re impatient to be
married; and Joseph Fletcher, in order to be in a condition that
would justify him in talking a wife, was impatient to go into
business. Somehow or other, it had entered his mind that any young
man of business capacity and enterprise could do well in the West;
and he finally made up his mind to take a stock of goods, which he
found no difficulty in obtaining, and go to Madison, in Indiana.
Before starting, however, he engaged to return in six months, or so
soon as he was fairly under way, and make Mary his wife. At the time
named, he was back, when the marriage took place, and he returned
with his bride to Madison.

At the trade of a tailor, the young man had served an apprenticeship
of seven years. He was a good workman, and had, during the last two
years of his apprenticeship, assisted his master in cutting; so that
in the art to which he was educated he was thoroughly at home; and,
in setting it up, would have been sure of success. But success was
by no means so certain a thing in the new pursuit unwisely adopted.
He had been familiar with it for only about two years; in that time
he had performed his part as a clerk to the entire satisfaction of
his employers; but he had not gained sufficient knowledge of the
principles of trade, nor was his experience enlarged enough to
justify his entering into business, especially as he did not possess
a dollar of real capital. The result was as might have been
expected. A year and a half of great difficulty and anxiety was all
the time required to bring his experiment to a close.

Finding that he was in difficulty, two or three of his principal
eastern creditors, whose claims were due, sent out their accounts to
a lawyer, With directions to put them in suit immediately. This
brought his affairs to a crisis. An arrangement was made for the
benefit of all the creditors, and the young man thrown out of
business, with less than a hundred dollars in his pocket. Nearly
about the same time, Mr. Dielman, the father of his wife, failed
likewise.

As a serious loss has been sustained by his eastern creditors on
account of the unfortunate termination of his business, Fletcher
could not think of going back. He therefore sought to obtain
employment as a clerk in Madison. Failing in this, he visited
Louisville and Cincinnati, but with no better success. He was
unknown in the two last-named cities, and therefore his failure to
obtain employment there was no matter of su