Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02

YOUNG MAN WHO MAKES A LIVING BY IT TELLS
HOW HE OPERATES.
From the New York Times.
''What are you doing for living now?' was
asked of young man whose ordinary methods
of obtaining livelihood did not inspire conf
dence or respect.
II am loan contractor at present." he re-
piled. II have been six months in the business
and can honestly say that l have been sue
cessful. You wonder what loan contractor
Is? Well, borrow small sums of money and
live upon them. The work is profitable and not
too hard. Oh. no, l don't exhaust my list of
lenders. On the contrary, | am steadily adding
to it. Of course 1 cannot borrow from man
to whom l am already indebted, but before
finally part company with him / make him in
troduce me to at least two of his friends, so
that for every customer l drop l pick up
a couple-a net gain of one. The business
requires a good deal of skill, and GER
tain rules must be carefully observed.
In the first place. never ask man to lend me
money unless l am quite assured that he has it
about him. When your intended victim refuses
from necessity you have lost him. 1t is hope
less to try him again. He thinks over the mat
ter, because he feels more or less mortified
about it. and he is sure to end by congratulate
ing himself that he was unable to accommodate
you: and when he has once arrived at that
stage of reasoning you may knock him off your
list.
when have selected my man don't APP
proach him as though / am ashamed of what
am doing. am always well dressed and look
like gentleman, because l know by painful
experience that shabbily dressed man has
no chance at allAs borrower. Drawing him
timorously to one side and whispering your re-
quest is pretty certain to annoy him and bring
denial. In such matters men are always
holder alone than when they are in company.
For this reason always saunter up to my VIC
tim when he is surrounded by his friends He
must present me to them, and. if the meeting
is in barroom, as generally manage that it
Is, a drink is likely to follow. This establishes
a certain amount of confidence. and when
turn to him suddenly as though had just re-
membered my need, and say aloud: 'Oh, by
the by, just let me have couple of dollars
until tomorrow, will you? have a
little account to settle down the street
and have no small bills about me- he must be
determined man if he refuses. You see he
has introduced me to his friends, and stood be-
fore them as my sponsor, so to speak. To
slight me now would be equivalent to impeach-
ing his own witness. get the money, which I
| am very careful to pay back the following day.
When have done this twice generally find
that the man is ut my mercy. Then wait
until know that his pockets are well filed,
| when 1 strike him to the tune of from $40 to
$25. according to circumstances After that I
avoid him. The whole campaign usually occu-
pies about a fortnight, and can operate in a
dozen fields at once; SO that, you see, make
fairly good income.
Men who are accustomed to wealth. and
always carry large sums of money with them,
are almost useless to me, and rarely try them.
They are stingy to the last degree and there is
no good in them. 1t is with those who are
usually poor, but occasionally find themselves
flush, thatI deal. take them at the food tide
Of their fortune, when they are elated with the
| possession OF money which seems to them mex
haustible, aud they fall easily into nv trap.
Will You take something with me? Don't Be
afraid, know 1t would be hopeless to attempt
| to borrow from you after what have told Won.
and won't ask you for an introduction to any
Of your friends, because am sure you would
not give it to me. You don't drink? Well, good
bye. l see man coming who drew his pay to-
day, and must 60 across the street and culti-
vate him."