ing. I went to see him, and
put forth all the arguments that I had so carefully thought out. But
he stormed about, and in the end I had the further humiliation of
confessing to my partner that I had failed. I had been able to
accomplish absolutely nothing.

Naturally, he was very much disturbed at the possibility of losing our
most valued connection, but I insisted and we stuck to our principles
and refused to give the shipper the accommodation he had asked. What
was our surprise and gratification to find that he continued his
relations with us as though nothing had happened, and did not again
refer to the matter. I learned afterward that an old country banker,
named John Gardener, of Norwalk, O., who had much to do with our
consignor, was watching this little matter intently, and I have ever
since believed that he originated the suggestion to tempt us to do
what we stated we did not do as a test, and his story about our firm
stand for what we regarded as sound business principles did us great
good.

About this time I began to go out and solicit business--a branch of
work I had never before attempted. I undertook to visit every person
in our part of the country who was in any way connected with the kind
of business that we were engaged in, and went pretty well over the
states of Ohio and Indiana. I made up my mind that I could do this
best by simply introducing our firm, and not pressing for immediate
consignments. I told them that I represented Clark & Rockefeller,
commission merchants, and that I had no wish to interfere with any
connection that they had at present, but if the opportunity offered we
should be glad to serve them, etc., etc.

To our great surprise, business came in upon us so fast that we hardly
knew how to take care of it, and in the first year our sales amounted
to half a million dollars.

Then, and indeed for many years after, it seemed as though there was
no end to the money needed to carry on and develop the business. As
our successes began to come, I seldom put my head upon the pillow at
night without speaking a few words to myself in this wise:

"Now a little success, soon you will fall down, soon you will be
overthrown. Because you have got a start, you think you are quite a
merchant; look out, or you will lose your head--go steady." These
intimate conversations with myself, I am sure, had a great influence
on my life. I was afraid I could not stand my prosperity, and tried to
teach mysel