Page images
PDF
EPUB

"I really do not know," Cortright replied, "but Mr. Cummings will be here shortly. Probably he can tell you."

The “hunky” growled something I could not catch, opened the gate, walked over to Watson's desk and began to fumble through his papers.

"Look here, my friend," said Cortright; "do you see that sign? You're not allowed in here. Step outside and wait for Mr. Cummings."

"No wait," growled the hunky.

Cortright bounced from his stool. "Get outside or I'll put you out," he commanded.

"You no put me out. You go to—”

Just how it happened I could never tell, but the next second the "hunky" was over the railing and in a heap on the floor, thrown there by a slim youth twenty or thirty pounds below his weight.

"If you attempt to come back I'll break you in half,” said Cortright, cheerfully. And I have no doubt that he would have done so, but at this moment I stepped into the office, answered the man's question and saw him out. "How did you do it?" I asked. "That fellow is much heavier and looks twice as strong as you."

"He probably is. It was not a case of strength, — just a case of know how."

And so it was ever with Cortright. Whatever his task, he seemed always to have the "know how."

When Derry returned, I resumed my own place and Cortright was set to help Mullins, whose work was behind.

"Guess that will keep you amused for a few days," commented old Harley. But so great was Cortright's speed and so much increased was Mullins's own effort, unconsciously stimulated by Cortright's example, that by evening Tom's work was "up to the minute."

"But we must After he is assured

"What do you think of your gentleman now?" asked Cub, as we walked homeward together. "He's a smart fellow," Tom replied. not forget he's here simply on trial. a permanent job, you'll see that his daily life will cease to be one continuous performance of grand-stand plays."

"Tom, I wouldn't have your disposition for all the wealth of Carnegie," retorted Cub.

A few days later came the day on which the most reluctant of us went cheerfully to work, the fortnightly pay day. About ten o'clock a messenger from the cashier's office came in and proceeded silently to lay each man's envelope upon his desk; and each of us, hastily and with an assumption of indifference, crammed the envelope into his pocket, only to extract it again the first moment he was sure of being unobserved, rip it open, count the contents and place them lovingly in his pocketbook. Just why we did this I cannot say, but it was the invariable custom of every man in the office.

"Your name Cortright?" the messenger demanded of our new recruit.

Cortright assented. Then, making no motion to take the envelope extended to him, he asked, "What is it?" "Why, your pay envelope, of course.'

[ocr errors]

"Just take it back again and put it in the safe for the present, will you?"

"What for? You had better take it."

"I prefer not to take it."

"Well, I'm not going to take it back, at any rate." The messenger was getting angry.

"You may do as you please with it," replied Cortright, coldly, as he turned again to his work.

The messenger stood undecided for a moment, then

stepped over and laid the envelope on Harley's desk. A moment later the chief came in.

"Eh! What's this?" he cried. "Cortright, I guess this envelope is yours."

Cortright stepped briskly over to him. "I suppose the messenger laid it there after I declined to take it," he said.

"Declined to take it! Are you crazy?"

"If you please, sir, there has been no agreement with me as to salary," Cortright explained, with a smile. "Until some agreement is made, I prefer not to accept any payments which may or may not be satisfactory."

"Young man, you are likely to accept whatever payments this concern offers you," bellowed Harley.

"Probably I will." Cortright was neither frightened nor angry. "But I claim the right of being consulted first. If my ideas regarding salary do not coincide with those of Mr. Clarke, or whoever has the deciding of it, it is more to the purpose if I kick before accepting a payment than if I do so afterwards. Will you tell me the rate at which that payment, is figured?"

"Don't know," growled Harley.

"Will you be so kind as to open the envelope and see?" "Open it yourself and see."

"I beg to be excused."

I glanced cautiously at the boss, expecting an explosion. Harley's temper was never angelic; and when aroused to wrath he was sublimely terrible. At that moment he looked as if he were about to devour the calm, smiling, yet respectful, young man who stood before him. Suddenly his face relaxed.

"Well, I'm damned!" he exclaimed. "Get back to your work."

On the following Monday morning Cortright was not

at the office when we arrived, but old Harley was, and he glared so balefully at each of us as we came in, at the same time glancing ostentatiously at the clock, that every man sought his own desk speedily, and plunged at once into his work. As soon as the chief left for his daily tour of inspection around the works, each of us turned involuntarily to the others and asked, "Where's Cortright?" Nobody knew, but before we left that night we had startling news of him. The six o'clock whistle had blown; the thud and clang and rattle of the great shop had subsided; the tired, grimy toilers were issuing from its doors on their way homeward, and we were just preparing to follow them, when we were arrested by a word from old Harley, who, in defiance of his usual custom, was still at his desk.

"One moment, gentlemen," said the chief; and at so extraordinary an address from that grim official, every man stood as if rooted to the spot. "This morning I received a call for a clerk from the General Office. know they are rather particular up there."

You

Did n't we know it! On the last occasion of such a call Mullins had been sent up, he being senior clerk in point of service. But at the end of a three days' trial he had been sent down again in disgrace, whereby the prestige of our office was greatly reduced.

"I sent up Cortright, for two reasons," proceeded Harley. "One, because I can best spare him, he having no regular desk here; the other, because he seems to possess several of the requisite qualifications of a good clerk, not the least of which is punctuality, - a fact which it will be well for you all to bear in mind. Good night, gentle

[merged small][ocr errors]

For several minutes we walked in silence. For once Mullins could say nothing. He had had his chance.

At last Cub blurted out, "Serves him right!"

"I hope he'll suit them," I added.

"Of course he will," cried Tom. "Such namby-pamby, soft-spoken fellows as he always do suit. He'll know how to toady and curry favor up there."

"Toady! Why, he has more independence and nerve in a second than you'll have in your whole life," replied Cub. "Just look how he stuck out about his pay

[ocr errors]

"Oh, of course, that episode appeals to you," sneered Tom. "To win your admiration, it is only necessary to perform some such theatrical piece of business as that."

"Well, if he has in any way won my admiration, it is more than you have ever done."

"For which, believe me, I am duly thankful," was Tom's retort, as he left us at the corner of his street.

Some two weeks after this, old Harley called me to his desk.

"They need another clerk up at the General Office," he said. "Ball says to send you, if I can spare you, which means I must spare you. You will report there at once." "But my work here," I said. Surely my place could not be filled at a moment's notice, I thought.

"Oh, we'll make shift to manage that. Go along and good luck to you." Old Harley was never disconcerted. I verily believe that if every clerk in his office had suddenly dropped dead the old man would have "made shift" to get the work out somehow just the same.

At the General Office I found all in confusion. Workmen were tearing down the partition that formerly separated the chief clerk's office from that occupied by the billing department. Desks were being moved and everything was being rearranged. Quickly I learned that Mr. Clous, the chief clerk, had been stricken down with an incurable disease, and that his office was now to be consolidated

« PreviousContinue »