CHAPTER IV
BATTLE OF THE BULLS AND BEARS
THAT evening at the opera was like a dream to the little Kingsbridgegirls. Mrs. Cartwright visited them between the acts, then they wereintroduced to Olive Presby, who came to their box, accompanied by ayoung man named Jack Howard, an artist who had just returned from Paris.These two had been chums since childhood.
Bab thought Olive the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. She couldnot keep her eyes off of her, and Olive appeared to be equally attractedto Barbara, though there was little opportunity for conversation betweenthem. Olive was fully five years older than Barbara with fair skin,black hair, and eyes of deep gray, veiled with long, black lashes,making an unusual and most attractive combination. Olive Presby was astriking looking girl. All through the second act Bab kept gazing acrossat Olive, and it was with a deep sigh of regret that Barbara finallyturned her eyes away under the teasing of Ruth and Grace. The gloriousevening came to a close all too soon for them.
Reaching home, the girls lost little time in getting to their rooms,for the three travelers had had little sleep in the past two nights.
They fell asleep almost the instant their heads touched their pillows,but in spite of their late hours the four girls descended to the diningroom the following morning bright-eyed and ready for whatever the daymight bring forth.
Miss Sallie rustled in, dressed in her silk morning gown a few momentsafter the others had reached the dining room. The girls greeted herenthusiastically, each girl giving her a hearty hug and kiss, afterwhich they seated themselves at the breakfast table, and a livelychattering ensued.
"What do you think of Cousin Olive?" asked Ruth.
"Oh, I just love her," cried Bab enthusiastically.
A cloud passed swiftly over the face of Ruth Stewart.
"I could love her almost to death. Is she engaged to Mr. Howard?"
"No indeed," said Miss Sallie with emphasis. "Olive is devoted to herparents, especially now that they are in such deep trouble. She is theircomfort in their distress and she knows it."
"Young ladies," interrupted Mr. Stuart, "do you feel equal to beginningyour sight-seeing to-day?"
"We do," chorused the girls.
"I have so planned my affairs as to have this day free for you. Mr. A.Bubble also is at your disposal. He has had a thorough going over at thehands of his man this morning, and I think you will find him in finecondition."
"Olive Presby is coming to see you this morning, you know," remindedMiss Sallie.
Ruth's face clouded again. Bab's eyes glowed, for she wished to seeOlive even more than to explore Chicago.
"We might call her up on the telephone and have her come over so she maygo with us," suggested Mr. Stuart.
The girls seconded this proposal enthusiastically, and this was donewithout delay, Olive promising to come over as soon after breakfast aspossible.
"I propose," announced Mr. Stuart, "to take you over to the Board ofTrade on La Salle Street to show you the famous Pit."
"Is it a very big hole?" questioned Mollie innocently, whereat a merrylaugh rippled all the way around the table.
"The Pit," explained Mr. Stuart, smilingly, "is the place where men buyand sell grain-stuffs. It's the same as stock speculation."
Mollie thought stock speculation was trading in cattle.
"You ridiculous child," exclaimed Ruth. "I'll explain it to you so youwill understand it. Now if you want to speculate you order your brokers,for instance, to 'buy a thousand shares of B. Sell five thousand sharesof G and ten thousand shares of C.' That's all. Next morning you wake upto find yourself ten or fifteen thousand dollars richer----"
"Or poorer," added Mr. Stuart. "I must say, Ruth, that your explanationis very lucid. Take the girls down to my office, leaving here at halfpast ten o'clock. I shall have my morning mail disposed of by that timeand my day's orders issued, then my time will be at your disposal.Sallie, are you going with the girls?"
"No, thank you. Not this morning. I have seen quite all of Chicago, Ithink. Besides, I have no love for your horrid Board of Trade. Theautomobile will be pretty well filled as it is."
"Oh, please come with us," urged Mollie.
Aunt Sallie shook her head smilingly, so it was arranged that the girlsshould go downtown by themselves, there to be met by Mr. Stuart. Olivebustled in shortly before ten o'clock. She was dressed in a browntailor-made suit of broadcloth, with furs and hat of mink. She camerunning up the stairs to Ruth's sitting room, bright and eager, her eyessparkling with anticipation.
"Here I am," she cried gayly. "I'm going to introduce myself all overagain. I'm Olive, girls. I'm a sort of adopted cousin of the 'AutomobileGirls.' So this is Bab," she sparkled, giving Barbara's hand a friendlysqueeze. "This little yellow-haired girl is Mollie, and the bigger,brown-haired one is Grace. Now I think we are properly introduced. Nowwhat can I do to add to the pleasure of the 'Automobile Girls' this finemorning?"
"I would suggest that you first sit down and compose yourself," repliedRuth with some severity. "How you do run on, Olive."
"Now, I call that downright mean," pouted Miss Presby. "Don't you, Bab?"Olive suddenly bent over Barbara, giving the little Kingsbridge girl animpulsive hug.
Ruth frowned. Bab looked embarrassed. She felt that Ruth resentedOlive's affectionate demonstration. It caused the three Kingsbridgegirls, however, to lose their awe of Miss Presby, whom they had beforelooked upon as a superior grown-up person.
"What are the plans for the day, dear?" questioned Olive, turning toRuth.
"We are first to go to the office to pick up father. He is to take usto the Pit. I don't know where we shall go from there."
About this time a maid came up to tell them that the car was at thedoor. The girls hurried down, laughing and chatting, Ruth's irritationapparently having been banished from her mind. It was a bright,sparkling day. The lake glistened and the wind from it again blew thecolor into the faces of the "Automobile Girls."
Mr. Stuart's office was in one of the tall office buildings on La SalleStreet, not far from the Board of Trade. The girls were shot up to theseventeenth floor on the elevator with a speed that fairly took theirbreaths away. Mollie uttered a chorus of subdued "ohs" all the way up.
Even in the staid business office the girls found much to interest them.Mollie's attention was first attracted to an energetic little machine atone side of the room. This odd looking machine ticked like a clock, butresembled one in no other way, and from it at intervals spun a narrow,ribbon-like strip of paper which curled and coiled into an elongatedwaste-paper basket. Mollie stood over the basket regarding theperplexing letters and figures printed on the paper ribbon.
"Do--do you make ribbons on this?" she questioned, laying a finger onthe glass globe that covered the mechanism.
"Not exactly, my dear," answered Mr. Stuart. "But that little machinesometimes helps us to buy ribbons for our families. That is a ticker. Itgives the market quotations. I hardly think you will be interested init."
Mollie decided that she wasn't.
"If you are ready, girls, we will go over to the Board of Trade, whereyou will see the bulls and bears engaged in a pitched battle. It is tobe a lively day on the floor of the Pit."
Mollie was frowning perplexedly.
"Are we really going to see a bull fight?" she whispered to Ruth. "Dothe bulls and the bears really fight? I--I don't think I want to seethem 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 youif you do."
"Never mind," called Ruth to the others, "I'll explain, dear. Of courseyou know nothing about these things. I wish I didn't. I wish father didnot, either," she added with a touch of bitterness. "Bulls and bears aremere men. The bulls are those who try to force up the prices of wheatand other things, while the bears are the ones who seek to keep theprices down. I--I never have been able to make up my mind which of themis 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'soffice to the big, gloomy building that housed the Board of Trade. Theywere conducted to the gallery, where Mr. Stuart left them to go down tothe brokers' rooms to consult with some of his friends.
It was a mad, wild scene that the little country girls gazed upon. Itwas 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 wasbeing torn by nervous hands and hurled into the air, to fall likeminiature 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 ahand with the fingers spread wide apart. Instantly a dozen men hurledthemselves upon him. He staggered and fell. Willing hands jerked him tohis feet. It was then that the "Automobile Girls" saw that theunfortunate man's coat had been torn from him. His collar flapped underhis ears and a tiny red mark was observable on one cheek.
"Oh!" gasped the Kingsbridge girls.
"Wha-a-at are they fighting about?" gasped Mollie, her face pale withexcitement, perhaps mingled with a little fear.
"They aren't fighting." Ruth had to place her lips close to the ears ofher companion to make herself heard. "They are buying and selling. Thatis the way business is done on the floor of the Pit. See! There isfather!"
The girls gazed wide-eyed. Mr. Stuart had projected himself into themaelstrom of excited traders. He, like the rest, was waving his arms andshouting. A group of excited men instantly surrounded him. He was forthe moment the centre of attention, for Robert Stuart was one of thelargest and most successful traders on the Chicago Board of Trade. Thebattle waged furiously about him, while the "Automobile Girls" gazed infascinated awe upon the strange, exciting scene.
All at once a gong sounded. The tension seemed to snap. Men who had beenfighting and shouting suddenly ceased their activities. The bodies ofsome grew limp, as it were. Some staggered. Others walked from the floorlaughing and chatting. Out of the crowds strode a man--a young man.What first attracted the attention of the girls to him was a bandageabout his head. He was walking straight toward them, though on the floorbelow. All at once he glanced up. Only Bab was looking down at him now.His gaze swept over the gallery. His eyes rested for a moment on theface of Barbara Thurston.
"The man from section thirteen!" exclaimed Bab under her breath. Then asshe caught his eyes, she gazed in trembling fascination. The man'sfeatures were contorted. Barbara thought it was the most frightful faceshe ever had gazed upon. Anger, deadly passion and desperate purposewere written there so plainly that anyone could read. Looking her fairlyin the face, the man sneered. Whether he recognized her or not, the girldid not know.
"Oh!" cried Bab, with a shudder.
"What is it, dear?" questioned Ruth anxiously.
"Oh, take me away from here. Please take me away," almost sobbedBarbara. "I--I can't stand it. It was awful."
"Come, girls," urged Ruth. "Bab is upset. I will confess that I have hadenough of this place of nightmares." Rising, she led her friends downthe stairs to the lower floor. Barbara was still trembling when they sawMr. Stuart coming toward them. His face was set and stern. But theinstant he caught sight of the "Automobile Girls" the sternness driftedslowly from his features, giving place to a pleased smile.
"Why, Barbara, how pale you are!" he exclaimed. "What _is_ the matter?"
"She is upset," answered Ruth briefly.
Mr. Stuart eyed her keenly.
"Was the excitement too much for you, my dear?" he asked.
"I--I think so," replied Bab. Then as the thought of that face and itsdreadful expression recurred to her mind, she trembled more violentlythan before. Mr. Stuart linked his arm in hers and led her away,followed by the others of the party.
"It really is no place for young girls," said Mr. Stuart. "I should nothave brought you here. Girls, we will take the car and go home at once.Barbara had better lie down for a while before luncheon. She iscompletely unnerved."
This Barbara knew to be true, but by great effort she conquered her fitof trembling, and before the Stuart's residence was reached she had in agreat measure regained her self-control.