St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-06-06
Earn Your own Capital.
A STORY FOR YOUNG MEN.


with the handsomely furnished room,
and the massive silver plate on the
mahogany sideboard. But for that mat
ter, the deacon himself was an incon
gruity-a little, common looking man
and very well dressed, with Rob Roy
bonnet on his head and knitted gray
stockings on his slippered feet.
Certainly very wide contrast to the
stylish looking Young fellow
who interrupted his reverie by a very
frank and noisy
"Good evening, uncle. Can 1 talk
while with you?"
'.That depends, Robin, on what you
are gaun to talk about. | am in no
mood for clnsh ma clavers."
81 want to talk about business,
uncle"
"Humphw
"You know, uncle, that Alex Lang
and L have long been friends"
81 have heard SO, don't know it.n
"Well, we have. To-day Alex came
to tell me that he is going into the car
pct-weaving business in KilmarnOck.
He intends to buy Thomas Blackie
out"
"Hech He'll need some bawbees for
that
"His father will help, and he asked
me to join him. What do you think
abont it ?"
GLOW long have you been with Hes
tie ?"
give years."
"How much have you saved p
"Well, to tell the truth, uncle, moth
ing at ALL What with Jessie marrying
last year and Rosa this, and the pres
ents l had to give, and other expenses,
my savings all went away"
'Humph y
~ thought that perhaps rs the busi-
ness was such an old and sure one, and
as both the Langs would be interested
in it, you would lend me two thousand
pounds for such wonderful good
chance ?"
The old man removed his pipe, and
looking Robin in the face, he said:
81 have made it a rule never to lend
money to young men,"
"a very unkind rule, when it touches
me, uncle. YOu were never unkind to
me before"
~ am not unkind to you now, either,
Robin.n
"Only two thousand, uncle And
such a chance ?"
"Guid heavens, hear the lad Only
two thousand Did We ever save two
thousand pounds When We have,
Robin, come to me, an I'll talk VII We
about lending We the sum-
"But, uncle, the thing is not il new
venture, ii is sure to pay"
at is gang to hae new masters; an
men at sixty are ma sac sure about
things paying as lads of five-and-twen-
ty are"
SO the young man went away much
disappointed and not "a little angry
but other friends looked more favora-
bly, on the plan. The two thousand
pounds were borrowed, and Robert Rae
and Alex Lang bought ont the old-es-
tablished carpet-weaving house OF
Thomas Blackie.
The first year the concern, in spite OF
falling prices, did very well. Roberts
share of the profits not only gave him a
good living but paid his interest, and
allowed him to lay up one hundred
pounds toward clearing off his borrowed
capital and the next year things were
still brighter.
In the fourth year of the enterprise
Robert Rae called again on his uncle
He was sitting smoking in the same
dress and attitude.
"GOOd evening, Robin. How's bust
ness ?"
"First rate. 1 don't come tonight
about business
EGIIacI Nhot fnr thn,,
81 am going to be married. l wanted
to tell you about it,"
''That's a mair kettle risk than
Blackie's business, Robin"
81 think not, uncle"
"Wha's the lassie ?"
"Jessie Lorimer."
"The minister's daughter 2"
'Yes.n
"What tocher has she ?"
"Just her beauty and noble nature
she is Of good family, too, and she has
had the best of education. Why, uncle
she can do most anything-paints
draws, plays on the harp, sings like al
angel, and"
'I'm afeard she'll be kind of matri
mOnial luxury, Robin. But she's bon
ME bit lassie; yet l doubt if she's Fl
for puir mans wife,"
"YOu'll come to the wedding, uncle I?
''Surely, surely"
1t was very grand wedding, an,
Uncle Speers made quite sensation b,
giving the bride il check for $500. In
deed Jessie seemed to have quite capti
waited the old bachelor, and he soon be
gan to spend great many evenings il
her pretty home.
Three years passed happily away. Ii
Roberts home there had been som
pleasant changes and Uncle Speer
danced a pretty baby Jessie occasional
ly on his knee, or looked admiringl
and wOnderingly at his own wee name
sake in his cradle. Down at the mil
things were apparently equally pros
perOus-all the looms we've at work
and the very welfare of Kilmarnock as
community was sensibly connected wit
the business of Lang and Rae's carpet
mill.
But great deal of this success wa
only apparent, for it hung upon chance
entirely beyond the control of tn
young partners in it. They had bee
compelled to borrow largely, and ha
big interest accounts to meet, and
great deal of their paper being fror
houses unknown to local bankers, ha
to be cashed at very heavy discounts.
All things were much against then
yet so great was their industry and Ell
ergy that they might have turned theI
all into "happy circumstances" and wo
in spite of the odds against them,
yarns had not taken a tremendous an
unlocked for fall. This, of course, wa
followed by number of failures, i
most of which they suffered. Not a
their efforts could now gather their nu
merous lines of enterprise, and the
found it equally impossible to curta