Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-05

The summer of 1898 was one long to be
remembered in the great naval supply
house of Gideon Gowenlock Co.. OF
Charleston, s. c. An August sun poured
| its steaming rays down upon the steam
| ing wharf and a hot sea wind famed the
moist heat through the open windows
among the perspiring clerks. Aside from
| the heat. each felt oppressed with
vague feeling OF unrest, for 1t was evident
/ TO even the office boy that there was
| something doing with old Gid.
| II was now Saturday noon, and from
early Monday morning the old man had
4 spent ten hours a day In his private Of
| fee, Familiarity known among his en-
ployes as the glass cage" and had not
| been his usual round throughout the es-
| tablishment generally supervising the
1 business. Through the ground glass doors
4 they could see him bending over his desk
/ or hear his measured football as ne walked
/ the floor. Each wondered If a change was
to be made in his department, and, II such
a change was made, IL his services would
! be needed any further. Suspense was
about at a white heat when the call bell
| sounded in the outer office. AT last olo
Gid'' was going to act. The important
Office boy, Boots, tripped himself twice IN
his haste to answer the call.
Tell Tom Colston to come here" said
the old man without looking up. 1t was
| needless for Boots to repeat the message,
as every ear had been strained to eaten
/ each syllable.
Collision climbed down from his stool and
appeared at the door. His brown
eyes had a dangerous light and
his law an extra firmness about it as he
stood waiting. He felt that he was beard
/ ing the lion in his den.
THAT is a pity" whispered the clerks
| among themselves, "Coltson is clean,
square fellow, but he ought TO know the
/ old man would not hear to his marrying
Miss Eolly. It will be hard for him to
get another Job in the dull summer
\ months"
"sit down, sir" said the old man. wear
lily.
Tom seated himself on the edge of a
chair and awaited his next move. Some
how ne felt that he was playing game
of chess with an older head. but was gain
ing confidence in himself.
AS usual with the old man when making
| a trade, he began a rambling story that
bore only indirectly but led up 10 the
| matter in hand.
1T have watched you. sir from your
| youth UP. / knew your father before you.
l was a struggling merchant OF little
means when he died. leaving you small
boy to. be raised by your mother. she
4 had hard time to make ends meet, but
| somehow she managed to rear you re-
specially and you have. done we'll by her.
1 understand that as long as she lived
you provided her with a home and gave
| her the comforts If not the luxuries OF
life. That was commendable and have
advanced you rapidly to where you are
now-my head bookkeeper.
Tom nodded and would have expressed
his appreciation, but the old man cut him
short by continuing:
| You went to school with my daughter
i Dolly and used to champion her cause
| among your play fellows. Later in life
you was her comforter when she lost
her mother, and, as you had lately then
/ lost yours, YOU consoled each other. I
might have seen then what all this would
lead up to but was too blind with grief
and tried to forget everything IN my bust
ness"
| A tender light. not unmixed with tears
/ shone in the young mans eyes.
| II have always looked upon Dolly as
/ child, even since she took her mother
K place in my house. 1 am surprised to see
she has grown to womanhood the change
has been so gradual had not noticed it.
In my early business experience learned
one secret that has been the very key
stone Of my success. When was in doubt
| about a move, / laid the case in the alb
/ stract before good woman and asked
what action she would take. have never
known II to fail that the first answer she
1
| forwards waver and change her mind
/ score of times, but the first answer IS
| correct. She arrives at a conclusion in a
| way no one can explain, but ninety-nine
| times out Of hundred, 1t is the correct
one. I have real long discussions on the
mental equality of woman and man. but
tell you II is wrong, all wrong. Wo-
mans mind is not a mans equal, 1t Is his
superior"
He wheeled his chair about and pointed
at his desk.
Look at that pile of mail. It is enough
/ to make a man sick. One hundred and
| twenty drafts sent out in the last ten
| days returned unpaid in that file. There
! is a letter from the Neptune National
bank saying that further time cannot be
| extended on my overdraft and today one
| of my checks was returned marked in
sufficient funds. In the early summer
placed mortgages on my real estate for
| about one-tenth OF its Svalue and that
money was insufficient to carry my bust
ness through this dull season. The loan is
not due for a year. but it stops further
borrowing from that source. As you
| know I have thousands of dollars on my
books In good accounts, but you see
/ can not realize a cent on them, because
the small merchant and shipper has no
money and WON'T have till cotton comes
| in this fall In the meantime. my credit
will be ruined, outstanding claims pressed,
and I will be squeezed to death for the
want of a few thousand Of ready money.
| 1t is simply maddening to see my thrifty
years struggle end in failure. for lack OF
a sum that 1 have given annually to
charity"
Great beads Of perspiration stood out
| on his forehead and his voice sounded
hollow with despair. Toms eyes flashed
synpathetically and he started to speak
but the old man grew calm and spoke
on in determined way
"Since Dolly's mother died have al
ways asked her about business. would
carefully simplify matters so she could
understand the story. I would tell her
| and I found she had her mothers same
keen sense for pointing out the right
way. I laid the case before Dolly last
night and waited for her first answer,
knowing could not go wrong. She was
not in the humor for answering my rid
dies and she said: I would ask Tom
Collision, the man I love
BLESS her dear heart for that" whis-
! pered the young man, tenderly.
she climbed upon my knee and said:
| Father, have no mother now and
| must tell YOU and the dear child told me
| that you two had exchanged VOWS to
marry this fall If I gave my consent. 1t
was a surprise and a revelation to me. l
would not say then what 1 would do.
hoped some time in the far of future to
have my daughter make a brilliant match
II i -. e.