The first letter is apologetic for reminding the addressee that he is
an old friend of the writer's family; but it recites that the young
man has about $200 in bank which he has saved from his salary, and
which he is disposed to invest with a certain company if his friend
in Chicago thinks the prospects are in line with good business and
responsibility.
Evidently the Chicago man does not regard the concern as dependable,
for the next letter expresses thanks for saving the writer loss, but
asks a further question of a concern that promises 20 per cent a month
on cash investments in grain.
The third letter, recognizing all that the old friend from Chicago
has done, explains that he has only a fair salary from which it is
hard to save much money, and this fact has led him to the necessity of
considering an investment of his savings that promise large returns,
and yet at the same time promise the maximum of safety. Having
established his reasons for such ventures, he suggests to the friend:
"Perhaps you can answer all I want to know in a single reply. 'Are any
of these concerns promising dividends of 50 per cent and such to be
depended on'?"