Off-Hand Sketches | Page 9

heard me distinctly.
"No," said I.
The lad bowed politely, slipped the dishonoured note into his pocket,
and retired.
I drew a long breath, leaned back in my chair with a sense of relief, and
murmured--"Not such a dreadful affair, after all. So, I am protested!
The operation is over, and I hardly felt the pain. And now what next?"
As I said this, the man whose Siberian face had almost congealed me
entered my store, and came hurriedly back to where I still remained
sitting. His face was far less wintry. The fact was, I owed the firm
fifteen thousand dollars, which was no joke; and they were nearly as
much alarmed, when they found that my note was actually under
protest, as I was before the fact.
"Is it possible, Mr. Jones," he said, his voice as husky and tremulous as
mine was when I called upon him an hour or two before, "that you have

suffered your note to lie over!"
"Did I not inform you that such would be the case?" I replied, with
assumed sternness of voice and manner. The boot was on the other leg,
and I was not slow in recognising the fact.
"But what do you intend to do, Mr. Jones? What is the state of your
affairs?"
"At the proper time, I will inform you," I answered, coldly. "You have
driven me into a protest, and you must stand the consequences."
"Are your affairs desperate, Mr. Jones?" The creditor became almost
imploring in his manner.
"They will probably become so now. Does a man's note lie over
without his affairs becoming desperate?"
"Perhaps"--
There was a pause. I looked unflinchingly into the man's face.
"If we extend this note, and keep the matter quiet, what then?"
"It won't do," I returned. "More than that will be required to save me."
My creditor looked frightened, while I maintained an aspect of as much
indifference and resolution as I could assume.
"What will save you?" he asked.
I was thinking as rapidly as I could, in order to be prepared for striking
while the iron was hot, and that to good purpose.
"I'll tell you," I replied.
"Well, what is it?" He looked eager and anxious.
"My fault has been one into which your house led me, that of buying
too freely," said I; "of using my credit injudiciously. The consequence
is, that I am cramped severely, and am neglecting my legitimate
business in order to run about after money. I owe your house more than
half of the aggregate of my whole liabilities. Give me the time I ask, in
order to recover myself and curtail my business, and I can go through."
"What time do you ask?"
"I owe you fifteen thousand dollars."
"So much?"
"Yes; and the whole of it falls due within seven months. What I
propose is, to pay you five per cent. on the amount of my present
indebtedness every thirty days from this time until the whole is
liquidated; you to hand me a thousand dollars to-morrow morning, to
enable me to get my note out of bank, in order to save my credit."

The gentleman looked blank at the boldness of my proposition.
"Is that the best you can do?" he asked.
"The very best. You have driven me into a protest, and now, the
bitterness of that dreaded ordeal being past, I prefer making an
assignment and having my affairs settled up, to going on in the old way.
I will not continue in business, unless I can conduct it easily and safely.
I am sick of being on the rack; I would rather grub for a living."
I was eloquent in my tone and manner, for I felt what I said.
"It shall be as you wish," said my creditor. "You should not, you must
not, make an assignment; every interest will suffer in that event. We
will send you a check for a thousand dollars early to-morrow morning,
and, as to what has occurred, keep our own counsel."
I bowed, and he bowed. I was conscious of having risen in his
estimation. Get such a man in your power, and his respect for you
increases fourfold.
My sleep was sound that night, for I was satisfied that the thousand
dollars would come. And they did come.
After that, I was as easy as an old shoe. I was soon off the borrowing
list; my business I contracted into a narrower and safer sphere, and
really made more profit than before.
I have never stood in fear of notaries or protests since. Why should I?
To me the notary proved a lamb rather than a lion, and my credit,
instead of being ruined, was saved by a protest.

RETRENCHMENT;
OR, WHAT A MAN SAVED