The Osceola times., 1882-01-07
"REMINISCENCES OF RICH MEN.
lHarry Hia IN Now York Mercury

lbe Otntf dtN, ana iOOklh at II cOmpaf~
ativelY deserted, l couldn't help thinkn'
of the great time there was in New York
the DAY when this wond erlu store was
opened.
Public opinion, SO far as you could get
Mt it, was oppose to Stewards venture;
Just as public opinion was opposed at
first to old Eno's venture uptown-the
Fifth Avenue hotel. Stewart him sell
was not very well liked, and wasn't
Understood then as well as he was after
ward, and every body who was any
body in the dry goods and real estate
line prophcsied his downfall. The tN o
great objections 10 the store were. first,
that it was too expensive, bein' Of white
marble, and next, that 1t was on the
wrong side of Broadway.
The day before the openin' daJ of his
big store Stewart got into stage e0iu'
up to his residence, which was then o.
Bleecker street. The stage was full OF
men, and nobody in 1t knew SteSari
But they were all takin' OF BIZ
hig store, and laughed when one old frl-
low, quoted the old adage about a foo.
and his money" Speakin' Of this cir.
cumstance to friend afterward. SteS.
art said; at was then for the first and
last time in my life as ked myself, Am
I a fool? and really couldn't answer
that question myselfjust then,..s lput y
Ofull tomorrow"
Z wart had made every arrangemlnr
fer big opcnin'. Every clerk was IT,
\. t....s l. I. 4
stationed on the west side Of Broadway
10 call the attention OF the crowd to hi
store on the other side. Everything wd-
conducted on scale worthy Of he store.
BIT when, on the early mornini OF the
,lay of the openin', Stewart got up and
looked from the windows Of his house.
on Bleecker street, at the sky, he saw II
full OF black clouds. Pretty soon II be
gan to rain, and it looked as If it was
goin' to rain all day. And then what do
YOU think A. I. Stewart did--the owner
OF the finest store in New York; Why
he did what any girl would have done
and sitin' down in corner, hidin' his
iace in his hands, he had good cry.
Yes, COED cry, as il be was young
school miss or an old woman. He told
friend of his this fact himself, and his
friend told me. Stewart was human.
after all, and sometimes he got nervous
Just like other people. He wasn't half
as cast iron as he was thought to have
been, and when he saw the chances OF
his openln' about 10 be spoiled 10y the
weather, and knew how much depend
ed on good openin' why it is no won.
der that he had touch of his mother
in him for a moment. But only for
moment. Then he wiped his eyes, and
hraced himself np for any thin'-iuf
breakfast, the first thin. After break.
tast he thought he would take one more
peep out of the window at the wea her
before he ventured out. To his surprise
he found that il had stopped rainiu' al
ready and promised to be clear. u kept
It's promise, too and before Stewart got
10 m to his store the sun was shiniu'
beautifully. Stewart's luck didn't desert
him.
] was the biggest openin ever had
by any merchanille establishment H.
New York up to date, and when Stewart
rode home in the 'bus that night, he was
better known than he was the night be-
lore, and the very people who were
lughin' and sneerin' at hlm then, were
prdisin' and envyin' him now. Twenty
Dur hours, and fine weather instead OF
lul make wonderful difference.
stewart was death" on churches. His
very stable was q church-Dr. Williams
lr.shyterian church on Amily street.
lie would buy all the real estate round
church, then gobble up the church.
That vas his way with the Old Dutch
church on Ninth street. lie played
-Omewhat similar game before he bought
DR.. O.good's church on Broadway, after
ward the Globe theater, now Harrlgan
aud Hart's new place. He bought Gov
,ruor Morgan's residence on Lafayette
Place. People wondered what on earth
ne bought it tor, "ro oblige Morgan
.aia somebody. "To oblige Stewart"
was the answer, and the answer was
10 .hi. The LAFAYETTE Place lot was right
pack Of the church; and, havin' got the
lot first, Stewart aiteIward b0ugIt the
church, and so had property stretchin'
from street to street.
Once and once only, did Stewart get
into a r, gular knock down fight with
anybody, and then with one of his
clerks aoout what ninety-uine out of 100
would have called tritie, but which
Stewart thought involved big princi-
pie.
It was a rule IN bis store, and a good
rule it was, too. because in the long run
an absolutely necessary one, that none
of the employees should sit down dnrin'
business hours. One mornin' early
s. wart entered his store and found one
of his clerks not only sittin' down, bui
leisurely Yeadin' q paper. Stewart walked
up TO the clerk and showed the paper
he was readin' to one side, so he could
get good lock at him. He recognized
him at once ar one OF his very oldest and
best salesmen.
But that made no difference. Get
up aud 20, said Stewart And the clerk
got 10 and went. Follow me to the
cashiers desk" and he followed nim.
Pay this man what is due to him till
this nornin'," said Stewart to the ca.h-
leT, "and let INN consider himself dis
charged from my employe." The clerk
like man in dream, took the money
and went away. But thinking the mat
ter over, he mace up his mind that
Stewart had only been "hutled,' an
didn't mean really to discharge him for
30 simple thing as slttin' IN char
and readin' a paper So he came down
10 the store as usual the next morn
IN S'ewarl came down as usual, also,
and the two met.
Stewart got s'most white when
We saw his discharged clerk back again.
He raised his hand. "Quit this store at
once and forever; you have no business
here; ] have discharged you, SIR" he
cried, in a shrill voice. The poor clerk,
who had had a good salary and had
Al L. l. - q.