Our wives! Our mothers! Heroines, all.

The mother recovered quickly her normal state of health and the
boy thrived and grew rapidly.

In March, 1874, I was greatly encouraged by a slight improvement
in business. I had been through a terribly hard winter, and with
the burden of the household on my shoulders had only just succeeded,
by the utmost prudence, in making both ends meet. With absolutely
no surplus I could not but feel uneasy most of the time.

It was while this was the condition of my finances that my most
intimate friend, the son of a man of some means, approached me on
the subject of getting his brother, then in Europe, but soon to
return, into business.

I knew his brother, but not intimately. I thought he might make
a good business man, and it occurred to me that if he was a hard
worker and his father was willing to buy him an interest in my
business, I might get efficient aid to my efforts and at the same
time get a cash surplus to relieve my mind of financial worry, which
I knew to be very desirable; for a man who has to worry about the
small expenses of living can never do himself full justice in his
business efforts.

Another point that induced me to consider the matter was the desire
of my wife and myself to go to housekeeping.

The relations with my parents and sisters were most pleasant, but
now that we had our boy we felt anxious to set up a modest little