Mr. Girard was not only rigidly precise in his instructions, but he permitted no departure from them.  He regarded it as dangerous to allow discretion to any one in the execution of his plans.  Where a deviation from his instructions might cause success in one case, it would cause loss in ninety-nine others.  It was understood among all his employes that a rigid obedience to orders, in even the most trifling particulars, was expected, and would be exacted.  If loss came under such circumstances, the merchant assumed the entire responsibility for it.

Upon one occasion one of his best captains was instructed to purchase his cargo of teas at a certain port.  Upon reaching home he was summoned by the merchant to his presence.

“Captain ——­,” said Mr. Girard, sternly, “your instructions required you to purchase your cargo at ——.”

“That is true, Mr. Girard,” replied the Captain, “but upon reaching that port I found I could do so much better at ——­, that I felt justified in proceeding to the latter place.”

“You should have obeyed your orders, sir,” was the stern retort.

“I was influenced by a desire to serve your interests, sir.  The result ought to justify me in my act, since it puts many thousands more into your pocket than if I had bought where I was instructed.”

“Captain ——­,” said Girard, “I take care of my own interests.  You should have obeyed your orders if you had broken me.  Nothing can excuse your disobedience.  You will hand in your accounts, sir, and consider yourself discharged from my service.”

He was as good as his word, and, though the captain’s disobedience had vastly increased the profit of the voyage, he dismissed him, nor would he ever receive him into his service again.

To his knowledge of his business Mr. Girard joined an unusual capacity for such ventures.  He was, it must be said, hard and illiberal in his bargains, and remorseless in exacting the last cent due him.  He was prompt and faithful in the execution of every contract, never departed in the slightest from his plighted word, and never engaged in any venture which he was not perfectly able to undertake.  He was prudent and cautious in the fullest sense of those terms, but his ventures were always made with a boldness which was the sure forerunner of success.

His fidelity to his word is well shown by a circumstance which had occurred long after he was one of the “money kings” of the land.  He was once engaged with his cashier in a discussion as to the length of time a man would consume in counting a million of dollars, telling out each dollar separately.  The dispute became animated, and the cashier declared that he could make a million of dots with ink in a few hours.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” said Girard, who was thoroughly vexed by the opposition of the other, “I’ll wager five hundred dollars that I can ride in my gig from here to my farm, spend two hours there, and return before you can make your million of dots with ink.”