My home life was a constant revelation of delight and happiness.

The income from my business had increased to double that of the
previous year, and the future looked bright indeed.

Just at this time came to me in an evil hour a temptation to which
I yielded, and I have always wondered how, under all the conditions
then existing, I could have been so weak.

My accumulations had not been invested, and as I had in my business
no use for capital, the money remained idle in bank.

Crossing the ferry one morning I was joined by a friend in the employ
of a Stock Exchange firm, then well known, but since retired from
business.

I had been thinking of an investment and spoke to him on the subject,
telling him the amount of money I had to invest. I had in mind the
buying of some good bonds.

My friend, who was a most plausible talker, had, I understood, made
considerable money in Wall Street, and when he told me of a movement
in certain stocks then being manipulated for a rise, through his
office, I was at first interested and then carried away with the
desire to enter what seemed such an easy road to wealth.

He told me of several instances where the investment of a few
thousands had resulted in enormous profits. These stories usually
get to public knowledge one way or another, but the other side, the
vastly greater number of cases where ruin and often worse follows,