Being only a trader by instinct, neither an organizer nor an executive, he had never been able to make any great constructive use of his knowledge.

His gains and his losses he took with reasonable equanimity, exclaiming over and over, when he lost: "Shucks! I hadn't orter have done that," and snapping his fingers.
When he won heavily or was winning he munched tobacco with a seraphic smile and occasionally in the midst of trading would exclaim: "You fellers better come in.

It's a-gonta rain some more." He was not easy to trap in any small gambling game, and only lost or won when there was a free, open struggle in the market, or when he was engineering some little scheme of his own.
The matter of this partnership was not arranged at once, although it did not take long.

Old Peter Laughlin wanted to think it over, although he had immediately developed a personal fancy for Cowperwood.
In a way he was the latter's victim and servant from the start.

They met day after day to discuss various details and terms; finally, true to his instincts, old Peter demanded a full half interest.
"Now, you don't want that much, Laughlin," Cowperwood suggested, quite blandly.