The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-29
CHOOSING A eooKKEEpER.
A Commercial Traveller Tells of an Ex-
animation he Overheard.

animation he Overheard.
Il. L. Lang in The Judged
Before leaving st. Paul for Omaha, felt
it to be my duty as well as pleasure to can
on my friend Buggy to bid him good-by;
did so, and found him questioning cadaV-
erous youth who had called in answer 10 an
advertisement for an assistant oookkeeper,
as Mr. B. afterward told me. Inc Ioiio"A nS
examination was going on;
"Can you keep booksE
eyes, sir; pretty well"
ssWeIl sir. here is a test question: Sup
nose Won enter a number Of bills which L
have BOUGHT for cash. OF course your sales
book. in which purchases are originally Ell
tered must balance with bills receivable
Now. if, in taking off your trial balance
YOU find you have an error, would you look
for it in petty cash or check up your order
book!
'Pm sorry, Nh. Bugby, but in school no
such questions were ever propounded, and
can't ans wer the question"
sit is wonderful, Lang, how impractical
In many respects these commercial acad-
emies are" remarked Bugby, turning to me
with a wink and then re-addressing the
youth:
your general education, 1 presume, is
good, young sir, although you are not an
expert bookkeeper, and you know something
of geography"
81 have a superior education, Mr.. Bugby."
81 am glad to hear it. Name, then, the
nearest point in Canada which a travcier
can reach if he leaves st. Paul between two
days; also state the route by which he should
journey"
''Pm afraid, sir, that I'll have to look that
up"
ssYes, I think you had better, if you ez-
pect to be promoted in time to thu desk of
cashier That is the first bit of knowledge
an Office man should acquire. Another
point: you are familiar with Shakespeare's
worlzs?''
'sOh, yes, sir; perfectly"
''Give me, then, the name of the play in
which this line occurs: 'Peesnis Is peesnls,
Rebecca' Isn't it Romeo and JulietE'
Undoubtedly, Mr.. Bugby."
'Do you recall the beautiful lines:
"'Oh! to be waited away
From this black Alcedana of sorrow,
Where the dust Of an esrthy today
Is the earth of dusty tomorrow.
''TheY occur in the Act l. of Midsummer
Nights Dream do they not"
''They certainly do, Mr.. Bugby."
''Then let me compliment you on your su-
perior attachments. Are you familiar with
Richard Brinsby Sheridan's opera, An Ad-
amless Eden and do you recall the cathe-
dral scene in the sixth act, and the archblsh-
ops invocation, commencing with the beau
tiful words:
"'rm awfully modest and awfully shy,
But for goodness sake, don't say l told
you"
Il remember them clearly, Mr.. Bugby."
''You do? Well, my lad, you won't suit.
Vanish.'t~
He vanished
LANG, that boy is liar. have no use
Tor such. He makes the twelfth aspirant
have knocked out to-day. Pm becoming
weary of this"
'sBrace up, Mr.. Bugby," said encourag-
ingly. ''The next will be thirteen, which is
ordinarily considered an unlucky number,
but the joker takes everything in the deck.
You twigF'
''Well I'll come up for another round.
Here's another. How are you, thirteen" he
said to a bright-looking boy who at that
moment entered.
'sHow are you, sir, only I'm IL. My name
is William Grubb. What's yours, please?'
'sBugby, at your service; Buggy, of Bug
by & Roach, my young friend, what can ]
do for you9'
Employ me, sir"
''Do you understand bookkeepingp
'cNot at all, sir; but can learn"
How do you know that2-but, never
mind Are you hOnest?'
81 don't know, sir think so, but have
never been tried"
'.Boy, I'll engage you Come to work to-
morrow. Good day
''Hold up, Mr.. Buggy, 1 haven't engaged
you yet You have forgotten something, L
think"