The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-03-19
The instructive
Case Of jenkins

! Case Of Jenkins !
<%>~%<%><~>>~>>~<%~~~~<~<<
Jenkins is a bright young lawyer, who
has sat before a big empty desk for
nearly two years without earning
enough to buy whole suit Of clothes.
OF course he's busy. 1t takes him
about ten hours 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 year of finance with
Chinese laundrymen before he adopted
celluloid. What leisure he had was IN
til lately occupied with 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 it last week. He ''off1ces" 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 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
good salary and is allowed postage on
his own 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:
"Mr. Lord, Pm not getting along very
well, and don't know exactly what to
do to improve my affairs. OF course
don't want to leave you, but the fact
is If don't commence to take in lit
tie more money I'll have to get stu
alton, go into some trade - quit the
law"
"Now, see here, Jenkins" said Mr..
Lord. 1I'll tell you what I'd do in
your place. I'd start collection agen-
cy. You can do it right here in my Of
fee. Take in the other boys; get up
little stock company. 1t doesn't require
any capital, and If it's run right it
ought to pay. I'll 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 So.
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 stenographer, of course, could not
leave the Office except for meals, and
the clerk argued that it would pay to
have some one at headquarters to meet
customers and clients; so, with some
misgivings, Jenkins agreed to this ar
rangement.
The young lawyer was 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 package of state
mefts an inch thick and long book in
which the names and amounts were
listed. He began work at o'clock
with IS 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 own good, Jenkins thought. Some
were so 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 his reer
down from the steam radiator and
asked
"How much did you get%
He even fancied that he could hear
Harkins laugh when he answered: Il
didn't collect a cent Hard luck, isn't
it? ran into gang of tough ones ana
then ran out of car fare. Any answers
to our Cumming letters?"
mot a glimmer," mourned Harkins.
Stack looked glad of it. He loaned
Jenkins a half dollar for car fare,
charged 1t up on the company's book
and resumed his warm place IN the
corner.
When the young lawyer was gone
out, the clerk sided up to the stenogra-
pher and said:
"Say. Hark, think we're on a dead
one, don't your"
81 hope not for jerks sake. He's SO
In earnest" said the stenographer.
"Wen. it's jerks doings. He sug-
gested it, ard guess he needs the mon
ey worse than we do"
"But if ii fails?"
"Well. If it fails / think Jenkins
ought to stand the losses. I'm out nve-
fifty already, and it's his fault"
But he's doing all the work." sug-
gested Harkins.
"Well, so he ought" And Mr.. SrAcK
went back to his novel.
The young lawyer worked IKE
fiend When car fare was gone, nc
walked. even ran, after his supposed
victims. He quit going back to the
Office and worked far into the night
He pestered the life out Of every debt
or who showed the least sign Of paying
up, and if they offered him a dollar
he took 1t and asked for two. In the
meantime, a few answers to advertise
ments came into the Office, but MT
Lord seized upon them as too deep rel