Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/349

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bang of  hammered  iron  and  human  voices  raised  to a  pitch  of  wild  phrensy  made  the  excitement  fear- fully wearing. The calling  of  a  stock  was  sometimes as the  flinging  of  a  carcass  to  a  mixed  pack  of  raven- ous hyenas, wolves,  or  other  bloody  or  bell  owing- beasts. Then it  behooved  them  to  be  quick ;  for often an  instant  of  time  was  thousands  of  dollars  for and against  certain  interested  ones. The fashion  of their  buying  and  selling  was  no  less  senseless  than  it was  infernal ;  but  such  a  thing  as  questioning  the manner of  their  calling  never  occurred  to  them. On the contrary  it  was  their  pride,  their  glory.

cisco to day,"  writes  one,  "  formerly  peddled  potatoes along the  same  streets  where  he  can  now  count  his  own buildings by  the  dozen. Another well-known  resi- dent, then a  lawyer,  now  a  judge  in  one  of  the  courts, worked for  several  weeks  as  cook  in  a  restaurant. Overhearing one  of  the  patrons  of  the  place  complain that he  could  not  find  a  lawyer  to  take  up  a  case  he had  in  court,  he  profi:ered  his  services,  took  off  his apron and  went  before  the  court,  won  the  case, charged a  fee  of  $200,  and  was  retained  for  two  other cases before  leaving;  the  court-room. A certain  col- lege professor  who  went  out  from  New  York  in  '49, while working  with  a  shovel  on  the  public  streets, overheard a  Frenchman  trying  to  arrange  some  busi- ness with a  wealthy  real-estate  dealer. Neither of them  could  understand  the  other. The professor leaned upon  his  shovel  and  explained  the  meaning  of the  Frenchman. The matter  was  arransfed  in  a moment. ' Drop  that  shovel  and  take  off  your  over- halls. You 're  just  the  man  I  want,'  bluffly  said  the real-estate man ;  and  the  next  morning  the  professor commenced his  career  as  business  interpreter  at twenty  dollars  a  day."
 * ' One  of  the  wealthiest  stock-brokers  of  San  Fran-

Once in  a  while  a  staid  old  merchant  from  Boston or New  York,  braved  the  dangers  and  disgusts  of  the voyage, to  look  after  some  consignment  or  other  busi-

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