Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-08-18
The Little Old Gentleman.

! IuC 0pCdhCA Wdo q SuAAOuo AiooAS
old man, cleanly dressed, cleanly
shaved, with short, crisp, white hair,
and face like a red pipin, such a
face as is hardly ever seen out of his
country, and even here rarely, save
among farmers, gamekeepers, or 9th
ers who are much in the open air,
and at all seasons. This little-for
he was very small indeed as to size
this little old gentleman, was encoun-
tered in irSt.class smoking-carriage
on the Southwestern railway.
"Curious trial that before the Lord
Chief Justice" continued the old gen.
tIeman, as if he wished to promote
further conversation. II was once
tried for murder myself, with a
pleasant smile. eyes" said the lit
tie old gentleman, "and" docking
pleasanter than ever "very nearly
hung too. | did not get off free. [
was sentenced to transportation for
life; went through seven years of it /;
and then they pardoned me for what
| had never done"
"You see" said the little old gen.
tleman. smiling more than ever, as the
five other smokers in the carriage
stared at him, "you see, was for
many years a cattle merchant in Lon
don. My business consisted in re-
ceiving from abroad-from Holland,
Germany, Normandy, or where !er |
could form a connection-oXen, cows,
sheep, pigs, some on my own account,
others to be sold on commission tor
correspondents who sent their animals
to me for sale. The trade was a prof
liable one. Every beast sent over on
my account was fully insured, so that
il it died on its passage, | came upon
the insurance company. | had very
few bad debts; and taking one thing
with another, | may fully have calcu-
lated upon realizing at least twenty
five per cent per annum on the money
| had commenced business with.
But with money comes the desire
for more. There was a time before !
began to deal in cattle, when | thought
myself rich if at the end of the year, |
) had couple of hundred pounds in
bank over and above my expenses for
the past twelve months. Now it was
otherwise. | lamented that had not
always an idle balance of fifteen hun
dred or two thousand pounds. | was
fond of money for moneys sake.
could not make money fast enough
\ for NV wishes in the cattle trade anC
|, therefore determined to do little IL
the loan and diScOunting way.
> 1t is nearly twenty years ago, and
: have gone through a deal of trouble
since. My system was never to pu
too many eggs in one pot-never lenC
very much to any single perSOn-bu
Il to lend many small amounts to vari
; Gus people. | used to answer the ad
u vertiSements of tradesmen in dificul
t ties, and if found that a borrowe
had good security to offer, | woulC
; lend him perhaps thirty or fort,
l. pounds, taking ten pounds for the ac
I commodation for a month, and mucI
more in proportion for longer periods
i One of my clients was printer wit
g a small business, near what was thel
i called the New Road, now Maryle
: bone Road. He had often borrowed
e twenty, thirty, and once as much a
ii sixty pounds from me, and had alway
l. repaid me to the day. The securit
L' he always gave me was the same, tn
', joint note of hand of himself and hi
le brother, a grocer up Hackney way
Il The name of this borrower wa
% Strange-Edward Strange. He wa
Il in delicate state of health, alway
suffering from his chest, and in a st
81 we're winter he used to be laid up TO
u weeks together with bad cough
T. He was a widower without children
e One day Strange came to me an
u said that he had very excellent 0
5 fer to enter into partnership with
) printer who had been established i
'e business for several years. The SUI
0 required to be paid for the partner
10 ship was G300, and he asked me t
u advance him that amount upon the 81
u curity of a policy of insurance fC
a' $1,000 upon his own life. On inquir
Is | found that years before, Strange ha
o. when a young and healthy man e
40 fected an insurance upon his life fe
is $500, and afterwards increased it
a $1,000. This policy he had alway
le managed to keep up, and was now
e bad health, the insurance would ha,
been glad to have purchased it bac
Therefore, after looking at the affa
ne in every possible way, | came to tt
ny conclusion that the security was goC
and that | might safely advance tt
it. sum OF G3OO upon the security of tt
es policy being endorsed over to me-
Sc This was done, and | advanced tt
money Gentlemen, the worst day
to business | ever did in my life.
,r- In general a creditor sees but lit
st Of his debtors, whether they are fe
It's or many. The man who owes mon,
rs, generally avoids the individual
DIS whom he owes it. But it happent
]" otherwise with Strange and myse
ey With the new business that he hs
ne bought, he was not expected, nor eve
Zip wished by his partner to interfer
lily and his own Indifferent health maj
a it very desirable that he be free
~ possible from the confined air of Il
a close printing-room. The partnersh
Ia he had purchased secured him ce
lie tain amount of income, which, toget
lie. er with what he mad besides, allowe
n L 4