Sam's Chance, and How He Improved It

  CHAPTER XIII.

  HENRY'S GOOD FORTUNE.

  Three months passed. To Henry Martin they passed very satisfactorily.At his new rate of payment he was able to lay up two dollars a weekwithout denying himself anything absolutely necessary to his comfort.At the end of this period, therefore, he had twenty-six dollars ondeposit in a new savings-bank. Of his venture he had heard nothing. Heremained perfectly easy about this, however, knowing that in due timehe would hear from it. Mr. Hamilton, he observed, took more notice ofhim than formerly. He frequently greeted him, in passing through tohis office, with a pleasant word or smile; and Henry felt justified inconcluding that he was in favor with him.

  It was after the interval of time already mentioned that he againreceived a summons to the counting-room.

  Mr. Hamilton had a long paper before him closely filled with figures.

  "Sit down. Henry," he said.

  "Thank you, sir."

  "You remember our conversation three months since, I suppose?"

  "Yes, sir; perfectly."

  "You consented to take a share in a venture was sending out toRotterdam?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "I have just received a statement of it, and, you are interested, Ihave called you in to let you know how it has turned out."

  "Thank you, sir," said Henry, eagerly.

  "I find that, after deducting all expenses, your share of the profitswill amount to one hundred dollars."

  "One hundred dollars!" exclaimed Henry, in astonishment and delight.

  "Yes. I think we have been very successful."

  Henry felt flattered by that word "we." It seemed to associate him,humble office boy as he was, with the eminent merchant who employedhim.

  "That is better than the savings-bank, sir," said Henry.

  "Yes, it is; but I ought to add that it is not always so sure. Allventures do not turn out so profitably. To return to your affairs Ishall charge you interest on the five hundred dollars you borrowed ofme, at the rate of seven per cent. You have had the use of the moneyfor three months."

  "Then the interest will amount to eight dollars and three quarters,"said Henry, promptly.

  "Quite right; you are very quick at reckoning," said Mr. Hamilton,looking pleased.

  "That is not a difficult sum," answered Henry, modestly.

  "I did not suppose you knew much about computing interest. You leftschool very young, did you not?"

  "At twelve, sir."

  "You had not studied interest then, had you?"

  "No, sir; I have studied it since."

  "At evening-school?"

  "No, sir; I studied by myself in the evening."

  "How long have you done that?"

  "For two years."

  "And you keep it up regularly?"

  "Yes, sir; occasionally I take an evening for myself, but I averagefive evenings a week at studying."

  "You are a remarkable boy," said the merchant, looking surprised.

  "If you flatter me, sir, I may grow self-conceited," said Henry,smiling.

  "You have some right to feel satisfied with yourself. Tell me what wasyour object in commencing this course of work."

  "I picked up at a bookstore on Nassau Street an old book containingthe lives of some men who rose from obscurity; and I found that manyof them studied by themselves in early life, being unable to attendschool. It seemed to me that education was necessary to success, and,as I had nothing else to depend upon, I began to work evenings."

  "Did you not find it irksome? Were you not tempted sometimes to giveit up?"

  "Just at first; but afterward I got to enjoy it."

  Here Mr. Hamilton asked Henry a few questions, with a view of testinghis knowledge both as to extent and accuracy; and the result was sosatisfactory as more and more to prepossess him in favor of the boy.

  He returned to business.

  "It appears," he said, "that, interest deducted, you have ninety-onedollars and a quarter to your credit with me. You are at liberty todraw it, if you wish."

  "What would you advise me to do, Mr. Hamilton?" asked Henry.

  "You had better leave it in my hands for such use as I may thinklikely to prove profitable. I shall dispatch a vessel to Marseilles ina week. Would you like to take a share in this venture?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Then, I will assign six hundred dollars to you. Five you may continueto borrow of me. One is your own."

  "Not quite, sir. You remember the interest."

  "That need not be charged till the end of the year. I will stillretain the savings-bank book you left with me as a guaranty. Is thatsatisfactory?"

  "Entirely so, sir."

  "Have you been able to save up anything lately?"

  "Yes, sir; I have twenty-six dollars on depost in another bank."

  "Very good. You are, then, provided for in any case of emergency."

  Henry went back to work.

  His reflections, as may be imagined, were very pleasant. He figured upwhat he was worth, and it stood thus:

  Six-penny Savings Bank.................... $35 00

  Second bank account....................... 26 00

  Proceeds of venture (net)................. 91 25 ------- $152 25

  Thus he figured up a grand total of one hundred and fifty-two dollarsand twenty-five cents, making a gain in three months of one hundredand seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents.

  "Why, at this rate," thought Henry, "I shall soon be rich."

  Of course, he owed a large part of this sum to the favor of hisemployer; but this, again, was earned by his fidelity and economy--twoqualities which I wish were more common among boys of his age.

  Returning to his room he looked for his savings-bank book, but to hisdismay it was nowhere to be found.

  "Where can it be?" he asked himself, perplexed. "Perhaps Sam has seenit."

  But Sam had not yet returned from the store, though it was past hisusual time.

  "It is very strange," thought Henry. "I am sure it was at the bottomof my trunk. Can the trunk have been opened?"