[Sam P. Davis, Schools and Stocks, from Short Stories (1886)]

 

SCHOOLS AND STOCKS.

            " Guess I won't take in the school to-day," said a Carson urchin with a Sunday's Appeal in his hand.

            " Why not ?" asked an old man at his side. " Would you decline to pluck the fruit of the tree of knowledge when it lies within such easy reach ?"

            " Concordia has fallen off ten cents, and I don't dare to show up until it picks up again."

            " What have the fluctuations of Concordia got to do with your studies ?"

SCRAPS.         173

            " A good deal," answered the boy. " My teacher has a hundred shares of the stock, and when it falls off a few cents we all catch it heavy. I keep my eye on the list, and when there's a break, you bet I don't go to school. I play sick. Golly ! how she basted me the time Mount Diablo busted down to two dollars. When it was sellin' at twenty she was as good as pie. I was the first fellar that got on to the break, and I told the boys of my class that if she didn't sell there'd be the devil to pay. I heard Uncle Fraser say it was a good short and I never slept a wink for a week. I grabbed the Appeal the first thing every morning, and when I saw her keel down to sixteen, I skipped to the hills. Lord, how she did bang Johnny Dobson round that morning. I was in hopes that the blasted mine would pick up, but the water got in the lower levels, and I knew we were in for it. She licked somebody for every dollar it dropped. After it struck eight dollars it picked up a little and we had time to get well. My mother's been patching my pants now ever since the big break in Norcross, and if the market don't take a turn pretty soon I'm going to quit the public school and go to work on a ranch."