Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-10-03
i. !.
!. TIE jail Bird Boss
!.

| There was Jail Bird once upon a time
| III n small town in the state of Iowa.
| This j. b. had had all that he wanted,
and it was his firm intention if he ever
| got another chance he would show what
he was made of. Many other J. BIS
! have made similar resolves. After he got
out most everybody gave him the Icy
| Niitt, but finally he Accepted Position
| Tor, as some might say, Found Job
| in Factory. He started in at 81 week,
working with the boys, for Jail birds can
: s-5r3 to he either Astidious or fin
icky. They have to take whatever offers.
SO the ]. b. started to work.
Now, in every shop or store there is al
ways some one-man, boy or girl-who
knows where Things are.
II you set set ten girls at work in a
room. you will find by the third day that
nine of those girls are asking the tenth
| girl these questions:
/ Is TINS all right!
Where Is the thread?
What shall do next?
And the tenth girl tells the others
| whether the work is right and where to
| find things Il what they had better do
| next. In one week this tenth girl will be
! o~le~ - Icy out the work for the day,
and at night she will stay little later in
order to put things away.
| And she will show in various ways that
she thinks of the work outside of work
| i'll, houss-belween the time she goes
| home at night and the time she returns
| in the morning.
| or course, the quibbler will here inter
| pose an objection to the effect that the
| probabilities are that the ten girls will
be equally stupid, and one and all be alb
solutely listless unless inspired by fear
Of the Blue Envelope or the coming foot
steps Of the Boss. think, however, that
the objection need not be seriously con-
sidered. for the fact is that at least one
person out Of ten is not only loyal, but
has a goodly grain Of executive ability
that can be cultivated through exercise.
Responsibilities gravitate to the person
who can shoulder them, and power flows
to the man who knows how.
AN Al 50 happened that before the ].
B. was in that factory a month the boys
We're going to him asking him where
things were. When they ran out Of one
kind Of work, they would ask him what
they should do next. And he, knowing
the sequence Of the work. would advise
them.
Now. there be employers who are
Proud and Overbearng, but others there
he who have Common Sense. And 1t so
happened that the man who owned the
factory where the ]. B. worked had a
modicum OF Common Sense. Seeing that
the j. b. knew where things were and
what should be done next and that the
j. e. put the work away at night and
got it out in the morning and planned
things at home and picked things up in
stead OF walking over them or kicking
the-a aside why The Boss encouraged the
j. Is. and Raised his Wages.
SO the J. h. evolved into n Right Hand
Man. and in time came to know a deal
more about the details OF the business
than the Boss. and / believe eventually
married the daughter OF the Boss. inner
lied his money x became sole owner of
the Factory: but OF these things | am
not certain. so | do not record them.
But the little incident am about to re-
cord really happened. One day the Boss
saw two girls who worked in the factory
coming in with basket Of wild cematis
These girls proceeded to festoon the pill
lars of the big room with the beautiful
plant. who told you to do that!' de-
manded the Boss
referring to the J. b.
did you send those girls away during
working hours after weeds?" asked the
Boss shortly after of the J. Il.
"Certainly" was the answer. "You
see. ! noticed those particular girls seem
ed very white and MT very strong and
sort of nervous and worn-they say
they have things tough at homeland l
just thought ! would try to improve their
compilations and spirits by giving them
a run out in the sunshine"
"Oho. You thought they were get
ting Prison Pallor. did your"
Yes. you guessed it. was thinking
OF Prison Pallor."
And so contrived an excuse to send
the girls on two mile walk out across
the felds?
Yes"
Had Prison Pallor yourself. eh?"
"Yes"
Used to look into a pocket mirror and
thought it was a Ghost"
POSSIBLY"
"Never saw the blue sky except
through grating or when walking lock-
| step across stone paved courtway."
You have it."
"Well. look here. J. B. Don't stand
around here keeping me from work. l
wish t Lord l could find few more J.
BIS TO help run this shebang. And. say,
make n little list of the pale, nervous,
yellow and scared girls and send them
out by turn for cematis whenever the
sun shines. Don't stand around keeping
me from work. Don't you think have
anything TO 10 myself? Go on with
you"'-Phlistine
She Sat sim.
In one Of the public schools Of large
city, while the school was in session, a
rn y.inAAIx. foil with craSh