Griggs courier., 1898-05-06
TINS INITIATIVE.
- y
By WILLIAM A. LEAnY.
6 DON'T think we shall need you

The blow had fallen at last. Tim had
been expecting it for weeks. In fact,
from the moment Lawyer Dodd had re-
marked to his partner: ''Well, We'll
try him, anyway" Tim had known he
would not suit; and time had only con-
firmed him in this conviction.
The lawyers were so sharp and
quick; their errands full of strange
terms, hard to remember, and dis
patched to strange places, hard to find.
And when he was left alone in the Of
flee and other lawyers came in, all
quick and sharp, like his employers,
how confused he grew!
How he blundered at the telephone!
How he always failed to say the right
thing to the clients! How he hit upon
the utterly wrong thing to say to the
judge one day, and saw Mr.. Dodd slap
his long yellow envelope on the desk
and swing his chair around and look at
him, as much as to says. "You born
dunce!"
"You don't seem to take hold as we
would like to have you," explained Mr..
Dodd counting out two two-dollar bills,
dollar over Tins usual weeks pay,
but the last that he was to receive from
this employer-the last, perhaps, he
was ever to receive from anybody, he
thought, as he shuf1led disconsolately
down the stairs.
1t was a sad story to tell to his
mother; though, of course, being his
mother. she would be easier than any,
Gne else.
"Well, it's too bad, Timmie, losing
your very first place, but suppose you
can look around for another one"
''Oh, yes" replied Tim, choking up
at her sympathy. But when he went to
his own room and looked out of the WIN
dow it really did not seem any use. 1t
was the recommendation from his
grammar school that got him this
place; but now he hadn't any recon-
mendation. And who would take dis
charged Office boy?
However, next morning he faithfully
copied all the "Boy Wanted" adver-
tisements in the Sunday paper, and on
Monday started out early to try his
luck. At noon he came home discour-
aged; at supper time he had no appe-
tite at all.
Sometimes the place had just been
taken by another boy. The Help Want
ed" column had many readers, it
seemed. Sometimes bigger boy than
lin was wanted, and how Tim wished
he was tall! Sometimes it was smaller
boy, and Tim regretted his long trou-
sers.
Sometimes the faces of the women
clerks, looking sidewise from their
desks at the candidate for Harry's or
Charley's position, froze his courage
completely. His voice sank low, and he
grew in his own esteem twice as shabby
and humble as he really was. Then he
saw clouds of doubt gathering on the
face of the manager or foor-walker.
and heard him conclude the examina-
tion with blunt "You won't do;" or
perhaps the more evasive "Well, think
We'll make other arrangements" or.
gentlest of all, but knelling with no
less certainty the doom of his modest
application: 'Leave me your address,
so that if we should want you we shall
know where to send"
Two weeks of constant rejection
sapped Tins hope most lamentably.
He dreaded to turn an office doorknob.
He began to look upon employers as a
class apart from other men, of stern.
inquisitorial temper and disposition
that could not be pleased.
STfss f0o 1,,1 ,,,o
who could get you place, Timmie,''
said his mother. That was just what
lin had been thinking himself. Nat
urally he and his mother had certain
traits in common. "But I can't think
of any; SO you'll keep on trying, like a
good boy, won't you?"
"Oh, yes" replied Tim, .'I'll keep on
trying"
But two months went by, and he
hadn't energy enough left for real,
hearty try. To be sure, he dreamed
every night of golden strokes of for
tune, and usually started towards town
I'M the morning determined to "do some
thing, anyway" But even this vague
determination oozed away after he had
crossed his threshold, and the upshot
OF every journey was random saunter
through the streets, with his hands in
his pockets and far-away, desolate
look in his eyes.
i Now and then he would stop at store
window with sudden jerk, then turn
aside after short survey, move on to
the next corner and halt a minute be.
fore he decided whether to proceed to
the right or to the left. He ran to all
the fires. He stood in line with the
crowd on the cnrbstone to watch the
procession. He idled into the reading
room of the public library; everywhere
an easily recognizable picture of irreso-
luton and failure.
One evening as Tim came home, tired.
Respondent and a little sulky, he met
Nelly at the gate. This was no unusual
occurrence, as Nelly lived next door and
their families used the same passage
way.
Now Nelly was as brisk girl as ever
swung a broom, which was just her oc-
cuDation this evening. She had tho