Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-11-23


Mrs. Little answered to this, :" how
can help YOU at the warehousel The
first thing in order is to get the house
off my hands"
Don't you think that Annie could
belnduced to come and live with us for
a few months until we try this new ex-
periment2
But the money, Aaron the money
this would bring That's what / am
looking after You want money now !"
VERY true"
"Then let rs hang out the red flag.
Half way measures may only ruin
everything. | know that mother will
not let Annie leave home so its no use
to think Of it. The red flag Aaron
the red flag! Depend upon it, that's
the first right thing to be done. Five
or six hundred pounds in hand will
make you feel like another person
give ycur courage, confidence and en-
ergy."
You may be right, Betsey; but I
can't bear the thought of running out
that red flag, of which you talk so
F lightly
I "Shall say coward! Are you afraid
to do what common prudence tells you
is right 2"
g / was afraid, Betsey; but am no
( longer faint-hearted. With such a
brave little wife as you to stand by my
/ side, | need not fear the world.
I In a week from that day the red flag
was hung out. When the auctioneer
made up his accounts, he had in hand
little over eight hundred pounds, for
which a check was filed out TO the or
der of Aaron Little. 1t came into his
hands Just at the right moment, and
made him feel, to use his own words,
I" as easy as an old shoen One week
later, Mrs. Betsey Little took the
place of Mr.. Hobson 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. Betsey
had q quick, steady eye, and a self
reliant manner, that caused her pres
ence to be felt, and soon made every
thing subseTviant to her will. 1t was a
remarkable fact, that at the close of the
first week of her administration OF AZ
| fairs the cash receipts were over thirty
pounds in excess of the receipts of any
week within the previous three months.
Have we done more business than
usual this week." she asked Of one
clerk and another; and the uniform
answer was, mo
"Then," said the lady to herself,
/ there's been foul play here. Nowon.
/ der my husband was in trouble"
At the end of the next week the sales
came up to the same average, and at
the end Of the third week were forty
pounds better than before Mrs. Little
undertook to manage the retail depart
ment. Whether there had been "foul
play" or not, Aaron Little could never
/ fully determine but he was in no
4 doubt as to one thing, and that was the
easy condition of the money market af-
ter the lapse of half year.
For four or five months previous to
Mrs. Little's administration of affairs.
he was On the street nearly half of
his time during business hours, en-
gagged in the work of money raising;
now his regular receipts were III adj
vance OF his payments, SO that his
balance on the morning of each day
was usually in excess of the notes to
be lifted. OF course he could give
more attention to business, and of
course business increased and grew
more profitable under the improved
system. By the end of the year, to
use his own words, he was "all right.
Not so a neighbor of his, who, to get
more capital, had taken Mr.. Lawrence
as partner Instead of bringing in
ten thousand pounds, that "capital-
list . 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 for rs much more in payment Of
old obligations. 4 failure Of the house
followed as an inevitable result.
When the fact of the failure, and the
cause which led TO it became known to
Mr., Little, he remarked, with shrug
II am sorry for B; but he should
have told his wife.
OF what r. asked the person to
whom ne addressed the remark.
Of his want Of more capital and
intention to make a partner of Mr..
Lawrence"
"What good would that have done 2"
''lt might have saved him from ruin
as it did me.
"You are mysterious, Little"
cam l +! Wei, in plain words, year
ago | was hard up for money in my
business. and thought of taking in
Lawrence told my wife about it,
She said, Don't doit And | didn't
for her Don't do it, was followed by
suggestions Eas to his wife's extraya-
gance that opened my eyes little. |
told her. at the same time of my en-
barr0ssments, and she set her bright