Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-04-19
THE ART OF BORROWING.
Points Given Away by One Success sful in
Striking His Acquaintancss for Money.
New York Sun,

Striking His Acquaintancss for Money.
....-- New York Sun.
what are you doing now?" was the
somewhat well-worn question asked by
the reporter of casual acquaintance
whose means of livelihood were uncer-
tain. ..'.l ...
"Do you mean what am doing for a
living2" ., ..... All.
"Well, yes; how do you do it,"
Il am borrowing now," was the reply.
Borrowing? Not very paving busi-
ness" Ht
"Why not? You invest no capital, and
the only special training you require is a
fair knowledge of the world. The prop.
er study for mankind is man, you know.
How is it done? You must be born with
faculty for it. Now, ordinarily, when
a man wants to borrow dollar from an
other he watches to catch his victim
alone. Then he sneaks up to him, and,
if he is an awful fool, he says something
intended to fatter him. If he is only
fool of the usual kind, he makes a re-
mark about the weather or the affairs of
the day. Then he says, in kind of half
whisper, Il wonder if you could spare
me dollar until tomorrow Or, 'Oh,
have you got dollar about you that you
could let me have until tomorrow? Or,
oh, by the way, am little hard push
ed would you mind lending me dollar
until tomorrow There are many other
ways in which the simpletons put it, but
there is one thing in common, and two
things in general among them. They
al ways make tomorrow the date of
payment, and rarely make their request
exceed dollar.
"Now, the first objection to this is that
they equalize the advance forces. When
you think you have an advantage over a
mar because he is alone, you forget that
you are alone also. Your reasons are
exactly the same you do not want strang-
ers or friends to hear your request; but do
YOU think, ifyou approached him at first,
that he " ould have wanted either strang-
ers or friends to hear his refusal? At ahy
time man is likely to speak to YOU,
when confdentially conversing, in pret-
ty much the same tone that you speak
TO him, provided you speak first. If YOU
whisper to O man your secret desire for
dollar, he is very likely to whisper
back: Il declare l have only twenty
five cents and as sure as you 1--we, he
will add, if he has particle of prospect
i've power, Just enough to get home
withp Too often such men will supple
lnent their deception by expressing a
hope of borrowing, within an hour or
two, enough to supply your wants and
their own.
"There is way of avoiding all this.
When you want to borrow money from
man, choose time when his friends
are about him. Then walk up to him
and say pleasantly, oh, / nearly forgot
about it-can depend upon you for a
courle of-doilars to-nigh.?' You mustn't
wait fdri hi, I TO answer add before he
speaks Dh, 1t viii do in few minutes
as though you were interested in some
thing one of his friends was saying. If
that man doesn't search his pockets for
the monev he is rara avis. Of course,
if he hasn't got it, you embarrass him
but YOU are less embarrassed yourself
than you would have been had you been
alone, and tina. is great point, though
not lucrative one. But you ought to
know your man before you ask him for
loan. 1 know all the men l strike, and
don't often strike men poorer than my
SELF" - f.'s ~ -
"Do you pay them back?"
"Oaly for the first two or three times.
Then I get larger loan and let them 20.
/ very seldom borrow more than twice
from man after / have determined to
stop paying him."
"But that cannot last. Your stock of
friends must soon be exhausted"
"Of course the old stocks are constant
ly running out, but am always search
ing for new ones. never drop one un-
til / have secured another, or perhaps
two. to take his place. have more now
than / had a month ago"
at seems an easy way of earning a
living"
at is. BY the way, while I think of
it, could you oblige me with dollar un-
til tomorrow" o..
Really" the reporter replied, Il have
only twenty-five cents, just enough to
get home with"
"Ah, / see" the young man remarked.
sYour friends should have been around.
Then you would have found it for me.
Well, good day."