Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-07-03

business. liked it, and liking in my
business is more than half tho battle. !
need not go into technical detail; it will
be enough if say that when ] reached
five and twenty years of age was one
of the best judges of logs in London.
To those who know nothing of the bus
mess it may seem that little or no skill
is required in selecting timber. But
when we come to consider the wide
difference ofsprices of fancy wood of
the same kind the value of an expert
will appear.
AT this time I had salary which
will appear, while sufficient to keep a
bachelor in a homely way, was alto
Agether inadequate to the support of q
family. BM'-here he leaned with a
pheasant, gentle courtesy toward his
wife-''I had made up my mind who
my wife should be if ever I married.
Out of my small salary was able to
lay by little money. We used tn call
| this her dowry''- here he bowed again
| in the direction of his wife-'.for she
| was an orphan, alone in the world, and
kept herself on her slender earnings as
| schoolmistress.
Three or four sons of members of
the firm were in the business, so that /.
| being without capital, had little or no
| chance Of ever attaining to a partner
! ship. There were, of course, men with
much larger salaries than my own, but
they were older by twenty years, and
waiting for dead mems shoes is bad
work. 1 plainly saw that marriage was
for me out of the question as long as I
staid with Marston & Co. Accordingly.
when was about six-and-twenty, and
had saved close upon hundred
pounds, went to the head of the firm
and explained my case. told h m |
felt, so far as the business and the
treatment I received went, perfectly
satisfied, but that Twas ANXIOUS to push
my fortune so that l might settle in
life. Old Mr.. Marston was extremely
kind. He told me that they were
greatly pleased with me, and that they
would do anything in reason rather
than let me go, but that certain IN
frangible conditions of promotion ex-
listed. that could not be put over the
heads OF my seniors, and that although
he was willing to increase my salary to
the utmost limit-consistent with my
| servlces-he could not on any account
overstep the limit. l explained that
the increase he offered would not meet
1 lily tIC"Ss anu thdo L udb uCtOi
| to leave as soon as substitute for me
was suppl ed.
! sMr. Marston then asked me what |
proposed doing. remember as though
it was but yesterday, the mixture of
pride and humiliation l felt when l told
him that I intended starting in business
for myself. Ea
:" May 1 ask he I'd, what business
| you purpose starting imp
!" Something the same as have been
at I said, feeling still more uncom-
Portable.
| "'Ohr he cried. with a smile, you
are going to be rival of ours?"
"'No, no. fastened to say. Il in
tend buying and selling on commits
sion, and I wish to know, sir, If
may count on you as one OF my pat
rons.'
"'You may count on me- said he,
cordially doing all for you may fair
ly do. Young Bayliss,' he added,
| gravely, if you want a hundred or two
| you have but to say the word. You
can pay me back just as you please.
81 thanked him most sincerely, and
told him that for my present purposes
1 wanted little or no capital, except
just what would keep me going until
I had got my scheme into operation.
land, said he, may ask what ex-
actly is your scheme?'
"'Well, SIR 1 said, Il imagine am
good judge of fancy logs
$50 they tell me, so they tell me-
said he 'and that is the reason we are
sorry to lose you
| "'And my notion is, that if I go
about here and there 1 may be able to
find logs which the owners want to SELL
and which my Judgment tells me are
| good value for the money asked. And.
sir, when asked you to help me with
your patronage l meant that, would
you buy upon my judgment and so put
the commission for the sale in my
way?'
"a very good idea for you, indeed, :"
said the old man. "A very good notion,
indeed. l understand you have made
no mistakes up to this, and l have no
doubt that we shall be able to do good
deal with you. Of course, you know
all things of that kind must be done
through Mr.. Watkins, the master OF
the yard
"'I have already spoken to Mr.. Wat
kins, SIR, and he says that, with your
permission. he will be glad to help me.
I'm a month L left Msrston 4 Co.,
and found myself free to do as pleased,
and with about ESQ in my pocket. 1t
so happened that the first day of my
liberty, and the first day of the Easter
vacation. were the same. / thought
that, after ten years close application
to business. / owed myself little
holiday, and therefore 1 went to Jane
and told her | had determined to do
nothing until the vacation was over. !
often look back to those first days of in
dependence, and think that in them be-
gan the great happiness and prosperity
which has seemed to increase hour by
hour, ever since.
when James school reopened ]
went TO work with all the vigor of hope
and determination. For the first year
was moderately successful. l sold to
Mr.. Marston several pieces which
turned out to his satisfaction, but at the
end of the twelve months my financial
position had not improved. l had
made no more money than if 1 had re-
manned in the yard. l felt sobered but
not discouraged. / was seven-and.
twenty, Jane two-and-twenty, and
thought it time we married, but l could
not conscientiously ask her to share my
small and now uncertain income, and
had determined from the beginning
that she should give up school-teaching
when she became my wife.
cat this time the art of veneering
was, perhaps, at its height, and fol
the benefit of any one here who