hich he invested either for himself or for others, and
through the amazing courage he evinced in taking a chance on properties in
which he believed.

"Keene's too blamed conscientious," said one of his fellow-brokers. "Why,
he's taken a week to look over some Idaho property, and he could just as
well have handled the investments even if there wasn't a sign of metal
there. He wouldn't lose anything."

That was not Keene's way. He was not in the game to make a little and risk
nothing. He was willing to risk everything in order to make a big killing,
and usually the campaigns that looked like wild and reckless gambles were
backed by good, solid knowledge, gained after examination of the value of
the property involved.

Keene's clients liked such methods, and they came to him in such numbers
that in a short time he forced his way to the leading position among the
San Francisco brokers, and as an operator on his own account he easily
distanced all the others both in daring and in winnings.

Thirty years ago he had a fortune of six million dollars, and he started
for Europe, but stopped off in New York to sell railroad shares short, for
what he had seen on his trip East convinced him that there would be a
break. His first deal netted him two hundred thousand dollars, and he
threw up all thoughts of a European trip.

There was a story current at the time that Keene had all his wealth turned
into gold, and the gold was done up in neat little parcels. With this, so
he was credited with saying, he intended to wipe Jay Gould off the
financial map. This story, however, is not true. It was Keene's intention
to take a little flier, gain a little spending money, and continue on his
way to Europe for rest.

But Wall Street fascinated him. Everything there was done upon such a
lavish scale that it just suited him. So instead of taking a vacation he
plunged into the market, and his winnings at first were enormous. During
the next two years he cleared nine million dollars. Then he went into a
wheat corner, and before he got out again he was squeezed dry, and a
million and a half in debt.

Turning Failure into Success.

He fought the old San Francisco fight over again and he manifested the
same old San Francisco courage.

They had pushed him down to such a point that he could no longer afford to
live in New York, and he hired a little house in the suburbs. A cab was a
luxury that was not to be thought of, and so every day, plea