The Romance and Tragedy

February

Walter E

situation, please call at my off

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office-boy. I had replied to the advertisement in the Herald, without consu

s to Cuban ports, had failed in business as a result of losses during the war, the

ixteen years of age, I commenced as an office-boy at a salary of three dollars per week. The position in those days was vastly different from what it is to-day. The

in luxury, was cheerfully undertaken, and it is only referred to

office ran as smoothly as that of any lad in similar position. The only other employee was a younger brother of Mr. Derham, who was taken in as a limited partner shortly after I was emp

out-of-town dealers and consumers, but by far the greater volume comprised the

firms have gone out of existence through failure or liquidation, and some accessions have been made, chiefly of foreign blood, but most of the old concerns remain, and though the personality of these has changed

to be expected amongst business competitors, I feel safe in saying that in n

firm only a few years ago discontinued a custom of hanging on the walls of its offices scriptural texts. Of still another firm, the most active member is a leader of Brooklyn's annual Sunday-school processions, though he prides himself on his cold blood, and before le

result of Mr. Derham's brusqueness and quickness to resent anything that he deemed an attempt to take advantage of, or put a

Mr. Derham on one occasion, when, having made what in those days was co

little knowing the reception awaiting me in

, and then all the nervous irritability for which that individual was noted came to the surface at

; get out!" And pushing me across the office, he opened the door and thrust me

back to Mr. Derham and give him

ked rapidly to Winter's office. Entering the door with blood i

nd you decline to a

down on the desk came Mr

messenger, who is my representative when I send him to you, perhaps I'll

ld spring. He signed the contract, told me he was sorry he had been

Smart, a dignified gentleman at that time acting

ncelled, claiming that he had been induced to make the sale through the alleg

ilence for a moment, long enough to discover that he was lacking either in pluck or inclinati

gh to relieve the monotony of office life and at the same time t

rences arose between them, the friction increasing until finally a separation of their business interests was agreed upon. Mr. Thomas De

, and Mr. Derham, after the dissolution of partne

were no further advances later, this

o worse at home and most of my earnings had to contribute to keep the pot boiling, it se

loyed to do the cleaning, and Mr. Derham delegated to me the placing of many of

portion of the correspondence, and it was not long before I had acquired a thorough knowledge of the methods

usiness and accept an offer which had been made him by one of the la

aying him for the good-will twenty-five

e, and advised a partnership on equal terms with a Mr. Bulkley, then doing a brokerage bu

captain in the Seventh Regiment and had seen service. A man of attractive personality, he had many f

m that I could do better without a partner, but he thought otherwise, and not unnaturally, under the circumstances,

d for England, leaving as his succ