The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1894-10-25
HOW HEG0T STARTED
A MERCHANT TELLS OF HIS WIN
MING BY A SHOW or HONESTY

Affcr Many Failures In Attempts to
"Catoh on," lie worked a Lit.io Scheme
on the business Man who Called Him
"a sterling. Honest Fellow
"You wish to know how l got my
start In Chicago, oh? Well, | don't
mind telling you about it now, although
you may not iDdorso the means adopt.
ed. "
Here the merchant prince laughed
heartily. withdrawing his cigar for the
purpose. After moment or two he re-
sumod:
II had come hero from the country,
a gawky farmer boy, ignorant of the
ways Of the world and disposed to re-
gard every city chap as a sharper Be-
fore leaving home l had settlement
with my guardian, who turned over TO
me $500 in cash, all the possessions
had in the world.
THE distress Of the panic Of 1857 had
not passed, and things were awfully
dull here After securing modest
boarding house | applied myself with
diligence TO the seeking Of employment,
in the meantime assiduously studying
bookkeeping every evening. The 81
years Of my life had been spent upon tho
farm, and | was utterly ignorant Of all
business methods. Hence / sought hum
bic work, being willing to begin at the
lowest rung Of the ladder. But some
how didn't catch ON. / must have been
what is vulearly called an 'ornory' chap
--uncouth in speech, vulgar in manner
and easily abashed. Still persovered,
Offering myself as porter, coachman,
day laborer, gardener, helper in grocery
stores-in short, any kind Of work that
demanded muscle without too Liuch OK
perience. Once in awhile got job of
saving wood, cutting grass and tending
garden, but j spent far more than ]
earned, although / lived very econom-
ically. Month after month passed in this
way until nearly ouo-half Of my capital
was exhausted.
my necessities led mc TO much cogi-
tation, and having made rapid progress
in my study Of bookkeeping as well as
in knowledge Of good English | finally
concluded TO aspire 70 something higher.
4 prerequisite 10 this step was the doff-
ing Of my old jeans suit, which had be-
come decidedly soedy. The tailor's bill
made a big inroad upon ny diminishing
capital, and the thought OF it set my
teeth on edge. Ont l went day after day
among the merchants, Offering my serv-
ices rs a boollkccpor, accountant, ship.
ping clerk or salesman, hut | found nc
takers The market was suffering from
an ovcrsupply of the commodity, and
the demend was nj.
Finally / decided that something
| had to be done. could not and would
not be ponniiess in big city. / am nat
| urally Of a sauguiuo temperament, but
/ six months Of enforced iulcHess to ono
/ who loves work are enough TO becloud
/ the suunicst temper. But | sec you are
| getting impatient. A change Gid final
/ ly come. Ono day Mr.. Davis, the head
Of the big dry goods store ca Lake
street, was surprised out Of lis usual
oquanimity by the rushing in Of an cxcit-
| cd individual, myself, holding in his
hand small bundle aAd saying bro
, keuly:
| have found, sir, a package Of
money-a hundred dollars, think.
am a stranger in the city and wish you
to keep il until you fird the owner.
"When be found breath, Mr.. Davis
who recalled me as one who had arplic1
to him more than once for employment,
demurrcd, insisting that | should leave
it in the hands Of tho police.
THAT will not do, sir. | know your
reputation and can confidently leave the
sum with you. l am desperately poor
and unemployed, and any imputatiol.
upon my honor would kill me. My only
wish is that this money may reach it,
owner. You win be sure to find him.
MIR. Davis became Interested.
is there any way Of identifying
him-any naiGo or address in the pack
age?'
think not, sir, Irevliod, but tnC
bills, as You will see, are doue up in "
peculiar red cloth-dcbiego think it il
called-and if you would merely adveI
tise the fact that sum of money had
been found, and required the applicant
to name the amount and the envelop,
covering it, you could not possibly mis-
take.
My importantly finally overcame hi,
objections, and he took my address, and
after pronouncing me "A sterling honest
fellow, bade me come around in thl
morning.
We'll. that was my start in life.
Mr.. Davis greeted me when / returne
in the morning most eifusively.
I've been thinking over that matter
and confess that | admire your honesty.
There's no reason in the world why you
shouldn't have kept that money. Man.
men who are far better off than yor
would have done so.
" He ended by Offering me place be
hind one of the counters ut so a week
and five years later was his partner.
"Oh, the money! A number of par
ties answered tkp advertisement, bu
they couldn't provo mp you see, for th'
best of all reasons. The money was my
own. aud Mr.. Davis finally returned i
10 me ran not the slightest risk anC
was satisfied that the act would brinl
me under the favorable notice of Mr.