The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-16
WATERS WAS LATE.


| TO happen, OF course, things do hap.
pen, but only in business way. The
/ house is just big machine, one row OF
roll-top desks operating on another
! from the impetus gained from the very
biggest desk of all--that belonging to
/ Mr.. Waters-and the desks in turn
| connected with the stacks OF clothing
! hardware everything. on shelves and
| counters In the upper floors.
! customer comes in ana boy con
ducts him to Mr.. Peterson, who Is, so
| to speak the hopper of the mill. Mr.
! Peterson smiles receptlyely, and in a
! few moments the customer has disap-
peared. Hither and thither he is hur-
1 Iled, cog after COS in the machinery
takes a grind at him and passes him
on, until In due course his order Is exc.
cuted and he is smoothly elected. Then
the order goes through its own process
OF selection, checking, packing and
shipping. Sharp voices chant 1t, type
writer's click 1t, presses bear saVagely
down on II, it is wrapped, boxed, crat-
ed branded and skidded on 10 the
wagons, and off ii goes, north, south.
east or west. without hitch any
where, or the slightest waste Of ma
terial energy or time.
System does it,
Things used to go at haplazard once
on time. but that was before Waters
came into the concern, saved 1t from
bankruptcy and made 1t what II is to-
day He introduced system-regular-
ity, punctuality. He fitted one man to
another as Il clockmaker does the parts
OF q watch. There was TO be no indie
pendent action anywhere. Each glib,
gudgeon screw, escapement had its
own function. but that function was
cooperative and to be properly so it
had 10 be regular. lie was the main
spring as well rs the creator. and he
wound himself up every morning at
$3.50 O'Clock to the second, and rad
done 50 for Is years without a break.
But something happened the other,
day. 1t has not been discussed, OF
course, yet the whole office hsloGs It.
In some mysterious manner the know
ledge has spread to the upper regions
too. has been said that Waters was
exemplary in the matter Of punctualt-
", but perhaps II has not been insist
ed upon sufficiently. Fifteen years was
his record Six days in the week and
So weeks in the year. Other men took
yactions, but not the handspring. Other
men got sick, but he could not afford
The time. One day the city newspapers
announcet his marriage and shortly
after that, and for perhaps q year
after, his vile appeared at the office
at intervals and accompanied him
when he left, but that was the only
evidence sustaining The report. II
must have been SatarGay-to- Monday
honeymoon But
Eight tbirty-fve, and Mr.. Waters
had not appeared. Eight forty, and
still The roll top OF his desk was down
There was a Stir almost of uneasiness |
in the office l'urtive glances were
stolen at the big clock that hung in the /
corner above the vault and at the door I
Eight forty-fve, and Gappon, pink |
faced and ponderous, opened the door
Of his office and looked around in a
puzzled way and withdrew The clock
licked on steadily, the minute hand (
-rept up and up past its shorter fellow
md neared and gained the - Nine
o'clock and still no Waters.
The buzzer sounded from GapDons
Dom and every man who heard it start,
ID. Henry, the Office boy, whose sig
lal it was jumped for the door ana
Knocked over stool in his haste. In
} moment or two he came out OF the
Dom with telegram in his hand ANA
everybody knew to whom that teIe-
ram was addressed
But Henry had not put his c.p on
when there came "A quick clatter OF
lorses' hoofs on the gravel outside, the
loor lung open ana Waters appeared
appeared unshaycn and di,hereled
'aler even than usual. his brows knit
ed and, yes, one shoe lace was united
nd trailing behind him As he walked
fith rapil stride to his desk s
Henry went back with the telegram {
nj Gappon again looked out rs if to
ssare himself. Waters looked up al !
i'm, nodded, ANA p3lling a pile OF let ]
ers toward him began to look them {
yer.
4 the third letter Waters stopped
nd seemed to consider As he ookes
ather- yacamiy before Lin his leath J
ry features rc!aved jato a smile m !
o lrowned and, ic * az at he 'e-a
eair. pslei,ed .some;lrns OF the ase
'hrce cther3 he scanned FL Ia2id SUE
re.icu ,senciling his tlirs "A benz
nd once moro he lapgei iato though;
nr ten minutes he occal iel himself ili
as way reading. rerea6!ag. erls'1c
nd writing anew and smiling qscsrl,
, the card cabinet !
A; last he caIne cut e. cn- o. n.
'veries and. gathering up the let; :
J b bunch. carried them llto Canyon :
Iom. The partitions are thin and any !.
iiug said in q loud voice within may :
3 easily heard outside. What Water :,
ia was in low tones. bat Mr. Gappou :,
louted. "What," =
And then. "You don't tell me-" and !,
laugh n
Nothing more ooaid be heard though i.