Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-04-01
A BUSINESS SCENE.

u ~ 10
thing from the pen Of Dickens:
Meadows found Mr.. Clinton at Peers.
"Mr. Clinton, want man OF intelligence
to be at my service for twenty four hours. I
give you the first offer, sir"
Mr.. Clinton replied that really he had 90
many irons in the FIRE, that twenty-fQur
hours
Meadows put nfty-pOund note on the Ia
BILE
"WiIl all your irons iron you out ffty
pounds as quick as that?"
why, HEMP
No, nor five. Come, sir, sharp Is the word,
Can you be my servant FOR twenty-four hours
for hfty pounds? yes or nou'
why, this is dramatic-yes
1t is half past two. Between this and four
o'clock must buy q few hundred acres In
Australia a fair bsrssin.''
"Humph. Well, that can be done know
an old fellow that has land in every part Of
the globe"
"Take NE to him
In ten minutes they were in one Of those
dingy marrow alleys in the city of London that
| look the abode of decent poverty, and they
| could afford to buy Grosvenor Square for their
stables; and Mr. Chiffon introduced bis friend
to blear eyed merchant in a large room pa
pered with maps; tho windows were incrusted,
mustard and cress might have been grown from
them. Beauty in clean linen collar and wrist
lustrue; but the blear eyed merchant did not
come out bright by contrast; he had taken
the local color. You could see him, and that
was ali, like partridge in furrow; a snuff.
coiored coat; coat rusty all but the collar,
and that greasy; poor as its collar was, his
linen had thought it worth emulating; black
smith nails, cotton wipe, little bald place on
head, but didn't shine for the same reason the
windows didn't. Mr.. Clinton approached his
''dhirrty money" this rusty coin, in the spirit
Of Aunkeyism
"Sir," said he in a low reverential tone,
this party is disposed to purchase q few
hundred acres in the colonies"
Mr.. Rich looked up from his desk and point
ed with q sweep of his pen to the walls
There are the maps: the red crosses are NV
land. They are numbered. Refer to the mar
gin Of map and you will find the acres and the
latitude and longitude calculated 10 q frac-
ton. When you have settled in what part of
the world you buy, come TO me az ain time is
gold.
And the bIear-eyed merchant wrote, and
sealed, and filed, and took no notice Of his
customers: They found red crosses in several
OF the United States, in Canada, in Borneo,
in nearly all the colonies, and as luck would
have it, they found one small cross within
thirty miles OF Bathurst, and the margin de-
scribed il as Eve hundred acres. Mr.. Meadows
stepped toward the desk.
q have found a small property near Ba.
thurst."
Bathurst? where is that ."-
"In Australia"
"Suit ,"
SIR"
"The books must tell us that" .... ...
Mr.. Rich stretched out his arm and seized
ledger and gave it Meadows.
81 have but once price for land, and that is
e. e. N
tell you what it stands me in add Eve per
cent to tlpt, and take the land away or leave
it."
With this curt explanation Mr.. Rich re.
sumed his work.
1T seems you gave Eve shilIings an acre.
sir, said Mr.. Clinton. Five times FIVE hun
dred shilliDgs, one hundred and twenty. Eve
pounds. Interest at Eve per cent, six pounds
fve"
When did buy it?" asked Mr.. Rich.
"Oh when did you buy il, sir 20
Mr.. Rich snstched the book little pettish-
ly and gave it to Meadows.
"You make the calculation, - said he; "the
figures are all there. Come to me when you
have made it,
The land had been bought twenty-seven
years and some months ago. Mr.. Meadows
made the calculation in a turn of the hand,
and announced it. Rich rang a hand-beIl.
Another snuffy figure, with a stOep and a bald
head and a pen came through a curtain.
Jones, verify that calculation
Penny half penny two pence, penny half
penny two pence. Mum, mum. Halfpenny
wrong, sir"
There is a half penny wrong" cried Mr.
Rich to Meadows with a most injured air.
There is, sir" said Meadows, Z" but il is
on the right side for you. 1 thought would
make it even money against myself"
"There are only two ways, wrong and
right" was the reply. Jones, make il right
There, that is the price for the next half hour;
after business hours to-day add days inter.
est; and, Jones, if be does not buy, write your
calculation into the book with date-save time
next customer comes for il -
"You need not trouble Mr.. Jones'" said
Meadows. I" take the land. Here are two
hundred and fifty pounds-thst is rather more
than half the purchase money"
"Jones count"
"When can L have the deeds, sir!"
" Ten 20 morrow"
"Rsceipt for two hundred and fifty pounds"
said Meadows, falling into the others key.
Jones; write receipt-two, FIVE, naught."
Write me an agreement to sell, proposed
Meadows
"No, you write it; I'll sign it, Jones, en-.
ter transaction on the books Have you any
thing to do, young gentleman %
"No, sir -
Then draw this pen through the two crosses
on the map and margin. Good morning, gen
tlemen.'
And the money making machine rose and
dismissed them as he had received them, with
a short sharp business congo.
Ye fair, who turn a shop head over heels,
maui sixty yards Of ribbon and buy six, which
being sent home, insatiably becomes your de-
sire to change it for other six which you had
fairly, closely, and with all the powers Of your
mind, compared with it during the seventy
minutes the purchase occupied, let me re-
spectfully inform you that the above business
took just eight minutes, and that "when 1t
was done, twas done"
Isn't that graphic "tO degree"