The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-05-31
The Instructive
Case Of jenkins


jenkins is n bright young lawyer, who
has sat before a big empty desk for
nearly two years without earning
enough to buy a whole suit Of clothes.
or course he's busy. 1t takes him
about ten hours a week to study out
the diplomatic possibilities of his next
encounter with his landlady. Then
there is his affair at the restaurant. He
has to keep watch of the holes in his
meal ticket and look for chance in
vitations to more sumptuous meals. 1t
took him nearly a year Of finance with
Chinese laundrymen before he adopted
celluloid. What leisure he had was un-
til lately occupied with a sort of credit
correspondence with his father, upon
whom he is at liberty to draw only in
cases of extreme necessity. Jenkins
has written home many really able
definitions of extreme necessity"
All this may not prove that jenkins
is willing to work, but he is, and he
proved 1t last week. He offices" with
an eminent lawyer. This means, in his
case, that he gets deskroom in ex-
change for his services as office boy,
court messenger and n few more i'm
portant vicarious duties. In the same
Office with jenkins there is Stack, the
clerk, whose chief excuse for being
there is that he is nephew to the afore-
said eminent one. Then there is Har-
kins, the stenographer, who really
works and who is the envy Of both
Jenkins and Stack because he draws a
good salary and is allowed postage on
his W mail. Stacks salary is $3.50,
but as he lives with his uncle and pays
no board he is really the aristocrat of
the Office. jenkins gets 2 per cent on
the bills he collects.
Two weeks ago, however, somebody
bought him a good dinner, and then
such an unwonted courage rose up
within him that he decided to approach
the eminent lawyer with whom he "of-
fees" and ask advice. To the lawyer
jenkins said:
mir. Lord, I'm not getting along very
well, and l don't NOW exactly what to
do to improve my affairs. OF course l
don't want to leave you, but the fact
is If l don't mmence to take in a lit
tie more money I'll have to get a stu
alton, 60 into some trade quit the
law"
Now, see here, Jenkins" said Mr..
Lord. I'll tell you what I'd do in
your place. I'd start a collection agen-
cy. You can do it right here in my Of
fee. Take in the other boys; get up a
little stock company. 1t doesn't require
any capital, and If it's run right 1t
ought to pay. III give Stack all my
old accounts, and you can get as many
more as you want by advertising"
Jenkins eyes bulged with JOY. Here
at last was his chance. He thanked
his superior repeatedly, and that very
day the Calumet Quick Collection COM
pany was formed. Jenkins wrote a
long letter to his father, explaining
that postage stamps were an extreme
necessity" and then drew for S..
Stack and Harkins each contributed as
much, and the new concern began life
with a stock of enthusiasm and hope
that was not expressed In the amount
of paid up capital. Jenkins contrib
uted most of the enthusiasm, but Stack
and Harkins hoped for the best. The
work was SO divided that the young
lawyer had to do all the outside work.
The st~enographer, of course, could not
leave the office except for meals, and
the clerk argued that it would pay to
have some n at headquarters to meet
pnEfnmarS and nliapfS. ca with ~
misgivings, jenkins agreed to this ar
rangement.
The young lawyer vas determined to
do or die In his new venture, and to
this end he came down to the office
about daybreak on the morning Of his
first effort. He had a package of state
ments an inch thick and a long book In
which the IN and amounts were
listed. He began work at 8 o'clock
with 65 cents for car fare in his pocket
and the anticipation of swift and GER
tain success shining In his eyes. On
foot, In street cars and in trains he lit
orally few about the town till noon.
Some of the men he sought were
dead.
Others talked as If they would like
TO be.
Many had left the city for good-for
their W good, Jenkins thought. Some
were 80 poor that he knew they would
never pay.
A few laughed at him.
Nobody paid him.
He got back to the office about noon
broken IN finances, but not In spirit.
He almost lost his temper, however,
when Stack laid down the paper cover
ed novel he was reading, took bis feet