cops keep
the big-wind bunch roped in so's they can't break loose and pinch the
doorknobs off the Subtreasury. The ear-muff brigade was lettin'
themselves out in fine style, tradin' in Ground Hog bonds, Hoboken gas,
Moonshine preferred, and a whole lot of other ten-cent shares, as
earnest as if they was under cover and biddin' on Standard Oil firsts.

While I was lookin' 'em over, wonderin' what to do next, I spots Abey
Winowski on the fringe of the push. And say, it wa'n't so long ago that
Abey was wearin' sky-blue pants and a Postal shield, trottin' out with
messages from District Ten. But here he is, with a checked ulster and a
five-dollar hat, writin' figures on a pad.

"Hello, Motzie!" says I. "How long since they lets the likes of you
inside the ropes?"

"Hello, Torchy!" says he. "Got any orders?"

"I'm lined with 'em," says I. "What's good?"

"Blitzen," says he. "It's on the seesaw; but'll fetch fifty."

"Ain't it a wildcat?" says I.

"Just from the menagerie," says he. "Goin' to take a dollar flyer?"

"Guess I'll see what my brokers has to say first," says I.

With that I goes around to a little joint I knows of, where they has a
board for unlisted stocks, and I sets back and watches the curves
Blitzen was makin'. First she'd jump four or five points, and then she'd
settle back heavy. The Curb was playin' tag with it; that was all, so
far as I could see. Nice lot of Hungry Jakes to feed with
int'rest-bearin' securities!

About fifteen minutes before the market closed I quit and moseyed along
uptown, just killin' time and tryin' to figure out what ought to be
done. Course, I didn't have any idea of playin' private detective and
showin' Piddie up to Mr. Robert,--that's out of my line,--but I didn't
like the scheme of just chuckin' the bonds back at him and let him get
away with any bluff about my interferin' with something I didn't
understand at all. Besides, if the returns showed that he'd have won on
the deal, what was to hinder his tryin' the same trick again next time
he got the chance? That wouldn't been a fair shake for the firm.

Say, I worked my thinker overtime that trip; but I couldn't dig up a
thing that was worth savin' from the scrap basket, and when I strolled
into the office just about closin' time I wa'n't any nearer to knowin'
what to do than when I started.

Most everyone had left when I pushes through the gate and takes a peek
into Piddie's office. He was there. And, say, for a spe