Mr. Hawes got his own room while Ben Minot and I bunked together in one room. It was the practice in those days for grown men to sleep in the same bed, because most bedrooms were big enough for only one bed. Still, I wasn't exactly exultant at the idea. As it turned out, however, it would be only a day or so before I would have the room to myself. More on that later.

The first morning right after a fine breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fresh-baked bread, Mr. Hawes, Ben, and I set out for the small one-story building on Third Street near Chestnut that would house our Potter drum-cylinder press and the other printing equipment. Mr. Hawes, always a cautious man, signed a six-month lease to rent the building.

"In business you have to be a prairie dog. You always want to leave yourself a wa...

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