Although unmarried, I had bought a house, and still had several thousand dollars of capital.

So from time to time when some friend saw an opportunity to start a business in a small way, I backed him with a thousand dollars.

My security in these cases was my knowledge of the man's character.

Some of these ventures were in oil leases in which my chance of profits was good and they ranged from novelty manufacture down to weekly newspapers in which no great profit was possible.

So many of the ventures thrived, that by the time I was forty I was rated as a prosperous young man.