learned that men were brothers--should love, honor, and respect one
another, from precepts set him at his father's fireside. He formed the
opinion, that this brotherhood was not to be alienated in matters of
business, for he never refused to act kindly to all; he freely loaned
his _autograph_ and purse to his business acquaintances; but, being
backed up by a snug business capital, he seldom felt the necessity of
claiming like accommodation, or he would have gotten his eye teeth cut
cheaper and sooner.

"Jenks," said a business man, stopping in at Jenks' counting room one
September morning, "Perkins & Ball, I see, have _stopped_--gone to
smash!"

"Have they?" quickly responded Jenks.

"They have, and a good many fingers will be burnt by them," replied the
informant. "By the way, Barclay says you have some of their _paper_ on
hand; is it true?" continued the man.

"I have some, not much," answered Jenks--"not enough at all events to
create any alarm as to their willingness or ability to take it up."

But in looking over his "accounts," Jenks found a considerably larger
amount of Perkins & Ball's _paper_ on hand, than an experienced business
man might have contemplated with entire Christian resignation. The
gazette, in the course of a few days, gave publicity to the _smash_ of
the house of Perkins, Ball & Co. There was a buzz "on 'change;" those
losers by the _smash_ were bitter in their denunciatory remarks, while
those gaining by the transaction snickered in their sleeves and kept
mum. Jenks heard all, and said nothing. He reasoned, that if the firm
were _smashed_ by imprudences, or through dishonest motives, they were
getting "an elegant sufficiency" of public and private vituperation,
without his aid. Though far from his thoughts of entering into such
"lists," and inclined to hold on and see how things come out--Jenks,
for the credit of common humanity, seldom recapitulated the amount, by
discounting, &c.--he was likely to be _in_ for, if P. & B. were really
"done gone." This resolve, like some _rules_, worked both ways.

As "honest John" was drawing on his gloves to leave his commercial
institution, after the above occurrences had had some ten days' _grace_;
one evening, the senior partner of the house of Perkins & Ball came in.
Greetings were cordial, and in the private office of Jenks, an hour's
discourse took place between the merchants; which, in brief
transcription, may be summed up in the fact, that Jenks