d Jadwin, refusing to be convinced.
"Two-thirds of that wheat won't grade, and Europe will take nearly all
of it. What we ought to do is to send our men into the Pit and buy
another million, buy more than these fools can offer. Buy 'em to a
standstill."

"That takes a big pile of money then," said the broker. "More than we
can lay our hands on this morning. The best we can do is to take all
the Bears are offering, and support the market. The moment they offer
us wheat and we don't buy it, that moment--as you know,
yourself--they'll throw wheat at you by the train load, and the price
will break, and we with it."

"Think we'll get rid of much wheat to-day?" demanded Jadwin.

By now it had became vitally necessary for Jadwin to sell out his
holdings. His "long line" was a fearful expense, insurance and storage
charges were eating rapidly into the profits. He must get rid of the
load he was carrying, little by little. To do this at a profit, he had
adopted the expedient of flooding the Pit with buying orders just
before the close of the session, and then as the price rose under this
stimulus, selling quickly, before it had time to break. At first this
had succeeded. But of late he must buy more and more to keep the price
up, while the moment that he began to sell, the price began to drop; so
that now, in order to sell one bushel, he must buy two.

"Think we can unload much on 'em to-day?" repeated Jadwin.

"I don't know," answered Gretry, slowly and thoughtfully.
"Perhaps--there's a chance--. Frankly, J., I don't think we can. The
Pit is taking heart, that's the truth of it. Those fellows are not so
scared of us as they were a while ago. It's the new crop, as I've said
over and over again. We've put wheat so high, that all the farmers have
planted it, and are getting ready to dump it on us. The Pit knows that,
of course. Why, just think, they are harvesting in some places. These
fellows we've caught in the corner will be able to buy all the wheat
they want from the farmers if they can hold out a little longer. And
that Government report yesterday showed that the growing wheat is in
good condition."

"Nothing of the sort. It was a little over eighty-six."

"Good enough," declared Gretry, "good enough so that it broke the price
down to a dollar and twenty. Just think, we were at a dollar and a half
a little while ago."

"And we'll be at two dollars in another ten days, I tell you."

"Do you know how we stand, J.?"