The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-09-24
Our 8ops ann Girls.
Faithful In a Few Things.

WIN DlOphOho " W. "ipNA eNAS AS~hS
month"
"Why is that, Hal7 thought the
position was very good one"
ooh, the POSITIONS good enough, l
suppose. | have been with them almost
a year, and they don't give me cent
more than when | first went there and
I'm just discouraged"
" Perhaps you are not worth cent
more, my boy"
That was not pleasant to hear, and
Hal shrugged his shoulders by way of
an answer.
His father hid smile with his hand
kerchief, and then continued:
"Do you do your work quite as well,
and are you as much on the lookout to
advance the interest of your firm as
though they gave you double the salary,
Hal? In other words, are you doing
your very best?"
Why, no, father; don't suppose
that l am; and they shouldn't expect it
for what they give me-"
"Never mind what they expect.
Make yourself so valuable to them that
they can not afford to lose you, and then
there will be no trouble about your sal
airy. Don't you know that there are
five men to every position, and that a
firm will give its positions to those who
will do the work in the best manner?
l think l must tell you of an experience
l had when | was young man:
&C. was not as fortunate-or, perhaps,
unfortunate-as you, Hal. In other
words, | had no one but myself to de-
pend upon. Ny father lost money
through the fault of his partner when
l was little more than boy, and dying
soon after, left hardly enough to sup
port my mother.
" AS was old enough, left school
and went into business. After chang
ing once or twice, found position
which liked; and | made up my mind
that | would keep it if | could. could
not afford to go from place to place. l
had been there for several years, and
each year my salary had been increased
a little, when one of the partners was
taken seriously ill. That threw a great
deal of extra work on me, which, with
my own, was almost more than L could
do. / remember that used to 90 home
in the evening tired and discouraged.
" Never mind, Harry, mother would
say, it can not last long,
was worth the work. l complained.
"But all the time l had secret hope
that at the beginning of the new year
l would have more of an increase than
usual. With that hope to cheer me l
worked hard, and managed to do almost
the work of two men. Imagine, then,
my disapp ointment when, at the begin
ming of the new year, l received eX-
actly the increase that had been prom
Used me before the illness of the part
ner. Only when | knew that l was not
to have it did / find how | had counted
on that extra money. l wanted to hire
house for mother and myself-we
were boarding and l had calculated
that, with what had saved and the
increase l had expected, | would be
able to do so in the spring.
Never shall l forget with what a
heavy heart l went home that night. /
did not mean to tell mother of my dis
appointment. / thought that it would
only trouble her. But l had not been
in the house half an hour before she
had the whole story.
"' And,' l said, in conclusion, i
won't work another day as | have
done. They may find some one else.'
"'They did not promise you any
more, did they, Harry?' asked mother
"' No; but l expected that they
would give it to me-
"' Do you mean to leave she
asked next.
"No; of course l can not afford to
do that, l answered, dismally.
Then said mother, in her bright
cheerful way, work just as you have
done, quite as conscientiOusly as
though you were receiving all you ex.
pected; and then, when the little house
does come, we will enjoy it all the
more. Do not do yourself the injustice
Harry, of giving anything but your
best
"How often since have / realized tn,
force of that remark, when | have seer
boys doing themselves just that inius
tice Well, l took mothers advice, ant
did my work as thoroughly as l knew
how. About the first of February Mr.
Willis, the partner who was so i'll, grow
so much better that almost every day
carried him his letters, and gave him al
account of the business of the proceed
ing day. AT last, one morning TOWARD
the end of that month, he told m
that on the following day he would re
turn to business. How well / remem
Der that day! ! can even see the de
tails of the room where | found hin
just finishing his breakfast. | knew
that in the left-hand corner of the book
case was a copy of Pilgrims Progress,
with the name in gilt letters on tn
back. There was "A coffee-pot on tn
table, and his cup had three blue line
around it; and the wallpaper wa
cream-color, with a vine running al
over it. ! had given my report, and
having laid the letters on the table, wa
just about leaving, when he said:
So Wait a moment, Weston. / hav
something to say to you.'
s. | can not remember his exact words
Hal; but the purport of what he sat
was this: Just before the beginning O
the year, Mr.. Savage, the other partner
came to him and asked what had bette
he done abOut adVancin0 NV SALARY