Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-27
HIS START IN LIFE.
1T WAS Aeooo ONE AND WAS THRUST
ON HIM BY ACCIDENT.


81 owe my start in life to the fact
that an estimable old gentleman forgot
to put his eyeglasses In his pocket one
morning" said a prosperous business
man from 4 sister city. ITS rather a
curious story" he went on. "and I'll
tell TT as briefly as possible. 4 good
many years ago, when / was a young
fellow of % or Whereabouts, l drifted
into Louisville in search of n job that
didn't materialize, and the upshot of IT
was that 1 found myself practically
broke in strange city. Up 10 that
time I had always worked for small
wages and had never succeeded in ac-
cumulating as much as $50, but / had
an abiding faith that If / could once
get hold of a modest stake I could
launch out for myself and make some
money.
zone morning. when l was wander
ing about with only two or three silver
dollars in my pocket, looking for a
chance TO go to work at anything that
might offer. 1 dropped into a big
down stairs room where some real
estate was being sold at auction. A
large crowd was present, and there
was an understandable feeling of ten
sion in the air that warned me some
thing unusual was about to happen.
while / was standing there, only
vaguely interested, the auctioneer, who
was quite an elderly gentleman, put
up a piece of improved city property
and after a considerable pause receiv-
ed a bid of 5000. could see that the
smallness of the amount excited sur
prise. and l was also aware of q COM
motion In one corner where half a
dozen previous bidders were gathered
together IN an excited group. They
seemed TO be quarreling about some
thing, and meanwhile the auctioneer
was Indignantly appealing for a re-
spectacle offer.
MAKE II $500" he shouted. Does
any gentleman bid $500? He looked
directly at me. and made a gesture of
denial. Thank you" he exclaimed,
greatly to my surprise. The gentleman
over there bids $500, and, If 1 can
help it. no combination of buyers is GO
ing to he allowed to dictate prices at
this sale" With that he suddenly
knocked down the property to me.
NJ oOOlNl uo lhlS
the story teller, than Il great uproar
of protests arose from the group in the
corner. They insisted that they had
been given no chance to bid, but the
auctioneer stood firm and, calling me
10 the platform, requested my name
and address and 20 per cent cash de-
post on the $500.
by that time ! realized, of course,
that some extraordinary chance had
thrown n fine piece of property into my
hands at a fraction of its real value,
and did some quick thinking. I've
sent a messenger for the money l said
rs coolly as l could, and I'll have it
here in - minutes
The auctiOneer looked at the clock
All right he replied, I'll give you
that limit
Then 1 took desperate chance. 1
pushed through the crowd, which was
already interested in the next sale, and
beckoned TO Il little fat man who had
been one of the loudest kickers a few
moments before.
Look here l said. drawing him
aside. DO you want to be my silent
partner for an hour or SOP
what d'you mean? said he.
II gave him the truth in a dozen
words. Now let me have that $500
deposit money 1 added. and Wen
share the profits, whatever they are
The little man looked ut me shrewd-
ly. This Is big joke on all of u.s. he
said, grinning, and 1 guess I'll risk the
deal
AT the same time he counted out
$500 and put it in my hands. l raced
back TO the desk with the cash. clinch-
ed the sale and before noon had the
deed in my possession. Then, to make
n long story short, my silent partner
offered me $1,000 cash for my interest,
and as 81 600 looked about as big as
mountain ut that stage OF the game l
promptly accepted. That thousand, for
tunately placed, gave me the start that
has kept me going ever since.
But what about the eyeglasses, did
you say? Why, the auctiOneer. as
afterward learned, was very near
sighted. and on the morning TO which l
refer he had forgotten ibis glasses. That
was why he mistoOk my gesture of dis
avowal for sign Of assent and forced
me. in spite of myself. into a good
thing. l never understood the exact
true inwardness of the deal, but the
facts in the rough were that a clique
of spectators had formed n combine
TO keep down prices, but, owing TO
some misunderstanding, failed to bid
on the property which l Sc
cured. The auctioneer was on to the
game and anxious TO break il up: hence
his precipitancy in knocking down the
lot to yours truly. l heard, later on,
that my portly silent partner made S.
900 out of the transaction, but l didn't
begrudge him the money. The $500 he
gave me on faith that morning was
worth fully 10 per cent a minute
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