Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1903-03-21

was old John Durhams son Jim. That
was a good many years ago, when the
house was a much smaller affair. Jim's
father had lot of money till he start
cd out to buck the universe and corner
wheat. And the boy took all the fancy
courses and trimmings at college. The
old man was mighty proud OF Jim.
Wanted him to be a literary fellow.
But old Durham found out what every
one learns who gets his ambitions
mixed up with number two red-that
there's heap Of it lying around loose
in the country. The bears did quick
work and kept the cash wheat coming
in so lively that one settling day half
dozen of us had to get under the mar
ket to keep it from going to smash.
That day made Jim candidate for
job. 1t didn't take him long to decide
that the Lord would attend to keeping
up the visible supply of poetry and
that he had better turn his attention to
the stocks of mess pork. Next morning
he was laying for me with letter Of
introduction when l got to the office,
and when he found that l wouldn't
have n private secretary at any price
he applied for every other position on
the premises right down to office boy.
l told him l was sorry, but I couldn't
do anything for him then; that we were
letting men go, but I'd keep him in
didn't think fellow with Jim's train
ing would be much good anyhow. But
Jim hung on-said he'd taken a fancy
to the house and wanted to work for 1t.
Used to call by about twice week to
find out if anything had turned up.
Finally, after about month of this,
he wore me down SO that l stopped
him one day as he was passing me on
the street. l thought I'd find out If he
really was so redhot to work as he
pretended to be; besides felt that per-
haps l hadn't treated the boy just
right, as had delivered quite jag Of
that wheat to his father myself.
Hello, jim" l called; do you still
want that job:"
Yes, SIR he answered quick as
lightning.
"Well, tell you how it is, Jim,"
said, looking up at him-he was one Of
those husky, lazy moving six fOoters-
but understand they can use another
good, strong man in one of the loading
gangs"
thought that would settle Jim and
let me out, for it's no joke Juggling
beef or rolling barrels and tierces q
hundred yards or SO to the cars. But
Jim came right back at me with:
Done. Who'll report tor
That sporty way Of answering, as if
he was closing a bet, made me surer
than ever that he was not cut out for
a butcher. But l told him and of he
started hot foot to find the foreman. /
sent word by another route to see that
he got plenty to do.
l forgot all about Jim until about
three months later, when his name was
handed up to me for new place and a
raise in pay. 1t seemed that he had
sort Of abolished his job. After he had
been rolling barrels awhile and the
ders couple of inches lower than the
other he got to scheming around for a
way to make the work easier, and he hit
on an idea for a sort of overhead rail-
road system by which the barrels could
be swung out Of the storerooms and
run right along into the cars and two
or three men do the work of gang. 1t
was just as l thought. Jim was lazy,
but he had put the house in the way of
saving so much money that couldn't
fire him. So raised his salary and
made him an assistant timekeeper and
checker.
Jim kept at this for three or four
him, guess, and then he was out Of
Job again. 1t seems he had heard some
thing Of new machine for registering
the men that did away with most Of
the tlmekeepers, except the fellows who
watched the machines, and he kept
after the superintendent until he got
him to put them in. OF course he
claimed raise again for effecting
such a saving, and we just had to al
low 1t.
l was beginning to take an interest
In Jim, so l brought him up into the
Office and set him to copying circular
letters. We used to send out a raft Of
them to the trade. That was just be-
fore the general adoption Of type
writer's, when they were still In the
experimental stage. But Jim hadn't
been In the Office plugging away at
the letters for month before he had
the writer's cramp and began nOsing
around again. The first thing I knew
he was sicking the agents for the new
machine on to me. and he
kept them pounding away until they
made me give them a trial. Then II
was all up with Mr.. Jim's job again.
] raised his salary without his asking
for it this time and put him out on the
road to introduce a new product that
we were making-beef extract.
Jim made two trips without selling
enough to keep them working overtime
at the factory, and then he came into
my Office with long story about how
we were doing 1t all wrong. Said we
ought to go for the consumer by ad-
vertising and make the trade come to
Ius instead of chasing it up.
That was so like Jim that l just
laughed at first. Besides, that sort Of