20/33 He amassed an immense fortune, of which he gave away a large part during his life, and bequeathed the balance to charitable institutions. His capital consisted of two dollars, and three resolutions,--to be honest, to be industrious and not to gamble. Two years later he reached New York, and began work in a fur store at two dollars a week and his board. By giving personal attention to every purchase and sale, roaming the woods to trade with the Indians, or crossing the Atlantic to sell his furs at a great profit in England, he soon became the leading fur dealer in the United States. His idea of what constitutes a fortune expanded faster than his acquisitions. |