nine o'clock until two
I was harassed to death , and in daily dread of failure . In this unhappy posture of my affairs , I tried to get some permanent assistance from friends who were able enough to afford it , and who knew me well . But they were all afraid to risk any thing . `` One day I had been out from nine o'clock until two , using my best efforts to obtain sufficient money to meet my notes . I had a thousand dollars to pay , and could only thus far raise five hundred . Everywhere that I could think of going I went , but no one would help me through my difficulty . Dispirited and alarmed at the perilous position of my affairs , I returned to my store , in order to sit down and reflect for a few minutes .