Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-04-28
THE ART OF BORROWING.

tuG SOluSNUd NOll"NOih 4oSOShOAA
asked by the reporter of a casual ac-
quaintance whose means of livelihood
were somewhat uncertain.
'sDo you mean what am | doing
for living?"
"Well, yes; how do you do it z!
81 am borrowing, now," was the
reply.
,ssBorrowingl Not very paying
business
''Why not? You invest no capital,
and the only special training you re-
quire is a fair knowledge of the
world. The proper study for man
kind is man. you know. How is it
done? You must be born with fac
ulty for it. Now, ordinarily, when
man wants to borrow a dollar from
another, he watches to catch his VIC
tim alone. Then he sneaks up to
him, and, if he is an awful fool, he
says something intended to fiatter
him. If he is only fool of the US
ual kind, he makes a remark about
the weather or the affairs of the day.
Then he says, in kind of half whis-
per, Il wonder if you could spare me
a dollar until tomorrow? Or, 'Oh,
have you got dollar about you that
you could let me have until to-mor-
row?' Or, 'Oh, by the way, am
little hard pushed 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
wavs make tomorrow the date of
payment, and rarely make their re-
quest exceed dollar.
Now, the first objection to this is
that they equalize the advance fore
es. When you think you have the
advantage over man because he is
alone, you forget that you are alone
also. You have less h?sitancy in
appealing to him; but he has less hes
itancy in refusing. Your reasons
are exactly the same you do not
want strangers or friends to hear
your request; but do you think, if
you had approached him at first, that
he would have wanted either strang-
ers or friends to hear his refusal! At
any time man is likely to speak to
you when confdentially conversing,
in pretty much the same tone that
YOU speak to him, provided you speak
first. If you whisper to man your
secret desire for a dollar, he is very
likely to whisper back: i declare |
have only got twenty-five cents !!
and, as sure as you live, he will add,
if he has a particle of prospective
power, Just enough to get home
with = Too often such men will sup
plement their deception by express
sing hope of borrowing, within an
hour OF two, enough to supply your
wants and their own.
There is a way of avoiding all this
When you want to borrow money
from a man, choose time when his
friends are about him. Then walk
up to him and say pleasantly, 'Oh,
nearly forgot about it-can l depend
upon you for a couple of dollars to,
nlght?' You must not wait for hin
to answer; add before he speaks
sOh, it will do in a few minutes, az
though you were interested in some
thing one of his friends was saying
If that man doesn't search his pock
cts for the money he is rdrd d0ls
Of course, if he hasn't got it, yol
embarrass him; but you are less EN-
barrassed yourself than you woul(
have been had you and he beel
alone, and that is a great point
though not lucrative one. But yo'
ought to know your man before yol
ask him for loan. | know all th'
men [ strike, and don't often strik
men poorer than myself"
do you pay them back =
"Only for the first two or thre
times. Then | get larger loan ant
let them go. very seldom borro'
more than twice from man after
have determined to stop payin!
him."
ssBut that cannot last. You
stock of friends must soon be ex
hausted.
"Of course the old stocks are con
stantly running out, but | am alway
searching for new ones. L neve
drop one until I have secured anoth
er, or perhaps two to take his place
/ have more now than / had mont
, ago.
'sIt seems an easy way of earnin
. a living
+ cit is. By the way, while | thin
of it, could you oblige me with a do
lar until tomorrow
Really" the reporter replied, 6
have only twenty-five cents, jus
enough to get home with
"Ah, / see," the young man II
marked. 'sYour friends should hay
been around. Then you would hay
o found it for me. Well, good day.
h -Neao York Sun.
PHANTOM SHIPS.
Q ssDo believe in phantom ships
: Yes do