Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-01-05

Yesterday your old college friend
clarence blew in from Monte Carlo,
where he had been In the interests Of
cience, and presented your letter of
Introduction. Said he still couldn't
Understand Just how it happened, be-
ause he had figured it out by loga-
tthms and trigonometry and differen-
Hal calculus and lot of other high
|riced studies that he'd taken away
rom Harvard and that it was q cinch
n paper. Was so sure that he could
AVE proved his theory right If he'd
My had little more money that 1t
hardly seemed worth while to tell him
hat the only thing he could really
rove with his system was old Pro
essor Darwins theory that men and
honkeys began life IN the same cage.
never struck me before. but Ill bet
be professor got that idea while hc
tas talking with some of his students.
Personally l don't know great deal
bout gambling, because all ever
pent for information on the subject
ras S2.T5-my fool horse broke in the
tretch-and that was forty years ago.
But first and last I've heard lot OF
hen explain how 1t happened that
hey hadn't made hog killing. OF
purse there must be winning end TO
ambling, but all that these men have
cen able to tell about is the losing
bid. And l gather from their expert
hoes that when n fellow does little
ambing on the side it's usually on the
Trong side.
The fact Of the matter Is that the
nee horse, the faro tiger and the
oker kitty have bigger appetltes than
ny healthy critter has right to have
nd after you've fed a tapeworm
here's nhghty little left for you. Fol
Pwing the horses may be pleasant cX-
tcise at the start, but they're apt to
lad you to the door of the poorhouse
the Jail at the finish.
To get back TO Clarence, he took
bout an hour TO dock his cargo of
ard luck and another to tell me how
trange It was that there was no draft
rom his London bankers waiting 10
felcome him. Naturally l haven't
we'd for sixty years among a lot of
BLOWS whove been trying to drive Il
pld chisel between me and my bank
ccount without being able to smell
buch coming long time before it
vertakes me, and Clarence's intcn
ons permeated his CHEEKY convorsa-
on about as thoroughly as a fertilizer
n
course he gave me every opportu-
ity to prove that / was a gentleman
nd to suggest dellcately that / should
glad II he would let me act rs his
hnker in this sudden emergency but
l didn't show any signs Of being n
entleman and banker he was finally
breed to come out and ask me in
barse commercial words to lend him
hundred. Said It hurt him to have to
1t on such short acquaintance, but
puldn't see that he was suffering any
bal pain.
Frankly. l shouldn't have lent Clar-
bee a dollar on his looks or his story,
pr they both struck me as doubtful
bllateral, but 50 long rs he had
liter from you asking me to do any
hing in my power to obligc him or to
AXE his stay in Carlsbad pleasant,
let him have the money on your nc
bunt to which I have written the
Rsher to charge 1t. or course, hope
larence will pay you back, but | think
pu Will save bookkeeping by charg-
& It Off to experience. I've usually
bund that these quick, glad borrowers
Re slow, sad payers. And when fell
w tells you that it hurts him to
i've to borrow you can bet that the
fought Of having to pay Is going to
him up into bowknot of pain.
Right here I want to caution you
Eainst giving away your signature to
Tery Clarence and Willie that happens
ong. When your name IS on a note
stands only for money, but when
S on letter Of introduction or rec
nmendntion it stands for your judg
ent Of ability and character. and you
mt call 1t in at the end OF thirty
hys, either. Giving letter Of intro
lotion .s simply lending your name
it'll man as collateral. and II he's
good you can't have the satisfaction
redeeming your Endorsement even,
nd you're discredlted. The first thing
at young merchant must learn is
at his brand must never appear ON q
)te or ham or man that isn't good.
reckon that the devil invented the
lblt of indorsing notes and giving
tiers to catch the fellows he couldn't
ach with whisky and gambling.
or course letters OF Introduction
I'VE their proper use. but about nine
Of ten Of them are simply license
some Clarence to waste an hour Of
bur time and to graft on you for the
hcheon and cigars. It's getting so
nat fellow who's almost stranger
me doesn't think anything of asking
letter Of Introduction to one
hos a total stranger. You can't ex.
ain to these men. because when you
to let them down easy by telling
EN- that you haven't had any real
portunity to know what their special
ilites are they always come back
It'll IN, "Oh, that's all right-just say
word and refer to anything you like
>out me-"
give them the letter then unsealed,
I'd. though of course they're not sup
>sed to read II, have reason to thinl,
at they do, because I've never heard
one of those letters being presented.
use the same form on all of them.