Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-12-22
mIUsT from the country, I su,

1T UST from the country, I sup
u pose?"
Yes. sir.''
"Never worked in store before ?''
NO, sir"
well, you can make beginning
right here. then. Five dollars week
at first. The cashier will give you
your check every Saturday night. BE
quick about your work and say lit
tle."
The manager pressed button in
the wall above his desk, and a small
lad flew rather than walked into the
office in obedience to the summons.
"Show this young man down to
floor one, and tell Mr.. Bell he takes
Woods place."
The manager turned to a pile of
letters upon his desk, and Randall
Greer followed the messenger boy to
the elevator and went whizzing down,
down, with a rapidity that made his
head swim.
Mr.. Bell was tall, thin young man
who gave the country youth gener-
al outline of his duties in as few
words as possible, and then turned
him over to fat, heavy-faced boy
of about Randall's own age, to whom
he was to apply for additional infor-
nation.
The fat youth had the softly femi-
nine name of Pearl-Pearl Stebbins;
but he was known to his fellow-clerks
as "Stebby."
Randall's somewhat slow move
ments and rural appearance amused
the city-bred Stebby not little; but
he was good-natured enough to hide
the very expressive wink which dis
figured one side of his face when
one of his chums passed during his
introductory remarks" to the new
boy.
Stebby, like many young men of
his class. mistnnl. vu1garity for cle~-
erness. And, in his way of looking
at people, he differed materially from
the keen-eyed manager above stairs.
Now, the manager had only noted
that the boys clothes were we'll
Morn although neat;. but he saw
something infinitely pleasing in the
manly, honest face, serious despite
its boyishness. while stebby could
have told the exact date on which
the home-laundried collar went out
Of style. And the manager had
looked with something akin to envy
at the big, red hands, so obviously in
their owners way. He, too, had spent
| tho uoorc 81 hic 1>Nuh1ol ~ e,
and Randall Greer's hands carried
him back to that long-past time.
But Stebby's observant eye took in
at a glance the fact that the boys
coat sleeves were fully three inches
too short. So much depends upon
our way of looking at things.
| While attending to his allotted du-
ties that first day, Randall kept con-
tinually in mind the managers adj
monition to be quick. And, when
evening came, he could scarcely re-
member when he had been so tired.
Following the plow all day seemed
play in comparison with calling
that demanded he should be here,
there and everywhere continually.
The network of wires above his
head, the unceasing whir of the cleo
trio fans, the little baskets constantly
sailing to and fro on their miniature
trolleys, the never-ending chatter,
chatter that went on around him
fairly made him dizzy.
| A dozen times he had wished him
self back, guiding old, carefully-step-
ping Dolly through the long, straight
rows of young green corn, with the
smell of the sweet-scented earth fresh
in his nostrils, and the songs of a
hundred birds floating on flower
breathed winds to his ears.
/ But the boy had about him GER
tain logged resolution. He knew he
was not going back. He was going
to stay right where he was.
| He was leaving the store that even
ing, when Mr.. Bell called to him.
! "Any friends in the city, Greer?"
/ mo, sir"
"Got a boarding place, yet?"
| mo, sir"
| "Well, No. PISA on the second block
from here is good place for the
money, and respectable. Several of
our men board there. The top floor
is only SO a week and four in room.
They pay much more below. AS you
go up here, you can go down over
there, you KNOW" he said with a
rather grim smile at his own wit. II
thought I'd tell you. as they are lit
tie particular here about where their
men stay. That's ALL"
"Thank you, SIR"
4 So the new boys first trip was to
the clearinghouse known as 27S.l.
Here he engaged board for SO per
week, the landlady kindly waving
her rule of weeks board in advance
in his case.
| Two dollars per week for all his
other expenses, he thought; but s.
does not look so small to some people
rs 10 others.
Two of Randall's room-mates were
workers in the same store with him
self-lIarry Littlefeld, and anothe,
whose parents seemed to have be
slowed upon him only the initials j
L., which, combined with Lee, were
very conveniently shortened into
"Jelly," It was some time before
] Randall learned the constituent parts