Evening journal., 1910-07-13

A delightful character was Salem II.
Wales, father-in-law of Elihu Root
Republican candidate for mayor of
New York in 1876 and in his day one
of the foremost citizens of the metro
polls II used to be his custom on each
New Years Day to go about among his
friends and say to them Have | done
anything In the year just ended to Of
fend or annoy you? If | have ! want
to ask your pardon, for. after all,
friendship is more value to a man
than money"
One day in the autumn of 1901 | met
him as he was leaving the office of a
safe deposit company, in whose vaults
he was in the habit of telling his
friends he kept his modest posses
sions. There was a perplexed look
upon his face as he greeted me, took
me by the arm and led me aside. Il
have just had most extraordinary
experience" he contided. Il feel lit
tie bewildered. I don't know exactly
how 10 act. | have just made the dis
covery that | am millionaire!" ,
| congratulated him. For a moment
he looked dreamily beyond me. Then
he continued:
remember that two or three years
ago a very good friend of mine, who
..4 nually succeeded in getting his
SECOND million dollars, told me that
the first million was by far the hard
er of the two to get. Undoubtedly il
was with him, and maybe it Is with
most men who get a million and more,
yet with me the million was not hard
to get at all, and until a few minutes
ago | had no idea that ] would ever be
a millionaire.
you know of Tom Acton, the old
police commissioner who broke up the
draft riots in New York in SO? Well,
when he lost his place in the sub
treasury. where he went some time
after the war was over. some of his
friends decided to organize for him
little bank uptown; Tom thought there
was a chance for bank to do good
business up there in looking after
small accounts. ] was appealed to and
subscribed for a block of stock. and
with Tom Acton as president the bank
did comfortable little business for
number OF years. Then along comes
Charles W. Morse organizing a chain
Of banks in New York city He wants
that little bank of ours i'm the worst
way and he offers what seems to all
Of us a preposterous price for our
stock, and we accept his offer. My.'but
It was mighty big sum that got for
the stock which I subscribed for simp-
/ ~ to help Tom Acton out. The amount
almost made my head swim.
To-day | came down to the safe de-
posit company 10 place in my box with
my old securities the ones / bought
with the money received for my bank
stock. When ! started TO do that / said
10 myself Count everything and see
how much you have got SO | began
counting and before | could realize IT,
hardly. I had told OFF a million dollars
in giltedged securities. and have
been bewildered ever since.
Il wonder II other men have felt,
when they found they were worth a
million. as / do now" continued Mr..
Wales. after another dreamy pause. Il
don't believe am puffed up. | used to
think that it / ever became a million
aire ! should do some strutting, but,
10 tell you the truth. I feel humbled.
don't think ! ever realized so strongly
that contentment with whatever you
have is really riches as / did when
made the startling discovery that
am a millionaire. And don't feel bit
richer-I was going to say not half SO
rch-as I did when 7 first realized
that with about a quarter of a mil
lion dollars | had accumulated enough
! money to take care Of mE-1Smily an'