them in a huge safe which the office contained. It was a wretched life,
but he brazened it out with wonderful effrontery, and, outwardly, seemed
happy enough. From all who would lend he borrowed, and rarely I believe
repaid. Once I was his victim, but only once. I lent him 3 pounds, and,
strange to say, he returned it. Of course he approached me again, but I
had read and digested the _master's_ wisdom and determined to "neither a
borrower nor a lender be."

Prominent amongst the principal clerks was David Cooper. When I left
Glasgow he succeeded me as assistant to the general manager. Now he is
general manager of the company himself. Recently he celebrated his 50th
year of railway service. Like me, he entered railway life in 1867; but,
unlike me, has not been a rolling stone. One company only he has served
and served it well, and for nearly a quarter of a century has filled the
highest office it has to bestow. He and I have been more fortunate than
many of our old-time colleagues. In the list of officers of the Glasgow
and South-Western to-day I see the names of two only, besides David
Cooper, who were principal clerks in those days--F. H. Gillies, now
secretary of the company, and George Russell, Telegraph Superintendent.

In railways, as in other departments of life, ability and industry
usually have their reward; but alone they do not always command success.
Other factors there are in the equation of life and not least luck and
opportunity. In those distant days, in the pride of youth, I was too apt
to think that they who succeeded owed their success to themselves alone;
but the years have taught me that this is not always so, and I have
learned to sympathise more and more with those to whom opportunity has
never held out her hand and upon whom good luck has never smiled.