One morning many years ago, I left my office in the Commercial Trust Building in Philadelphia and walked down Chestnut Street, on my way to see a prospect. Suddenly I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around and faced a gentleman whom I had never seen before. "Are you originally from North Carolina?" "That's right!" I said. At this juncture he extended his hand very graciously and introduced himself as George Peabody, Jr., an attorney-at-law from Boston, Massachusetts. Still this did not mean much to me. Then he told me that my uncle, Henry Slater of Providence, Rhode Island, and more recently of Boston, Massachusetts, had passed away and that his law firm Peabody, Peabody, and Peabody had been appointed the administrators of his estate. He also informed me that, in going over the will of the late Henry Slater, his firm had discovered that I had been named as one of the beneficiaries. He said that a sizable sum of money was waiting for me in Boston and that his firm was prepared to make a settlement with me.

Without further ado, he suggested that I should journey to Boston with him in order to claim my inheritance. Soon we were on the train, and, upon our arrival in Boston, I made an appointment to call on his law firm the following morning.

I arose early the next morning. It was one of those beautiful spring mornings in Boston. The sky was clear and flooded with bright sunshine. The air was crisp, fresh, and fragrant. It was a most invigorating day, and I was thrilled and exhilarated. I was walking on air, all aglow with the hope and expectation of what was soon to be realization.

Exactly at 9 o'clock I was in the Old Colony Bank and Trust Building, on my way to keep my appointment with the law firm of Peabody, Peabody, and Peabody and claim my legacy. The receptionist at the office of the law firm was very gracious and most accommodating. In a moment Mr. George Peabody, Jr., came forward and greeted me with a most cordial and pleasant, "Good morning."

Immediately he escorted me into the office of Mr. George Peabody, Sr., who was the titular head of the law firm. Of course he was very delighted to see me and to realize that I was the nephew of his old friend and colleague, the late Henry Slater. After a few remarks that established my identity securely in his mind, he said that my uncle, Henry Slater, had willed me quite a sizable sum of money, and that his firm was now ready to give it to me, after I had signed a few routine papers. Indeed, I was most happy to sign those papers as a token of my sincere gratitude. After I had signed all the necessary papers, Mr. Peabody called his secretary and asked her to draw a check to my order. This she did. Then he asked me if I would like to cash the check in Boston before returning to Philadelphia. This I thought a splendid idea. He called his son, George Jr., to take me down to the first floor, where the Old Colony Bank and Trust Company was located. There, George, Jr. introduced me to Mr. Jerome Knickerbocker, the cashier, who said he would be glad to give me the cash when I had endorsed the check.

I endorsed the check, and Mr. Knickerbocker asked me how I would like to have the money. I told him that I would like to have it in thousand-dollar bills. He walked over to the vault and casually brought back 100 thousand-dollar bills. He counted them out one by one, deliberately and care- fully. I put these 100 thousand-dollar bills into an envelope and thanked Mr. Peabody and Mr. Knickerbocker very graciously for their splendid courtesy and co-operation. I picked up the envelope containing the one hundred thousand dollars and placed it very carefully and securely in my inside coat pocket. Just as I turned to leave the bank, lo and behold, I stubbed my toe and woke up!