Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-10-27
HOW HEGOT STARTED
4 MERCHANT TELLS OF HIS WIN
MING BY A SHOW OF HONESTY.

| MING BY a SHOW OF HONESTY.
After Many Failures In Attempts to
Catch on" He Worked . Little scheme
ON tho business Man VINO Called Him
| - Sterling. Honest Fellow"
| You wish to know how I got my
start in Chicago. Ell? Well, I don't
mind telling you about it now, although
you may not indorse the means / adopt.
Cd
Here tho merchant prince laughed
heartily, withdrawing his cigar for tho
purpose. After moment or two he re-
sumed:
~ had come here from the country,
q gawky farmer boy, ignorant of tho
ways Of the world and disposed to re-
gard every city chap as a sharper. Be-
fore leaving home I had settlement
with my guardian, who turned over to
me $500 in cash. oil the possessions l
had in the world.
The distress Of tho panic of 1857 had
not passed, and things were awfully
dull here. After securing a modest
boarding house I 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 the
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 l didn't catch on. I must have been
what is vulgarly called an 'ornery' chap
-uncouth inspcech, vulgar in manner
and easily ahashed. Still persevered,
offering myself as porter, coachman,
day laborer, gardener, helper in grocery
stores-in short, any kind of work that
demanded muscle without too much ex-
perience. Once in awhile got a job of
saving wood, emitting grass and tending
garden, but l spent far more than l
earned, although lived very econom.
ically. Month after month passed in this
way until nearly one-half of my capital
was exhausted.
| My necessities led RE to much cogi-
tation, and having made rapid progress
in my study of bookkeeping as well as
in knowledge Of good English finally
|
A prerequisite to this step was the def
ing of my cid jeans suit, which had be-
come decidedly seedy. The tailor's bill
made a big icroad upon my diminishing
capital, and the thought Of it set my
teeth on edge. Out Went day after day
among the merchants, offering my serv-
ices as n bookkeeper, accountant, ship
ping clerk or salesman, but l found 10
takers. Tho market was suffering from
sn ovorsuprly of the commodity, and
the demand was iii.
Finally / decided that something
had 10 be done. could not and would
not be pcnniless in q big city. ! am nat
urally of sanguine temperament, but
six months of enforced idleness to one
who loves work are enough to becloud
the sunnicst temper. Bat see you are
getting inpatient. A change did final
ly come. One day MIR. Davis, the head
of the big dry goods store On Lake
street, was surprised out of his usual
equanimity by the rushing in of an excit-
ed individual, myself, holding in his
hand small bundle and saying bro
kenly:
- have found, sir, a package Of
money! hundred dollars, l think
am stranger in the city and wish you
to keep it until you find the owner.
when he found breath, MIR. Davis,
who recalled me as one who had applied
to him more than once for employment,
demurred, insisting that should leave
it in the hands Of the police.
| 80 THAT WI mot 10 I Inoxr, xo,,~
reputation and can confidently leave the
sum with you. / am desperately poor
and unemployed, and any imputation
upon my honor would kill me. My only
wish is that this money may reach its
owner. You viii be sure to find him. >
MIR. Davis became interested.
lis there any way of identifying
him-any name or address in the pack
age?'
I think not, sir, replied, but the
bills, as you will see, are done up in .
peculiar red cloth-debiege think it is
called-and if you would merely adver-
tise the fact that sum Of money had
been found, and required the applicant
to name the amount and the envelope
covering it, you could not possibly mis-
take.
My importantly finally overcame his
objections, and he took my address. and
after pronouncing me sterling honest
fellow, babe me come around in the
morning.
We'll. that was my start in life.
Mr.. Davis greeted Inc when returned
in the morning most effusiyely.
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. Many
men who are far better off than you
would have done So"
He ended by Offering me q place be-
hind one of the counters ut SC week,
and five years later was his partner.
"Oh, the money! A number of par
ties answered the advertisement, but
they couldn't prove up, you see, for the
best Of all reasons. The money was my
own, and Mr.. Davis finally returned it
to me. ] ran not the slightest risk and