Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-12-14
INCREASE IN TOTAL INCOME IN
10 YEARS. 1856 81.
A CHICAGO vlGNETTE.
The Clerks Excuse About the Sick Baby
Is Investigated by the Manager.

Is Investigated by the Manager.
He had been in the habit of uncere-
moniously absenting himself from the
office for two or three days at stretch
at varying intervals for about year,
and at last the manager got mad and
swore up and down that he wouldn' t
stand it any longer.
"When he comes back this time"
said the manager, rumpling his bushy
gray hair with one hand while he
brought the other fist down on the ste
nographer's desk with bang that made
the typewriter keys rattle, ''1'll dock
him for every minute that he has been
gone. I'd discharge him on the spot
and be done with it, but he's a good
worker when he's here and like him
and will try to put up with this hit and
miss way of coming around for little
while longer. -
That was on Monday. The clerk
didn't show up till Wednesday at noon.
"What's been the matter?' asked tho
manager, pushing his glasses down over
the end of his nose and eying his en-
ployee severely.
The man took his place at the long
table and commenced slowly pulling on
his black Office sleeves.
''The baby has been sick again." he
said gravely taking up his pen and be-
ginning to write.
"I'm sorry" he said, "but please
bear in mind that the next time you go
off this way you will lose your wages.
The mans face seemed to take ON an
other degree of paleness, but be answered
calmly, "All right" and went on writ
ing.
twas six weeks before he staid away
again and that time he was gone two
days. He came back on pay day. His
face was sallow and haggard and his
eyes were sunken and red.
"Baby been sick again?" asked the
manager, with facetious little smile.
eyes, . was the quiet answer. "She
was worse than usual this time" And
the clerks grinned and made up their
minds that be had had high old time
that trip.
Six dollars were deducted from his
salary to Offset the pleasures of that lit
tie spree, and the manager thought that
such summary punishment ought to
bring about pretty effectual reforma-
ton. But it didn't. At the end of three
weeks he staid away again, and although
his salary was again diminished at the
same rate, he took another self appoint
ed vacation within month. When he
sent note around the fourth time after
the docking process commenced and ac-
counted for his absence by the same old
plea that the baby was sick the manager
made up his mind that he would inves-
tigate things.
I'm going over to his house and
straighten this matter out" he said to
the stenographer between sentences of
the letter he was debating. "That child
isn't sick any more than am, and not
half as much so, and I'll catch him face
to face in his trickery. If l go over
there and find him drunk, as suppose
/ will be pretty sure to do, I'll discharge
him SO quick he won't know what his
name is, y
The stenographer said she thought that
was the only way to fix him, and right
away after lunch he started for the
South Side to hunt up his delinquent
employee The man lived in the third
fiat, and by the time the mgnager had
pulled and painted himself up the two
long flights of stairs he was essTaged
with the world in general and his clerk
in particular for putting him to so much
trouble.
The clerk himself opened the door
and let the manager in. His coat was
off and his eyes were swollen and his
hair was pushed back in reckless confu-
sion. The manager tapped his cane en-
on the hardwood floor as
prelude to the coming lecture and said
with testiness that was made still
more bitter by suspicion:
'Well. sir, did happen to find you
at home, didn't l? How S that baby:n
The man held out his hand with
gesture of entreaty.
"Hushl p he said, with quiet dig
nifty made strong by grief. ''She's dead. |
She died just an hour ago. Chicago
News.