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"> > > > > > ) > "> ^> "■> > "5> ) J :> ^ > > > ^ "> > y j> y y y > > J ' > > > ^ J» •) : > 2> :> > 13> • > > > y y :> ) 3 y> > > y y > J ^ ~» > > ■:> > ^ > ^ > > > ^ ^ . > > > >. > > ~^ > > ' ^ .^ ■• > :> > > ^ : ► > : > > ■ y > ^ ^ V :3 ft > ^ > ^ y > > ^ ^> ) o ^ ^ ^ > ^ •>> > ^ ^ ■> > ^ ■> ^ " ■ > ^ > > > ) > ^ > r> y ) ^ > ^) > :> > ■) :> ~> ^ ■> ^ ■> > > > > 1 > > ^ > > > "^ > > > ^ ) ^ > ^ > ^ ^ y y y > > > > -^ > > > > ^^•-> :> > ' :> > ;o :> :> :> ^ > > :^ > > > " > J > :j> > ^ > > ^ > > > > > > > > > > > . > > :» > > • "> > > > ^ > > > > > > ^ > > > > > ' > > :> :> > > :> > > :> > > > > > ^ > > > .^Ofc ■: > > :> .^ ) > :> > -y > > > :> ^ : > > ^> > > 7> ^ ) > >■ >^ ^ ^ -> > > » 3 > > > > > v>-> y i CJ l\. 03C,O,op ^N^- U ./v^pv^- THE LAMBS The Lambs a Crageti^ BY ROBERT GRANT author of "confessions of a frivolous girl,'' "the little tin gods ON wheels," etc. ILLUSTRATED . i 1882, BOSTON JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY 1883 76 ''7^'^ ? 3 Ccpyright, 1882, By the Century Company and James R. Osgood and Co. All rights reserved. University Press: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Headpiece : The Lambs 9 Cully 10 Phipps 13 " T is the time for a ' flyer '" 14 HOBBS 16 " We once were guileless " 18 Briggs . 21 Mike and Briggs 23 " The earnings of ' Denver '" 24 " Buy me a hundred "... 26 " A mint Of strong stuff" 29 " Buv me two hundred ' Lake Shore ' " 31 6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page " The market weakens " 34 " The terrible chinch-bugs Have climbed up the telegraph poles "...,.., 37 " We need more ' margin ' " 39 " A moderate profit "... 40 " The bottom 's dropping out " 43 " Should you consider it a prudent move ? " 44 " We have been there ourselves " 47 " Mr. Brown sends word " 48 " The market 's whooping " 50 '"T is a cold day for me " 52 " The Western advices " 53 Mike, with, telegrams 54 " Three thousand out of pocket ! " 56 "I'm off. Goodnight!" 57 Phipps sinks into a chair 59 Tailpiece : Curtain 61 2Dramati^ ^er^onae* Briggs, a broker (Briggs, Brown, & Co.). HoBBS, clerk of Briggs. Ci]i.L,Y, janitor of Briggs. Phipps, a customer. Mike, a telegraph bog. Choruses of Bulls, Bears, Shorn Lambs, etc. [The scene of the tragedy is the outer office of Briggs, Brown, & Co., " Bankers and Brokers in Stocks, Bonds, and other Secu- rities," Wall Street, New York. The rising of the curtain reveals the " ticker " in operation. The market has just opened. Upon the right and left of the stage, respectively, are arranged the choruses of bull and bear operators. In front, after the manner of the old Greek chorus, stand a group of speculators who have been sold out in former days, but still continue to shadow the tape as a chorus of shorn lambs. The office is handsomely fur- nished. The centre-table is strewn with a variety of journals re- lating to money matters, such as the " Wall Street Daily Truth," " The Financial Independent," " The Investor's Electric Light," etc. Cully, the janitor, who has just finished sweeping, stands in the foreground, broom in hand.] ^(Gi^ CULLY. I AM the Janitor of Briggs and Brown. For many a day, year in, year out, have I Guarded the threshold of this ancient firm And earned my bread by sweeping. Time has scored Deep furrows on this brow, and tinged these locks That erst were brown, with silver. I have seen Since first the boss engaged me as a boy To run on errands and to fire tlie furnace, 10 THE LAMBS. Full many a mortal rise from rags and ruin To ease and affluence and bonded greatness ; Full many a mortal fall from splurge and splendor To care and debt and seedy unimportance, Ere on the tape the shrill recording " ticker " THE LAMBS. 11 Has scored ten times its fate-abounding figures. All, Destiny I grim ruler of the ages, What boots it to resist thee ? Thou art mighty. Stern and relentless as the flame and falchion. Thou hurriest man, the puppet, to his sorrow. E'en as a leaflet by the storm is hurried. Ah, venturous mortal ! though the heavens be smiling, And human plans prevail, trust not to seeming ! An hour will come — who can foretell its coming ? — When Ate's torch shall blaze in cruel lustre. And Ate's brazen sandal stamp in ashes The fruit of man's endeavor. Lo ! approaches With fawnlike tread that speaks the soul that gambols Upon the turf, nor dreams of wolf or vulture. Another innocent toward these shambles. Tears fill these ancient eyes, and fain would whisper : " Begone, fair youth ! Who enters these pale portals Must leave all hope behind him." But I dare not, For here I earn the bread that feeds my children, 12 THE LAMBS. Who, if I were shot out, would starve and perish. One must be selfish in this world of salvage. \_Enter Phipps, shyly.'] CHOKUS OF SHORN LAMBS. Oh ! mark the worthy man, whose cheeks are moist With anguish for another. Yet hot tears Avail not in the face of Heaven's decree. Whate'er the gods have willed will come to pass, Though Titans roar. Behold the gentle youth, Who hither moves with velvet steps of fate, Nor dreads the net the wily fowler spreads For grass-green freshness. But we know, we know. PHIPPS. I prithee tell me, venerable man, Whose silver locks proclaim thee one whom time THE LAMBS. 13 Has drawn and bent as hunters bend a bow, If Briggs and Brown the brokers hang out here ? CULLY. Ay, gentle youth, they do. Wouldst aught with them ? 14 THE LAMBS. PHIPPS. I fain would speak with either Briggs or Brown. CHORUS OF BULLS. 'T is the time for a " flyer," The " shorts " have been fooled, And stocks will go higher, THE LAMBS. 15 According to Gould ; For the trunk lines have made an arrangement by which all the freights will be pooled. II. A syndicate strong Will bull " Wabash preferred " Up to par before long, We have secretly heard ; And the worm falleth not to the late but the matutine bird. HOBBS (advancing from inner office^. Pray take a seat, sir. Upon yonder table You '11 find the latest news. 'T will not be long now Ere Mr. Briggs returns. He 's in the " board," sir. PHIPPS. How is tlie market ? 16 THE LAMBS. HOBBS. Strong, sir ; strong as death Through the entire list. Even the " fancies," That yesterday a little sagged and languished. Like summer blooms that droop through lack of water, THE LAMBS. 17 Record a sharp advance. 'T is said the chinch-bugs Have perished in the rains, and all looks hopeful Among the farmers for the coming grain crop. CHORUS OF BULLS. I. For much higher prices We 're looking all round. The Western advices Read, " Chinch-bugs are drowned," And the fields where they formerly fattened with promise of plenty are crowned. II. "Insiders" report That " N. P." is the card. And the " point," it is thought, Cometh straight from Yillard ; 2 18 THE LAMBS. As the shaft from the bow of the hunter flies straight to the heart of the pard. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. STKOPHE. We once were as guileless and reckless as he. To-day we are wiser ; but shaven are we Of our wool. THE LAMBS. 19 Ood tempers the wind to some lambs that are shorn. But alas for the lamb that is tossed by the horn Of the bull ! We once were succulent as mountain kids ; We once were full of blush and lush as he, And dreamed of fortunes made as fast as peas Fall from the pods when summer clothes the fields And maidens sit beside the kitchen door Pea-podding. But the end is far from this. There is a law as grim and grave as death, Which now we know, but then we did not know, That whosoever buys, though boasted cheap As dirt from ditches, the accursed thing Por which he hath not in his private purse The power to pay, sliall surely come to grief. And he who sells, although the market soar High as the kite which kisses the chaste sky, The baleful property he does not own 20 THE LAMBS. With hopes to cover his defenceless " shorts " Before the advent of the settling day Shall surely lick the dust. And this is fate. Yet, though we know the law, and though we know That, from oblivion of the iron rule Of the dread gods who thunder through the sky, We all have lost, and, poor as maudlin mice Who house in churches, scamper hard for bread. There is a fatal charm which ties us down With soft yet stable fetter to tlie spot Where suffering struck us, and from day to day We hang about the tantalizing tape And pipe quotations in prophetic key. And make brash boasts of what we fain would do If we had money. And tliey let us stay, — They who are masters of this sinful shop. They who wring capital from others' sorrow And batten upon grief ; for well they know The moth who sizzles in the candle's flare THE LAMBS. 21 Turns not his comrades from a garish doom ; And sticky papers, spread for dog-day flies, Fright not sur.vivors by their piles of dead. \^Enter Briggs.] ANTISTROPHE. See hither approaching, with jubilant mien, 22 THE LAMBS. The fowler to gather this innocent green In his net. He 's bullish to-day ; he '11 be bearish to-morrow, As this woodcock will find to his infinite sorrow, You may bet ! BRIGGS (j>ortly, suave, sonorous, prominent check suit and high standing collar with large points^. What can I do for you, sir ? PHIPPS (jtimidhj). I should like To ask what stock you think a prudent purchase. BRIGGS. I never give advice. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. Ah ! specious fairness ! He never gives advice ! No, not for Joseph ! THE LAMBS. 23 \_Enter Mike. He hands Briggs a telegram, and exit.] BRIGGS (reading^. Advices from Amsterdam say that the Dutch are mvesting in " Denver.' Its earnings for April show more than eighty per centum of increase 24 THE LAMBS. Over those for the same month last year, and the mileage is not any greater. SEMI-CHORUS OF BULLS. The earnings of " Denver " are something immense! There 's no ground to suspect there 's a " nig " in the fence. We put every reliance on Palmer; he's one of the squarest of ^ents. PHIPPS. Do you not think that " Denver " lias a future ? THE LAMBS. 25 BRTGGS. It shows great strength. I think it will go higher Before it goes miicli lower. The Dutch are buying. Thej are a prudent race, and ne'er slop over. PHIPP3. I think myself it is a first-rate buy. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. He thinks it is a buy ! sapient lamb ! He read it in the " Wall Street Truth " this mornino^. BRTGGS. I am a bull upon the present market And see an undertone of strength. I look For higher prices in tlie immediate future. There is no fear, I tliink, of shipping gold. The prospects for the crops arc most assuring. 26 THE LAMBS. Tlie statement of the banks allays suspicion. And, if there comes not some untoward feature, Now unforeseen, to startle the investor. 1 prophesy a boom ;^g^^^s^*>i The market. I may be " left " if I prescribe a limit. He ne'er grows rich who is afraid to climb. THE LAMBS. 27 [Briggs sends an order to buy 100 ''''Denver'' at market to Brown in the ^' Board.'"~\ CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. Thus is it ever. We have been there ourselves. Tiie innocent lamb Delighteth to clam At highest of water, And thinks himself clever While going to slaugliter. We have been there ourselves. \_Enter Mike, with telegrams.^ BRIGGS (^reading). Mr. Yanderbilt's brokers have orders to buy, at one hundred and twenty. Every share of " Lake Sliore " that is offered. He wishes to bolster the market 28 THE LAMBS. And strengthen the popular pulse, which of late has been weak and capricious. CHORUS OF BULLS. I. Mr. V. in '^ Lake Shore " Has inserted a " peg," Which, sooner than draw, He 'd go short of a leg-, For he means to do well by the public ; he 's not such a very bad egg. BRIGGS Qreadhuj). AVe hear that Jay Gould has displayed to a party of prominent magnates. In order to prove that the rumors about him are wholly unfounded, The stocks in his safe, and the showing reveals him surprisingly solvent. THE LAMBS. 29 CHORUS OF BULLS. II. Those taking a squint At the state of Gould's stocks Report there 's a mint Of strong stuff in his box ; And it 's meet that the market should stiffen when the king-pin is rolling in rocks. \_Eiifer messenger with report of purchase of'-'- Denver Tl^ BRIGGS. We filled your order, but we had to climb. We bought at sevent3^ 30 THE LAMBS. CHORUS OF BULLS. It now is seventy-two. fortunate young man ! freeze onto it, And you will reap a bigger profit yet. PHIPPS. I knew that " Denver " was a first-rate purchase. It will go higher, and I mean to hold. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. We have been there ourselves. This lamb Avill, sure pop. Hold on till the drop. For to buy at the top And sell out at hard pan Is the favorite plan Of the lamb. We have been there ourselves. THE LAMBS. 31 PHIPPS. Buy me two hundred " Lake Shore " at the market. BRIGGS (^sends order'). That " Denver " shows you quite a handsome profit. PHIPPS. I mean to hold ; it will go higher still. 32 THE LAMBS. BRIGGS. I see no cause for selling at the moment. PHIPPS. Is " Louisville and Nashville " a sound property ? BRIGGS. Parties who claim to know are bullish on it. HOBBS (enters). Your order, sir, is filled. Two hundred " Lake Shore " We bought at twenty. CHORUS OF BULLS. And it now is higher. It will touch twenty-three before the close. PHIPPS. Buy me a hundred " Louisville and Nashville." THE LAMBS. 33 The profit I have made upon this " Denver " Will help me out in case of a reaction. HOBBS (to BlllGGs). The market, sir, is feverish, Mr. Brown thinks. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. luckless lamb ! The end is not far off. We understand Thy fleece already by the butcher's hand Is grasped, and soon the shears will make thee shorn. Then wilt thou wish that thou liadst ne'er been born. The crafty gains that looked so well on paper Are fading now from sight as fades the taper At breath of flame, or as the ripened corn Falls 'neath the scythe. We grieve to see thee writhe Between the bear's paw and the base bull's horn. luckless lamb ! 3 34 THE LAMBS. CHORUS OF BEARS. The market weakens. See how " Western Union " Sags on free selling. Sorely sick is " Denver," On rumors a receiver '11 be appointed. The Granger stocks are "off," and "Northwest" staggers E'en as an overloaded ship when Boreas bellows. THE LAMBS. 35 PHIPPS. Do you advise me, sir, to sell my " Denver " ? [^Enter Mike, with telegram.'\ BRIGGS. We Ve bought one hundred " Louisville and Nash- ville " For your account, at seventy-nine. The market Looks very sick to me. [^Going to sticker.'] I see that " Denver " Has no support. I think things will go lower In the immediate future. PHIPPS. Do you think, sir. It would be wise in me to sell my " Denver " ? 36 THE LAMBS. \_Enter messenger^ with telegram.^ BRIGGS (i'eading~) . We hear that insiders to-day have been sellers of " Denver," And have plastered the market with stock at the present high figures. There is reason to think that the pool has unloaded completely Its block on the public. We deem it an excellent short sale. CHORUS OF BEARS. I. In " Denver " a break ! It is rotten as punk, And the road-bed would make A poor lot of old junk. THE LAMBS. 37 We 've long had our eye upon Palmer ; lie 's sly as a pot-bellied monk. BRIGGS (^readincj'). The latest reports from the West declare that the ter- rible chinch-bugs Have climbed up the telegraph poles to escape from the violent rain-storms, And are eating the tops of the poles, which makes " Western Union " unsteady. 38 THE LAMBS. CHORUS OF BEARS. II. The steamer Britanriic Will carry more gold. We look for a panic, And freely have sold The market on news that the wheat crop is certainly nipped by the cold. BRIGGS. I 've always said that " Denver " would sell lower. Its management has caused me much suspicion. PHIPPS. Do you anticipate a large decline ? BRIGGS. I am a bear upon the situation. THE LAMBS. 39 [HoBBS enters and whispers to Briggs.] We need more " margin," Mr. Phipps, for " Denver " Has broken six points in the last few minutes. PHIPPS. I think it best to let my " Denver " go. Don't you ? 40 THE LAMBS. BRIGGS. How does it stand you in at present ? PHIPPS. The last quotation is just three per cent Below tlie price at which I bought. BRIGGS. You might Give a stop order. That, you know, would limit Your loss. I 'm much annoyed to think you did n't Salt down your profit. It is always best To take a moderate profit. THE LAMBS. 41 PHIPPS. If it falls To sixty-foui', I order you to sell. wretched fool, to let my profit slide ! BRIGGS. To get out at the top is only granted The happy few. I think it will go lower Before it goes mucli higher. The Dutch are selling. \_Enter Mike, excitedly, with telegrams.^ MIKE. The " peg," sir, in " Lake Shore " 's been taken out CHORUS OF BEARS. The shrimps have got caught Who went into '^ Lake Shore," 42 THE LAMBS. Supposing they bought On an utter ground floor. If tliey thhik it is cheap at that figure, we 're ready to give them some more. [^Enter messenger. ~\ BRIGGS. We 've sold your " Denver," sir, at sixty-four. PHIPPS. I am well out of it. It will go lower. BRIGGS. To sell it " short " might make you whole again. CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. Within that argument much cunning lies. A specious bait conceals the bitter hook. [Enter messenger.^ THE LAMBS. 43 BRIGGS. The bottom 's dropping out of everything. We need more " margin," Mr. Phipps, for " Lake Shore " Has broken open. If this racket lasts, You '11 see a panic. 44 THE LAMBS. PHIPPS. Then tip out my " Lake Shore.' BKIGGS. What do you think of selling " Denver " short ? PHIPPS. Sliould you consider it a prudent move ? U THE LAMBS. 45 BRIGGS. I see no reason for stocks selling higher. PHIPPS. I '11 go short of two hundred at the market. [Briggs sends orders.'] CHORUS OF BEARS. We hear that " L. N." Is encumbered with debt. There ne'er was a hen That was able to set On more eggs than her body would cover, without some eggs rotting, you bet ! PHIPPS. Is what they say of " Louisville and Nashville " Authentic ? 46 THE LAMBS. BRIGGS. I have reason to believe so. It has absorbed a host of other lines, And is much watered. I should feel alarm If I owned any at these fancy prices. PHIPPS. Tip out my " Louisville and Nashville," then, And sell two hundred " Lake Shore " short. I fancy I'll get it back at largely lower figures. [Briggs sends orders.~\ CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. We have been there ourselves. To sell what he 's bought, If he thinks himself caught By the bears and go short, THE LAMBS. 47 When the market 's liard pan Is the favorite plan Of the lamb. We have been there om'selves. \_Enter messenger. ~\ 48 THE LAMBS. BRTGGS. We've sold your " Denver " short. We had to slaughter Your " Lake Shore," as the best bid was eleven. [HoBBS enters and whispers to Briggs.] I think we 're near the bottom. Mr. Brown Sends word the market is a first-class buy. THE LAMBS. 49 SEMI-CHORUS OF BULLS. The earnings of " Denver " are sometliing immense. There's no ground to suspect tliere 's a "nig" in the fence. We put every reliance on Pahner ; he 's one of the squarest of gents. [^Enter Mike, w'ltJi telegrams.'] BRIGGS {reading). No gold will be shipped by the steamer Britannic to- day, and the grain crop Looks healthy, and only requires a little more rain to make certain A plentiful harvest. We think that all sound stocks are cheap at these figures. PHIPPS. Perhaps it would be wise in me to cover. 50 THE LAMBS. CHORUS OF BULLS. The market 's whooping. " Denver " has advanced Two points. The boastful bears will have to climb. PHIPPS. Do you advise me to take back my " Denver And " Lake Shore " ? THE LAMBS. 51 BRIGGS. I 'm a bull upon this market. I see an undertone of strength. I look For higher prices in the immediate future. \_Enter messenger.^ The late advices say the Dutch are buying, And Gould has told his friends that '' Western Union " Is good for par. PHIPPS. Then I prefer to cover And stand the loss. BRIGGS. You '11 just have time, T think, Before the market closes. Hurry, Mike, And fill these orders. Lively now ! Look sharp ! \_Exit messenger. ~\ 52 THE LAMBS. PHIPPS. 'T is a cold day for me. This loss, I fear, Will wipe me out. BKIGGS. 'T is never wise to sell The market short upon a large decline. THE LAMBS. 53 CHORUS OF BULLS. For much higher prices We 're looking all round. The Western advices Read, " Chinch-bugs are drowned," And the fields where they formerly fattened with promise of plenty are crowned. 64 THE LAMBS. CHORUS OF BEARS. The steamer Britannic Will carry more gold. We look for a panic, And freely have sold The market on news that the wheat crop is certainly nipped by the cold. \_Enter Mike, with telegrams.'] THE LAMBS. 55 BRIGGS. We fille^ your orders, but we had to climb. We covered all your shorts, — "Denver" at sixty- seven. And " Lake Sliore " at thirteen. HOBBS (coming. from ticker^. The market sags And closes weak. [ The ticker s,to'psr\ PHIPPS. Please make up my account. I am cleaned out ; no " margin " have I left With which to venture further. I am dry As summer brook beneath an August sun. Thus, as we live, we learn. The hoarded gains Of tliree long years of toil are swept away E'en in a breath. Such is the fate of him 56 THE LAMBS. Who seeks to climb to fortune by short cuts. [IIOBBS presents him vjith his account.^ Three thousand out of pocket ! Ah, Fifine ! How shall I wed thee now? Oh, hapless hour When first I shadowed this seducing shop ! {_As, overcome with distress, he peruses the account, the Cho- ruses of Bulls and Bears pass off the stage, repeating their last stanzas. The market is closed.^ THE LAMBS. 57 BRIGGS (^putting on his overcoat^. The market has closed weak. I rather think We shall see lower prices still to-morrow ; 5ut yet there is an undertone of strength That may at any time develop into A buying movement. Well I 'm off. Good night ! [^JExit Briggs.] 58 THE LAMBS. CULLY (advancing with hroom^. The day declines. A silvern silence soon Will hold these halls until to-morrow's sun xlwakes once more the " ticker's " tedious tune, ' And, swathed in sleep, will weary mortals rest. Who shall escape his fate ? Fate never sleeps, But ever stalks abroad, with Argus eyes, And weaves the woof beneath the twinkling stars As surely as at noon. Alas, poor lamb ! So falls the curse upon the head of him Who seeks to earner wealth bv wavs the ffods Have interdicted to the race of man. Naught in this world is stable, save the fruit Of honest industry. The sweat of brows *Is sweeter than the gambler's ardent breath. Who delves in ditches sleeps secure at night Upon a falling market, and, though poor. Laughs in tlie face of destiny ; but what Shall salve the spirit of the wretcli who trades THE LAMBS. 59 On " margins " ? Yet time flies. I must to work. Who grieves too mucli for others suffers loss. [Phipps sinks into a chair, and covers his face with his hands.^ CHORUS OF SHORN LAMBS. I. The gods who in heaven abide, And preside o'er the planet of man, 60 THE LAMBS. To stimulate laudable pride In his heart, since time began, For mortals a law have cast. As the pitcher is cast for the ewer, That the slow alone shall last, The gradual only endure ; And that wealth which grows in a night In a night shall fade away, As the morning mists take flight At a glance of the eye of day. II. Success is labor's prize. Work is the mother of Fame, And who on a " boom " shall rise To the height of an honest name ? The bee by industry reapeth The stores which enrich the hives ; All that is thrifty creepeth, THE LAMBS. 61 For toil is the law of lives. And he who reaps without sowing A bitter harvest reaps. The law of gradual growing Is a law that never sleeps. [ Curtain.'] II /J /.>i-'.r»iTg ■^^•'*' ■• -■v-.v'^ " '1 1:1 ci^c <: d <::■ ^<. d <* C c < c : c < « <^ c ( c r c c ^- Cxrc <: c.c _ C \:-. C ^ ' ■•<.<. c< C C < c ^C^ cc - c c ^ c c . c ^ < ^ v.C ( ^ < , < < ( C ( c ' < < C C c C « c < V ^ c -re < c c r ' ' ^< . c