paying you larger profits than any other enterprise you control, with
the new business we have secured and the splendid profits on all lines we
are now handling. There is no reason why we should need any more capital,
and I do not think it will be very long before we will have repaid you in
dividends for every penny of money you have recently put into the
business."

And so the owner turned his back on his mail-order business and gave his
time, thought, and energy to his other ventures. Reports, of course,
reached him regularly, but he had full confidence in the manager, and he
was very busy, so he paid but little attention to them.

THE INEVITABLE COLLAPSE

A little more than a year had passed when the capitalist was profoundly
astonished and dismayed to have one of his best business friends call upon
him and request: "Charlie, I wish you could do something for me on that
account. It's long past due and it's getting altogether too large for me
to carry as business is now."

"Why, what account is that? I didn't know I owed you a cent."

"Why, for that mail-order business of yours. They've been ordering goods
from me for over a year now, and what they have ordered during the last
six months has not been paid for. I knew that you were good, of course,
and so was perfectly willing to extend the credit. But you know, as a
businessman, that there is a limit to such things, and I think it has
about been reached. I hope you can take care of it immediately, as I can
very readily use the funds."

"Why, how much is this wretched account of mine, Will? I didn't know I
owed you a cent. It can't be very much."

"Well, it all depends upon what you call very much. It's something like
thirty-five thousand dollars."

"Thirty-five thousand dollars! Why, man, you must be dreaming," and the
capitalist turned to his telephone and called up the general manager of
his mail-order business.

"Why, yes," came back the cheerful, confident tone of the optimistic young
manager, "we do owe them around thirty-five thousand, I think. I supposed,
of course, you knew all about it. I've been sending my reports in every
week."

"But why haven't you paid it? Certainly your sales are big enough and your
income from them good enough for you to pay your bills."

"Well, I'll tell you; it is taking us just a little longer for us to get
on our feet than I had expected. Then, after your decision not to put any
more money into the business, I found it