"Are we really going to see a bull fight?" she whispered to Ruth. "Do the bulls and the bears really fight? I—I don't think I want to see them if they do."
"No, no, silly. Nothing of the sort. Oh, girls!" laughed Ruth merrily.
"Don't you dare tell them," admonished Mollie, "I'll never forgive you if you do."
"Never mind," called Ruth to the others, "I'll explain, dear. Of course you know nothing about these things. I wish I didn't. I wish father did not, either," she added with a touch of bitterness. "Bulls and bears are mere men. The bulls are those who try to force up the prices of wheat and other things, while the bears are the ones who seek to keep the prices down. I—I never have been able to make up my mind which of them is the most undesirable."
"I am sure Mr. Stuart isn't a bear," muttered Mollie.
"Indeed he is not," laughed Ruth, once more restored to good nature.
Instead of taking Mr. A. Bubble, the girls walked down from Mr. Stuart's office to the big, gloomy building that housed the Board of Trade. They were conducted to the gallery, where Mr. Stuart left them to go down to the brokers' rooms to consult with some of his friends.
It was a mad, wild scene that the little country girls gazed upon. It was like nothing they ever had seen before.
"Goodness me, they are fighting!" cried Barbara in alarm.
Men were dashing about here and there. Hats were smashed, paper was being torn by nervous hands and hurled into the air, to fall like miniature snow flurries over the heads of the traders. Shouts and yells, hoarse calls were heard from all parts of the floor. One man threw up a hand with the fingers spread wide apart. Instantly a dozen men hurled themselves upon him. He staggered and fell. Willing hands jerked him to his feet. It was then that the "Automobile Girls" saw that the unfortunate man's coat had been torn from him. His collar flapped under his ears and a tiny red mark was observable on one cheek.