The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-01-22
A BANKERS MIsADvRNrURE

"DS 0UO O0N W D0dGS bS bn0 Am0E4-
cans say. He belonged to a family that
had multiplied and spread over the
earth, founding counting houses in all
the capital cities of the world, and
sucking up gold from their adopted
countries as though their fingers were
fashioned like the tentacles of the
octopus.
One day Herr Zebedee received the
following lamentable letter from his
first cousin once removed, Herr
Zachary Hansen, banker and cigar
merchant, of Bishopsgate street, Lon
don:
my Dear Zebedee-Praise to heaven
that the quotations of our last loan are
looking up, but I am sorry to gay that
my eldest son, Essu, is giving me a
deal of grief. He has absconded from
London, carrying with him a large
sum in securities belonging to our
customers, which it is his intention to
negotiate IN the Continent. I trusted
him with the post of cashier for a
week, and this is the never to be sum-
GENTLY deplored result. If this affair
transpire and Esau be caught he will
be prosecuted and our credit will be
damaged, not to mention the never to
be moderated grief which a father must
feel. But, my dear Z9bedee, 1 have
reason to believe that our E5au will
have made for Cologne, there to hide
for a while and negotiate his paper, so
1 pray you to find out the youth and
recover the securities from him, even
with threats of imprisonment if he re
sist. When Esau has restored the
paper, then I pray you give to him
"a, 1000 and start him for the United
States by the first Bremen packet,
telling him that his sorrowing father
will never see him again unless he
makes his fortune in America and re-
turns like a true Hansen tor invest it
in the family business. Esau shall have
nothing beyond those "a, 600, and his
brothers, Carl, Otto and Jeremiah,
shall inherit the portion destined for
him; 80 that praise be to heaven, I
shall be rather a gamer than a loser by
his dishonesty. The last consignment
Of cigars from Hamburg was not up to
the samples, and / could only get rid
of them by raising the price and selling
them under a brand not their own
which is never a convenient thing to
do, but better than losing money, I am
your truly afflicted and not to be easily
consoled. ZACHARY HANsER.
DISQUALIFICATION reason for be
lieving that Esau has gone for Cologne
is that he is travelling with a maiden
who is said to have friends in your
city, where she once performed as an
actress. E5au asked our leave to
marry her, and when we refused, then
it was that he absconded. I pray you
deal gently with the maiden, lest, any
scandal being raised, the business of
our bank should suffer at this not
favorable moment, when we want to
raise public confidence in u last
loan. I enclose Esau's photograh.
z f."
When Zebedee had read through
this epistle of his cousin Zachary he
took a pinch of snuff, and a malicious
twinkle shot through his eye.
Zebedee Hansen was, it will be seen
one of those excellent men who always
contrive to draw some consolation
from the misfortunes of others. He
read his cousin Zachary's letter again,
and then put on his hat and gloves to
go and look for the ~reprobate Esau
through the different hotels of
Cologne. The clews he had to work
upon were very slender; but forum
ately, the photograph would enable
him to trace the fugitive, supposing
the latter were truly in the town.
Zebedee Hansen felt pretty certain to
lay hold of E5au; for, in the first place,
he did not wish the name of Hansen
to be dragged through the mire of a
criminal prosecution, and in the next
he honestly desired to serve his cousin
Zachary, who had been doing well in
business of late, and had actually
taken the Gerolstein loan out of the
hands of the Schwartzchilds. These
sort of triumphs bind the hearts of
banking cousins in a tight bond.
So Herr Zebedee set out on his tour
of the Cologne hotels, and wherever
he went he was obsequiously received
by landlords and walters, who gave
him every Information in their power,
being delighted to oblige a financier of
his imDortance. Unfortunately thew