Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-07-27


prepared to extend.'
This was said by Elder.
Gas for me- spoke up another,
II take but one view of matter like
this. If think can do better by
renewing, am ready to do SO, if by
winding up the party now, I can do
better, / go for winding up. / have
confidence in Cartoons integrity. I
believe he means well. But can he
get through? That is the question"
81 believe he can," returned Mr..
Highland.
ssAnd I doubt it, said Mr.. Elder.
The efforts of Mr.. Elder to efface
the impression the words of Mr.. High
land had made proved in vain. 1t
was agreed that the debtor should re-
ceiye the extension that he asked. |
When informed of this decision,
Carlton could not hide his emotions,
though he strove hard to do SO. His
grateful acknowledgement touched
more than one heart that had been as
cold as ice toward him a short time
before. How different were his feel
ings when he met his family that ev-
ening, and silently thanked heaven
that the cloud which lowered over,
and threatened to break in desolat-
ing tempest, had passed from the
sky.
Long before the time for which the
extension had been granted, Mr..
Carlton was able to pay off every
thing, and look in the face, without
unpleasant emotions, every man he
met.
Strange things happen in real life.
Elder was a shipper, and extensive
ly engaged in trade. For series of
years everything went on prosperous
ly with him. His ventures always
found a good market, and his con-
signments safe and energetic factors.
All this he attributed TO his own bus
mess acumen.
81 never made bad shipments" he
would sometimes say. 81 never con-
sign to doubtful agents.
A man like Mr.. Elder is rarely
permitted to 60 through life without
practical conviction that he is IN the
hands of One who governs all events.
1t is rarely that such a one doesn't
become painfully conscious, in the
end, that human prudence is as moth
ing.
The fist thing that occurred to
check the confident spirit of Mr.. Ell
der was the loss of ship and cargo
under circumstances that gave the
underwriters fair plea for not pay
ing the risk. He sued and was cast.
The loss was $25, 900.
A few weeks after, news came that
a shipment to the South American
coast had resulted in loss. From
that time everything seemed to go
wrong. His adventures found glut-
ted market and his return cargoes
a depression of prices. If he held
on to thing in hopes of better rates,
prices would 60 down, until, in a
desperate mood he would sell; then
they would 60 up steadily. The time
was when he could confine himself
strictly to legitimate trade, but a
mania for speculation now took hold
of him, and urged on to ruin. He
even ventured into the bewildering
precincts of the stock market, lured
by the hopes of splendid success.
Here he stood upon ground that soon
crumbled beneath his feet. A loss
from twenty to thirty thousand dol
} lars cured him of his folly, and he
r turned with sigh to his counting.
: room to digest with care and prudent
forethought, some safe operation in
his regular business.
The true balance of his mind was
} lost. He could not consider with
! calmness the business in hand. A
t false move was the consequence.
5 Loss instead of profit was the unfor.
5 tunate result.
e Seven years from the day Mr.. Ell.
der opposed an arrangement with Mr.
r Carlton, which should regard the
debtor as we'll as the creditor, ne
, himself found impossible to provide
r for all his heavy payments. Fo1
+ some time he had kept his hea6
above water by making sacrifice
but the end of this came.
a After a sleepless night the mer
: chant started one morn for his store
oppressed with the sad conviction tina
+ before the day closed his fair fame
would be tarnished AS he walked
! along Mr.. Carlton came to his sidt
+ with cheerful salntation.
$ Mr.. Carlton was now large cred
itor instead of a debtor. On tha
very day bills in his favor had ma
n tured to the amount of five thousanl
dollars, and these Elder could not pay
: The recollection of this made it al
most impossible for him to reply tt
: the cheerful observations of his com
;. panion. Vividly, as though it hat
occurred Yesterday, came up befor'
: his mind the circumstance that hat
e transpired few years previously
He remembered how eagerly he hat
i sought, from the merest selfish mo
L tives, to break down Mr.. Carlton
: and throw him helpless upon th'
s world, and how near he was to ac
a complishing the merchants tota
n overthrow. Such recollections drov'