moment the door was closed and he aad Dun can were alone. "What’s all this rubbish I hear?" Andy laughed, awkwardly nervous. “Jenkins Is scared. He’s somehow got some fool idea into his head you're going to knife aa. You—why, it’s bosh’ aad moonshine! Tow—" "In the first place," the other re quested on the stark “please don’t get theatrical. Heroics are crude aad won’t help you any. You’re whipped, beaten, squelched!” He lounged on the table, half on, half off, leaniag on his kses, laughing coolly, triumphant ly. "I’m prepared to admit I’m what the lady of the drama calls a false friend. I’m h rascal—anything. Bnt 1 swore to get you. Gage, aad I have, d —a you!" Gage was stricken dumb. He stood where he was, quivering, his nostrils blowing, his young, shrewd face gray and wild. The blood pounded in his' brain, clogging Ida thought, it was too horrible to understand. Duaesn —his friend—the man he had trusted hated him! "What’s—what’s the gamer’ he mouthed, net realising he spoke at nil. "The game! The game!" the sneer ing wizard aald after him. "Don’t you know I hate you? Don’t you know I’ve despised you for years? Haven’t you realized I tore—aye ( love—Joan Rick ard, the girt you married? No, yon don’t know, so I’ll tell you, Andy Gage!” His voice rose sharply, quick ly, ted hs panted. *1 do, 1 do, I do—all of these things! How I’ve waited, waited, waited, endless waits, weary waits! And now my chance has come. God! my chance has come!" The walls of the room were hia cage now, re straining his frenzied pacing, beating him hack. “I knew how the cat would Jump, kpew the market was top-heavy. I loaded up to the mussle cm Seaboard Traction. I went—nowhere. Thought I’d he n weakling aad let yen bleed me, hey! Why, you easy—keep off there!" he suddenly yelled. But Gage, infuriated, goafpd by hie taunts, was flying for his throat, slak ing his fingers there, crashing to the floor with to# max'who had betrayed him. The whole office was ta an up roar. Clerks, headed by Jenkins, poured la upon the two battling men, squirming and cursing oa the carpet. They had to pry them span, Daaeaa «a»ftag. Moody aad frighteMd, hie ••at ripped aad twletafiT-Ue flower •tee; Gage unhurt, tnsaae to read aad tear. A minute of chaotic confusion •ad—the wisard iff the tape had van ished. Jenkins A Co.’s course was run. It was hopeless to even attempt to con tinue business. Everything had to be sacrificed overboard to meet a settle ment of eighty cents oa the dollar. Duncan’s revenge wee complete, ob literating. Jenkins, who wee luckily a bachelor, went west to end his days on n hum drum form of his sister’s. "You’ll corns to the surface again,” he said to Gage oa leaving. "They caa’t keep a good man down If ha’a young. And see here, my hoy, don’t you ever go aad forget Wizard Duncan!” And Gage, miserable because he de served all the blame, had squeezed his honest old withered hand. "I’ll square our soore!” he vowed stoutly. "The ■rills of/the gods will help. I’m living for that. How I’ll stamp him Into the ground If I ever get the opportunity!” Andy went around among his finan cial friends to aee where he stood. "I don’t want favors,” he said to them. "I want work and a chance to retrieve. Yes, lam down, hut I’m not quite out l*m comiag hack.” Newcomb, of Newcomb A Hatch, bad the most to offer. "Sure, old man. I’ll do what I eaa. But look here, how did yen get crippled? -Some eastern er—T he insinuated. Bat such a hard, level look had crept into Gage’s eyes that he hastened on. *We want a tele phono clerk —twenty dollars a week." It wasn’t much of a place for Andy, hut false pride was but a symbol with him. He was out to get a fresh grip aad it mattered not where he caught hold. The duties of a telephone clerk' are not complicated, but vital, the mainspring of nearly every traaaac ttoa on the floor of the stock exchange. Orders are telephoned to the board over private wires from the various offices. The order 1# written on a pad by the man at the exchaage ead of the connection. aad forwarded to be exe cuted. He aad Joan had to buckle down to hard-pan. Bnt aho had married him because she loved him, not to splurge, not to pose like n big, graceful, use less doU aa the wife of rich youag Andy Gage. And the gods of chance still flirted with him. One day Wisard Duncan opened an account with Newcomb A Hatch, Andy's very employers, where at Andy waited, watchful aad cautious. Hs laid in wait under cover. The young telephone clerk contract ed the laudable habit of keeplag late office boors—to secretly pore over the customers’ accounts. He learnt by heart and kept himself posted on every detail of the wizard’s trading. Then things failed to break right for Duncan. Hs began to slide. The king of the pool crowd who had sliced many a rips melon with him had died under the surgeon’s x knife. Speculat ing on margins la a precarious It* aa adage of tea xml ftaaaclal world that sooner or later ho who gambles on the tape la loot. Bat Dsn oaa bung on, going fiseper aad deeper, totally unable to break the ahaoklss of the mania that had seiaod him. his vary Mood mad to Ala hack his dwin dling fortune. But the climax was ranched oa the Toaopoh preferred date. He was heavily long oa Tonopah pre ferred, a one track system whose next to worthtsm stock was flim-flammed «P aad flim-flammed down, the price a mere deooy aad a fake. Now the wiz ard was stm aoUd ta certain circles where they poll the string. Tooopah preferred was a good purchase at 40, a gold brick twenty potato higher. Forty was low water, 00 high tide. It was all vary simple to Mo understand tag, the A B C of the game of stocks TWo weeks attar he bought he re eetvefl a telegram marked "rash.” "Soil quick! Fight on with Toaopoh directors. Going to wreck, merge, freeze-out.” Aad Duncan was up to hia nock in Toaopoh preferred. It had seemed such a safe play, such a supreme chance. But It hadn’t been n chance. It had bean a sura thing. Aad he had succeeded ta footing even himself. Ha would make a Mg haul aad bid good by to the Ucker, hid farewell to the nerve-racking, furious strife—forever. But even now he wasn’t afraid, disap pointed. His brain, working smoothly, naturally saw the easy way to hedge, to still play trumps. He gave his brokers instructions to sell twenty thousand shares of Tonspah preferred, whereas before be had been long but tenth Sanaa il. It wasn’t, smart. It was the logical remedy. The telegram bad warned him and gone over his head harmlessly. That- order came bossing over the wire Into Andy Gage’s ear. Outside of the booth of ringing phones, out on the floor of the exchange rose the mur muring shout of Wall street's pulse, dust-tadte, Jumbled, incessant. But Gage shut out all else save that dron ing voice that came to him from the office. It was the voice of opportun ity. Sell twenty thousand Tonopah preferred! It was nMg order, a migh ty big order, hampered by no price limitations. Bell at the market! The clerk at tbs'other end was Instructing him to sratter the order around in small lots, to sell by easy stages. Twenty thoumnd shares! Gage knew for whose account the sale was for. Something had happened. A break was coming. Why, Duncan was sell ing out, going short on Tonopah pre ferred! He Jingled the receiver back* ta place, wrote down the order facetlouw ly, took a long breath and—torn it into long, thin strips. The sfficz of Newcomb A Hatch wag a scene of angry shouts, aecnaatiana and f rata to. Dnaegn scented cardies* BSM of home sort on smfshody’f pari . He could feM himself grow Moist and slek add desperate. Somehow the stock hadn’t been sold. Newcomb, floor member of the firm, had denied all knowledge of the order. The wizard’s margin was gone three times over. The borrowed trust funds hs bad staked were gambled away. "Keep cool half a minute,” New comb advised him strongly, seeing bad breakers ahead. "The firm can never weather this broadside. We’re all In the same boat, rapids-bound. But keep cooil Well ask Andy aad see. He’ll know.’* And Andy came walking into the midst of than, Into the midst of con fusion and mjytery. He . looked, straight at Duncan and—smiled, his • blood beating a tattoo of victory. His easmy faced him one brief, paralysing second in silence, white sad stiff with sudden amusement, sudden under standing, sudden, rekindled hate. “You—here!" he strangled out “Why, you—!" Gege laughed mirthlessly. “You’re wMpped, beaten, squelched!” be mocked him tauatiagly aad lzugfief again In hia face. He came closer to the man he had beaten down. "Yes, I tore up the order, your order. Yes, I sent fake reports on sales over here. Tom about 1s fair play, aad I’ve turned —sa-you!", Newcomb wee gradually regaining h|s poise, his power to net. He pushed Andy Gags aside. “What’s the meaning of this out rage!’’ hs demanded roughly. "You ungrateful young whipper-snapper, what have you done? We’U wring the Insolence out cf you. You’re fliwd, dto chargsd, d'yer hear?" "Of course," nodded Gage evenly. “It doesn’t matter. But you won’t sefier— Newcomb A Hatch won’t. That caa.be ••ally arranged. You see, I beard from Jenkins yesterday. He’s struck a mO- Uou-doUar oil gusher on his sisters (firm, aad we*ro going to start ap again. He’ll stand your looses la Ttoa apah, Mr. Newcomb—gladly, ru write him how f broke a traitor’s back." That wadjfffi; and he half turned to go. Duncan was snarling at him. His Mg whits teeth were chewing bis Up splitting toe skin there into tiny wet rod cracks. Poison centered, hard and steadfast. In the green of his con traded eyes. Suddenly he ranched around back of him under the drop of his cost, the lust of the slaughter blast tag his sanity- He cursed when the re volver he carried caught in tbs pocket lining, and Jerked it free. The arm of the maniac leveled. Once, twice he biased into Andy Gage’s face, missing both shots. Burrowing into the soft plaster of the side wall, the bullets found another Mark. Every light ta the office shivered, winked and went out. The flame of his weapon spurted again through the dark. But the ten. ger was over. He had tamed the smoking barrel oa hlnaeelf. Duncan bad solved the iazt grant riddle of life. The wisard of the tape was dead Marvels of the Earth Curious, Odd and Interesting Objects and Places HERE AN EMPEROR OIEO. The little stone chapel on n MU Just outside the city of Querotaro, Mexico marks the spot where Emperor Maxi milian aad his two geaeralsJßeJla and Miramoo. were put to death ta 1*47 ta payment of the penalty for the part they played ta attempting to establish French rule over Mexico. This chapel is of comparatively recent date. It was 'tot until ta 1897 that the consent of the Mexican government was ob tained for the French residents of Mexico to pay this tribute to tbs mem ory of the ill-fated leader of the French regime ta this country. Three stone flags la the chapel mark the very spots where the men stood when they received the fatal volley. The story of the capture, trial and death of Maximilian and his two gen erals Is told there by aged Mexicans who were witnesses to the final trag edy and the events leading up to it Maximilian made his last stand in the convent of Santa Crux In the city of Queretaro. When the Mexican army cloned in upon Mm he aad hia staff •ought to make their escape by flight They had gone only a short distance and war# upon the summit of the hill where they were soon afterwards put to death when captured. The law promulgated by Juarex pro vided that all persons caught bearing arms against the Mexican government should die upon the spot where cap tured. It .was evident from the first that this law would be applied In the cases of the three distinguished cap tives, aad the prisoners and their friends were net surprised when they tte declared guilty and sen tones pro nounced upon them. In this time Empress Cariotta, wife of Maximilian, was under constant surveillance at her beautiful palace in Cuernavaca. She was held nomin ally a prisoner, aad her pleadings and entreaties that she be permitted to go to the side of her husband went un heeded. Then, according to the oft told story, came the draught of tea In white a powerful essence of mari huana bad been Maced tor the pur pose of dethroning her reason. She took the proffered cup aad drank Its contents. The poisea soon caused her to lone her rosso# and she was ob llvtoue of the fste that befell her hus totnd. - The' mornfhg set for the death of Maxtmfttan. Mejia and Mtramon they were ready when the guard came to their cett in the convent. Maximilian made a final plea that he be allowed to bid Ms wife good-gy. He was told 'Ey the Mexican outers that she was dead. “Then there Is oae lees tie to Mad me to earth," was his only comment He requested that hit mother might ho permitted to look upon hie fees when he was deed, and to# this reason he asked that the firing squad aim at hie body. He did net want hie fact mutilated, he said. The men were led to the top of the hill and stood ta a row, with Mate mflian ta the center, but he etopfed aside aad put Miramoa in hia place. "The center to a position cf honor," he aald. "I desire to honor a brave soldier by ptoptag Miramoa there." Maximilian again stopped too m his place and handed lo cate member of the firing squad a gold piece, f "It to my reward to yen in advance for aiming well." he told them. He took hto position by the tide of Martmoa and Mejia and folding hie arms across hto breast again told the soldiers to aim wtd. All throe fell deed a* the first vo»- toy- HIGHEST LINKS IH EUROPE The highest golf course ta Burope to that at Matoja, In the Upper En gadtae. The course of nine holes, varying from 17* to SM yards, to be tween Maloa and the-pass white leads from the Eegadlae to the Lake of Como aad commands lovely views of the Kiser See and the snowulad peaks; the basarte are chiefly depres sions between the hills. The altitude ef these links to about 4,200 feet above sea level. The email course of St. Merita la about the same altitude, while that at Samaden, oae of the finest links on the continent. Is about 6,500 feet; the next highest being that of Montana, ateve the Rhone valley, about 8,000 feet. Maloja to an Meal spot for those who wish to he quite off the tourist track, and..ln n country like Bwttacrtaad It is not easy nowadays to get away from the crowds. The asnrsst station to ton miles away, at St. Moritz. Farm at $300,000 an Acre It is no uncommon thing to hear of farm land worth SIOO an acre, but for a land owner to be offered *BOO,OOO an acre, and besiezed by bidders, .to de cidedly out of the ordinary. Mary G. Pinkney can dispose of her live-acre New York farm any day at that"figure, but so far she has turned a deaf car lo all eager to acquire the property. “Watt's Farm," as it to kndwa In New York, ta in the heart of the city’s uptown residential district, aad apart from being oae of the city’s greatest curiosities—a real farm ta a bustling metropolis—it stands alone In the matter of mlllion-dollar farms. Com prising about five acres, It lies be tween Lenox aad Seventh avenue* being bounded north and sooth by One Hundred aad Thirty-ninth and One Hundred aad Fortieth streets. On this piece of gronnd are aa old colonial mansion, aa aora of native oakeT several barns and more than ma acre of cultivated solL This minia ture farm, owned, aad until a year ago tenanted, by Miss Mary O. Pinkney, is the last of the celebrated aad exten sive Watt estate, and oae of the sur viving relics of old New York. Dally aa ote-roaa -whb tea teen employed oa the farm for more than half a century, may be seen hoeing potatoes, or ad justing bean poles, while on all rides of him, separated by an . elaborate fence, the modern city is Indio#ted by six-story apartment houses, honktag Largest of Wine Tanks The amount of wine that CaUforala produces to saormon* and the aetaaJ figures come quite as a shook to the average person accustomed to took on wins as mostly comiag from European countries. It to only fitting, therefore. that California should bo able to boast the possession of the largest urine tank on either ride ef the Atlantic ocean. This vast store, which has bsea in stalled at Asti, to the property of the Itattandfwtes agricultural colony. It to (4 fast tong, *4 feet wide, and S* feet deep, and holds no fewer than Mo.oo# gallons. Compare this with the ordinary pint bottle of California brine which graces the dtatag-table. and its else will he reeltoed at ones.: Its contents would fill no fewer than 4,000.000 of such bottles. It to hard to realize the ooject of the proprietors la constructing a t»«ir of each mammoth proportions, it must have many disadvantages. To begin with, there to evaporation to contend with, aad. under the hot Cal ifornia sun, this would prove no small item were It allowed to occur. The banking of earth which surrourte It, however, no doubt bases the sun’s thirst to a large extent Soon after its erection It was put to a strange nee. It was illuminated motor cars and clattering elevated trains. On the cultivated area corn, potatoes, cabbages, beans, peas and radishes are raised. A' rooster and a doaen Leghorns still keep poeeenelon of the barnyard, and one cow giffiUn the milk and butter wants. The original Watts estate was Just 4* tlmsp the sis# of thp fast remnant of It in I*l* Archibald Watt bought the entire propertty for OfS.000; Its present owners pay taxes oa *260,- 099,000. The visitor to New York la Watt's time saw shanties and swamps where now stand solid rows of "bandbox flats," tor which the city to noted. Although Archibald Watt pwjpbd a goodly portion of Manhattan fatond, he was land poor and unable to meet hto taxes. Hto wife’s sister, Mary G. Pinkney, gave him the j use of ISO;### left to her by her father, nadwhbo Wattflefhy hto will he made' her the fttetet landowner on Manhattan Island, not oven excepting the Aston. As the residential section of the city steadily crept up town, Mira Pink ney sold her Immense holdings part by part, until this late parcel known as **Watt’s farm" alone remained. This she refused to sell. The old mansion has been the scene of many brilliant society functions of the old days, and she wquld D9t allow Its Jbemoriea to ho disturbed. . * With electricity—when emptjL of teprae—loo couples tensef inf; it to * mlfitalwpmriL Never. pecNapa, was there a* Araflge a ball room. | URNS 3,000 YEARS OLD What I, boUovod to ft. tin flit, of aa MMtMt Bi village ha* baea dteoovefOd aa a UtMa oadeAlopod pleoa at load ®4 oa a coianaad iag hOl ta th* aorta of the rall&ad at rill i*T r —~~Tamil, . 2 Th* property, which for man# yearn haa laid cororad with brambles. furaa, heath, ate. haa laaaatl, baba Cleared for build ia« purpoaaa, whan tha poal tbaaattaa naalaair-hamaamr wera clearly revealed. The .mailer barrow coatalaod a coaaiderable quantity of baiat dirt aad. baa# duet, aad oa a road Mat oat through tbo larger bor row many uras at groat. antiquity won unearthed, a low cf thorn In o P-rfaet rtato at yrooorvatlan. They were what are kaowa aa .oat dried, aad be leaded to tbo pot&fhkfore the Broaao or Iron Ago. being probably •onto 1.000 yaare old. Ravages of Choloera. No race la aate from cholera. It It deadliest to aagrooa.