Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-12-19

flag, OF which you talk so lightly"
"Shall say coward Are you afr aid
% do what common prudence tells you is
right"
IL was afraid, Betsy; but am no
longer faint hearted With such brave
little wife rs you to stand by my side l
need not fear the world
In II week from that day the red flag
was hung out. When the auctioneer
made up his accounts. he had in hand y
little over eight hundred pounds, for
which check was filed ont TO the order
OF Aaron Little. Ii came into his hands
just mt the right moment. and made him
feel, 10 use his own words, las easy rs
an old shoe" One week later, Mrs
lsetsy Little took the place of Mr.. Hob
son, rs chief manager and cash receiver
in her husbands warehouse There were
some few signs OF rebellion among the
clerks and shop girls at the beginning !;
but Mrs. Betsy had quick, steady eye,
and II selttGiant manner, that caused her
presence 10 be felt, and soon made every.
thing Subseryient 10 her will. 1t was u
remarkable fact that at the close of her
administration 0f affairs. the cash re-
ceipts were over ESQ in excess OF the re.
ccipts of any week within the previous
| three months.
Have we done moro business than
usual this week." she asked of one clerk
and another; and the uniform answer
was, No"
Then said the lady TO herself.
there's been ioul play here. No wonder
my husband was in trouble"
! At the end of the next week tho sales
came up To the same average, and ut the
end OF the third week were forty pounds
better than before Mrs. Littlo undertook
to manage the retail department. -.
Whether there has been foul play" or
not, Aaron Little could never fully deter
mine but he was in no doubt ~ to one
! thing. and that was the easy condition of
the money market after the lapse Of u
halt year.
! For tour or five months previous to
Mrs Little's administration of affairs, he
was on the street for nearly halt Of the
! timo. during business hours, engaged in
the work OF money raising; now his reg
ular receipts had got in advance of his
payments, So that his balance ON The
morning Of each day was usually in ex-
cess OF the notes to be lifted. OF cours e
hs could give more attention TO business
and OF course business increased and
grew more profitable under the improv-
ed system. BY the end OF the year, to
use his own words, he was "all right. -
Not so y ncighbor OF his, who, to get
more capital, had taken Mr.. Lawrence as
u partner. lpstead OF bringing in ten
thousand pounds, that capitalist" was
only able to put down three thousand,
and before the end OF the year he had
drawn out six or seven thousand, and
had given notes Of the firm Tor a. much
more in payment Of old obligations. A
failure Of the house followed rs an in.
evitablc result
When the fact of the failure. and the
cause which led to it became known to
Mr.. Little, he remarked, with shrug:
Pm sorry for B; but he should
have told his wife"
"Ot what ?" asked the person to whom
he addressed the remark.
"O his want OF more capital, and in.
tenlion to make q partner Of Lawrence. g"
"What good would that have done ~
1T might have saved him from ruin, as
it did me-"
"1ou are mysterious, Little
"Am | Well, in plain words, year
ago was hard up for money in my busi-
ness, and thought of taking in Lawrence.
told my wife about it, She said don't
do it, And didn't; for her Don't do
it was followed by suggestions rs to his
wte's extravaganza that opened my eyes
little. / told her at the same time, Of
my embarrassments, and she set her
I light little head to work and showed me
the way to work out of them. Before
this | always had poor opinion of wo-
mans wit in matters of business; but
now, | say to every man in trouble
Tell your WVen"