The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-07-04
THE BEST Boys STORY 1 EVER
HEARnn

That was what lawyer said of this
story that l am to relate to you at is
the best boys story that l ever heard"
1--WE have had good many boys with
us from time to time" said Mr.. Alden,
the senior member of large hardware
establishment in Market street, Philadel-
phia, las apprentices to learn the bust
ness. What may surprise you is tha,
we never take country boys, unless they
live in the city with some relative who
takes care of them and keeps them home
at night, for when country boy comes
to the city to live everything is new to
him, and he is attracted by every show
window and unusual sight. The city
boy who is accustomed to these things
cares little for them, and if he has a
good mother he is at home and in bed
in due season, And we are very partic
ular about our boys-and before accept
ing one as an apprentice we must know
that he comes of honest an industrious
parents.
But the best boy we ever had is now
with us, and member of the firm. He
is the one man in the establishment that
we couldn't do without. He was thir-
teen years old when he was apprenticed
to us, aud he was with us for eleven
years, acting for several years as sales
man. When he first came we told him
that for long time his wages would be
very small, but that if he was a good
boy his salary would be increased at q
certain rate every year, and as it turned
out, when according to agreement we
should have been paying him five hun
dred dollars year, we paid him nine
hundred, and he never said word him
self about an increase of salary. From
the very outset, he showed that he had
an interest in the business. He was
prompt in the morning and if kept lit
tie overtime at night, it never seemed to
make any difference with him. He
gradually came to know where every.
thing was to be found, and if informa
ton was wanted, it was to this boy,
Frank Jones, that every one applied
The entire establishment seemed to be
mapped out in his head and everything
in it catalogued and numbered. His
memory of faces was equally remarka-
BILE. He knew the name of every man
who came to the store to buy goods
what he bought and where he came
from. | used to say to him, Jones
your memory is wor h more than a gold
mine How do you manage to remem
Der 2
81 make il my business to remember,
he would say. Il know that if can re-
member man and call him by name
when he comes into the store, and can
ask him how things are going on
where he lives, will be very likely tC
keep him as a customer
And that was the exact case. He
made friends OF buyers. He took tht
same interest in their purchases as he
took in the store. and would go to no enc
of trouble to suit them, and to fulfill Il
the letter everything he promised.
"Well, affairs went on this way unit
he had been with us eleven years, which
we concluded to take him into the firm
as partner. We knew that he had nj
extravagant habits, that he neither useC
tobacco, nor beer, nor went to the thea
ter He continued as at the beginning
to board at home, and even when hi
salary was the very lowest he paid hi
mother two dollars a week for his board
He was always neatly dressed, and WI
thought it was very probably that HI
had laid up one or two thousand dollars
as his salary for the last two years had
been twelve hundred dollars So wher
he made him the offer to become part.
ner in the business, and suggested tha
it would be more satisfactory if he coulC
put some money into the firm, he replied
eff ten Thousand dollars will be any
object l can put in that much, l hav'
saved out of my salary nine thousand
four hundred dollars, and my sister will
let me have six hundred
IL can tell you that was never NOR,
astonished in my life, than when tina
fellow said he could put in ten Thousand
dollars, and the most of it his owl
money. He had never spent dollar, o.
twenty-five cents or five cents for an un
necessary thing, and had kept his none!
in the bank where it gathered a small
interest. am a great believer in TIN
Bible, you know, and l always kept TIVE
placards in big letters up in the store
On one was this text 4: He that is faith
ful in that Uhich is least, is faithful ais,
in that 1Chich is nluch;,' and on tn,
other 4: He that is dili9ent in business
shall stand before kings and not befOr
mean men And Frank Joness success
was the literal fulfillment of those tw'
texts. He had been faithful in th
smallest things as in the greater ones
and diligent in business. That kind o
a boy always succeeds" concluded Mr.
Alden.
A small boy of ten, who had listened
TO the story with eager eyes, as well a
ears, said :
"But we don't have any kings in thi
country, Mr. Alden, for diligent boys t,
stand before !"
Eyes, we do" laughed Mr.. Alden
"We have more kings here than in an.
other country in the world. We hav
money kings, and business kings, ant
railroad kings, and land kings, and mer
chhant kings. and publishing kings ant
some of them weld an enormous power
This is great country for kings
Mary Wager Fisher, IN July Wild
AUdke