Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1854-08-25

VIC were settling up iha s's'o 'ot thc efe1N'
ors in good faith.
Mr.. lockwood rose TO hls feet. lie had
gone too far. had committed himself, and was
now repelled. There was nothing Ieh bu, 10
assume surprise and anger
"whal do You mean, sirrah'' he said
stamping hi, feet. "YOu appear resolved to
misunder,land me. How dlie you in,Inuaie
whl, you doi''
"sir," began the clerk. raising himself
proudly to his full heigh:.
"NOt a word. Go TO yonr desk al once.
I see was fool to rely IN vour capacity,
or gratitude OF anything e!se. Go say. ]
shall not need to consult YOU again"
Tia, very day the books, which had been
in tho clerks hands e. twenty years, Ssre
taken from him while l.s was dispatched to
a disian, city, nominally To 'ce after hlr,r.
dous account, lie was directed from time TO
time, to remain while longer aud watch the
debtor in word, he was kept out Of the
way.
I Meantime Mr.. lockwood called meeting
Of IN. creditors. lie laid both schedules be-
fore ihem, rendered hl' bnoks for their eE.
animation, and gave verbally whatever inform
alton was sought. lis assets he had marked
as good, doubtful aud bad, and he called in a
clerk, temporary promoted TO John Masters
place, to ,erfy las opinIon.
IL 10 the successor justice, he was dus se
not an accessory. Mr. lockwood had, as i:
were incidentally, so thoroughly lmbusI the
Young man with his oWn views, that the iss.
,imony Of ihis youth Va, bu, an echo Of the
merchants.
you see, srnllemcn, y" said the insol'en,,
"lhar, after paying expenses and allowing for
lus.rs, theicIl not be more than tSoihirt, or
three lourlhs len. II the estate Is carefully
'eiiicd up, it may yield sevenry. 1--we per cent;
M D, not, sixty will be the utmos; that 1t
will pay"
lie paured, and looking around a,the blank
faces, added hastily
"lluI m'y say that no man car settle It 80
ldyanllgcousIy as cln. have Alreldy dis.
patched my old aud rusty clerk, Nc. Mas.
iers, to look afer one Of the heaviest accounts
and indeed would have gone myself, II could
have been spared. lie writes TO me more IA.
Noubiy Ihau had hoped. ! end have q
few iucnd, still len, who have offered To- as.
SIS, nc. So, ifyoulhlnL best, will run the
uss of paying seventy. y.Gve per cent, giving =
third in cash, Ihlrd 10 good endorsed notes
at twelve InonIh,, and third IN the same Kind
IT security at two ycars"
There VAS silence ior several minutes
Some Of the crsdilor. were completely deeeiv.
ed, Cor they ad always belie'cd lho speaker
g. be honest, and besidss they really knew
nothing, aud could know nothing about the
value uf the assets. Others suspected that
he va. misleading ihem. bot these reasoned
tia, ,I.y werein hi. PoNer that, at the best
au assignment would Ieslsec,cn les, than no
Offered, ano that 1t Vas most prudent lOr their
pockets to dsscmbIe and accept the preferred
terms. An old merchant, Who belonged to
lhc latter class said, therefore.
II, lor one. shall take Mr.. LOCKWOOD
o0er. had expected better show, ! con.
icss bu, there's no use, have learned, in
crying over spilled milk. Who is the en-
dorset, Nj Lick aood :"
The rnJorer was named, and proved trust.
worthy. In reality. he va, capitalist, to
whom the ipsol,cnI had paid large bonus,
besides hypotheealins hls asserts, for the use
Of hl. name a, cndnrscr.
Al the ,rcdiiors. except Two or three, COZ.
.caled 10 take the seveniy.fvc per cent; and
the few, who thus stood out, Mr. Lockwood
finally raid. with in,eres, IN full.
before the two years were up, mos, Of tie
paper which had tha, period TO run, was
sought out and purchased at usurious rate.
We need not say that MI. lockwood was the
buyer.
The clerk, on his reurn, was discharged.
Whatever be might suspect, he mover kne~,
what the estate realized, nor does anyboy
else eIcep; the in'olSen, himself Without
proof, John Masters was too wise to say any
thing Tor often, as the law says, "lhc great.
or truth, the greater the libel"
John Masters found employment f11lly. a.
a reduced salary, and is poorer now than
ever.
Mr. lockwood lives in fine house, q, an
expense Of SIX thousand dollars year, or
even more. Why can't he' II his estate
yielded a hundred per cent, as John Mas
icrs .lid il would, he saved hundred and
Gily thousand dollars. Yet Mi. lockwood
thinks himself an honest man.
Alas, there j, a day Of retribullon coming
for the merchant. 1t is Of such persons that
,he apostle writes $50 to now. ye rich men
weep aud howl for the miseries that shall
come upon you"
Better IN ,ha, last day. {" bo poor John
Masters than tho rich insolVeni.
Busn yovR ToM,ToEs. Its JUS, as sensi-
sible to grOw peas without bu'hing them as
It is tomatoes. You may grow both IN
L. ,.,r if ,nn have nleniI