José — page 300: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JOSE, 998 CHAPTER XXII. CONCLUSION. Five weeks later. In an apartment of the Planters House, in St. Louis, Baumann, now and then placing a cigar be- tween his lips and blowing light clouds of smoke into the air, was walking up and down. At the window Green was lazily reclining in a chair, looking out upon the street with a thoughtful expression. ¢ After a while the former halted before his friend. “Wemust come to some conclusion,” he began, “and though I am comparatively a novice in Ameri- can affairs of business, I am inclined to believe that your view of the case is entirely too dismal. For myself I would not hesitate an instant accepting a position as book-keeper or correspondent in some respectable business house, and Mary would also be content with some modest place, but in this case it is a question of resigning, opportunities for the establishment of a business of our own, such as will not be offered us again very soon. You know your- self what a courteous letter my old principal wrote me in the name of the entire firm of Flister & Co., proposing, in case I desired to go into business for myself, to give me the agency of the house and place at my disposal the credit of the firm. You are aware that the engagements I formed for my former employers are still open to me, besides being highly promising, and if you will but contribute your busi- ness experience, failure is next to impossible——” “This to the contrary notwithstanding I know that no matter how careful we may be it will re- quire a larger capital than we can together com- mand.” Green interrupted him, contracting his eyes as under the influence of a troublesome thought. “I do not take a dismal view of the case, but regard it Gomichbooks (E(0)