A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘A QUEER RACE.- 17 but as neither of us wanted te defy her father, and le was quite deaf to reason, there was nothing for it but to sigh and submit, and wait with such patience as we might for the fruition of our hopes. ‘Lime went on, and long before the period of probation expired [ had to acknowledge that Mr. Mainwaring’s caution had more warrant than my confidence. After doing a brilliant business during the first six months of our career, the tide turned, and in a very short time we lost nearly all we had made. For this result—though we had really very ill-luck—I fear that I was in part respon- sible. I was too keen and sanguine; I did not like to turn money away. I had not Mr. Combie and Mr, Nel- son to consult with, and I underwrote risks that I ought to have refused. I had not always the choice, however; for our paid-up capital being smail, first-ciass insurers fought shy of us, fine business went elsewhere, and I had to take my pick among the residue aud remainder. his was the state of things eighteen months after I joined the Oriental an’ Occidental; and had I not got over the difficulty about the Niobe, it is extremely prob- able that the company would have smashed or I should have been dismissed. In either event I should have lost my occupation, and in either event Mr. Mainwaring would, I felt sure, have insisted on the rupture of my ei- gagement with his daughter. ifence my prospects, whether business or matrimonial, were not of the brightest, and Amy and I were often in horribly low spirits. We had thought two years a terri- ble time, and now I began to fear that I might have to wait for her as long as Jacob had to wait for Rachel. if am bound to say, however, that our gloom was relieved by rather frequent gleams cf gayety and happiness. One does not despair at three-and-twenty. CHAPTER IV. CRAZY TOM’S YARN. AFTER my memorable interview with Mr. Brandyman, things took a more favorable turn with the Oriental and Occidental. We had better luck, and I took more care, preferring rather to do a small business than run great risks. Our spirits rose with the shares of the company— com G iboo (G(@)