Boy Broker; Or, Among the Kings of Wall Street Read online

  THE BOY BROKER.

  CHAPTER I.

  AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT CITY.

  "Give me the best morning paper you have, please."

  "The _Tribune_ costs the most, if that is the one you want."

  "The price will be no objection providing the paper contains what Iwish to find."

  "You want work, I s'pose."

  "Yes, I am looking for employment."

  "I knew it--just in from the country too," said the newsboy, comically."Well, what you want is the _Herald_ or _World_. They are just loadedwith wants."

  "Thank you, you may give me both."

  "Both! Whew, you must be well fixed!" replied the young metropolitan,handing over the papers, as he regarded his new customer curiously.

  "What does that mean?" asked the latter, seriously.

  "You don't know what well fixed means? You must have come from way back!Why it means--it means that you're solid, that you've got the stuff,don't you see?"

  "I'm solid enough for a boy of my age, if that is the idea," repliedthe lad from the country, rather sharply, as a tinge of color rose tohis cheeks.

  "Shucks! That ain't the idea at all," said the street boy, in a tonethat seemed apologetic. "What I mean is that you're a kind of boodlealderman--you're rich. Do you see now?"

  "Oh! That's it. Well, you see, I didn't know what you meant. I neverheard those terms up in Vermont. No; I'm not rich, but on the contraryhave so little money that I must commence work at once."

  "And that is why you bought two papers, so you can take in the wholebusiness. You've got a big head, Vermont, any way, and would do stunnin'on mornin' papers."

  "Thank you. Do you mean at selling them?"

  "Yes, of course. You wouldn't give 'em away, would you?"

  "Well, no, I should not be inclined to do so."

  "That sounds more like it. Perhaps I'll give you a job, if you can'tfind anything else."

  "Thank you, I may be very glad to get a chance to sell papers even."

  "'Tain't a bad business anyhow. Me and lots of fellers makes plenty ofmoney at it. But I s'pose you're hungry, hain't you? If you be I'll takeyou round to a boss place and it won't cost nothin' hardly."

  "I am very much obliged to you, but I had my breakfast soon afterleaving the boat."

  "And I bet they done you up on the price. I tell you what it is, ittakes a fellow a good while to learn to live in this city. You don'tknow nothin' about what it costs. Why I know a plenty of boys that spendmore--yes, I'd say so, twice as much as what I do, and they don't throwno style into their livin' either. You see they don't know how andhain't got no taste, any way. But I like your looks, Vermont, and ef youwant any points--and you're liable to want 'em in this city, I'll betyou--why you just call on me and I'll fix you out in big shape."

  "YOU EVIDENTLY KNOW ALL ABOUT PROPRIETY, SO HERE IS MYHAND," SAID HERBERT.]

  "Thank you, sincerely," said the Green Mountain lad, a broad smileplaying over his fine face, as he regarded the drollery of his newacquaintance. "I shall need many suggestions, no doubt, for I feelalmost lost in this great city. I had no idea it was so large. I wasnever here before, and do not know where to go for a room or meals."

  "So I thought, and that's why I offered to put you into the right track.My name is Bob Hunter--I hain't got no business cards yet, but all theboys knows me, and my place of business is right round here in City HallPark. You'll find me here 'most any time durin' business hours."

  "Bob Hunter! Well, you may be sure I shall remember your name and placeof business, for I want to see you again. But what are your businesshours?"

  "Oh, yes; I forgot that. Everybody must have business hours, of course.Well, say from five to ten in the mornin', and three to eight in theafternoon, you can find me in."

  "In! You mean _out_, don't you--out here?"

  "Shucks! don't be so schoolmastery. Everybody in business says _in_. Iguess I know what's proper!"

  "All right, Bob Hunter, I'll give it up. You know all about propriety inNew York, and I know nothing of it, so here is my hand. I'll say good bytill tonight, when I will call upon you again. I must look over thesepapers now, and hunt for a situation."

  "I hope you'll have luck, and get a bang up place. I'll be _in_ when youcall tonight; and if you hain't no objections, I'd like to know yourname. It would be more handy to do business, you see. How could myclerks announce you so I'd know you, if I don't know your name? You see,I might think it was some one that wanted to collect a bill," continuedBob, dryly, "and I'd be _out_. Don't you see how it's done? I'd justtell my clerks to say 'Mr. Hunter is not in;' so, you see, you would getleft. Why, business men do it every day!"

  "My name is Herbert Randolph," replied the other, laughing heartily athis comical friend--I say friend, for he already felt convinced that hehad found one in Bob Hunter.

  "Herbert Randolph! that's a tony name--some old fellow I read about inschool was called Randolph; most likely he was some of your relations."

  The day was too cold for him to remain out in the park and read; soHerbert, acting on the advice of Bob Hunter, hurried to the greatgranite post office, and there, in the rotunda, ran his eye over the"wants" in his two papers.

  Many columns of closely printed matter in each paper offering everyconceivable position were spread out before him--a bewildering displayof flattering prospects.

  Young Randolph soon learned that if he stopped to read everyadvertisement in both journals it would be very late in the day beforehe could apply for any position. But should he only read a few of thewants he might fail to notice the best openings. This was a misfortune,for he was ambitious to get the right position--the position that wouldenable him to advance the fastest; and like all inexperienced boys, hehoped and even expected he might get it the very first time trying.

  He had already marked a dozen or two advertised situations which, itseemed to him, would do very well, in fact were quite desirable, but ofcourse they were the high priced positions which would naturally be mostsought after by thousands of other applicants--rivals whom the youngVermonter did not take into consideration. He saw before him a demandfor four or five thousand people to help move the wheels of commerce.He knew of course that he could only _accept_ one position, so he wasdesirous that that one should be the best.

  Any smart boy would feel as he did in this respect.

  Some boys would even be so thoughtful of the interest of others as tofeel sad that the four thousand nine hundred and ninety nine employersshould be deprived of their services.

  But young Randolph was more selfish. He had come here from the countrywith buoyant hopes and splendid courage. He proposed to make his way inNew York--to become what is known as a successful man, to make a namefor himself--a name that would extend to his native State and make hisparents proud of their brilliant son.

  Feeling thus, how natural it was that he should linger over theattractive columns much longer than was wise. Yet he did not thinkof this, or at least he did not give it any serious consideration, forwere there not a vast number of positions to be filled? The questionthen was not whether he could get anything to do, but rather which onehe should accept. When talking with young Bob Hunter, the newsboy, hehad intimated that he might be glad even to get a chance to sell papers;but it must be remembered that he had not at that time seen a New Yorkpaper, and knew nothing of the tremendous demand for help.

  Such a proposition from Bob now, however, would doubtless have beenscorned, notwithstanding Herbert's usual good sense. And such scornwould have been very natural under the circumstances. Selling papers isan employment vastly inferior to clerking, to book keeping, to banking,to writing insurance policies, all of which positions were now open tohim, as he supposed, else why should they be advertised? And why couldnot he fill them--any one of them? He was honest, ambitious, willing towork hard, wrote a splendid hand, had had some experience in clerking ina country store, and, best of all, he knew he would be faithful to hisemployer--all excellent qualifications in a g
eneral way--qualificationsthat probably seemed to him irresistible. Then, too, might he not lenda degree of intelligence, of thought to the business that would behelpful? This was a point that did not occur to him at first--not tillhis mind became inspired with the subject; but now the idea seemed tohim a good one, and he wondered that he had not thought of it before. Atany rate, he decided not to lose sight of it again, for he knew--hiscommon sense told him, and he had read also, that the men who movethings in this world are men of brains--men who _think_, who lend ideasto business, to inventions, to anything and everything with which theyhave to deal.

  HERBERT RANDOLPH IN THE POST OFFICE.]

  Thus another complication was added, for now he must consider indetermining if the position he accepted would give him the widest scopefor thought, and the broadest play for genius, ideas, originality andenterprise. His imagination ran fast. He was dead to the busy scenesabout him. Great questions pressed home upon him for decision, and hedid not decide quickly and without thought, as a light headed boy wouldhave done. No, he pondered long and hard over the subject which meantso much to him, and perhaps to the entire commerce of the city and eventhe finances of the nation. What might not grow out of his start inlife--the start of a thoughtful, industrious, original man? Howimportant, then, that it should be a right start! What might not come ofa false venture? How the possibilities of the future might be dwarfed bysuch a move!

  These were momentous questions for this young ambitious boy to solve. Hegrappled with them bravely, and with flushed cheeks and dilated eyesknitted his brows and thought. He thought hard, thought as one with theresponsibilities of a nation resting upon him--this young untried,untrained boy from old Vermont.

  "No, I will not take it," he broke out suddenly and with strikingdetermination in his face. "Simply because I write a good hand theywould keep me writing policies all the time, and then I believe theinsurance business is run like a big machine. No, I do not want it andwill not take it, for I am not going to make a mistake this time. I wantto show the folks down home who said I would make a failure here thatthey didn't _know me_--they counted on the wrong man. No, insurance isgood enough for any one without ambition or ideas, who always wants tobe a clerk, but I'm not that kind of a man."

  He was actually calling himself a man now.

  "But I think mercantile business or manufacturing or banking would dofor me and would be suited to me. I wonder which is the best! Mercantilebusiness gives one a good chance to show what he is made of. A man withideas ought to succeed in it; that is, if he is pushing and has plentyof originality. A. T. Stewart, what a fortune he made! He was original,he did things in a new way, advertised differently, got up new ideas,and pushed his business with close attention. He started without anymoney. I have no money. He was a hard worker, a thinker, an originator,a pusher. Why shouldn't I be a hard worker, a thinker, an originator anda pusher? I think I will. But these qualifications will win just as wellin the manufacturing and banking business as in mercantile pursuits, andif I have them I shall succeed anywhere. I wonder why those people inVermont thought I would not succeed here. I wish they could see thechances I have.

  "Well, I do not think I'll take to manufacturing, though here are adozen or so first class situations in that line. I might like it wellenough, but I believe banking would suit me better--that is, banking orthe mercantile business, and I don't care much which. Of course bankingwill be easier at first than clerking, so I should have more timefor thought and study--time to get right down to the science of thebusiness. Yes, I believe I'll try banking. Here are four banks that wanta young man. I'll take a look at each, for I want the best one."

  Thus young Randolph reasoned, feeling no uneasiness about procuringa situation, though he had wasted in building foolish air castles somuch valuable time that he had really almost no chance of obtaining asituation of any kind that day. This he learned to his sorrow a littlelater, when he commenced in earnest the very difficult undertaking ofgetting employment in a great city.