Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-26
A Self=Made Merchant
The Ways Were New, but the Ensuing
Profits Mere bio.

The Ways Were New, but the Ensuing
Profits Were big.
The first college man l ever hired
was old John Durham's son Jim. That
was a good many years ago, when the
house was q much smaller affair. Jim's
father had lot Of money till he start
ed out to buck the universe and corner
wheat. And the boy took all the fancy
old man was mighty proud of jim.
Wanted him to be 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 80 lively that one settling day half
a dozen Of us had to get under the mar
ket to keep it from going to smash.
That day made Jim candidate for a
Job. 1t didn't take him long to decide
that the Lord would attend to keeping
up the visible supply of poetry and
that lie had better turn h. 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 lie found that wouldn't
have private secretary at any price
he applied for every other position on
the premises right down to Office boy.
told him was sorry, but couldn't
do anything for him then; that we We're
letting men go, but I'd keep him in
mind, and so on The fact was that l
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 it.
Used to call by about twice a week to
find out if anything had turned up.
Finally, after about month of this,
he wore me down so that stopped
him one day as he was passing me on
the street. l thought Id 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" called; do you still
want that job?"
Yes. sir" he answered quick as
lightning.
..Well, tell you how 1t is, JIM" l
said, looking up at him-he was one Of
those husky. lazy moving six footers-
81 don't see any chance in the office,
but l understand they can use another
good. strong man in one Of the loading
gangs"
thought that would settle Jim and
let me out. FIR it's joke Juggling
beef or rolling barrels an tierces q
hundred yards or SO to the cars. But
Jim ca right back ut me with:
I'D nc. WI II report TOT"
That sporty way Of answering. as II
he was closing bet, made me surer
than ever that he was no. cut out for
a butcher But told him ard off he
started 1T fo~t to find the foreman. ]
sent word anotht. route to see that
lie got lty to Dc.
forgot al abou. Jim until about
tree II tn l. ter. when his naEle was
handed up 10 me for a new plae and a
rai.e in pa. l seemed that he had
sort of ,GL he'd lis job. After he had
bc IN bar-e.s awhile and the
sport had ground own one of his Shout
ders couple of inches lower than the
other be ,ot to 81 2eming around for a
wa. to make the work easier, and he hit
on an id a for sort of overhead rail-
road sys-em by which the barrels could
be swung out of the storerooms and
ri, rigl along inAo the cars and two
or three men do the work Of gang. 1t
was just as l thought. jim was lazy,
but he hid put the house in the way Of
saving so much money that couldn't
fire hin. So | raised his salary and
made him an assistant timekeeper and
checker.
Jir kept at t., is for three OF four
monthe, until his feet began to hurt
him, guess. and then he was out of a
Job again. 1t seems he had heard some
thing of a new machine for registering
the men that did away with most Of
the timekeepers. 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 a raise again for effecting
such saving, and we just had to al
low it.
was beginning to take an interest
in jim, so brought him up into the
Office and set him to copying circular
letters. We used to send out raft Of
them to the trade That was just be-
fore the general adoption Of type
writers, 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 l knew
he was sicking the agents for the new
typewriting machine on to me, and he
kept them pounding away until they
made me give them a trial. Then it
was all up with Mr.. Jim's job again.
l raised his salary without his asking
for it this time and put him out on the
road to introduce new product that
we were making-beef extract.
Jim made two trips without selling
enough to keep them working overtime
ut the factory, and then he came into
my office with long story about how