The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-05-06

.ri lce-tlr crying in the corner, nfcause
her husband could not die, | believe.
Within. we had u velvet carpet for the pre-.
eident's room, tapestry carpet for the direc-
tors room, English Brussels for the
secretary's, American Brussels for ours,
and that nice, clear Russian mat, that
smells SO pleasantly of tar, for the custom
ere, We had comfortable chairs and all
the newspapers.
should have been there to this hour
suppose but that one daya very stupid Gus
toner came in. Not but this often hap
pened. But this day the president found
his velvet lonesome, and had come forward
into our Office. I thought he was reading
the Cornhul, but, So it happened, he was
listening over his spectacles to me. That
sentence ia not quite right, but cannot
alter it. People do not listen over their
spectacles-they listen over their collars
they "peek" over their spectacles. Per-
haps he did that, too. Well, l explained
and explained to the customer, who finally
went away without customing. He took
the little pink book, and the large blue
pamphlet. and the card with the head of
Methuselah, and both the little cards but
he did not take out policy, and he did not
saw he would. l am sure did not wonder,
but it seems the President did.
"What did you soy to that man ?" said he.
81 explained the system of life insu-
rsncs-I mean life assurance "-said /, "as
we'll as I could"
eyes" said the President. "But what
did YOU tell him about the invalid lives ?"
go, / had shown the Northampton ia
bles, and the Carlisle tables, and the equi-
table tables, and repeated to him Cowper's
lines to the Registrar"
81 know, / know" said the President,
who is little hasty, though he is my aunt
Lucy's brother-in-law, which accounts for
my being there indeed i" know ell that,
but what were you saying about invalid
lives?"
"Why, explained to him that nothing
was 80 certain as the average law OF death.
We had these tables, and SO we knew on an
average Just how long people would live.
And we fixed our risks accordingly, SO as to
meet the average. And he asked me why
he was to 20 to O medical examiner, then.
And told him that it was because we only
wanted to insure healthy lives. And he
asked me whether only healthy lives came
into the tables OF neutrality-suspicious. they
we're only healthy people who lived in Car
lisle and Northam pton and the rest-and
why We did not do orr business on
our own principles, and take healthy
people and sick people together. and [
told him that II the company did not
make any profit, We could not keep up the
office. and he asked why we did not say
10 in the prospectus, and what was the use
of making 80 much talk about the certainty
Of the average Of mortality, when we had
nothing to do with the average of mortality,
but only with some Of the best lives in the
community. told him that was our bust
ness, and not his. And he said he thought
the profit of the business ought to come to
the people who paid the money. And
said if he thought that he had better 60 to
& mutual company; he would find one the
other side Of tho street. hnd thea Ao went
away"
1t Vas the longest address ever made TO
my aunt's brothcrin-law, end it did not
seem to be satisfactory. Ho scowlcd and
said, :" l dou't wonder" And then ne went
away. Tie next day recciTed o note in
forming me that ny services we're 40 longer
needed. He incloscd q check for the bal
ancc due me fGty-seTcn dollars and eleven
cents-ani that was all. | took my un.-
brclla and ny ciice-coa!, babe the clerks
coed bye, AMI went home. And | have
never been there s;0oo.--Ihe ingham PG-
perS.