Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-01-07
MY QUEER PARTNER.
BY BELLE G. WARREN.

When was twenty-five years of age /
was sent to ST Paul by the firm |
was with to establish all agency for
their goods | soon discovered that
there was a concern in Minneapolis |
which was selling the same grade of
goods and always undertaking me
| went over there to see if could
make a scale of prices with the under
bidding firm.
] found young man even younger
than myself He was not acting as
agent. but for himself | stated my
business. to which he listened atten-
lively. | argued that If he continued
to underbid me would begin to un.
derbid him. and one would thus ruin
each others trade, whereas if we made
prices together we could both succeed.
When had finished he said:
What guaranty have that you
will keep your agreement"
Surprised at such question, | re-
piled. The same guaranty have that
You will keep yours"
There is no doubt whatever that
will keep any agreement | shall make"
he replied. with some hauteur
1t struck me that he should go to
some university for n course of logic.
However. pursuaded him to make
n list of minimum prices with me and
left him well pleased with the result
of my visit. We became very good
friends as well as competitors. and
finally, when | concluded to act also
on my own account. we concluded. in
order to save expenses. to form a part
nership | offered to give him first
place in the firm name. but he insisted
! on taking the second so we styled
| ourselves Graves & Ellston
| found my partner a queer mixture
For n time | was virtual as we'll as
nominal head of the firm, but lost it
in very odd way. \ man came into
our store to buy a large bill of goods
on credit The profit would be large,
and l was brimful of enthusiasm over
the trade. Not so Elliston. He fiat
! ~ refused to consent ITO sell the man.
When it came TO his reasons he had
none to give. Irritated. | told him
that lie should explain his position or
| would dissolve the partnership,
whereupon, driven to the wall, he said
that he didn't like the shape of the
mans nose.
Notwithstanding this absurd reason,
which l inferred he had given simply
to afford me an excuse for not fulfill
| ing my threat. we did not sell the
goods. Some months later the notes
| the purchaser had given other firms
were protested and every dollar of the
/ Indebtedness was lost. | charged FL
liston with having some information
unknown TO me about the rascal but
! he denied having any whatever. Never
thcless from this time | never urged
entering upon any important transac-
tion without my partners full APP
prevail
But when it came 20 a matter of sew
cral hundred or several thousand dol
lars. while | would unblushingly make
an offer of half the amount asked,
Elliston could never bring hi;lself to
consider such course as anything but
ridiculous. Thus the large transac-
lions fell into my hands.
Although Elliston seemed TO me TO
be very notional. l gradually found
that he was better business man
than |. He was certainly my superior
in looking ahead. While my mind
was on the present, his was on the
future. This was especially true in
the matter of expenses. l am free to
admit that had it not been for him
our expenses would have eaten up our
profits. He was continually surprising
me. when payments we were Obliged
to make came round. by having pro-
vided the funds to meet them. This
faculty, together with his keeping eX-
penses down, made money for us every
year for several years. Then one day
Elliston told me that he wished TO sell
his interest in the business since he
purposed travelling abroad. This was
a blow TO me, for / was not minded
TO give up business myself. and / was
sure l could not make money without
the aid of the typical faculties pos
sessed by my partner. However, he
gave Inc easy terms, and bought him
out.
AS soon as the papers had passed Ell
llStOu Dduc ule BOOupy anu ASlt AOl
New York to sail for Naples. \ week
later I received a letter from him at
Chicago, asking me to meet him there.
Since he gave no reason l hesitated.
However knowing him to be q queer
fellow who usually had reason hid
den away somewhere for what he
did. l left my business with my head
! clerk and took a train.
The next evening / called at Ellis
toms hotel and sent up my card. |
was shown to a private parlor, where,
instead Of finding him, woman ad-
Vanced to greet me.
You're Elliston's sister, eXclaim-
ed, doubtless his twin"
II am Elliston himself" she replied.
And so she was. 1t was a singular
story she told mellow. having been