In case the indebtedness is for borrowed money, possibly a small amount, for which no promissory note was given, the easiest method, probably, of disposing of the matter, when it is discovered that the individual does not intend to pay, is to erase the transaction from the memorandum and forget the affair entirely, if possible; considering yourself fortunate in discovering, before loaning a larger amount, that the borrower was a dead beat. It may be best that you continue on friendly terms, and you cannot afford to break pleasant relations tor a small amount of money, though by this neglect the borrower has forever forfeited your confidence, unless the matter is satisfactorily explained. Should you propose, however, to press collection, a letter similar to the following may be written:

REMINDER NO. I.

Galesburg, ILL., Aug. 15, 1877. Mr. Webster :

The ten dollars borrowed by you on the Fourth of July was to have been paid, according to agreement, on last Monday. Thinking that, possibly, the matter had escaped your recollection, I take this means of reminding you of the fact.

Respectfully Yours,

CHAS. B. WEEKS.

No attention being paid to this letter, it may be well enough to write one letter more, as follows:

REMINDER NO. 2.

Galesburg, ILL., Aug. 24, 1877. Mr. Webster:

I mailed a note to your address some days since, in relation to money borrowed of me on the Fourth. I fear you must have failed to receive it, otherwise you surely would have given it your attention. As I put all unsettled accounts into the hands of a justice for collection next week on Wednesday, I should like to see you before that time.

Respectfully Yours,

CHAS. B. WEEKS.

Legal Proceedings

You have exhausted the usual moral means of collecting your due, and the debt is not yet paid. It is proposed now to collect it, if possible, by legal process.

In the first place, can it be collected ? Is the debtor worth enough to be compelled to pay it, aside from the property which the law exempts? What does the law exempt? (See "Exemptions from Forced Sale," elsewhere), which applies to heads of families; also, {"Limitations" elsewhere.

Being satisfied that the debt is collectible, you now place the account in the hands of a Justice of the Peace, unless the amount to be collected is so large as to be out of the justice's jurisdiction. The amount which can be collected through a justice varies in different States.

Limit Of Jurisdiction With Justice Of The Peace

The following shows the largest amount in the different States and Territories which the justice of the peace, through his official position, can have jurisdiction over:

* By consent of parties, $300.

First Legal Steps

The amount to be collected being within the jurisdiction of the justice, he will issue a Summons, which will be taken by a constable to the debtor, if he can be found, and read to him, which is termed "serving a summons" upon the person owing the debt.