Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-09-19

"Ne have had agood many boys
with us from time to time," said Mr.
Alden, the senior member Of alarge
hardware establishment in Market
street, Philadelphia, Gas apprentices
to learn the business. What may
surprise you is that 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 hoy
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 accus-
toned to these things cares little for
them, and if he has a good mother,
he is at home and in bed in due sea
son. And we are very particular
about our boys-and before accept
ing one as an apprentice, we must
know that he comes of honest and in
dustrlous parents.
"But the best boy we ever had now
is with us, and a monlbcr of the firm.
He is the one man in the establis-
ment that we couldn't do without.
He was thirteen years old when he
was apprenticed to lis, and he was
with us for eleven years, acting for
several years as salesman. When he
first came, we told him that for a
long time his wages would be very
small, but that if he proved to be a
good boy his salary would be in
creased at certain rate every year; !;
and, as it turned out, when according
to agreement we should have been
paying him five hundred dollars a
year, we paid him nine hundred, and
he never said a word himself about
an increase of salary. From the very
outset, he showed that he had an in
tcrcst in the business. He was
prompt i'll the morning, and kept a
little overtime at night, it never
seemed to make any difference with
him. lie gradually came to know
where everything was to be found, and
if information was wanted, it was to
this boy, Frank Jones, that every
one applied. The entire establish
ment seemed to be mapped out in
his head, and everything init cata-
logucd and numbered. His memory
of faces was equally remarkable. He
knew the name of every man who
came to the store to buy goods, what
he bought and where he came from.
| used often to say to him, Jones,
your memory is worth moro than a
gold mine! Flow do you manage to
remember?"
"I make it my business to remem-
ber,' he would say. 4 know that if I
can remember a man and call him by
name when he comes into the store,
and can ask him how things are 60
ing on where he lives, I will be very
likely to keep him customer"
"And that was the exact case. He
took the same interest in their pur-
chases as he took in the store, and
would go to no end of trouble to suit
them, and fulfill to tho letter every
thing he promised.
"Wcll, affairs went on in this way,
until he had been with us eleven
years, when we concluded to take
him into the firm as a partner. We
knew that he had no extravagant
habits, that he neither used tobacco,
nor beer, nor went to the theatre.
He continued as at the beginning to
board at home, and even when his
salary was the very lowest he paid
his mother two dollars a week for his
board. lie was always neatly dress
ed, and we thought it was very proba-
bic that he had laid up one or two
thousand dollars, as his salary for the
last two years had been twelve hun
drcd dollars. SO when VIC made him
the offer to become q partner in the