The Yellowstone journal., 1894-10-25


- Sterling. Honest Fellow"
lyon wish to know how l got my
utart in Chicago. eh? Well, l don't
mind telling you about it now, although /,
you may not indorse the means adopt
cd +"
Here the merchant prince laughed
heartily, withdrawing his cigar for the
purpose After q moment or two he re-
.gumed:
II had come here from the country,
q 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 / had a settlement
with my guardian, who turned over to
me $500 in cash, all the possessions !
had in the world.
1.-THE distress of the panic of 1887 had
not passed, and things were awfuily
dull here. After securing modest
boarding house l applied myself with
diligence to the seeking of employment,
in the meantime assiduously studying
bookkeeping every evening. The 2l
wears of my life had been spent upon the
farm, and was utterly ignorant OF all
business methods. Hence l sought hum
BILE work, being willing TO begin at the
lowest rung of the ladder. But some
how didn't catch on. / must have been
what is vulgarly called an 'ornery' chap
-uncouth in speech, vulgar i'll manner
and easily abashed. 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, cutting grass and tending
garden, but / spent far more than
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 me 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 to something higher.
A prerequisite to this step was the doff-
fng of my old jeans suit, which had be-
come decidedly seedy. The tailor's bill
made big inroad upon my diminishing
capital, and the thought of it set my
: teeth ON edge Out l went day after day
among the merchants, offering my serv-
ices as a bookkeeper, accountant, ship
ving clerk or salesman, but l found no
takers The market was suffering from
an oversupply of the commodity, and
ehe demand was nil.
Finally l decided that something
had to be done. l could not and would
not be penniless in a big city. am nat
urally of a sanguine temperament, bat
six months of enforced idleness to one
who loves work are enough to becloud
the sunniest temper. But see you are
getting impatient. A change did final
" come. One day Mr.. Davis, the head
of the big dry goods store ON Lake
street, was surprised out of his usua
equanimity by the rushing in of an exclt
ed individual, myself, holding III his
hand a small bundle and saying bro
kenly:
i have found, sir, a package o.
money-a hundred dollars, | think.
am a stranger in the city and wish yor
o keep it until you find the owner
when he found breath, Mr.. Davis
who recalled me as one who had applies
20 him more than once for employment
demurred, insisting that should leav'
1t in the hands of the police.
That will not do, sir. l know you
reputation and can confidently leave th'
sum with you | am desperately poo
and unemployed.a and any imputatlol
upon my honor would kill me. My onl.
wish is that this money may reach IL
owner You will be sure TO find him.
MIR. Davis became interested
els there any way of identifying
him-any name or address in the pack
age?
.'I think not, sir, replied but tn
bills, as you will see, are done up III
peculiar red cloth-debiege / think IT
oalled-and if you would merely adveI
tise the fact that sum of money ha'
Seen found, and required the applican
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, an
after pronouncing me sterling homes
0sllow, bade me come around in tn
morning
Wells tudb was ny seeAAs - AAN>
Mr.. Davis greeted me when l returne
d the morning most effusively.
1--we been thinking over that matte
end confess that l admire your honesty
There's no reason in the world why 20
ahouldn't have kept that money. Man
smen who are far better of than 70
Uould have done 90.
He ended by Offering me a place b
hind one of the counters at $6 weel
end ave years later was his partner
''Oh, the money! A number OF pa
,n6ss snswered the advertisement. bl
NAsy couldn't prove mp. you zee. for Il
- of al reasoua Tho money was m
-ovn. and Mr. Davis finally returned
- ran not the slightest risk ~
vo aatiGAed that the act would brir
g. unAse the favorable notice OF M
0uW1A
"Ysa. there was deception in II. a