Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-22
the idea or stenograpny once came to

the iuea or a steuosrapny once came tc me.
 'The actual work of typewriting and shorthand was not attractive to me. but did like the idea of going out and hunting for business. I thought that if I could get girl who liked the me chanical work of stenography could drum up the work for her to do, and between us we could make more than either one of US could alone. took a little room in an office building and paid for it in advance for one month. I was looking over my first little ac- count book only yesterday, and found the entries for that first months work. Our proceeds did not amount to much more than $50, but we were able to pay our rent for another month. The second month the business increased, and after that 1t came with rush. This was the beginning of my big stenography office. have sometimes employed as many as sixty or seventy girls there at time. Even so, it was all I could do to keep up with my or ders.
 Tt has been intimated in this Santo Domingo matter that President Roose- welt was not entirely friendly to me. do not believe that this is true, for MT. Roosevelt has always been my good friend. It is true that when he was police commissioner he opposed the proposal to give me the stenographic work of his department, but when it was given to me despite his OppOsi- ton he congratulated me. When he was governor of the state he appointed me to two positions. He also gave me his rough rider story to get out, and have now in my possession letter from Scribner's saying that the manu- script was the most perfect piece of work which had ever come under their observation. ....
 During the time I conducted the of- fee I handled the confidential corre- spondence of the eastern managers of the Republican campaign and the pro- ceedings of the American commission to settle the Venezuelan boundary dis pute. In the course of my business l was brought closely in touch with busi- ness affairs, and I soon learned enough to make it possible for to me to under take the promotion of certain large in- terests in the south. It was about this time that I went to Alabama, secured a charter for a railroad, built it and sold it to the Southern railroad at good profit.
 ''Two years after gave the stenogra- phy and typewriting business to the young woman who had been at the head of the office for long time and went to London, where acted as dip lomatic agent for large banking firm and engineered number of matters for myself besides. It was there that met the sultan of Johore and secured the concession for the Johore railroad.
 II never accepted regular diplo- matic position, although was once of- fered $75,000 year and all my ex- penses to do so. told the people who wanted me that if was worth $75,00O a year to them I was certainly worth more to myself-if not actually at that moment, in the course of time. have never been in India at all. In fact my experiences of foreign countries is at present confined to Europe and South America.
 Ut was after my marriage to MT. Reader, three years ago, that I went to Peru. Up to that time I had never been attracted to investment in mines, but MT. Reader was interested in some South American properties, and, natur- ally, after our marriage his interests became mine. went down to Peru and travelled all through the Andes alone, inspecting all sorts of business enterprises and gleaning fund of use full information about South America and South American investments. My husband and were just getting ready to go to Peru again when this Santo Domingo matter came up, and now we shall have to stay fin New York until 1t is finished. That's the chronicle of my business life up to date."
 Mrs. Reader and her husband are now business partners in some very large enterprises. Athole B. Reader was born in New Zealand and has had long diplomatic career. He has been successively secretary to Sir Charles Evan Smith. British minister to Mo rocco, and Sir West Ridgeway, gov. ernor of Ceylon.