Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-09-07
CHAPTER VIII.

wants to.
He rapidly familiarized himself with
the technicalities as well as with the
methods and broad principles of bust
ness. He sat up till midnight for many
nights in succession in order to learn
from the head bOokkeeper the rather
scant mysteries of bookkeeping BY
observing the gaugers who measured
coal barges to determine their contents
he quickly acquired skill in doing that.
1t was so with everything. He was
determined to master every art and
mystery that in anywise pertained to
business, whether the skill in question
was or was not one that he was ever
likely to need or to practice.
His diligence, his conscientiousness
in work. his readiness of resource, his
alert intelligence and his sturdy In
tegrity daily commended him more
and more to the head of the firm, and
not many months had passed before
every one in the office tacitly recOgniz-
ed the young Virginian as the conf
dental adviser and assistant of Cap
tain Hallam himself. though no formal
appointment Of that kind had been
made.
But no advance Of salary came to the
young man as q result. 1t was one OF
Captain Hallam's rules never to pay
man more for his services than he
must and never to advance mans
salary until the advance was asked for.
Captain Hallam was in no fiber OF
his being a miser, but he acted always
upon those cold blooded prudential
principles that had brought him
wealth. 1t was not money that this
great captain of commerce worshiped,
but success Success was the one god
Of his idolatry. Outside of his bust
ness he was liberal in the extreme.
Even in his business operations he
never hesitated at lavish expenditure
where such expenditure promised good
results. But he regarded all unneces-
sary spending as waste, of the kind
that imperils success.
In his cynical moments, indeed, he
sometimes said that If you have a
valuable man in your employ you must
keep him poor; otherwise you'll lose
him." But in so saying he perhaps did
himself an injustice. He was apt to
feign heartless SelfishnesS that he
did not feel.
Little by little Guilford Duncan had
learned all this as he had learned bust
ness methods. He had at first modest
ly proposed to himself nothing more
iu the way of achievement than to
make himself valuable subordinate
private or at most corporal or a
sergeant-in the ranks of the great ar
my of work. But before many months
had passed his modesty was compelled
to yield somewhat to an increasingly
clear understanding Of conditions and
possibilities Somewhat TO his own
surprise he began to suspect himself
of possessing capacities superior to
those Of the men about him and even
superior to those of many men who
had risen to high place in commerce
and finance.
AS Captain Hallam came more and
more to rely upon the sagacity and
character of this his most trusted man, |
he more and more brought young Dun |
can into those confidential conferences |
with the leading men of affairs which |
were frequently necessary in the plan
ming and execution Of important enter
prises or in the meeting of difficulties
and obstacles. In that way Duncan
was brought into personal contact with
the recognized masters, big and little,
with railroad presidents, financiers,
bankers. capitalists and other men
whose positions were in a greater or
less degree commanding.
AT first lie modestly held himself as
nothing more than the tool and servitor
of these great men, but presently he
began to suspect that they were not
very great men after ALTO see that 1t
was usually he himself who devised
and suggested the enterprises that
these men undertook, and he who saved
them from mistakes In the execution
Sfthase. enterprises.
GuilfOrdl Duncan had never In his
life kept a diary. He regarded that
practice as d useless puerility and usu-
ally an indulgence in morbid self COM
muning and unwholesome self con-
seriousness, but it was his practice
sometimes late at night to set down
upon paper such thoughts as had in
terested him during the day for the
sole sake of formulating them in his
own mind Often he would In this way
discuss with himself questions con-
corning which he had not yet matured
his opinion.
"I've been in conference this day."
he wrote one night, with half dOz-
en- nabobS-not great nabObs, but sec
ond rate ones. All this has put new
thought into my mind. Why should
not 1, GuilfOrd Duncan, make myself a
leader, a captain or even a command
ing general of affairs? But the man
who would do things Of any cOnse-
luence in business ways must have
The bank account is his tool
hest
81 suggested some combinations to-
night to those nabobs, and they are
going to carry them out They would
never have thought Of the cOmbina-
ions but for my suggestion. But they
IAN and will carry them out, with
great credit and profit to themselves,
because they have command Of money. ]
could not even think of conducting [
UGH affairs, simply because have no
command of money.
every well, then. shall proceed to
ret money, just as l should study to I
cquire skill in profession or just as
uhn,,ld rnnd I'm tho law nertainin1 to