Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-11-25

Iher husband with troubled look and sighed.
From his dwelling Mr.. Lawrence hurried toI
his store, and spent ar hour there in examining
his account books and ia making calculations.
At 8 O'Clock he met the directors Of the lnsur
ance Company, of which he was still president,
at an extra meeting. All had grave faces
There was statement Of the affairs OF the COM
pany upon the table around which they were
gathered. 1t showed that in the next two weeks
post-notes, amounting in all to one hundred and
! fifty thousand dollars, would fall due; while not
over fifty thousand dollars in bills receivable,
maturing within that time, were on hand, and
the available cash resources of the company we're
not over five thousand dollars. The time was,
i when by an extra effort the sum needed could
have easily been raised But extra efforts had
been put forth so often, of late, that the compa-
ny had exhausted nearly all its resources.
l do not understand, remarked one of the
directors, looking up from the statement he had
been carefully examining, how there can be
hundred and fifty thousand dollars Of post-notes
due SO soon, and only fifty thousand dollars in
bills receivable maturing in the same time. If
am not mistaken, the pos-notes were never IS
sued except against bills having few days shor-
ter time to run How is this, Mr.. Lawrence"
"All that is plain enough" the president re-
piled promptly, GA large portion Of these bills
have been at various times discounted for us in
5 the Peoples Bank, and in other banks when We
have needed money"
=" But why should we be in such need of mo-
ney" inquired the director earnestly. He had
been half asleep in his place for over year and
was just beginning to get his eyes open. i be-
ieve we have had no serious losses of late. There
have been but few fires that have touched u.s. =
But there have been good many failures in
the last six months, most Of which have affected
us, and some to quite a heavy amount returned
the president Our post-note business has PROV
: ed most unfortunate"
4 so should think if it has lost us hundred
thousand dollars, as appears from this statement
e 1T is useless to look at that now said Mr.
It lawrence. The great business to be attended
e to, is, the raising of means to meet this trying
ST emergency How is it to be done
u There was deep silence and look of concern
:. Can it be raised at all! Is there any hopt
# of saving the institution asked one of the board
at length
IS In my opinion, none in the world, was re
10 piled by another. 4 have thought of little else
a but the affairs of the company since yesterday
e and am satisfied that all hope is gone. There
l. are thirty thousand dollars to be provided TO
% morrow, Our balance is but FIVE thousand, ever
if all the bills maturing to-day have been paid
n (Which they have, presume, as no protests
a have come in, remarked the president.
+ But what is the sum of five thousand dollars
: set off against thirty thousand! 1t is as nothing.
h Surely gentlemen are not prepared to give UP
in this way said the president, earnestly A
failure will be a most disastrous thing and we
shall all be deeply sufferers in the community il
it takes place. We must make efforts and sac.
rihces to carry it through Here are twelve oil
us, can we not, on our individual credit, raise
the sum required? I, for one will issue my
notes tomorrow for twenty thousand dollars. II
the other directors will come forward in the
same spirit, we may exchange the bills among
each other, and by endorsing them mutually
get them through the various banks where we
: have friends or influence, and thus save the in
stitutOn. Gentlemen, are you prepared to meet
e me in this thingr
Two or three responded aflirmatiyely. Some
positively declined and others wanted time to
think of it.
If we pause to think, all is ruined said Mr..
q Lawrence, excited We must act at once, and
promptly
But each member of the board remained firm
f to the first impression. Nothing could be fore
y ed, and reflection only tended to confirm those
who opposed the residents views in their oppo.
sitlon to the plan suggested. The meeting
= closed after two hours perplexng deberaton
V without determining upon any course of action
At ten o'clock on the next day the directors
: were to meet again.
Mr.. Lawrence walked the floor for half oil
- that night, and lay awake the other half TIC
sleep was impossible. Thus far in the many
difficulties he had encountered. a way of escape
from them had opened either on the right hand
or on the left. But now no way of escape pre-.
sented itself A hundred plans were suggested
to his mind, cangassed, and laid aside. He saw
d but one measure of relief, if it could be carried
IS out but that he had proposed already, and ii
y was not approved
n The unhappy condition in which she saw her
d husband deeply distressed Mrs. Lawrence Ear
d nestly did she beg of him to tell her all that
y troubled him, and let her bear part oflhe bur.
n den that Was upon him. AT first he evaded her
" questions; but to her oft repeated and tendery
T. urged petition to be sharer in his pans as well
as his pleasures, he mentioned the desperate
e state of affairs in the company of which he was
IS president,
re But, my dear husband, she replied to this
J. You cannot be held responsible for the losses
e the institution has sustained
l. True Florence; but the odium, the censure
l. the distress that must follow its failure | can
r not bear to think of these My credit too, will
Is suffer, for shall lose all have invested in the
G. stock aud this fact. when known. will imnuii