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Many of the country papers noticed my “Gazette and Reflex” in the most flattering manner, and not a few of them copied my prospectus. This had the effect to bring me in a few hundred subscribers by mail, with the cash, in a large number of cases in advance. About one-third, however, promised to remit early.

At the end of three months, according to promise, I was to pay my printer and paper maker. Up to that time my cash receipts had been three hundred dollars, but every cent was gone. My clerk had to be paid seven dollars a week regularly, and a mail and errand boy, three dollars. Advertising had cost me twenty-five dollars; account and subscription books as much more; and I had paid over fifty dollars to my agents for getting subscribers. Besides, there had been a dozen little et ceteras of expense, not before taken into calculation. Moreover, out of this three hundred dollars of income I had my own personal expenses to pay.

In the thirteenth number of my paper, I gave notice that the three months having expired, all subscriptions were due for the year according to the terms, and called upon subscribers “to step to the captain’s office and settle.” There were of unpaid subscribers now upon my books the number of five hundred and forty, and my debt to printer and paper maker was exactly nine hundred and eighty dollars, I having kept on printing three thousand copies, under the belief that the list must go up to that.

Day after day went by after this notice appeared, yet not a single man answered to the invitation. I began to feel serious. Subscribers continued to come in, though slowly, and people all spoke highly of the paper and said it must succeed. But its success, so far, was not over flattering. Finding that people would not take the plain hint I had given, I went over the books and made out all the bills. One thousand and eighty dollars was the aggregate amount due. These bills, except those for the country, I placed in the hands of a collector, and told him to get me in the money as quickly as possible. Those for the country, about one hundred in number, I enclosed in the paper. On the faith of this proceeding, I promised the paper maker and printer each two hundred dollars in a couple of weeks.

Four days elapsed without my collector making his appearance, greatly to my surprise. On the fifth day I met him in the street.

“Well, how are you coming on?” said I.

“Oh, slowly,” he replied.

“I expected to see you a day or two ago.”

“I had nothing of consequence to return. But I will be in on Saturday.”

I felt a kind of choking in my throat as I turned away. On Saturday the collector called–he opened his memorandum-book, and I my cash-book, preparatory to making entries of money returned.

“Mr. A—-,” said the collector, “says he never pays in advance for any thing.”

“But the terms of the paper are in advance after the first three months.”

“I know.”

“Did you call his attention to this?”

“Oh, yes! but he said he didn’t care for your terms. He’d been swindled once or twice by paying in advance, but never intended to give anybody the opportunity to do the same thing again.”

Mr. A—-was a man whom I had known for years. I cannot tell how hurt and indignant I was at such language. He took my paper, knowing the terms upon which it was published, and when I sent my bill, refused to comply with the terms, and insulted me into the bargain. I turned to his name on the subscription-book, and striking it off, said–

“He can’t have the paper.”

“Credit Mr. B—-with six months and discontinue,” said the collector, as he passed to the next name on his list. Mr. B—-was a man whom I knew very well by reputation. I had looked upon him as one of my best subscribers. He was a merchant in easy circumstances.