Actually, he did like something, his business.
1 The problem was that while he was
still a fabulously wealthy man, he had recently begun to make big mistakes. 2 He insisted on buying companies at
very high prices, only to watch them fail or go bankrupt.
Ellsworth was in pretty good shape for a 76-year-old, but his business failures
were ruinous to his health. 3 He had
suffered his last heart attack after his disastrous purchase of a small railroad
in Iowa. 4 The health problem he
suffered before that came about because of excitement over the failure of a
chain of grocery stores, stores which he had purchased at an inflated price.
It seemed that all his recent purchases had to be liquidated at a great
sacrifice to both his pocketbook and his health. 5
They were beginning to have serious effects.