The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-08-26

Il
desk, when l saw the head of the firm
coming toward my desk. My heart be-
gan to beat. ! felt somehow as though
something was going to happen. See
here he began, calling me by name.
Here's something which ought to be
done right away. The case itself isn't
hard one, but it is coming on in two
or three weeks, and | can't see to it my
self. You have mentioned that you
would like any business which we could
turn over to you. You can have this,
if you like, and we'll see what sort of
brief you can get up He went on to
explain matters little, and then left
me- My young friend down at the
office would probably have said that he
was very sorry, but he could not take
the job, as his trunk was all packed
and he didn't wish to undertake any
work until after the vacation, but such
an idea never entered my mind. |
rushed to the telegraph Office sent
word to my friends that l was unex-
pectedly detained, worked at my case
all that evening and was up bright and
early in the morning to go at it again.
1t seemed to grow hotter and hotter,
but paid no attention to the weather
had made a memorandum OF the orig
inal statement so that ! didn't need
to 90 to him again. In ten days-and
never worked harder--my brief was
ready. My legs shook when | went
to the front Office and laid it before
my employer. All of that night wor-
ried for fear had forgotten something;
but | couldn't think of anything to be
done any better than | had done it.
| The next morning. believe it was the
happiest moment of my life-thc old
man came to me and told NE my brief
was all right; and | never had any lack
OF work from that time on
Another of the group, whose name is
as we'll known as perhaps any other in
connection with the colossal commerce
Of New York, remarked at this point:
"You are righta bout the importance of
recognizing the chance when it comes.
There is everything in it. 1t is pity
that boys can't understand it. Now,
my own experience was something
like yours. | was keeping books in the
old store of - & -, when | one
| day heard the head of the firm say to
one of tic partners that he wished he
knew of somebody who could write
| some circulars and advertisements for
them. 1T ought to be some one who
| knows our business WE'LL he said, and
yet he ought to know how to express
| himself better than most business
men have been trained to- He went
| on more at length to explain
what he wanted, but the others did
not seem to know of anybody
who could fill the bill. | went
home that night thinking all the
| way about those advertisements had
| some knack at writing myself, but |
was naturally pretty bashful, and
! didn't dare to say right out that /
thought | could write anything so i'm
portant as Mr.. seemed to think
this new work to be. But the next
morning screwed my courage up and
told him that had had fair educa-
ton an d would like to try my hand at
| those advertisements which / had
heard him asking about the day before.
He was little surprised at first, but
he told me fully what he wanted, and
wrote the things-wrote them over and
over and almost wore out a dictionary
and thesaurus over it-and they
turned out to be just what were
wanted. | believe that | might have
been keeping books to-day in some lit
tie back Office at fifty dollars a month
if hadn't caught at that chance. A
man has got to be faithful and honest
and ready in order to get taken into a
firm on his merits-that goes without
saying. But l don't believe that /
should ever have become a partner in
that house, as did year after that
time (and that was the beginning of
my success), if hadn't seen my chance
and had the courage, in the face of in
experience and knowledge that had
no special ground for expecting favors,
| to snap at it
These sentiments were warmly in
dorscd by every man who was present
christian Union.