A Little Deal

"Preseuts, clothes, honeymoou. How on earthcan one leave out either?" asked George Littlecash of himself , earnestly drilling his penholder into a much fnrrowed forehead. "There'never was a weddiug without presenta. As for no honeyrnoon - why, Hetty would be jnstified in cryiug off bef ore the very altar. ' ' What had placed our frieud in this nnpleasant quandary was, to begin with, Uncle Piper's check for f 500. It was a check to inarry Hetty and set np house with, and qua cash was satisfactory enough, but accompauied with the wise avuncular injnnction, "George, marry on a cash basis - cash, mind - or never look me in the face again. " Snch excellent advice, plus a EöOO check, it is impossible for a nephew to spurn, especially a nephew in love. And then, when( he had this gold mine of untold wealth in his pocket and a f uil ocean of happiness to look f orward to, George feil into the toils of a plausible fellow, Torn Schorer of the well known city firm of Montón, Scherer & Walker. Scherer had such a taking way of remembering and cherishing alïectionately one Christian name. "Ah! Congratúlate yon, my dear George. Coming off nest month, eh? Happy man ! Some of you f ellows have the devil's own luck. And just in time, too, for me to put you on to one of the nicest little chances of making a comfortable nest egg for the happy home, one of the prettiest chances you ever had. But come into Pipps' and have a coffee. " Pipps', that long, low, smoky "dive" in Throgmorton street, was crowded with easy ïnannered gentlemen in silk hats, or in no hats at all, who conversed in pairs and groups with electrical energy. They could not hear themselves for their own talking. "Sell at five three eight, " "Book you thousand," "Buy six quarter," "Sell," "Buy," "Panjandrums, " "Rhodes, " "Barney's stock," "Struck Bibble bobble reef," "Last crushing ten ounces" - such were some of the scraps of jargon that emerged above the din in flashes of comparativa silence, while ever and anón a gentleman would draw from his vest pocket a little notebook and pencil some entry or other. Almost deafened at first by the hubbub, George Littlecash was soon in the whirlpool himself, au eager listener to Mr. Scherer's ing tales indicativo of the pecuniary advantage certain to result from a small punt in the South África ' ' boom. ' ' "Eighty thou' in one deal, my dear George - what d'ye think of that, eh? Springett went nap on Gold Bug Extensions - put on every penny he could scrape together till he hadn't a cent to swear by and came out 80,000 golden sovereigns to the good. And yet you say it isn't worth trying. My dear George, f aint heart never niaintained a fair lady, if it won her. ' ' The upshot was that George figured up his liabilities against his check and handed over to the trusty Scherer L250 to be converted in two days or some such reasonable time into L2,500. "Done!" cried Scherer as he penciled the little transaction in his notebook. And "done" George was, for next day when he looked at "Mines" in the money column he found Gold Bugs had crawled down stairs three-eighths. "Whatdoyou advise, Scherer?" asked George when they met in the city. "Never advise, my dear George. Don't do it - on principie. 'Cut your losses, let yonr proflts run, ' is our old wheeze. But it's no good being too hasty. This fall is simply due to somebody being in too big a hurry to pocket a profit. But you judge for yourself, dear boy ; that 's what I advise. " Next day Gold Bugs had crawled down stairs two or three steps more. "It'snothing, George," saidtheoptimistic Scherer. "Weak holders couldn't ast out. That:s my explanation. Still don't be guided by me. " Next day after that Gold Bugs had fallen so heavily that you couldn't find anybody to piek thern up again at any priee. And just then of course to inake amends George Littlecash was reminded by his tailor of "that little account" vhich had been overlooked so many juarters. It was in this doleful hour as ie sat savagely biting his lips, knitting ais brows and inwardly cursing Scherer and all his works that he glanced vaguey at a copy of The Evening Intelligence. "Renewed Activity In Rand Shares" was the line in large type that caught he disconsolate investor's eye as the aper lay on his desk. "Confound Rand shares!" he ejacuated fervently, wheeling around as hough from a too affectionate snake. Just then, as luck had it, in popped ihe beaming and expansivo Scherer. "Why, George, my dear boy, you're ooking as ghastly as James Canham tead when he was ' taken from lif e, ' as tie waxworks bill says. Nothing serius, I hope? Gal chucked you?" "Lookhere, Scherer, I don't want you larneying again. I've had quite enough f Rand shares, thanks - in fact, a long te too much. " "Rand shares? Why, my dear felow, " Scherer returned, with a look of lained virtne, "you really don't mean to teil me thut's what put you down in the dnirips - that little matter of twoflfty, when you stood to win as many thousandsl Bless my sonl!" Scherer's eye had jnst canght tho lino in The Evening IntelHgence. "Have yon seen the paper tonight?" "No," replied George, whose back was turned, "nor want to. I'm sick of the whole thing. You knew, for I told yon, I couldn't risk anything under the civcumstances nnless it was absolutoly certain. " "And that's witst you cali 'risk?' " "O!i, haug! I fciiow it's my own fault - only don 't bother me with any more of these fiuo tales. " "Now, I caü tliis vcry nukind of you, George, " said Scherer, injured. "I do indeed. " And so sayiiig Mr. Scherer cast an eye down the money columu. When it reached "Gold Bugs," that particular eyo flared np lite a fnsee. "Now, what should you say if Gold Bugs went up agaiu to 5U, eh'i" "Rotl" "Right you are, dear boy. 'Rot,' is it? Wcll, vrell, you think I misled you about that little deal, eh?" "Well. if you want plain speaking, Mr. Scherer, I think you did. " "And yon and I friends, George! This is what comes of trying to do a man a good turn ! Now, what do you say if I offer to take those shares off yonr hands again, since y on 're so cut up over 'em?" "At a shilling apiece, I suppose. Ha, ha!" " A shilling apiece? No, sir; not at 'a shilling apiece. ' I'll give you what you gave for 'em and 'a shilling apiece' over to soothe your injured feeïings. What d'ye think of that?" Mr. Scherer f oundh is magnanimity so exhilarating that he drew himself up, threw open his coat and slipped George's Evening Intelligence into his own pocket. "You doubt my honestyand my good faith, eh, my dear sir," he said, pulling out his checkbook and a roll of notes. Last week you paid me L250. If you will be so good as to hand me back the scrip, I shall have much pleasure in handing you my check for L362 lOs. , or perhaps," he added, with cutting sarcasm, "since you doubt my honesty you would prefer Bank of England notes?" George, who had risen, half dazed, had just enough presence of mind to gasp in his astonishment : "If it's all the same toyou, Ishould. " " Certain ly, my dear sir." "I'm only delighted to hand it back to you, ' ' said George fervently as he passed over the scrip and received the crisp notes and glearning gold in exchange. "And yet, strange to say, " laughed Scherer, "I can assure you I'm no less delighted to take it back. Ha, ha, ha ! Ha, ha, ha!" for some moments the cachination prevented speech. When Scherer found breath, he remarked to his bewildered friend : "My dear George, let me give you a word of advice - in fact, two words. Don't doubt your friend 's honesty again, and when you hold active shares keep a sharp eye on the papers. Ha, ha, hal" "The papers?" echoed Littlecash. Why, no, I haven 't seen tonight's paper yet, ' ' and he struck a bell. "Yes, sir?" said the office boy. "Where's tonight's evening paper, Tippetts?" "Ain't come in yet, sir." "Oh, yes, it has," corrected Mr. Scherer, choking with laughter as he produced The Evening Intelligeuce. "I just - just mechanicallly picked it up for a moment myself . ' ' But the office boy trinmphed. "That's a hold one, sir. Tonight's ain't come in not yet, sir. " "Not come in!" shrieked Scherer, turn ing to the date. "Why, good Lord! The d d paper's a month old!" Mr. Scherer'sesclamations as he sank into George's chair were so shockingly profane that even the office boy tnrned palé and expected a flash of lightning. George got his friend out of the office at last, but made a point of handing him back the odd L12 10 - "tosoothe his feelings. ' ' The wedding took place, and Uucle Piper will never know the particulars of George's first - and last - little adventure on the Stock Exchange.