The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-04-04


"Hem! I've grown little hard of
hearing of late, but i caught that just
as the two men turned round the corner
."There goes old Morgan, the Million
aire, rich as Cresus and hard as iron !;
wonder what good the money he grasps
SO tight M do him a score Of years
hence"
" And so, that's what men say of me
is it % &C Morgan the old Millionaire !"
And I've spent my whole life-all the
hopes of my youth, the strength of my
manhood, and the years of my old age,
for this ! s~ NU1 "a
It's fact, I'm a Millionaire this
day, John Morgan your hairs are gray,
and your face is scanned with wrinkles,
and your life has slipped over its seven
ticth birthday, and in houses and lands,
in bank, stock and railroad shares, in
coal mines and heavy cargoes, you can
count down this day your hard million
of dollars. gssa $500.
cit sounds strange enough as / re-
peat the words over, and 60 brck to the
days when l worked on Squire Mason's
farm for six dollars month and my
board. / said I'd be rich man then,
some day, and / have bent myself to
the task, soul and body, night and day.
l toiled early and late, and I'ye got a
million. of dollars to show for it
? Is 1t was hard struggle, but I was
sharp and watched every chance, and
luck favored me. / don't like to think
of all the strings have pulled to get
my money, for if mans bent on max
ing it. he mustn't be squeamish; and
though / was sometimes little hard
and shaved here and took advantage
there, still / wasn't any worse than
other men, and l was always certain to
keep inside the law.
And now men will bow and cringe
and almost go down on their knees to
get my name on their paper, and when
/ die l don't 'spose there's a living soul
that'll shed an honest tear over me,
though / shall be sure to be under the
the shadow of great marble monu-
ment.
Somehow, sitting here liz my office
this morning, and looking back over
my past life, it doesn't seem as if the
million dollars had paid after all 1; but
when the greed and thirst for gain gets
possession of man everything must 90
fear of God and love of man his life
and soul must be given up to business
81 am an old man and a millionaire
and l shall be dropping into my grave
in little while, and Tve got precious
little capital to take into another world
for 1 fancy "Rich Men" don't read
there as it does here.
81 don't like to think of home, my
wife, my children! Poor Mary she
was sweet, simple hearted girl, when
l took her in her fair girlhood, to walk
with me all the days of my life.
promised to love, cherish and protect
her, but / buried myself in business
and seldom had loving word or smile
for the home to which / went every
might, cold, silent and 'crusty! i cam
blame her if she turned at last to the
world, and sought refuge for her aching
heart in dress and show, and splendor
and became at last vain, heartless
selfish woman.
What palace home we had nj,
money filed it with every luxury, bu
gold did not bring happiness; and
don't like to think of that last hour o
my wife's when she woke out of he
long fever and gasped out" JOIN
I'm an old woman and am going tt
leave.you, my life's been terrible mis-
take"
81 don't like to think of my children
either. There are my boys, miserable
dissipated spendthrifts = counting OIL
the years before the old man will b,
Igone, so they can make his money fly
there are my daughters, married t.
tops and fortune hunters, proud, show,
and silly women, their whole life con
sisting in dress and parties and splendi,
follies.
And this is 70 be an old man and
millionaire ]! W1pder if it pays! =
wonder If I could go back to the year
of my youth again, if / would give a
my life to heaping up gold that has onl
wrought an old ege of bitter inemorie
for me, death of anguish, for m
wife, and rain for the children Co
gave ust8
No it don't pay; but it is too lat
too alter thiaa now, and the best ca
lido is 10 leave couple of hundre,
\ thousand dollars in my will to endo,
some orphans asylum.
It'll make hot work among the heir
when they learn of it, but the :" oil
man" wont sleep less sound for all tn
noise they'll make over his will, an
it'll seem like making a little comper
sation for some deeds in my life that
didn't quite like to face; but, after al
a million of dollars, don't pay-it don
pay !"-Honae Magazine.