The Bossier banner., 1891-10-01

Il beg your pardon, gentlemen; NAV
| ask you how you became SO rich?"
by being penniless at the startr'
lie also knew the firm of Aldricb.
Page & Co., by reputation.
What made you so rich gentle
By being poor at the start, and not
a cents -orth of credit
Walker & Co. had just failed; and
Tor the matter of that they had been
partial failures all along. They had
had plenty of money to start with.
so, SO" and Ralph walked thought
fully along. ''Then am the capital!
| l.! and returning home, he rolled up
his sleeves, SO to speak, and went to
work
People always said that Ralph was a
worker and industrious. But, ahp'
exclaimed the old heads, ''he can earn
money, but he cannot keep it!'
These same people were soon sur-
prised, however, to see a little. unpre-
tentlous corner grocery started, with
Ralph as sole proprietor.
ut wasn't much" some said, but
it was beginning, beginning!"
Curious people came in. Men with
''inquiring eyes" Men with their
arms thrust in cadaverous pockets.
Some sat on the cracker barrels and
looked on. They hadn't ever tried to
succeed, and dropped in to see how
such an attempt was supposed to work.
| A lad came in.
"a penny's worth O. figs
The article was handled as if it had
been twenty pounds of sugar for one
dollar.
''Five cents worth of peanuts
These were neatly done up in little
saw-edged paper bag. Ralph was a
model of neatness and politeness, and
his white apron and square paper hat
gave him a sort of dashy appearance.
"A half dozen eggs"
The orders were slight.
''Two pounds of butter"
Ralph was encouraged
''One barrel of Haxall four!"
This was quite leap
''Will deliver it after dinner"
Yet his visitors were still far in ex,
cess of his sales But one thing had
been demonstrated. He had got the
people to coming that way! Could he
hold them.
"a new broom sweeps clean," he re-
fiected. "But time will tell"
'Well, Ralph's hasn't much in his
store, to be sure" said the skeptical,
''yit he's er risin', er risin', an that's
somethin'"
Ralph's horse and wagon consisted of
himself and a wheelbarrow! He de-
livered his few goods in this unpreten-
tious manner The boys called it
Ralph's zone hoss express
The ''new grocer" said little, thereby
showing tact, but kept his sleeves
rolled up and attended strictly to busi-
ness. He had no capital, but earning
few dollars, he secured little merchan-
disc on thirty days credit. He had one
thing, he had manners, he had socia-
bility he had accommodation. He was
Just as sociable with the man that
bought jackknife as the one that
bought shovel With these as lead
ing elements of success, he met his first
bills, paid cash for his second order of
goods.
Two months had gone. Six. Now
he had clerk. But no horse. Six
months more. He had second clerk.
Ralph began to receive congratula-
tions from all sides. The friend who
would not lend him a red cent, and
who was to give him one thousand dol
lars, came sauntering i'll.
''You don't seem to need borrowed
money now, Ralph"
mo, thank you. / have a thousand
to lend" he laughed.
Ralph, you have won the first thou
sand dollars. The rest will come easy
enough. 1t is the first thousand that
decides the fate of millions"
Ralph was very happy. His business
increased. His friends multiplied, and
young men came to him to borrow
their first thousand dollars. Time wore
on. The little corner grocery store be-
came too small. In more commodious
quarters they were soon established.
For it was ''R Gorden & Co., Grocers'
now. And the young man who had no
capital was the leading grocery firm
of the city.
$50 you could succeed without capi-
tai, Ralph" said his practical friend.
''Yes; and it has been a good lesson
to me-
(Which you couldn't have learned if
had loaned you thousand dollars" " in
terrupted the other.
''No, sir. And to-day 1 am saying to
the young men of my community:
You can succeed without capital.
Try"
And Ralph's face glowed. He had
been an assured success. And he still
superintended his own business.-Hor'
ace Walker in Yankee Blade.
Prince Cont had the odd trick of
barking exactly like a little yapping
lap dog, and not infrequently barlled
OF n lo6y instead of answering her