Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1877 — MAKE YOUR OWN WAY. [ARTICLE]

MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.

David Speers was taking bits afternoon smoke. Perhapsthe long clay pipe looked :t little incongruous with the hundsomdyfurnished room and the massive silver plate on the mahogany sideboard. But, lor that matter, he was an incongruity—a little, common-looking man, not very well dressed. Certainly a very wide contrast to the handsome, stylish-looking young fellow who interrupted his reverie by a very frank and noisy “flood evening, uncle. Can 1 t.dk a Willie Witn you r ' “ That depends, Robin, on what you’re gaun to talk about.” “ You know, uncle, that Aleck Lang and 1 have long been friends.” “I have heard so; I don’t know it.” “Well, we have. To-day Aleck came to tell me that ho is going into the car-pet-weaving business in Kilmarnock, lie intends to buy Thomas Blaekie out.” “ lie’ll need some bawbees for that.” “ Ilis father wdl help, and he asked mo to join him. What do you think about it?” “How long have you been wi’ llastie ?” “Five years.” “ And liow much have you saved?” “ Well, to tell the truth, uncle, nothing at all. What with Jessie marrying l ist year and Rosa this, and the presents I had to give, and other expenses, my savings all went away.” “ Humph !” “ I thought, perhaps, that as the. business was such an old, sure one, and as both the Langs would bo interested in it, you would lend me xa,ooo Im b.i..|> a wonderfully good chance.” “ I have made it a rule never to lend money to young men.” “A very unkind rule when it touches mo, unde. You were never unkind to me before.” “ I am not unkind to you now either, Robin.” “Only £2,(100, uncle! And such a chance !” “(luid heavens, hear the lad ! ‘Only twa thousand !’ Did ye ever earn twa thousand pounds? Did ye ever save twa thousand pounds? When ye have, Rebin, come to me, an’l'll talk wi’ye about lending ye the sum.” “ But, uncle, the thing is not n new venture; it is sure to pay.” “ It is gaun to ha’e new masters; an’ men nt (JO arc na sae sure about things * paying’as lads of 5-and-20 are.” So the young man wont away much disappointed and not a little angry; but other friends looked more favorably on the plan. Che £2,000 were borrowed, and Robert Rae and Aleck Lang bought the old-es-tablished carpet-weaving house.

T|ie first year the, concern, in spite of falling prices, did very well. Robert’s shaije of profits not on ly gave him a good living, but paid his interest, and allowed 1 uni to lay by nearly £IOO toward clearing oil his borrowed capital; and the next year things wore still brighter. In the tonrtli year of the. enterprise Robert Rue called again on his uncle. “Good evening, uncle.” “Good evening, Robin. How’s business? ”

“First-rate. I don’t come to-night about business.” “ What for, then ? ” lam going to be married. I wanted Io tell yon about it.” “ That’s a mair kittle risk than Blackie’s business, Robin.” “ I think not, uncle.” “ \\ h it’s the lassie ? ” “ Jessie Lorimer.” “ What fortune has she?” “ J list her beauty and her noble nature; she is of good family, too, and has had the best of education. Why, uncle she can do ’most anything— paints, draws, plays the harp, sings like an angel, and -” “ 1 in feared she’ll be a kind o’ matrimonial luxury, Robin. But she’s a bonnie lassie; I ha’e seen her. Yet L doubt if she’s fit for a puir man’s wife.” “ You 11 come to the wedding, unde?” “ Surely, surely.” It was a very grand wedding, and David Speers made quite a sensation by giving the bride a check for £SOO. Indeed, Jessie seemed to have quite captivated the old bachelor, and hi! soon began to spend a great many of his eveningsiji her pretty home.. Ivhree years passed happily away. In Robert’s home there had been some pleasant changes; and his unde danced a pretty l>aby Jessie, occasionally on his knee, or looked admiringly and wonderiiligly at his own wee namesake in his cradle. Down at the mill things were apparently equally prosperous. All the looms were at .work, and the very welfare of Kilmarnock as a communitv was sensibly connected with the business of Lang <t Raes Carpet Mill.” .But a great deal ol this success was only apparent, for it hung upon chances entirely beyond the control of the young partners in it.

They had been compelled to borrow largely, and had big interest acwunfs, to meet, and a great deal of their paper being from houses unknown to local bankers, had to be cashed at very heavy discounts, All \ these things were much against them, yet so great was their industry and energy that they might have; turned all into “happy circumstances,” and won in spite of the odds against them, if yarns had not suddenly taken a’ tremendous and quite unlookedfor fall. Di is, of course, was followed by a number of failures, in most of which they suffered. Sot all their efforts could now gather together their numerous lines of enterprise!, and they found it equally impossible to curtail them, and so, after a few months of desperate, anxious struggle, the firm became bankrupt. Old David had long foreseen, and resolutely refused to meddle in the matter. A. coolness had, therefore, grown up between uncle and nephew, and when the end camo David was not among t hose who offered Robert and Aleck advice and sympathy. The young men behaved well. They surrendered everything, blit creditors did not fail to stigmatize as dishonorable and unbusiness-like and speculative and risky the nature of the trade done by the brok en firm. Aleck at once sailed for Sidney, where he had a brother, and Robert took his wife and children to her father’s, while ho endeavored to find a situation. But week after week passed, another winter was ap*

proaching, and nothing had been done. Once again David was interrupted. This time it was his pretty neice Jessie. His face softened wonderfully when he met her large, tearful eyes. “ Oh, uncle,” she said, “we have sore need of you.” “ My puir little woman, sit, down and tell Davie what he can do for you.” Jessie’s tale was soon told—her tears told it best. Robert’s heart had quite failed him; they were almost penniless, and they had worn their welcome out at her father’s. I “ Then you’ll come here, you and Robert, and Jessie, and wee Davie; an’ we’ll see what your man is fit for. If he canna find his feet wi’ a wife like you, I’m sorry for him. ” \ So the next day the family moved, with their small belongings, to David’s house, v®ry much to the annoyance of Mistress Janet, David’s housekeeper. This lady, indeed, soon made things so unpleasant that it was evident to all parties there could be no delay in a decision, and Robert, almost in. desperation, resolved on trying his fortune in the New World. David, pressed by his housekeeper’s grumbling and by his affection for his nephew, knew only of one other way—he could advance Robert money for a new effort.

“ But it would be the ruin o’ the lad,” he said, thoughtfully. “ I’m doubting if he’s learned his lesson yet; he must e’en go to school again.” So lie praised Robert’s suggestion, and offered to pay the passage of the whole family and give him £IOO to start life with. The oiler was accepted, and in a few days they were on the ocean, not one of them aware of the real interest and affection which followed them. “■But they’ll write to me,” said David to himself. “They’ll write, for they ken I ha’e plenty o’ siller. ” Once on a new track, all ItoWrt’o ™ ergjy returned, rrovmetl with a letter to the proprietors of the Mattatok carpet mills, ho found his way there, and readily obtained work. A part of his hundred pounds ’was used in furnishing a little cottage, and Robert enjoyed a degree of peace and comfort to which he had long been a stranger. The next spring a lucky event gave him a special prominence. A large mill in the neighborhood imported some machinery for weaving a peculiar kind of rug, and no one could bo found in the locality able to make it run smoothly.

Robert heard of the dilemma and offered his help. The loom was familiar to him, his success easy. He had found his place, and ho knew it. Day by day lie made his skill and energy felt. He rose to be overseer—business manager—partner. Still he varied very little the quiet simplicity of his home. Jessie and ho had found how little they really needed for happiness, and so, year by year, whatever they saved was invested in land, which grew in value while they slept, and worked at other things, and ton years after Robert’s first investment he, found himself, by the simple growth of the village, a very rich man. Just about this time David sept them a very urgent request to come and se6liim,aiid, as lie offered to pay all expenses, it was accepted. The old man was now nearing 80, yet he was wonderfully hale and bright, and met them at the steamer, apparently little older for the ten years that had elapsed since he bid them “ good-by” on the very same spot. He liked Robert’s way at the very first glance. “He has the look of a man wi’ siller, an’ he bears himsol’ well.” Another thing made a still more favorable impression on David. Robert was not anxious to speak on business. Indeed, David had at last to ask bluntly : “You’ll ha’e done wool, I suppose ?” “ Very well.” ‘ • You’ll no be needing ony help now ? I have money lying idle.” ,‘ Thank you, uncle; but I have £lO,(100 lying idle myself. I thought of investing it here, if I can find just the machinery I want. ” “You’re gaun to manufacturing again?” “ Yes ; I know all the ins and outs of the trade—there is a good opening in our town. Yes, lam thinking about it.”

“ You'll not be wanting a, partner, eh ?” 4 “ If I can got the right kind.” “ Would I do ?” “You, uncle?” “ Well, yes, laddie; an’ you needna scorn at me. I’ll put a hundred thousand to your fifty, an’ we’ll ca’ the firm ‘ Rae & Speers.” “ You could not leave Scotland, unde. ” “Was I thinking o’ sic a daft thing? I’ll trust my interests i’ your hands. I’ll ha’e my full rights, mind ; an’ you shall ha’e a fair alloxvance for doing my wark ns well as your ain. We’ll put everything on paper, and I’se hold you strictly to the bargain.” The proposal, made half in banter, finally assumed a very real shape, ami it was agreed that when Robert returned to America he should start a new manufacturing firm under very different auspices to his first venture.

But the past was only once alluded to, and then David introduced the subject. “You’ll be thinking, Kobin, very likely, o’ the day when I wouldna lend you the twa thousand pounds.” “You were quite right, uncle; no man ought to borrow money until he knows the difficulty of making it—and of saying it; young men can’t know these things ; they belong to experience.” “ You had that lesson to learn then, Robin’, an’ 1 thought ye might as weel learn it o’ ither folk as o’ me. Ono fool whiles teaches auither fool, an’ both grow wise thegither. Sandy McClure lent ye that twa thousand, and ho was nane the waur o’ the lessons ye gave him. There would be fewer young fools if there were mair wise elders.” So Robert’s visit was a great success, and the old man shed the last tears he ever shed on earth when he bid the children good-by. “ You take care o’ wee Davie for my sake, Robin,” he said, tenderly, holding file lad proudly by the hand, “for when I’m no longer to the fore, you’ll let my name stand i’ the firm till he’s ready to take my place; so then the hundred thousand will aye be in David Speers’ name.” And to-day the house grows and prospers, though old David has long been gathered to his fathers. Robert’s early failure has brought forth a late and splendid success.