Australian Tales - Setis

over, I hastened home to bed.
For an hour or two next morning. there was a stir in the city among
commercial men; and the enquiry, “Is he insured?” was made by many
anxious creditors — some hoping, others fearing, and perhaps vainly
reflecting upon their want of prudent foresight, in omitting to ask that
important question before allowing Mr. Keen to get so far into their
books, and wisely resolving thenceforward to make that special enquiry
before opening an account with a new customer. Before the day was
over, however, all doubts were dissolved: Mr. Keen was insured to the
value of his stock; and a day or two afterwards it was announced in the
advertising sheets that he had taken temporary premises in — — street
until his old stores were rebuilt. Mr. Keen's creditors were relieved from
anxiety, and his new offices were thronged, from day to day, with
brokers and vendors of various classes, offering tempting bargains to restock
his new stores, and all having a wistful eye to the ready money
— for the insurance offices, in such undisputed cases, always paid claims
in prompt cash; so they inferred that Mr. Keen was pretty flush of
money. Doubtless he was inconvenienced by the disaster; his business
arrangements were unsettled for a time, and he suffered personal
disquietude; but those were very trifling matters in comparison with the
ruin which would have overwhelmed him, if he had not been insured.
A case, of an opposite character to the foregoing, just occurs to my
mind; and I will give a brief outline of it to illustrate the disastrous
consequences of neglecting the common-sense precaution of insuring
against loss by fire. An industrious tradesman was suddenly reduced to
poverty by the destruction of his dwelling house and shop. He was
wholly uninsured, and had the misery of seeing the results of many years
destroyed in a few hours.
For a day or two after the event, and while the recollection of it was
fresh in the minds of his friends and neighbours, the poor man received
much sympathy in the form of soothing words and sombre looks. There
was, too, a spasmodic attempt made by a few friends to afford him more
substantial comfort, by means of a public subscription; but it was a
failure — they could not gather twenty pounds after an active canvass
throughout the district.
“Poor fellow! I am very sorry for his loss; but I really cannot help him
at present,” said one in reply to the pathetic appeals of the collectors.
“He was a fool for not insuring his property,” said another, with more
candour than politeness, significantly buttoning his pockets at the same
time.
“It serves him right,” exclaimed a third. “He might have insured his
property for less than ten pounds a year; and if he was such a dolt as to
risk beggary for the sake of a paltry sum like that, which he could well
afford to pay, he has no right to call upon me, or the like of me, to make