EAVESDROPPERS.
These gentry may be seen, daily, in squads of three, four, and five, standing on the side walks, or on the steps of the large offices, talking vociferously, and making such bids and offers in the funds, as that one not knowing better, would suppose that each held the finances of the country in his palm.
One of them, whom I will call Mr. Eavesdropper, had his ear timidly placed at the key hole of the Stock Exchange, and heard Mr. Bottomly’s bids for Morrison, which instantly infused such courage into his mind, and activity into his limbs, that he went out, and before the transactions of the board were publicly known, he had privately contracted for the delivery of a large number of shares; and then, to aid his purpose in effecting a further rise, gave out that he was in confidence with John Jacob Astor, or some one no less powerful, who had determined to buy up the whole company.
MR. SPRIGGINS.
As soon as Mr. Friendly had returned to his office from the meeting of the Board of Brokers, on the day I am speaking of, and, as is common, had laid open on his outer desk, for public inspection, the record of the transactions which had there taken place—in which he had carefully noted all those in the stock of the Morrison—he walked out into the street, where he encountered Mr. Spriggins, who, contrary to his wont, for some cause, had not been present at the board that morning.
Mr. Spriggins is one of those gentlemen, whose conceit of himself supplies the place of education, manners, and intellect, and he accosted Mr. Friendly as follows:
“Dan, what does all this speculation in the Morrison mean?”
Mr. Friendly, whose polite manners encouraged the freedom of such men as his friend Bottomly, held in contempt the rudeness of impudence, and, instead of answering Spriggins, turned on his heel without noticing him.
THE FEVER UP.
Spriggins, who could never imagine the existence of such a feeling towards a gentleman like himself, attributed this treatment entirely to another motive; and knowing Mr. Friendly’s speculative character, he at once imagined that Friendly had a secret that he wished to keep, and improve for his own benefit, and he immediately resolved in his own mind to outwit him. Upon this impulse he hurried away to purchase all the Morrison stock he could get hold of—which he did at a large advance of price over the purchases of Mr. Bottomly; and when he had done so, exultingly told Mr. Friendly that he was “not to be come over.” “But never mind,” said he, “you can keep your secret now, Dan; but if you are so disposed, as you know what is going on, we will operate together.”