Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-10-30
A NAPOLEON OF FINANCE.
A story with a Possible Moral.

Story with Possible Moral.
When an Englishman fails in business
he accepts a clerkship without a murmur
The idea never occurs to him that he can
engage in any enterprise unless he has cap
ital behind him. When an American fails
he accepts a clerkship only as a last eXpe-
dent. The mere want of capital seldom
deters him, however, from Immediately
having another turn to fortune.
Mr.. Biggs was an American. He was
an American who had failed in business
l met him when he was teetotally stripped
of everything save his cOnsummate faith
in his own ability. Mr.. Biggs believed in
himself thoroughly. He did it so thor
oughly when l saw him that got to be-
lieving in him too. | believed in Mr.. Biggs
to exactly the extent of fifty dollars.
Shortly after that l went to Europe 1t
was eight months before returned.
l thought | would go and see Biggs.
There was no occasion to hunt him up. A
dozen friends ! had met on the street had
told me of his wonderful success.
On the fifty dollars Mr.. Biggs had sue
ceeded in establishing on firm footing a
newspaper property that Melted him four
times that amount per week. He was the
proprietor of ''The Family Footstoo."
Biggs told me how it was done. There
is nothing like business.
Glow to invest your fifty dollars" said
Biggs, twas question which vexed my
soul for at least forty-eight hours after you
went to Europe. 1t was sticky money.
In the speculative world money that is
earned by real hard, honest work is sup
posed to be endowed with superior quail
ties. 1t doesn't melt away like the other
kind. With us it bears about the same re-
fo Ofh ind
Confederate during the war. / looked YOU
up with the idea of striking you for five,
but made it fifty when | found YOU were
flush. There it is. Much obliged. You'll
have to take it in guesses, though"
Mr.. Bggs thereupon handed me sundry
rolls of silver, which contained quarters.
He seemed to revel in that particular de
nomination of coin, and presently you
shall know why.
after | left you," pursued Mr.. Biggs,
81 cast about for the best way to get
start. l determined to publish this paper
THE Family Footstool.'"
what, without capital?"
mot without capital. l had quite a
deal of it. Cash isn't everything. Cheek
and credit are | had these rooms fur
nished, as magnificently as you now see
them, for an immediate outlay of twenty
dollars-the rest of the bill to be paid on
1nstalments. The rest of the money
hung on to like grim death. 1t was eX-
pended quite judiciously in improving nv
personal appearance by the addition of a
new spring overcOat and a silk hat. A
silk hat properly worn, can be made an
incalculable source of credit
81 sat down and drew up the following
advertisement:
(which Is 1t? GAS White as a Sheet, I"
or GAS White as Snowy Two thousand
dollars will be given in cash as follows To
the person who first answers this question
correctly $1,000; to the second $50; to the
third, $3.50 Each guess must be accom-
panied by twenty-five cents which will en-
title the sender to six months subscription
to "The Family FootstoOl," the brightest,
newsiest periodical in America
81 took my advertisement to an adver-
Using agent, total stranger to me, but a
man who understood about business. He
inserted this advertisement in two hundred
newspapers, and | went to the Office to
wait
MY thirty dollars had dwindled to al.
most nothing; the girls l had been COM
PEELED to hire to address wrappers for nv
new paper, not having received their pay,
were growing more and more insolent,
when one evening 1 got letter from the
advertising AGENT
"'Your ad. was out in Rabbits list yes
terday. Look out for squalls
next morning there were signs of life
in the Office of The Family Footstool.' A
message had arrived from the post-office
livery large mail here for you. Please
send and get some.
81 sent Tom, the office boy. He re,
turned empty-handed, had been expect.
ing great things. My face fell.
"'Where are the letters?'
"They want us to take 'em all at onst
says Tom. Il guess will have to get q
wagon
at didn't quite come to that, but there
were twelve thousand letters, and each one
of them contained a quarter and the words
'As White as a Sheet, or AS White az
Snow. That gave me paid circulation
to start with of twelve thousand.
at was only the commencement of al
era of unexampled prosperity, however
The question AS White as a Sheet OF
'As White as Snow seemed to have agi
tated the whole nation. The second day'
mail, if possible, was heavier than thu
first; the third, fourth, fifth and sixth
showed no signs of falling off. On tn,
third day | opened bank account; by TIN
end of the month The Family Footstool
had a big sum to its credit.
"Hhe joke of the whole thing was, how
ever, that up TO this time The Famil,
FootstoOl" was a myth. 1t began to dawI
uDOn me that IL was necessary Ia give mn