serve his faculty for enjoyment, while you lose yours. Your children grow up, marry and leave you alone-ah! how terribly alone.

is

Can't you change all this? I am not going to preach a sermon. But really it is a pitiable object to behold a man twist himself into a deformity. We read of prisoners so long confined in one position that the limbs refuse to do their office when they are set at liberty. So with you, who have no other thought but to merely buy and sell. Suppose you attempt to become interested in what is going on at home. Cultivate your children's affections, and thus enlarge your own. Then you will cease to be absent-minded or preoccupied while you caress them; then you will get rid of that nervous irritability which will not permit you to sit quietly half an hour with your family, because the time up for you to be off, although you know your presence is not required at your place of business. In short, do not work so hard, but apply more intellect to what you do undertake. Recollect, nearly half that you do is done wrong or injudiciously by being done with too little reflection and too much precipitation. Think what a large portion of your time is spent in repairing damages, or in undoing what you have begun. So you cannot lose by following my advice; on the contrary, you are sure to be the gainer. Therefore, I say, take time to enjoy-I repeat, enjoy all you can; something of nature, the green of the meadow, the majesty of the full flowing river, the forest and the mountain; something of art-a picture, a statue, a fine building, an engraving; something of society-lay hold of persons who are genial, and create a world of pleasant intercourse, in which

no taskmaster shall enter nor intermeddle; at all events, for HEAVEN'S sake, make some effort to get out of the rut you are in at present. Do not look down as you walk along, but look up. How long is it since you have actually regarded the sky, the sun, moon and stars? Observe them now, and get back if you can some of your youth's romance. Or at the least let your eye rest on a church spire, or the façade of some fine building; or, failing that, look at the horses and carriages which fill the streets-do. If at last you fail in business-and you know what are the mathematical chances against your ultimate success-you have not lost all you are worth; on the contrary, you will be worth more than you have lost. There cannot exist a more unhappy spectacle than a man who has devoted his very life to "business," and who fails or "retires" toward the close of his career. Whether you are to fail or to retire, keep yourself from becoming a hideous ossification! These observations are. the result of my reflections that morning as I paced up and down the little parlor, while I subjected myself to a searching analysis. That analysis was not altogether discouraging. In short, I felt that I was something outside of my occupations-not what I should have been, but still something; and then I discovered that so far as one has the faculty to enjoy what is daily presented so far one is rich.

7*

CHAPTER III.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE?

FOR two or three months I occupied myself in looking about me, endeavoring to hit on some means of supporting my family. Once in my life I recollected, in the course of a conversation, kindly criticising an acquaintance, who was leading apparently an idle life, while he remained quite dependent on some relations, when his health appeared good, and he was withal very competent. His answer I never

"Mr.

forgot, and it came home to me with much force. Parkinson," said he, "I am neither indolent, nor, I think, inefficient; but I am used up after I have passed the prime of life. GOD grant you may never know by experience the difficulty of getting any thing to do, which you can do at my age and in my circumstances. I am an experienced merchant, but no young man who is a principal in business wants to pay me for my advice. Faith, no young man would relish my advice anyhow. As to a clerkship, people prefer younger persons, and very properly. I am not suitable for a book-keeper, nor active enough for a salesman, nor strong enough for a porter. I am not on the right side of politics for a place in the Custom-House, and my friends cannot afford to make an employment for me.”

I asked the man's pardon, and I felt now as if I wanted to go to him and ask it a second time. Carefully I surveyed

the ground. It was that of the unfortunate individual whose experience had preceded mine.

"What can I do ?"

It happened that one of my mercantile acquaintances, with whom I had always been on agreeable terms, advised me to see what I could accomplish as a note-broker. At that time the present system of large offices, where a capitalist can go and select such notes as may please him, had not been organized. But one house of the kind was then in existence. There was much more favoritism at the banks than now; in short, those who will look back to eighteen hundred and forty-eight will recognize an entire revolution in money transactions, and in doing business generally since then. At that time there was much less capital, and, consequently, much more credit in proportion. My adviser urged, that, with my experience of the various firms in the city, and with the kind feeling entertained toward me by the two banks where I had kept my account, I should have no difficulty in earning, by way of commission, what would make us at least comfortable. Besides, I might also take up various negotiations as occasion presented. I had myself thought of this plan, and on conversing with Mr. Norwood, I found he did not oppose it. I next undertook to ascertain what I might reasonably expect from the banks. At the Bank of the World, notwithstanding my experience of what a change of fortune would produce in the demeanor of people, I was perfectly taken aback by the extraordinary treatment of the president.

He was seated in his private room, giving directions to one of the book-keepers as I entered. He did not appear to

upon

notice me when I came in, so I remained standing while he talked to the clerk. After a while he was through; therehe raised his eyes, and looked at me much as he would at an apple-woman. "Good morning!" was all he said. Whereupon I sat down, and was commencing to tell him. what I called for.

"I say, Willard," calling back the clerk, who was just outside the door. The man returned, and received another direction, and went away. Then Mr. President took up a piece of paper with some figures on it, and exclaimed, while he regarded it attentively: "Go on, Mr. Parkinson, I can hear just as well." I had only begun again when in stepped a customer, a favorite customer, who whispered a word to the president, produced two pieces of paper, on both of which the latter placed a small mark in pencil, and he was off. I attempted to continue, when in came the cashier, who had other questions to put. Not the least notice was taken of me meanwhile, and shortly he concluded. After that another acquaintance came in, and claimed attention. Each time I had opportunity to utter only half a sentence before I was interrupted. But it was not the interruptions; it was the contemptuous, supercilious manner toward me of this man in power, who evidently regarded me as wholly and absolutely insignificant. Twice I determined to walk out, and abandon the whole business, but I gulped down my pride, and managed by degrees to communicate what I had to say.

66

Really, Mr. Parkinson, the bank can give no assurances to you; our regular customers take up all we have at present."