The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1892-04-16
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GETTING A START.
How an Ambitious Young Man Sold Real
r. -. -. Eatata and Peaches. -. -

How an Ambitious Young Man Sold Real
Estate and Peaches.
It was in the spring Of 1867 when !
small Office was started on the north
west corner of Madison and LaSalle
streets7---capital, ten dollars. and fifty
cents; annual receipts, two hundred
and fifty dollars. First year was a hard
pull. had a sign out: ..Real. Estate
and law The law department con-
sisted chiefly in drawing deeds, trust
deeds, bills of sale, etc. The real-estate
department did most anything in the
way OF real estate, but as at that period
of Chicago's existence the total trans
fers for an entire year amounted to
about two dozens one can imagine nv
share was exceedingly small. @
1t was midsummer, and receipts for
that month had been lower than the
average. A respectful le- looking young
man came into my Office Mailing from
a western city. He said he had not been
eating three square meals per day for
quite time, and asked the privilege
of sleeping in the Office. The thought
struck me could utilize him, so went
and purchased two nice baskets of
early Crawford peaches. 1 borrowed a
pine door from carpenter friend of
mine in the alley, and with the aid of
two ash barrels set the newcomer up
in business opposite my office entrance
on Madison street. The peach depart
ment thrived. First day he took in
five dollars, and we increased the stock
to such an extent that we had quite a
thriving trade. This fellows name we
will call Jones. He had a very per-
suasive way of inticing the yoang
ladies as they passed by to purchase
peaches, in fact he caught everybody,
and many of Chicago's citizens will re-
member cry that lasted all that
summer on the corner, Now then,
ladies and gentlemen, here is the place
to get your fine early Crawford peaches -
superintendent of the building object
ed, and came and asked if this man was
annoying me. I said: NO, let the poor
fellow earn a living-he is ali right. -
In fact, had the peach department been
suspended the real-estate firm would
have collapsed. Soon after this a South
Water street merchant, noticing the
ability of the young man to sell his
fruit. offered him a guaranteed salary
of one hundred dollars per month, and
he left my firm. Business did not thrive
for quite awhile, but one day, as luck
would have it, an old gentleman with
long bushy whiskers strolled into the
office and asked me if was LAWYER.
l confessed, and he gave me the de-
scription of piece of property on the
north. side, the title to which he said
was very much mixed. He had come
all the way from Honolulu, Pacific
ocean, to- have this Strengthened
up, and he would give me half
there was sin it," if 1 could perfect
the title. The night before this num-
Der of my old college chums had called
to see how was getting along. We
were all graduates of the Chicago Law
university, and was the only one who
had the nerve and recklessness to start
an office; the others had taken clerical
positions in established law offices: the
boys used to come into my Office coca
sionally to see if my elbows were wear
ing out, and prophesied that I would
soon have to give up my Office and 60
with them, but the man from Honolulu
settled it. went to work. and perse-
verence won. l bought the interest of
the different owners in the North Side
lot, and eventually sold the lot and
made eight hundred dollars clear. L
was afraid to trust any bank in Chi
cago with my money. I used to hide it
under my pillow, and kept big AK I'M
der the bed to protect it.
My fellow graduates called again-it
was Christmas eve. L had a frst-class
new suit of clothes and a stove-pipe
hat, and they were greatly surprised
When I exhibited to them my roll of
bills they turned pale with envy and
left the Office. Three days after that
six new real estate and law office signs
were hung up, and think that every
one of the gentlemen who started in
business on that day has prospered,
either as a lawyer or real estate dealer.
No less than three occupy positions on
the judicial bench. and perhaps my
bold effort to establish a business in
dull times had it's beneficial effect:
nj,