The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25
NIr. Potter's Narrative.

1t is hard work to write story gracefully
with pen that has long been accustomed to
the work of a counting-Ioom. There will
necessarily be kind of aDgularity and stiff
ness about the writing that will painfully re-
mind the reader of columns offigures and of
ledger accounts. Yet feel constrained to
| write little story, and how can do it., ex-
cept in my own stiff way?
My first entry is that my wife and / have
lived in partnership relations about fifteen
years. Now am aware that, having made
this preliminary statement. ought, if fol-
low the practice of professional story tellers,
to give at great length and with tiresome de-
tail, all the particulars in regard to the
foundation of our partnership; such as a
painfully minute description of the place
where we were married the exact date when
we signed the partnership papers and the
precise amount of capital contributed by
each partner, but it is a tradition of the
counting-room that the public has no right
in 'ormation Of this kind about the affairs OF
any firm. 1t is true that the story propose
to tell has something to do with our partner
ship experience, and this fact would seem to
give the public some right to ask questions.
Let the lnquisitive reader rest easy. What
ever may be needed to make my narrative
clear, that shall not hesitate to tell, even if
have to give some homely details of our do
nestle life. II anybody feels disposed to ask
more than that, he must be actuated by a
morbid desire to pry into the business of his
neighbor,-a desire that I have no wis
or right'to crafty.
1t will, OF course, be necessary for me TO
state, at the very beginning, that my name is
Peter Potter and that, at the time Of my
marriage. had been for quite number OF
years, head book-keeper aud cashier Tor
Messrs. Sley, Psalter & Co, heavy firm OF
pork packers in the city of Swinton Our
| firm. although they were reputed to BE- very
wealthy, were extremely sharp with their
employees. They always exacted full hours
of wors and paid the smallest possible salar-
les For my own part, [ could easily have
| spent, without being open to any charge OF
/ extravagauce, every dollar OF my salary on
1
my personal expenses. 1t was not without
many misgiviDgs as to ways and means, that
| l invited Almeda to share MY bed anj board
When l had given the Invitation and it had
been accepted, it was only by living 10 a
squalid clearinghouse, m dirty back
street; by wearing my garments until no
sane dealers in old clothes would have ac-
cepted them as glft by setting my face
sternly and unfinchingly against cigars, fan
cy suppers aud other manly pleasures, in
which my associates were wont to indulge;
in short, it was only by exercising the most
rigid economy that / contrived TO save
enough to furnish, in the simplest manner
possible, the little tenement in which we in
tended to commence our housekeeping
When Sley, Psalter & Co. learned OF my
approaching nuptials, in fit of unaccounta-
BILE extravaganza, they added hundred dol
lars to my yearly stipend and gave me fort
nights leave of absence from the office. ]
should have felt very much better about the
increase of salary, if I had not accidentally
overheard bit of con versation between the
head of our firm and one of his partners.
ST tell you, Psalter," heard old Sley say
In his rasping voice, 81 tell you it won't do al