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“'Bimelech, you must try and be a good man — I 've
always taught you that. Never let your name be at a
discount on 'change; always mind and take up your
notes, 'cause credit 's everything in the world. What 's
a man without credit? He a'n't nothing — he a'n't nowhere.
For a man to be without credit is about as bad
as poverty, and a man without money or credit is to be
despised. Avoid such people as you would the smallpox.
Look at your gran'ther. 'Bimelech; there 's a
sample for you to follow. He always acted right. He
never owed a dollar, and never lost one, 'cause he was
shrewd. He never run round, lending his money to
folks — not he. Morgidges did it; and people used to
love to have him foreclose on 'em, 'cause he did it so
good-naturedly. He was a good man. His name was
always right on 'change. He could always get money,
let it be ever so hard. You never catched him squandering
his money on charitable humbugs, and encouraging
porpoises — not he; and when he died he was worth two
hundred thousand dollars, and the ships' colors were
histed half-mast, 'cause a good man had fell in Israel!”
'Bimelech must improve under such training, and is n't
it the world's teaching continually?

p677-309

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