St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-22
BUZZARD Us. CLAWYER.
A Money-Lending Transaction and What Came of
It--Making Good Threat.

profitable sort. too, that many far more
ostentatious establishment might we'll
have envied. They lent money. AS
Fishers of men," however, they affected
the retail rather than the wholesale.
They were not, so to speak, in the whal-
ing interest. neither did they bait their
hooks with daily guinea advertisements
in all the leading London newspapers,
with view to catching the leviathan of
the finny tribe. They did not profess
to have 100000 idle on their hands and
would feel really grateful to any young
officer in the army or navy, or to any
spendthrift heir, in prospective, who
would borrow any portion of it at mere
ly nominal interest, no other security
being required than mere note of
hand.
No? Purr & Clawyer, whose dingy
premises in Liant Street-in the borough
with a drab blind at the parlor Win
dow. fy-spotted and faded and always
down, might have been occupied by
desperate tenant in the last stage of in
solvency and in barricade against the
brokers. found their clients chiefly
among struggling small tradeSmen and
clerks, with many years of unimpeach-
able character in their present situa-
ton, but driven by family misfortune or
sickness to borrow a few pounds on
their household goods. Nor could it be
said that they we're ever worried for
the principal, SO long as they were
punctual i'll their payments of the in
significant interest of one shilling III
the pound per month.
The firm WAS still known az PUrr ~
Clawyer. but Purr had been out of it
many years, ever since young Clawyer
came from school, a lanky lad OF seven
teen, with a shreWd head for business
and a tair knowledge of bookkeeping.
Then the senior partner retired to we'll
earned and honorable repose to charm
villa near the river at Richmond, and
ClaWyer-father and sOn-contlnued to
keep on the loan Office in the shabby old
house in Liant street.
Old Gideon was proud of his boy
Nathan, and from money lenders
point of view he had good reasons. IT
there was one fault to find with him it
was that he was little too grasping-
over-eager to amasS wealth. His parent
would frequently argue the matter with
him.
ooh, don't talk to me "young Nathan
dry and have done with 'em-that'S my
way"
AYE, aye. my SOM" the old gentle
man would gently make answer, land
it would be my way, too, but it very
often happens that having WruDg them
dry you have not done with them. You
may strip the coat from their back and
turn 'em out of house and home, but
what satisfaction is there i'll that ifthey
serve as Scare-crOWS and keep Off other
birds. who would otherwise be lured?
No, no, my boy; bleed 'em gently.
What is the difference it the flow is a
silver stream or il golden, so long as in
the end you get every drop in their
veins? That saves the appearance OF a
violent death, in manner OF speaking.
They tumble down and go off naturally,
and nobody is scared, and the same goes
on. You are young, Nathan. L was
twenty years older than you are now
when | commenced, and yet Eve found
time to scrape together fairish pile.
Be advised by your old father, and
there is no reason why you shouldn't be
worth six figures when you arrive at my
age"
But Nathan Clawyer had not his
fathers plodding nature. 1t was all
very we'll to talk of silver stream"
but paltry Shillings, though they came
in briskly, are long time accommodating
to what may be called handsome sum,
and Natban'S idea was to make a for
tune while he was yet young enough to
retain al appetite for all the luXurieS
and indulgencies money can provide.
So, without saying a word about it to
his father, he began to give his attention
to horse racing. Not To backing racers.
Oh dear no. lie was too good master
of the science of figuring to make such
a fool of himself as that. Bookmaking
was the better pian-the only plan, in
fact, in connection with the UNI
sophisticated sport in question by
which a reasonable profit on out
lay might be depended on. BY the
time he had been SIX years with his
parent in the Liant street business, his
father had such perfect confidence in
him that it was an easy matter for Ma
than to borrow an occasional thousand
or two from the capital account without
1t being missed, and good luck favOring
his skill and shrewdness. he was always
able to replace in good time. and to add
considerably to his own private hoard
as well. But still he kept his secret.
II won't say anything about it to the
old chap" said Nathan, "until can
show him 100000 all my own. And if
that don't convert him from his present
opinion that the silver stream game is
the best to play at, shall give him up
incOrrigible."
But, meanwhile, the silver stream
flowed OH with its accustomed regular
lty. Indeed. business IN Liant street
had so increased that it was found nee
essary to hire clerk. Now there had
been client of Clawyer q Son, hop
merchant i'll the borough named BuZ-
Zard. He was speculative man, with
no great amount OF capital, and when he
met with q bargain in hops beyond his
immediate means, he used to go round
to Liant street aud borrow ton secur-
ty, of course. Five per cent for a three
days loan is good business, and some
times BuZZard would borrow as much
as five or six hundred pounds on those
''short time" terms. But poor Mr.. BuZ-
Zard. who had large family, was over
sanguine and headStrOng, as we'll as spec
ulative. He got behindhand in Liant
street, and the screw was
put on him in consequence
to the extent of an extra 2 per
cent on his borrowing, which had the
natural effect of rather increasing than
lessening his difficulties, and the end Of
it was that Clawyer " Son, having con-
suited on the subject, arrived at the
conclusion that they had best make
themselves secure and all on sudden
swooped down on Mr.. Buzzard and sold
him up, carting off not only every
article of furniture from his private
office. but his Office goods as well, even
to the floor cloth and door mats in the
passage. The ruined hop dealer was
fllriOnS and who would not nave been
IF ever L get the whiphand of either
father or son." SAID poor Buzzard, glar
ing with passion and shaking bis raised
fists, ''I'll flay him."
1t seemed safe threat enough. as far
as Clawyer & Son were concerned. He
get the whiphaud. indeed. A poor beg
gar who, three weeks after his ruin, was
glad to take place as Waterman at
grain warehouse, and live with his FAM
lily over the stables in the yard! Not
that Clawyer d Son were aware of Buzz
Yards vindictive threats, which was as
we'll, for one day meeting the broken
- L Mot