Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-08-30
Wanted Too Much.

Among the thousand of outsiders who
dabbled in Wall street ten years ago
was one-I don't want to give his real
name, but we win call Linn Richards.
He operated through our house, that is,
the house in which i was employed as
book-keeper, and, rs he soon became a
daily visitor, got to know him so we'll
that we often had familiar chat. I
sometimes met him in the evening be-
sides, and our acquaintance ripened
into intimacy. At first his luck in the
street was pretty good, and one day,
when he had made thousand or so in
an hour, he asked me TO dine with him
that evening at Delmonico's. Most of
our talk was about the street, and when
bottle of wine had made it pretty free
/ ventured to suggest that, as he had
done pretty well, he should begin to
think about getting out '.Well,n he
said, Il have thought about it, but /
don't see my way just yet | must have
$4,000 year for my family, and how
else can get it?n
asked if his family was large, and
he said it consisted of his wife, two
daughters, and son.
And you need $1,000 a year to live
on; isn't that pretty hign?''
Well he said, ''high or low, can't
get on with less. The girls are always
asking for money In summer they
must go to the watering places with
their mother, and in the winter there is
ball or party every week 1t costs
great deal of money, and the money
Dl1sf no had IL, Soma W..
MAY | ask how much money you
have as capital-that is, money you can
really call your own?'
well, altogether, / suppose | could
rake up $4,000. Now, what / want to
know is how coald use that so as to
make $4,000 a year. | don't really
fancy this Wall street business, but what
am to doP | must have $4,000 a year
and though | have looked around a
good deal, l cannot find any other bust
ness that win produce it.
why not reduce your expenses?
You say you can't do with less than
$4,000 yearP | think you are mis-
alen. Many families live on less than
$1,000, and some on $4,000. Does
your family know just how much money
you have?'
Il have tried over and over
to make them understand. but
it is no use. When they want
anything there is no peace till
they get it, and when | say | can not
afford it they tell me they know ! have
plenty of money. / really can't make
them understand or believe that my
means are limited, and the amount of
the matter is l must have $4,000 a
year
lost sight of Richards soon after, by
going to another house where had a
better offer, but | heard from time to
time that his luck was not so good. 1t
must have been five years before / met
him again. He looked like another
man; his face was careworn and his
clothing barely escaped shabbiness.
After few words, asked him if he
was still in the street.
No he said, ..that's all over"
well, | hope you came out all right?n
''All right? Yes, if you call coming
out without dollar all right
was sorry, of course, to hear of his
ill-luck. and asked him if he had gone
into any business. No, he said, it was
not easy for a man with nothing to 90
into business; but his friends were try
ing 10 do something for him, and there
was some hopes that they would sue
coed. They were trying to get him a
place in the custom-house | asked
him what the salary was, and he said
he understood it was 81 500, with u
chance of something better after awhile
1t would have been cruel to remind him
OF what he. had said five years ago
about not being able to live on not less
than $4,000, but while we were lunch
ing together he gave me to understand
that he was living, with his wife and
daughters, in small house on the out
skirts of Brooklyn, and that the son had
obtained clerkship at $15 week,
which was the chief support of the fam
ily.-C0r. Detroit Free Press.