t requires more activity and energy of
character than he possesses to do business in these times. Men are
getting too wide awake. I'm sorry for Allender. He's a good-hearted
man--too good-hearted, in fact, for his own interest. But, it's nothing
more than I expected."

"And I am sorry for poor Mrs. Allender," said his wife. "What a change
it will be for her! Ah, me! Will they lose every thing?"

"I have no means of knowing at present. But I hope not."

"Still, they will have to come down a great way."

"No doubt of it."

A week passed, after news of Mr. Allender's business disaster had
reached the ears of Mrs. Minturn, and in that time she had not called
to see her friend in distress. Each of these ladies had a daughter
about the same age; and that age was fifteen.

"Where are you going, Emeline?" asked Mrs. Minturn of her daughter, who
came down, with her bonnet on, one afternoon about this time.

"I'm going to run around and see Clara Allender," was replied.

"I'd rather you wouldn't go there, just now," said the mother.

"Why not?" asked Emeline.

"I have my reasons for it," returned Mrs. Minturn.

Emeline looked disappointed. She was much attached to Clara, who was a
sweet-tempered girl, and felt a week's absence from her as a real
privation. Observing the disappointment of Emeline, Mrs. Minturn said,
a little impatiently:

"I think you might live without seeing Clara every day. For some time
past, you have been little more than her shadow. I don't like these
girlish intimacies; they never come to any good."

Tears were in Emeline's eyes as she turned from her mother and went
back to her room.

Mr. Allender, at the age of forty, found himself unable, through the
exhaustion of his means, to continue in business. He would have
resigned every thing into the hands of his creditors before suffering a
protest, had he not failed to receive an expected payment on the day of
his forced suspension. When he did call together the men to whom he was
indebted, he rendered them up all his effects, and in all possible ways
aided in the settlement of every thing. The result was better than he
had anticipated. No one lost a dollar; but he was left penniless. Just
then, the president of one of the Marine Insurance Companies resigned
his office, and Mr. Allender was unanimously chosen to fill his place.
The salary was two thousand dollars. This was sufficient to meet the
expense at which his family had been living. So