, 1875-01-10
A MANAGERIAL CAREER.



court, these lawyers, scrivuer l. Son, and, look
ing through tile window Ut my door and theuc
through tho window bf their door; csu &c
them at any hour Of the day busy With their i'll
sttacts, cuurt.papets, and chente.
It is posbibly foolish habit have fallen intd
that Of observing people and building in m
nind plots and counter plots concetp,ne them
and the Fire mixed IA up 70 here In Chicago
that as ne aro getting shook down b
Necessity and settled by timct and thave ah oo
casional moment to look about rs, re find tia
We are ID atrnnEs company; willis q senas o
loneliness, 1t our work is Of i character to civ
us leisure to think about it at all, comes upo,
US; and re wonder what have become OF th
old firms which kept US company in the cob
"ebbed ahells that made suck bright light no
very long time ago; and where on earth il
these he" firms, resplenuent in their bronze
gilt~iettaring, and expensive appointments, can;
from?
So it Was in this way that came to rutninate
over the atf:iirs Of scrivnor & Son; and i
struck my fancy that there was something in tht
manly; confidential way in which they came up
The stairs, walking arm in arm to their office
door, then passing inside to their work, quite
outsids the usual manner of n1any other Chicar
so fathers and SONS, and especially Of legal
limbs; as have noticed that they are not over.
whelminsly given to either ciyility OF aectionate
demonstration.
And would have it that there Was = story at
tho bottom OF ii Ill.
In great Office building like ours men will
meet and pass each other; and it was not long
before al opportunity vas offered to show ti1s
Junior tncmber-of this law firm sonlcIslglt civ
lGty, which was acknowledged with such good
grace that it could not but lead to an no.
quantance. and eventually to an intimacy which
has resulted in young Scrivner, as regular as the
evening comes, and the light and shadows begin
| playing at their daily hide-and-seek, "dzoppins
in u for half horr'a chat over our pcnny-pipes
ind caTendieh, until We have become friends and
: confdants.
He loves to talk, does Scriyner, and he runs
on in such al irresistab1y reckless way, that lis
pipe goes out; but he would talk straight at the
glow in tha bowl OF my pipe while listened, for
we never lit the gas in these quiet, weird times
| when I Visited for what I knew would come
sooner or later; and hers it is Just as he ratified
it off:
Yes: Bob (my familiar tife); you may be sure
there is very warm affection existing between
my father and myself You may be quite sure
Of it. I an sometimes painoa By most unjust
existence, what led TO and cemented il. and it's
result. have cons to be very sacred memories
and blessed rea1iZatlous with me.
know it would be tedious to you to know how
it all came shout until became theatrical
manager; how my father was formerly coun-
try Justice. farmer, lawyer, polltieian-and gen.
tleman, too; how was precocious ID deviltry
from my earliest remembrance; how / led at
''huskinss" and ''eurprises,' and won first
Prizes at sonday-school. and played poker with
tnff
how became too advanced III my ideas for the
quaint community in which we lived, and start
ed for The summer-land. Somewhere, my father
scoA after oVertahng na aud thrashing me until
prayed for tho land, Nowhere; how gradu-
ated at the village academy by almost numbering
tho master with poker, and, as compromise
between begging lis pardon and prosecution,
was hustled away to 3 seminary.
think shall always remember how life
loorned up before me a. It never had before and
u7cy mover again, with = lind of fear and dread
Of the result, and yet thrill Of its possibilities.
US entered upon my atI;;'.Es led the school
until it became monotonoa,: got magnifcently
drunk. and then led part: who screwed up the
chapel rostrum. and then held grand re4el IN
the old dining-room until dny. Those Of US
whose bills we're pEid In advance were expe1Ied.
Then ruehcd-1 always rushed then-into the
army, and for three ysars danced staccatU to
rafting bullets Then I cnme home; just as I
becanss had c6anred. or In that time eyarrs
tLine can Change. could nat bear oid assoc;s.
tiouS. and thinrs looked mean md smai1 h Ioo
vent to collece: fell in lave: Rob that
brought on a worse diseaae-poetry. and r1.I,-
ed At that. too. knew Won wonld never have
suspected i Of ma. assrre yon hnyr,t tbe
least taint OF the d;sor1er lingering abont me
riBv. Well. d book mnst ho writtgn. and one
was written. I believe I called it Il Summer
Idyl. One critic remarked that il was ranIeta
with EVIDENCES Of idleuess. There were lust six
Of those ..idyls IS sold outright and do yon
know, Bob I have alwave hed = curiosity re-
rsraine The fate Of those sir mild 1nnatic nr,T-
chasers. You NAV imaeine this unfineo1 me-.
but that hinge indefinatle deaire to do soma i'm,
mense thina at one st1oke-fo make aome mar- |
nifcent snccess ont Of single effort whinl |
yns nv misfortnne and il an manv' many |
others min was the force that moved M.
and. after securing a iarre ann of monay
from nv father will, Which to nav M
debts. suddenly disanncaroa and neIt
cana IN s7,rfars M Reeinafd Gniai anong fha /
q srnnr" and t.nti1ity" men at the o1d Wnsa,1-n
on Randolph street. I strobe around there With
biz ewes md dilated uostrils until Aiken nuietIV
infor1nof1 ma that INV stvfa waa . thon1ht ton
for s.sociaty" NAV and comedes and
hinted ut success In the aheayies." Ihad sense