Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-06-01

should be employed in his service. lie
proposed, therefore, that Tom should
employ il in the black traffic: that is TO
say, that he should tit out slave ship.
This, however. Tom rcsolutely refused;
he was bad enough, in all conscience:
but the devil himself could not tempt
him to turn slave dealer.
Finding Tom 30 squcamish on this
point, he did not insist upon u, but pro-
posed instead that he should turn uslirer;
the devil being extremely anxious for
the increase Of usurers, looking upon
them ms his peculiar people.
To this no objections were made, for 1t
was Just to Toms taste.
"You shall open brokers shop I'm
Boston next month"; said the black man.
"Ill do itto-morrow If you wish," said
Tom Walker.
You shall lend money at Q per cent.
month";"
"Egad, I'll charge Ar replied Tom
Walker.
"You shall cxtort bonds, foreclose
mortgages, drive the merchant to bank
ruptcy"---
"fll drive him TO the ID" cried
Tom Walker, eagerly.
You are the usurcr for my moneys"
said the black legs, with delight. "When
will you want tho rhinoY'
This very night"
"Done!' said the devil.
"Donel' said Tom Walker. So they
shook hands and struck bargain.
A few days time saw Tom Walker
seated behind his desk In counting
house in Boston. His reputation for a
ready moncyed man, who would lend
money out for II good consideration, soon
spread abroad. Every body remcmbern
thn nnNa pI (.,ynrpnr I..ish.r usl-
money was particularly scarca,ss...: ..,,t /,
timo of paper creditsxE,c II Wy
had been deluged Yi.,ipru The country
!, ..,S In and bank AMI had been estab, stab
lished; there had been n rage for spccu-
lating; tho people had run mad with
| schemes for new settlements; for build
inS cities in tho wilderness, land jobbers
went about with maps Of grants aud
! townships and EldOrados lying no
| body knew where. but which every
body was ready to purchase. In a
word, the great spcCulating fever which
| breaks out every now and then in tho
country had ragged to an alarming de-
| gree, and everybody was dreaming OF
making sudden fortunes from nothing.
| As usual, the fever had subsidized; the
| dream had gone off, and the imaginary
/ in duleful plight, and She whole country
resounded with the consequent cry Of
| "hard times"
At this propitious time of public dis
tress did Tom Walker set up rs n usurcr
| in Boston. His door was soon throngcd
by customers. The needy and the ad-
vcnturous, the gambling spccula,or, the
dreaming land jobbcr, the thriftlcss
tradcsman, the merchant with cracked
credit, in short, every one driven to raise
money by desperate means and desperate
sacrifices hurried To Tom Walker.
Thus Tom was the universal friend Of
the needy, and he acted like friend in
need" that is to say, no always exacted
good pay and good security. In proper
ton to the distress Of the applicant was
the hardness of his terms He accumu-
lated bonds and mortgages, gradually
squeezed his customers closer and closer,
and sent them at length dry as u sponge
| from his door
In this way he made money hand over
hand, became rich and mighty man,
and exalted his cooked hat upon change.
lie built himself, IA usual, n vast house
out of ostentation, but left the greater
part Of it unfinished and unfurniShed
out of parsimony. lie even set up a
carriage in tho fullEcss of his yainglOry,
though he nearly starved the horses
which drew it, and as the ungrCaScd
aXlctrcCs you would have thought YOU
heard the souls of the poor debtors ho
was squeezing.
AS Tom waxcd old, however, he grew
thoughtful Having secured the good
things of this world, he began TO feel
anxious about those of the next. He
thought with regret on the bargain he
had made with his black friend, and set
his wits TO work To cheat him out of the
conditions, llo became, therefore. all
of u sudden, n violent church gocr. lie
prayed loudly and strCnuouSly, as if
heaven were to bc taken by force of
| lungs. Indeed, one might always tell
when he had sinnod most during the week
by tho clamor of his Sunday devotion.
The quiet Christians who had been mod.
estly and steadiastly travelling Zionward
were struck with self rcproach at seeing
themselves SO suddenly outstripped in
their career 10y this new made con
vert Tom was as rigid in rellg'
ious as in money matters; he was q
stern supervisor and consurcr of his
neighbors, and seemed 10 think every sin
entered up TO their account became a
credit on his own side of the page. lie
even talked of the eXpedicncy of reriyinG
/ tle persecution Oi IluaheIs uiu Atltp1p'
lists In a word, Toms zeal became AS
notorious rs his riches.
Still, in spite of all this strenuous at
tention tu forms, Tom had n lurking
dread that the devil, after all, would
have his due, That he might not be
taken unawarcs, therefore, il Is said he
always carried small Bible in his coat
pocket. lie had also great folio Bible
on his counting house desk, and would
frequently he found reading II when peo'
pie called ON business; on such occasions
he would lay his green spectacles ON the
book, TO mark the place, while he turned
round TO drive some usurious bargain.
Some say that Tom grew little crack
Drained in his old days, and that fancying
his end approaching, he had his horse
new shod, saddled and bridled, and buried
with his feet uppermost, because he sup.
! posed that at the last day the world would
be turned upside down, in which case he
should find his horse standing ready for
mounting, and he was determined at the
! worst TO give his old friend a run for II.
! This, however, Is probably a mere old
| wives fable II he really did take such 4
nreeaution II was totally sunertluons: al