Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-01-09

ed, to take the money to Stearns' house
"And mind" said Mears again, "yol
give it to Stearns' wife, else it may g
yet for drink. "
Then went home and spent the weel
after in idleness. Perhaps I ought tx
have felt guilty of waste of time. I de
not think I did. I thoroughly enjoyed
my respite and liberty to be out at an,
time in the day. A curious feeling
a person, who, having been shut up from
the sunshine for considerable time, il
suddenly given the freedom to walk
lounge or loiter, subject to no hours
times nor bells. Ny father and mother
left me entirely to myself during thai
week, though have since been told thai
my mothers heart beat anxiously fol-
fear was beginning a downward path
My iudicious father restrained her fears
saying:
"Give him his time a week, wife mine
let him run to the end of his rope.
think he will begin to pull in then"
Sunday, a thing unheard of before, and
looked in at the differing faiths around,
but no comment was made. Until the
appointed time I had actually taken nc
serious thought of my future. Pune
tually then, however, but with sigh, ]
presented myself to Mr.. Lee. My father
was also there. Mr.. Lee smiled as ]
came in, and said
"Well, Louis, what do you call your
last weeks work ?'
Relaxation, p ! promptly replied.
"Does it pay ?"
''It has SO far was again my prompt
response.
fsBut I suppose you expect to go to
| xrorIr - coid ho
The satisfaction of returning to my
every day work came suddenly to me
| then, and said with animation
| "I do, indeed, and I am here hoping
you have work to offer me-"
He looked pleased and gratifed. So
did my father. Mr. Lee said presently
"I have to offer you my Office work.
If you Will engage with me for another
three years, I will give you three hun
dred dollars per year, and at the end of
that time an additional one hundred,
making it one thousand dollars for the
three years work What think you ?"
Ny father then spoke:
"Louis, the decision is your own but
the offer is fair. If you choose to take
it, your board at home is just to pay
your mother for extra care, say two dol
lars per week and if you do well, I will
cover Mr. Lees one hundred dollars
with another hundred the day you are
twenty-one. Can you do better?'
I knew I could not. I said so. So
again was back in the familiar place,
with three years before me, but they
proved uneventful, save as the first links
which connected me with the firm of
Colman & Co.
The first duty assigned me in my new
position was the opening of some letters;
and the first letter I opened haunted the
| bill-head of Goldman & Co." My own
name! just SO, some day, I should send
out large sheets and bills, with just such
heading! So I raised an air castle.
But this letter contained beside the
order some reference to a " superior
casket," and a slip from paper making
public announcement that the decease
of Colman, of the firm of Colman & Co.,
would not alter the business arrange
ments of the firm. It would still be car
ried on at the old stand, with the same
name. Signed, Colman & Co., "oe'' C. y
I handed the letter to Mr.. Lee, who
said:
"See to the order Immediately, and
make note of the reference to casket,
and file the letter on hook G."
He rose, took down a package of let
ters, saying to me:
"Look at these curious signatures;
Colman always signed like that, with q
long coil. The son has, suppose, in
herited or acquired the same curious coil
to his signature"
I returned answer to the letter, and
when finished a sudden fancy possessed
me to make of my "per c." the same
fanciful coil. After few endeavors,
succeeded in doing this, and signed
William r. Lee, "per Co. making Of
my &C." an exact imitation of the long
coiled G. appended to Colman & Co.
For the three succeeding years not 6
month elapsed that we did not receive
an order of some kind, large or small
with the same Colman 6 Co., "per c.,
and then the long coil; which I as inva
riably answered with my employers sig
nature, William r. Lee, "per c. ant
flourish of the same around my G.
found myself at my majority in wha
I thought then, and think now, an envia
BILE state. I had at twenty-one fai
good trade, an average education, mod
crate ambitions and a willingness t.
work, and three hundred dollars a yea
in ready money. Such was my start to
wards fortune. When my time expired
with Mr.. Lee, he again asked me m.
plans for the future. Though this tim
1 had many and many a one, they wer
very indefinite, and none of them prac
tical. Mr.. Lee, as before, gave me ad
: vice and opportunity. He sent me upo,
business of his own through differen
parts of the State, saying: "Look ou
for yourself as you go, and if you fin
the right business point, let me know. "
liked this change. I was making
| valuable acquaintance with business me
) and the country, and for year longe
) found nothing which made me desire
change.
, One night took branch road and
new route, to reach a certain poin
: Starting with Ga most unusual thing fc
, me) racking headache, with the js
y and rattle of the cars so increased, thu
by ten o'clock I determined to ask for
: lay-over ticket at the next station;
D stopped not to ask where, but threw m.
self into an omnibus, and arriving at tt
!; hotel, into room and bed as quickly {
possible. Next morning I awoke wit
d my head clear, but with feeling of e:
e haustion that decided me to renal
e where was for that day.
e After breakfast, L sauntered out, goir
slowly up the principal street, gazir
d idly at the signs, dreamily settling m
self with home, and business, and
j. name, and my sign would read-I starte
NJ O