The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-09-30
WATCH FOR A CHANCE.
And When It Comes Make Good
Use Of It
An Illustration of Lost Opportunity ss
Related by Successful Msn-HOw "A
Famous New York Lawyer
Got

Not long ago four old friends sat
down to u little dinner together in New
York. One of them was a famous
lawyer. They naturally fell to talking
over old times, and, as men of fifty are
rather apt to do, whether rightly or
not, they agreed that young men now
adays are not what they used to be.
Il have had striking illustration of
that fact to-day" said the lawyer, with
a shrug of impatience. "A young fel-
low has had desk in my Office for per-
haps six months. He seemed bright,
and came to me with a recommends
ton from n man in whom have conf
dence He said that if l would only
give him a chance. that was all he
wanted. He was willing TO do any
thing and all that sort of talk. Well,
nothing but routine work has happened
to come in to be thrown into that boys
way, until about a week ago, when l
was short for time To look up some
points about important case
which is taking up most of our
attention at the Office Just now.
Here thought |, is the chance for our
young friend. Let's see if there is any
stuff in him l sat down by him and
explained that l should like him to
hunt up all the evidence he could find
bearing on this subject. After having
made the thing as plain as the nose on
a mans face, l added: Now, If you
want to know anything further about
this matter, come right to me. There
is no Immediate hurry / said, as !
turned away; but inside of n week we
shall want everything connected with
this point of the case put into perfect
order He said: All right, sir, and |
dropped the whole affair off my mind.
for | have been completely absorbed in
an entirely different part of the same
case. To-day it occurred to me that |
hadn't heard anything from him, and
that by tomorrow or next day the pa
pers ought to be in hand. | went
around and asked him how he was get
ting on. He told me, with considerable
hesitation, that he had been meaning
To come and tell me hat-hc-'hadn't
northumberland, and so forth.
Then why didn't you come to me, as /
told you to do?' | asked him, pretty
shortly. He stammered ont lot more
about its being big job for little fell
low OF his ineXperience; and then l
fairly roared: i was trying To give you
some experience- Then l got away rs
L
| should say something that |
should be sorry for. But that young
man is done for AS far as | am con-
ccrncd l shall get rid of him as soon
as | possibly can. What u chance he
had. Just such a chance as had at his
age-only l seized it. | knew it was n
chance. This fellow acted as though
he didn't know a chance when he saw
it"
How was it that you got your
start?7 asked one of the party. II
don't believe you ever told us"
sOh, it isn't much of a story" said
the great lawyer, modestly; but it
meant a good deal to me just the same.
| was fixed something as this boy is
the one have been telling you about
in the office OF law firm who were do
ing a big business. | had had clerks
work for about six months, and was be-
ginning 10 think that | never should
get a chance to do anything else, though
had seize every opportunity that l
could make or find to tell the head men
of the firm that l was ready to try my
hand at anything they had mind to
give me. Summertime came around
snd things were as dull as dull. The
nest were all going off on their vaca-
tisps. and at last my turn came. l
pae!Se my trunk early in the morning
aud hid written my friends TO expect
Iase nv the first train that left that city
after Office hours that night | felt
pretty btue when / wrote, too. / knew
they would ask me how | was getting
on, and / wasn't getting on at all. |
had made up my mind that | had been
a fool to think / ever should be able to
do any law business anyway. thought,
with some show of reason, that if /
really had any stuff in Inc some of these
smart men at the Office would have
found it out by this time and would
have given me something to do.
Well, noon passed, and it ran along
to three o'clock. 1t was hot day,
and was beginning to think
that it was time l was clearing my
desk, when / 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
a hard one, but it is coming on in two
or three weeks. and can't see to II my