"I am Fred Raymond," said he, "your niece Helen's son, and as poor a jack
as there is this side of California. They say you are a stingy old
customer, but I don't care for that. You have got to give me some
business, and a home, too."
Raymond's method of approaching the old gentleman was successful, and he
at once gave him a good position, which later developed into a
partnership.
Feeling himself established and finding Mrs. Carrington in St. Louis,
Raymond pressed his suit, and they were eventually married.
The couple were disappointed in their expectations of a fortune, for
within two years after the marriage Mr. Dunlap suddenly died. He had
intended to make his will and make Raymond his heir, but like many other
men he put it off until it was too late, and his property, which was found
to be less than supposed, went back to his brothers and sisters, and from
them to their children and grandchildren, so that Raymond got but a small
share.
He, however, retained his position as a merchant, and struggled hard to
keep his wife in the same circumstances to which she had been accustomed.
She appreciated his kindness, and when at the end of three years she was
the mother of three children, she concluded it was time to lay aside all
desire for fashionable amusements, and she became a tolerably affectionate
wife, and a wonderfully indulgent mother.