Jonas Lee [pp. 33-39]

Jonas Lee.
Jonas, however, had a reputation in the
village forboundless wealth, and to him the
agent came. He spoke his most eloquent
praise of the novelty; he set forth in the
most glowing terms the advantages accruing
from the system; he explained with the
most lucid earnestness the details of its
working, and showed Jonas a sheet which
purported to give the average expectation
of life at different ages. Jonas heard
him in silence. At the end he said he'd
think about it, and the insurance agent departed with a calm conviction of an early
success. He even boasted that he had
made a convert of Jonas, and on the strength
of the claim made other conquests, which
were gratifying, but not permanently beneficial, for they did not happen to bring any
money to his purse.
The next day he argued long with Jonas
and repeated his explanations, adducing
many enthusiastic testimonials as to the
splendid character of the system, the probity
of his firm, and the astonishing results of a
policy taken in the company. Jonas heard
all this, and remained to all outward appearances undecided. Butt the agent counted
himself one victory in that Jonas asked to
be allowed to have the paper which set forth
the table of average expectation of Jife. He
kept it one night, and in that time matured
a brilliant scheme of annuity, of homemake, as it were; he determined to so allot
his fortune as to last him for the time set
down as the probable length of life for a
person of his age. Thus resolved, he met
the agent next morning with the remark that
"He guessed he wouldn't invest."
The agent was dumfounded; he had
counted on an easy victim, and it was galling
to have to give in after his boasts. He hung
about the village for some days, continually
plying Jonas with new arguments, until his
bill at the inn grew so large that he was
forced to take his departure, leaving Jonas
master of the field,
Not long after this the notary received a
call from Jonas, who wanted an inve.tment.
He stipulated for something safe, and mentioned five per cent as his minimum. The
notary knew but little of business and had
some difficulty in satisfying his new client;
but finally all was arranged. Jonas got his
investment and his five per cent, and settled
down in relief at finding himself so well
fixed. He was often seen to study a paper
which he carried about with him, and whose
purport the gossips of the neighborhood
were at much pains to guess. But in vain:
Jonas was very reticent on all matters, and
on this especially, so the popular curiosity
was baffled for years.
The fact is that there was no great mystery about it, for it was but a mathematical
calculation upon the basis of Jonas's fortune, and showed what sum per annum
would exhaust his means in a stated number of years. There was a small surplus,
which was marked: "For funeral expenses."
In short, the whole thing was the scheme of
an annuity, minus the commission charged
by the banking companies, but with one
grave defect; it in nowise provided for a
longer term of life than that set down. So
there was but a sorry outlook for Jonas
should he prove long-lived.
Of this, however, he never thought, and
he proceeded to settle himself for a life of
quiet ease, regardless of the village and its
interests, and gradually building about himself the barrier of a reserve, which came
from his sorrow, which was impregnable to
all but a few, and which effectually protected his life from all disturbing influences.
For years his trim and stately figure was
familiar to the village folk. Attired in buff
knee-breeches, with brown stockings, and
with great silver buckles on his shoes, his
coat of military blue with brass buttons, a
bell-crowned white hat surmounting his person, and the whole set off by a gold-headed
staff, he was the exponent of fashions long
obsolete, and became a more and more eccentric figure as the years rolled on. His
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