The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-03-11
HOW HEGOT STARTED
A MERCHANT TELLS OF HIS WIN
MING CY A SHOW or HONESTY.


IN Sterling, Honest Fellow
'You wish TO know how got my
start in Chicago, oh? Well, l don't
mind telling you about it now, although
you may not iDdorse the means l adopt
ell. y"
Here the merchant prince laughed
heartily, withdrawing his cigar for the
purpuse After q moment or two he re-
eumed:
Il 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 n sharper. Be-
fore leaving home / had a settlement
with my guardian, who turned over TO
me $500 in cash, oil the possessions
had in the world
The distress of the panic of 1857 had
not passed, and things were awfully
dull here. After securing a modest
boarding house l 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
BE work, being willing to begin at the
lowest rCng of tho ladder. Bct some
how didn Z catch ON. / must have beeu
what is vulgariy called IN orncry' chap
-uacoCth 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 much ex
perience. Once in awhile / got n Job Of
saving wood, cutting grass and tending
garden, but / spent far more than !
earned, although i lived very cconom-
ically. Month after month passed in this
way until nearly one-half Of my capital
was exhausted.
Ny necessities led me 10 much cogi-
tation, ard having made rapid progress
III r'v study of bookkeeping rs we'll as
IN knowledge Of good English / finally
concluded TO aspire to something higher
A prerequisite 10 this step WAS the dofr-
ing Of my old jeans suit, which had he
come decidedly seedy. The tailor's bill
made a big iEroad upon my diminishing
capital, and the thought of il set my
teeth or edge. Out l went day after day
among the merchants, Offering my serv-
ices as bookkeepcr, accountant, ship
ping clerk or salesman, but / found nc
takers. the market was suffering from
an Oversupply of the commodity, anu
the demand was nil.
Finally / decided that something
had to bo done. l could not and would
not be penniless in n big city. l am nat
M " Of
SIX months Of enforced iGleneSs to ona
who loves work are enough TO becloua
the sunniest temper. But see you are
getting impatient. A change Gid final
" conc. CEe Gay Mr.. Davis, the heal
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 a small bundle and saying bro
kenly:
i have found, sir, a package Of
money! hundred dollars, l think.
am stranger III the city and wish you
to keep IL until YOU find the owner
When lie fond breath, Mr.. Davis.
who recalled me as one who had applied
to him more than once for employment,
demurred, insisting that l should leave
it in the hands Of the police.
That Will not do, sir. know vout
reputation and en- confidently leave the
sum with you. l 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.
Mr.. Davis became interested.
Is there any way of identifying
hlm-any namo or address in the pack
age?'
think not, sir. replied, but the
bills, rs you will see, are done up in
pecullar'red cloth-lebiege | think it is
called-and If you would merely adve1-
ase tho fact that a sum of money hal
been found, and required the applicant
60 name the amount and the envelope
covering it, you could not possibly mis-
take
My importantly finally overcamo his
objections, and lie took my address, and
after pronouncing me sterling honest
fellow, bade me come around in the
morning.
Well. that was my start in life.
Mr.. Davis greeted Inc when returned
IN the morning most effusively.
I've been thinking over that matter
and confess that | admire your honesty.
There's no reason in the world why yon
shouldn't have kept that money. Many
men who are far better off than You
would have done So
He ended by Offering me place be. 1
hind one of the counters at Sc a week. /
and five years later ! was his partner.
Oh, the money! A number Of par
ties answered tEe advertisement, but
they couldn't proCe mp. you see, for the f.
best Of all reasons The money was my
own, and Mr.. Davis finally returned il
to me ! ran not the slightest risk and I
was satisfied that the act would bring
me under the favorable notice of Mr.. +
Davis