Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-01-14
u An ola Fashioned Failure.

" A good story is told,' says the Bos-
ton Traveller, " of two old merchants in
Essex county, Massachusetts, who once
attempted to fail They were brothers,
and by honest industry had acquired a
handsome independence and we're spend
ing the evening of their days in a quiet,
comfortable way, keeping store, which
they both diligently tended, rather for
the comfort and convenience Of having
place of daily and regular resort than
for any great profit in their business.
Well, being easy, good-natured sort of
men, they had, just as a matter of form,
put their names to the paper of son of
one of them, in business in neighbor-
ing town. Matters went on as usual for
some time after the old gentlemen had
adopted the bad habit of indorsing the
young man S paper. But at length this
son and nephew discovered that he could
not pay his honest debts, and so in
formed his father and uncle. The old
gentlemen sat down in their leather
bottom chairs to look over this matter
and to decide what they should do
Well, says Capt. A., if E. has failed,
/ suppose we have, too; haven't we,
brother2' Why, yes, replies Capt E.,
= don't see but we have; and if we have
failed we must take down our sign, and
not pretend to be doing business in the
ordinary way.
These points settled, the old gentle
men proceeded to dismantle their store
of its weather-stained oil sign, and then
sat themselves down to wait for creditors
to come in and attach their goods and
chattels. But to their surprise nobody
came near them, and they went through
the forenoon as usual. At dinner time
they made their way with seriousness to
their respective homes, and as Capt. r.
reached his fine old mansion on H
street, he looked cautiously around, ex-
pecting to see strange faces in his apart
ments. But seeing none, he turns to
his eldest daughter, and in a solemn
voice inquires is there nobody here
but the family, my daughters p I" No
body, father" Have there not been
any strangers here this foEenoon? mo
one. Why. did you expect any one,
father2' Why, yes, / have failed, my
daughteri at least suppose have; for
Il. has; and / expected the sherihs here
and keepers idhH II .ll4-4
But no sheriffs came, and no credit
ors troubled the old men. Everybody
knew that they would pay their honest
debts and meet all their engagements, if
it was in their power so to do; and that
it was useless and senseless to resort to
the usual methods of collecting debts Of
them. So, in spite Of all the brothers
could do to fail and have their property
attached, nobody seemed inclined to dis
turb them; and so they utterly failed to
fail, to the great amusement of their
younger neighbors in trade, some of
whom, though now old themselves, con-
tinue to laugh over Captain Il. & Co. S
attempt to fail. lesnlu
The New York Sun makes these en-
tirely original remarks: at has often
been said that in this country everybody
considers himself competent to edit a
newspaper. Another popular fallaey is
that anybody can manage a theatrical
company. A newspaper thus delb-
erately insulting popular intelligence
with the inference that there is anybody
in this country who can't increase the
circulation Of any existing publication.
so, ,0s0 copies a week, deserves the scorn
and contempt Of every right-thinling
man and woman.
The society gossips in New York have
story that "a beautiful and accom-
plished woman, whose brilliant reign Of
two years over the fashionable world has
never been eQualed in the annals Of New
York, is dying Of consumption in Al
giers, whittier she accompanied the Bey
Of Tunis after his visit to the Paris Ex-
position. Her children are with her,
and her husband, who is not permitted
to set bis foot upon the Bey's domains,
ie in the Isle of Wight, awaiting her
death, that Immediate steps may be taken
to release the children