The Bossier banner., 1894-10-18

" y
wives when their children had new
hat or new knife or the like, used to
say at school time:
''Go long, now, and don't let Wesley
SteIritt trade you out o. that Don't
swap with him at all"
No casual observer would even sus-
pect him of shrewdness-a fact which
he turned to his own advantage in
many a. bargain-but Wesley had, as
though Nature provided special COM
pensation for the shortcomings of per-
sonal attractions, a peculiar indiffer-
ence as to externalities, whether his
own or those of other people He val
ued above par that which he had and
below par that which he had not; he
was always in the attitude of consent
ing to an exchange rather than that of
seeking it; he never fixed price, and
never accepted one as long as there
was chance for a better. He was one
of those people who could swap a
bushel of corn for bushel of corn
and profit by the transaction, main
tanning reputation for fair measure
i
moved at sixteen from Flat Rock to
Shiloh. He was rapidly advanced to
forty dollars month and then tok sst-
nership in dry goods store. HeS,on
became sole owner of the business.
He added a line of school books and
coffins, fourished for ten or twelve
months, insured everything and got
burned out. He went to Fairburn.
He fourished, of course. Heexpanded,
as it were, to the limit of his oppor-
tunities. His enterprise was revela-
ton to his competitors. He had toys
for Christmas, valentines for the 14th
of February, flags for the Fourth of
July.
"a leedle too sharp" some croakers
said, commenting upon Wesley Ster-
ritt's methods, intending to convey the
idea that he might some day overreach
himself-''jest a leedle bit too smart. y
There were rumors that he sold
whisky-very profitable that, because
very risky, the town and county being
dry-but the grand jury never did any
thing with it, and Wesley continued
Sunday-school regularly, ingratiating
himself to degree with the denom-
ination which had most adherents in
that neighborhood. Eventually he be-
gan speculating in cotton. He sent
mysterious kilograms in cipher and re-
ceived equally mysterious answers.
The telegraph operator told all about
1t, confdentially. The rumor was
speedily corroborated, as it could be
In none but small town where every
body knows everybody else and every
body else's business. ~ @-+<
''He don't know how to let well
enough Alone" the neighbors said OF
Wesley. He's in too big a hurry to
git rich. He's gettin' over his depth.
Fairburn held its breath awhile
The expression is semi-fgurative, OF
course-in expectation off catastrophe,
the sudden annihilation of Wesley
Sterritt. The negroes, who heard the
white folks whispering about it, looked
for the earth to open up and literally
swallow him. There was no tinan-
cial crash, no crack of doom, no sensa'
tion of any sort. The man simply con
tinued to prosper. The town rubbed
Its eyes and looked again, to be certain
Wesley was still there, and then de-
hberately settled down to the con
Fiction that he was a great tinan'
cier-a man who could hold his
own in conflict with the money
kings of Wall street. He came to
be regarded as an oracle in the matter
OF speculative investments No list OF
trustees or directors could be complete
without his name. He was offered the
nagoralty and declined the honor. His
store burned up, fully insured-a fact
OF which some envious people and the
insurance adjuster, referring to tht
similar experience in Shiloh, made
suggestive eoincidence--but Wesle.
collected the money and removed Il
atlanta. Some people wondered VIII!