Year: 1869

: W hetp up, ailu etitl WlSucu tIiat


should not relapse. As-it had bee


running on for nearly twenty year
d and as he paid very small premium
ie and was now in bad health, the il


surance company would have bee
c, glad to purchase it back. Therefor
- after looking at the affair in ever


possible way, l came to the concll
i, sion that the security was good, an


that | might safely advance the SUI


Of three hundred pounds upon tn


security of he policy being endorse
over u me. This was done, and
advanced the money! Gentlemen


The worst days's business l ever di
- in my life.


''In general creditor sees bu


little OF his debtors, whether they ar


few or many. The man who owe
: money generally avoids the individ


ual to whom he owes it. But it hap
pened otherwise with Strange ant


myself With new business that b.


had bought, he was not expected


nor even wished, by his partner t.


interfere and his own indifferen


health made it very desirable THAT HI


should be as free as possible from


the coufined air of the close printing
rooms. The partnership he har
purchased secured him q certain


amount of income, which, together


with what he had besides, allowed


him to 20 about in divers parts ol


the country, travelling being much


recommended by his medical attend
ant. Knowing that | haG TO make


weekly trips to Harwich, and that !


had often to go to Rotterdam in the


way of business when looking after


cattle, he asked me whether lie could


be of use to me as clerk. He asked


for no salary, Only his actual travel
ing expenses and for this he was 10


keep my accounts, write and copy


my letters, and make himself gener-


ally useful. The bargain was a good


one for both parties. On the one


hand my business was increasing


every week, and having 10 knock
Fabout a great deal at fairs and to see


a great many dealers, ] had no time


to look properly after my accounts;


which sometimes got rather compli-
Gated. On the other hand, Strange


had enough to live upon, but not
enough to pay travelling expenses


with comfort. Having been friends
for several years, when we Travelled
together we always had our meals in
common; and in country places, or
where the inns were very full, We
generally took double bedded room
between US.


''After q time / found Strange's
assistance OF such value 10 me that |
was able to increase NY. connections
very materially indeed. Being a
shrewd man, he was able at the end
of a twelve month to make purchases
and conduct my business as well as
L could. This led, naturally enough,I
to partnership being formed be
tween us, by the terms of which |
was to lend him FIVE hundred pounds
TO put into the business, of which he
was TO have fourth of .he net profits.
AS surety for the five hundred
pounds, he insured his life for an
other thousand. Thus, when we
commenced working together as
partners, Strange owed me eight
hundred pounds, and l held policies
of insurance on his life for two
thousand pounds.


"Our business trips used generally
to last from a week to fortnight.
Sometimes we were detained at the
port to which we had brought the
animals, Tor four or FIVE days, await
ing the means Of shipping them to
England for it is not every steamer
that will take bullocks, or sheep, or
pigs, IS cargo Sometimes one of
us would remain in London conduct
ing the sales of such animals as his
partner sent him from abroad. And
this happened when the event of
which / am now going to tell you
took place.


"As Strange could speak French |
very well, often sent him alone to
the fairs in Normandy and Bfitanny.
nearly always going myself to those
in Holland and the north of Germany.
1t was somewhere about the end OF a
certain May that he went over to
France, intending TO remain there
about six weeks, and go from one
fair TO another on a certain round.
Three or four consignments of beasts
bad reached me in London, and the
last was to aRme over in a day or
two. My partner had visited all the
fairs be intended 10 60 to, and was
to Join me. | wrote him at South
ampton, where he was to land, saying
that would meet him there, take a
look at the cattle he had bought, and
send some to London, and go with
the rest to some of the southern
counties, where there was likely to
he a market that would suit my
book.


81 reached Southampton on the
day named, and met Strange. We
iined together in the afternoon at n
small inn near the docks, and, finding
we could not get two bedrooms,
engaged a double bedded room for |
tue night. Then we began to square
up accounts and spent the afternoon
seeing how we stood in the matter OF
money. But something that Strange
had done vexed me sorely. He had,
in the face OF what l had written to |
him in London to the contrary, paid /
some two pounds head more for ,
about thirty or forty beasts than we
should ever realize. When l told
aim how foolishly he had acted, he
me back that ne had done t
ais best, and that he had as much I
right as l had to speculate with our ,,
oint funds. To this l replied that, {
although he was undoubtedly part t
ner in the concern, it was / who had
put in all the capital, and that he 8
had only an interest of twenty five |
per cent in the profits. His rejoin {
Ter l remember well. He said that |
# he died, / would get all the money !
he owed me and more. To this l |
-etorted, in passion, that I knew t
/. and that did not care how soon I
be died. All this wrangling took c
place in the coffee-room of the inn, =
before the girl who waited on US, the .
cook of the house, the barmaid, the c
and the landlady 'shusband. Ii
The latter, when he saw we were