nearly two hundred of those men were on our books. Every one of
them made money.

This constituency was sufficient for the time being. I had in mind
something on a much larger scale, the forming of a syndicate; but
that is another story and belongs to a later period.

Toward the later part of the year there was a falling off in our
trade with the customers, owing to a period of dullness in the
manufacturing industries; but what we lost in this way was more
than offset by the gain accruing from the business with speculative
clients.

On December 3lst, I had the satisfaction of knowing that for the
first time my profits for a single year exceeded thirty thousand
dollars.

In my home life there had been nothing to mar in the slightest
degree its serenity and delight; indeed, our happiness had been
increased on the ninth of June by the arrival of our third daughter.




CHAPTER XX

RETROGRESSION