to oblige you, but I can explain why at the moment," etc.,
etc.

I do not mean to criticize this sort of friendship; for sometimes it
is a matter of temperament; and sometimes the real necessities are
such that the friend cannot do as he would like to do. As I look back
over my friends, I can remember only a few of this kind and a good
many of the more capable sort. One especial friend I had. His name was
S.V. Harkness, and from the first of our acquaintance he seemed to
have every confidence in me.

One day our oil warehouses and refinery burned to the ground in a few
hours--they were absolutely annihilated. Though they were insured for
many hundred thousands of dollars, of course, we were apprehensive
about collecting such a large amount of insurance, and feared it might
take some time to arrange. That plant had to be rebuilt right away,
and it was necessary to lay the financial plans. Mr. Harkness was
interested with us in the business, and I said to him:

"I may want to call upon you for the use of some money. I don't know
that we shall need it, but I thought I'd speak to you in advance about
it."

He took in the situation without much explaining on my part. He simply
heard what I had to say and he was a man of very few words.

"All right, J.D., I'll give you all I've got." This was all he said,
but I went home that night relieved of anxiety. As it turned out, we
received the check of the Liverpool, London & Globe Insurance Company
for the full amount before the builders required the payments; and
while we didn't need his money, I never shall forget the whole-souled
way in which he offered it.

And this sort of experience was not, I am grateful to say, rare with
me. I was always a great borrower in my early days; the business was
active and growing fast, and the banks seemed very willing to loan me
the money. About this time, when our great fire had brought up some
new conditions, I was studying the situation to see what our cash
requirements would be. We were accustomed to prepare for financial
emergencies long before we needed the funds.

Another incident occurred at this time which showed again the kind of
real friends we had in those days, but I did not hear the full story
of it until long years after the event.

There was one bank where we had done a great deal of business, and a
friend of mine, Mr. Stillman Witt, who was a rich man, was one of the
directors. At a meeting, the question came up as to